Wind Farm Lies

The continuing battle over the ever-increasing number of wind farms in Scotland took a new turn yesterday with the Scottish Government approving a 68-turbine site in Perthshire. According to the energy minister Jim Mather "There is no doubt that this country can become the green energy capital of Europe." Oh how I hate that mantra and so much for Alex Salmond the first Minister's words before the election when he said there needed to be a curb on shore development (can you imagine, a politician telling a lie? -Ed)

As usual the lies that are peddled by the developer reach new proportions. They say it can provide electricity for 114,000 homes. The trouble is it's not ALL the electricity, there's some formula they use that does not take in total consumption, neither is the electricity supplied 24/7

What's particularly problematical about this wind farm is its geographical spread. It covers an area as large as the city of Perth itself. It'll be visible from every high hill and mountain in Perthshire. As one campaigner said "As far as I'm concerned they [the Scottish Government] may as well put a sign up on the border saying, 'Tourists don't bother coming any more' if that's how much they value our landscape. The Scottish Government's not listening to local communities and not listening to their local councils"

And then there's the RSPB, an organization that is the richest charity in Britain. One that generates huge amounts of money from city dwellers who are unaffected by the visual impact of windfarms or the noise that they make. The RSPB's head of planning said: "This is really good news for Scotland, and should be recognised as a great example of a large wind farm, sensibly located away from designated sites where the developer has worked hard to not only minimise environmental impacts but has in fact sought to actively improve the surrounding area for some species."

Now I think I've heard it all. Huge structures 'improving' the surrounding area for birds. There's a windfarm not far from us that is like a wilderness in the area around it. There are no animals and few birds to be seen as the noise and the vibrations keep them away. There's also the small matter of Eagles being killed by the turbines. The RSPB should keep out of this discussion, they are peddling falsehoods and lies - but then they're not alone.