Tag: Chris Packham

Soldier F, HS2 & Bees – 2019

Soldier F, HS2 & Bees: On Saturday 28th September 2019 people, many former soldiers, were protesting in Westminster against the prosecution of ‘Soldier F’ for the murder of unarmed civil rights protesters in Londonderry on ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1972. From there I went to Euston for a protest against the destruction of ancient woodland to build HS2 and finally to Stoke Newington for a protest against the lack of action over climate change which threatens the future of many species including our own.

Veterans Moon for Soldier F

Parliament Square

Mooning in Parliament Square

Soldier F was one of several paratroopers who had opened fire on unarmed civilian protesters in Londonderry on Bloody Sunday’ in 1972.

Although the government had recently announced that soldiers would be granted protection against prosecution for any alleged historic offences, a special exemption allowed offences during the Irish ‘Troubles’ to be brought to court. Soldier F was the first to be brought to trial. The protesters called for this exemption to be removed and the case to be dropped.

The square was surrounded by riders and motorbikes who were to ride as a part of the protest and there were hundreds waiting to march, along with a few military vehicles. A small group on the top of one of these dropped their trousers, mooning towards Parliament and also turning and then towards the middle of the square.

Soldier F was eventually found ‘Not Guilty’ by a Belfast Court Judge in 2025.

Veterans Moon for Soldier F

HS2 threatens ancient Woodland

Euston

Chris Packham with a man dressed as a tree hold pots of saplings from South Cubbington Wood

Despite huge cost overruns and the abandonment of the routes past Birmingham that were needed to make the project worthwhile, HS2 was (and is) still going ahead, its route ploughing through and destroying acres of irreplaceable ancient woodland.

The Woodland Trust had come for a ‘Euston: We have a Problem’ with people carrying plants in posts and Chris Packham handed out acorns for people to take home and plant. My own fairly small garden already has far too many trees – and I have to pull up hundreds of ash saplings every year or it would really be a small forest, but I didn’t refuse them.

HS2 was justified by the need for greater capacity on the West Coast mainline by providing an alternative route north of Birmingham – but will not now do so. It will take far longer to build than envisaged and cost more than twice as much while providing little in return – a few minutes shorter ride between London and Birmingham but to stations at each end rather disconnected from the rest of our transport system, so probably meaning longer overall journey times for most passengers.

HS2 is a huge and continuing example of throwing good money after bad; it should never have got off the ground and successive governments have lacked the political courage to cancel it.

The protest came days before destruction was to start of South Cubbington Wood, one of 30 classified ancient woodlands among a total of 108 woods to be wholly or partly lost to HS2. The felling was delayed for some time but huge numbers of trees were felled there in 2020.

HS2 threatens ancient Woodland

Requiem for a Bee

Stoke Newington

There were speeches over the coffin at Stoke Newington Town Hall

Extinction Rebellion Hackney marched from Clissold Park to Stoke Newington Town Hall behind a coffin ‘OUR FUTURE’ in protest against failures to take action over global heating which is caused by increasing levels of man-made greenhouse gases. After speeches there XR Hackney marched to a final rally at the gates of Abney Park Cemetery on Stamford Hill.

The protest title, ‘Requiem For A Bee’ referred to the Red Girdled Mining Bee previously found in the cemetery becoming extinct there due to loss of habitat due to increasing development in Hackney.

They demanded that Hackney Council appoint a biodiversity officer, act on their recent declaration of climate emergency, include XR and other local groups in a citizens assembly, commit to net zero emissions by 2025 and divest 100% of pension fund from fossil fuels.

Fortunately for me the protest was late in starting as I had arrived late after rushing from Euston. I was able to photograph it leaving the park and then continue all the way to the end. I found the final rally with an odd period of reflection rather strange.

Requiem for a Bee

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HS2

Lord Adonis has a lot to answer for, a rival to Failing Grayling who also served as Secretary of State for Transport – from 2016 to 2019. Adonis regards himself as “the architect of HS2” and published the original plan around ten years ago during the then new Labour government. It is down to him that we have the pigs ear which is HS2 rather than a modern railway that would be a great asset to our infrastructure.

Some protesters came with trees

HS2 as presently planned is crazy. It doesn’t connect with HS1, so we will eventually need to build a new connection there. It doesn’t run into Birmingham New Street, and the time saved by the faster transit into Curzon St will be lost for passengers requiring onward services there. And while the high-speed trains will be able to continue their journeys on existing track further north, they will actually be slower on these than the existing tilting stock.

One campaigner was dressed as a tree

There were alternative routes that would have worked better and certainly been more friendly to the environment, but these were dismissed under Adonis apparently without proper investigation. And it would have been better to have started by sorting out existing northern routes where the need is greater. We already have two working routes to Birmingham from London, from either Euston or Marylebone.

London-Birmingham is really too short a trip for the huge cost of a high-speed 300km/h connection to be worthwhile, they saving in time been too short. Currently the fastest services make the journey in 1 hr 22 mins, and that time could almost certainly be shortened by relatively small changes in to the existing route and signalling. The distance is 161km and the current average speed of the fastest services is only 118 km/h, using trains capable of over 200km/h.

Chris Packham gave me 3 acorns to plant but we have too many trees in our garden already

The protest at Euston led by Chris Packham and The Woodland Trust was over the environmental damage being caused by destruction of ancient woodlands on its route, taking place at a time when the whole HS2 project was still in doubt and was precipitated by the imminent destruction of South Cubbington Wood, due to be destroyed on 9th October. This is one of 30 classified ancient woodlands among a total of 108 woods to be wholly or partly lost to HS2. And the felling was put on hold.

Since then, the project has been given the go-ahead by Boris Johnson and is likely to be too far advanced by the time we get a new government to make some sensible changes. But I have a horrible feeling it may just end up as a huge white elephant.

More on the protest: HS2 threatens ancient Woodland

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