John Muir`s Blue Sierra # 2

Further to my earlier article, the government has confirmed it intends to proceed with the proposed Beauly-Denny powerline.

Now that a little time has passed since the announcement, I thought it would be interesting to check out the resonses of some of the interested parties.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland has expressed "great disappointment".

The John Muir Trust goes further, describing this as "the wrong choice for Scotland" and expressing the belief that there has been insufficient attention paid to possible alternatives such as sub-sea cables.

Ramblers Scotland seem to have issued the strongest statement. Describing the planning process as "deeply flawed" , they note that it will be "many years" before work can begin and point out that this allows time for a legal challenge. With election time looming, they are turning their attention to politicians, commenting that  "those seeking election" in both Scotland and England "need to be asked where they stand".

Various links to relevant organistations and publications can be found at the foot of my original article. For a more detailed account of the government`s announcement, and the reactions of local people, it`s worth  visiting www.pylonpressure.com.

Footnote - Pylons and the planning issues relating to pylons are also a big issue in the Somerset area, spawning a number of community -based protest groups, many with names characterised by terrible puns on the word `pylon` -  No Moor Pylons, Pylon Moor Pressure, Pylon the Pressure, Save Nailsea West and Yatton Against Pylons . Fortunately, an umbrella group has been formed and is a `pun free zone`, opting for the more straightforward (though less imaginative) Save our Valley , (on the web at  www.save-our-valley.co.uk ) .  I was impressed to learn that Save our Valley and Save Nailsea West started the year with a New Year Protest March to the Pub. Now that really is a community-based approach ! Seriously, apart from the pylon issue itself, there are serious underrlying issues relating to representation and accountability which have been raised by campaigners and by Liam Fox MP, which do need to be addressed and are likely to crop up again elsewhere.