Words Being Trixy Again….From ‘Right To Roam’…...A Bit Of Synchronicity…..
by Bernie Bell - 09:39 on 08 March 2024
Words Being Trixy Again….
Another exceptional piece of writing from Sigurd Towrie….
https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/temples-sun-moon/
…which includes equally exceptional images from Nick Card – he has the ‘eye’ to see and the camera to capture. And – he’s right there – where and when it’s all happening. NB – spot the bunny!
Plus – the following article includes a link to Dougie Scott’s ‘The Temples of the Sun and Moon – Orkney’…..
A lot to read – I suggest you settle down with a cuppa….
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From ‘Right To Roam’….
“HOW DID WE LOSE THE LAND?
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
English Landownership // Next Trespass Location // Access Islands
Dear Roamers,
We spend a lot of time arguing for the right to access land, but why don’t we have it in the first place? One answer is because its ownership is wildly unequal, with less than one percent of the population owning fifty percent of the land in England.
Some of these acquisitions date back as far as the Norman Conquest, when lands controlled by around four thousand Anglo-Saxon Thanes were divvied up between two hundred Norman barons and clergy and the rest subsumed by the new conqueror king.
The consequences of this millennia-old invasion still have bizarre ramifications today. In 2009, the people of Swansea were shocked to discover they had to pay the Duke Beaufort (who lives in a 52,000 acre Estate in Gloucestershire) £280,000 just for permission to build a footbridge over the River Tawe in 2009. Why? Simply because he “owned” the river bed over which the bridge traversed.
These latent forms of taxation weigh heavy on the rest of us – not least when it comes to accessing land. Case in point: last month the Country Land and Business Association (the body representing major landowners) released their position on access reform. Their central proposal was - hold your surprise - that landowners be paid large sums of public money for so-called ‘permissive access’ arrangements. In other words, for the temporary permission (not the right) to access pre-selected areas of land and water at said landowner’s convenience. Such permissions can be revoked at any time, and disappear whenever the public payments dry up.
Now, it’s true that access sometimes needs infrastructure to be consequential: think stiles, gates, a bridge over boggy ground. That costs money to install and takes money to maintain. It’s unlikely to happen without some kind of incentive. But that’s a bit different to payment-for-permission. It's the access equivalent of Beaufort’s bridge: extracting rent for owning land, rather than fair payments for doing the work.
It's worth saying that several other CLA proposals were more reasonable (we probably should make landowner liability clearer for instance: it’s not the Duke of Beaufort’s fault if I brain myself on a rock. And while existing liability law is widely misunderstood, that’s reason enough for reform). But it is rather telling that landowning organisations are content to explain how vital access to nature is for everybody’s health when they want their members to be paid to ‘provide’ it. But that the public has plenty of access already, thank you very much, when they’re not.
Which brings us to today’s business…
Next Trespass: 'A Fayre For All' (Cirencester Park)
For 326 years Cirencester Park has been freely open to members of the public. Originally purchased by Benjamin Bathurst with profits from the slave trade. Like many wealthy beneficiaries of slavery, Bathurst laundered his reputation through philanthropy: in this case, by extending public access to the park in perpetuity.
Now, they’ve had enough. Rather than wait to see if they can blag some government handouts for access (in addition to the £400,000+ the Estate has already been cashing in from public agricultural payments – they also have a trust based in the tax haven of Bermuda), they’re doing it the old-fashioned way: charging people outside the immediate area to go for a walk instead, priced at a cool £4 a wander.
Unsurprisingly, locals are unhappy and they’ve called the campaign in to support.
So, we’re pushing back. On Sunday March 17th we’re organising a Fayre For All at the park, the same weekend the charges are due to be introduced. No Pay Protest. “Mass Trespass”. Call it what you like. We’ll be hearing from historians about the legacy of the slave trade for the land today, and celebrating hundreds of years of community fêtes, festivities and nature competitions: the true heritage of the park.
If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to join us, now’s your chance: its proximity to the town makes it one of the logistically simple locations we’ve ever held an event.
Sign up using the eventbrite below (free coaches currently planned from Swindon and Bristol):
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-fayre-for-all-tickets-846039215067?aff=oddtdtcreator
Access Islands
A big thank you to all who supported our decision to postpone our access island event a fortnight ago. It was a tricky call but, having seen the swamped-out ground first hand, definitely the right one.
Still, the plan got the word out. Myriad articles were published in the national press about the issue and it triggered an impromptu debate in the House of Lords featuring powerful interventions from Scottish peers.
Many of you also heeded our call to venture to your own nearby access island, sharing your stories on social media, and to our inbox. We've been enthralled, entertained, saddened and gladdened by what you reported – from the barbed wire island near Coverack explored by Mark; the rocky scrubland with far-reaching views to St Austell Bay enjoyed by Helen; an obscure access island just outside of Blackstone in Nottinghamshire highlighted by Andy; and the miraculous gorse island which required Holly and Alex to go wading – dedication!
We’re gathering the evidence and filing it in a big folder called ‘Why the CRoW Act is Broken’ to be handed over to the next politician we encounter.
If you want to read me being deeply sarcastic about access islands, here’s a piece I wrote for The Lead. Warning: weak gags about Taylor Swift contained within.
Petition
We’ve now hit over 30,000 signatories for our petition calling on UK Party Leaders to commit to reforming our access laws.
Big thanks to all of you who have signed and shared. Keep pushing!
For those who haven’t got round to it, it really does just take a few seconds. Sign here:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/righttoroam
We’re still building our fighting fund for this year’s big election push, so if you’ve got a pint’s worth of cash to bung at the campaign we’d really appreciate it. We won’t be around forever and are resourcing ourselves with one goal: to win.
Donate using the link or button below.
Spring blessings,
Jon on behalf of the Right to Roam Team
To follow us on social media:
Twitter: @Right_2Roam
Instagram: right.2roam
Facebook: right2roam
To donate to the campaign:
Click the button below or visit:
righttoroam.org.uk/donate “
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A Bit Of Synchronicity…
I received the ‘Right to Roam’ email on the same day that I received Bartholomew’s poem….
Hell Hath No Fury
Mother Nature marches
alongside her angry daughters
in pink hats and sensible shoes
wind howling protest
We chopped down her forests
planted crops — erected fences
claimed her as property
exploited — leaving her empty
Allied with her fellow women
no longer enduring the oppression
anger erupts as hurricanes
and they flood the streets
Demanding we men behave
like reasonable human beings
Bartholomew Barker
https://bartbarkerpoet.com/2024/03/05/hell-hath-no-fury/
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