Cards on the steps
By covering every household in the City and County, WRG and the Waste
Authority managed to elicit answers from six thousand odd folk
apparently in favour of burning their household waste. And from as many more who
put incineration last on their list. The questionnaire was loaded — you
had to put incineration somewhere or refuse to reply — so it’s far from
clear that the majority is in favour.
Time for our survey: we had some postcards designed, and locally
printed on recycled stock and we set out to collect signatures. There was a
fair bit of friends and neighbours and people in the pub, there was some
set piece stall-holding in shopping centres, some visits to community
centres and meetings, and there was a lot of standing on the street
stopping people. Lots of people came on board, and thanks to all of them.
Our coverage was very far from complete, and we did run a bit out of
steam, in large measure because the person organising it had to cope with
chemotherapy at the same time. But we did raise a very respectable 1247
cards all in all (plus those that are still out there: come on, don’t
be shy, send them back), and as the time came nearer for objections to
be lodged, we needed to get them to the Councils.
HOTI (Hull and Holderness Opposing the Incinerator, the last time I
looked) handed their petition to a Councillor on the Guildhall steps, so
we could hardly do less. August is recess, so some Councillors were not
available (and some were lying low, I suspect), but the Vice-Chair of
Hull’s planning committee, Councillor Pete Allen, and the Deputy Leader
of the Council, Councillor (Mrs) Christine Randall agreed to meet us on
the Guildhall steps, and accept the cards, with a planning officer
standing by to take them safely to Bond Street, and a Hull Daily Mail
photographer to record the event.
There were nine or ten of us, with the Hull Friends of the Earth banner
and specially prepared laminated placards and giant postcards, and we
dutifully posed, shuffled together, moved forward, moved back, smiled,
didn’t smile, held thumbs down, stepped up, stepped down, crossed the
road, re-grouped, and so on. But it was worth it, even if the only person
whose face appeared in next day’s paper was me.
The press release got us two half page articles with big photos in the
Hull Daily Mail. Which is, I think, the main thing. The point of a
campaign is to get public attention and sway public opinion, and media
coverage is an important means to that end. We got that, at any rate, and
perhaps some councillors will think longer and harder about the
incinerator proposal.
Stephen
