June 1996 Newsletter
Here's picture of druids and others at December Solstice 1995,
in the Stonehenge Avenue
(which should not be cut by a tarmac road)...
Stonehenge Campaign Appeal
STONEHENGE CAMPAIGN APPEAL
The Campaign exists to lobby, campaign, attend meetings,
raise public awareness and maintain links with interested parties
for the reinstatement of the Stonehenge Peoples Free Festival and
religious access to Stonehenge itself,
and to protect the Stonehenge landscape and environment.
The Campaign holds monthly meetings in London from Sept to May, to
which all are welcome.
We always need help with - money, stamps,
stationary, artwork, info and dates of events, gigs, demos, festivals,
gatherings, etc.
We also welcome letters or articles for possible inclusion in the
newsletter to give a wider base of views expressed.
Ban Peaceful Protests
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 10:06:06 -0500
From: Alan Lodge
Subject: tash3
To: "`Dice' George"
POLICE CAN BAN PEACEFUL PROTESTS,
On the 23 Jan 97, the High Court ruled that the police are now legally
entitled to use new public order powers under the CJA, to ban peaceful
demonstrations on the highway and public places. The test case decision
marked crucial legal backing for Michael Howards'. comprehensive law and
order attack on us. This is pretty grim news and is a bad for democracy
and the right to peaceful protest and/or gather together and have
parties and stuff.. The 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act
brought in a new criminal offence of "trespassory assembly" through an
amendment to the 1986 Public Order Act.
The first two people charged
with the new offence were Dr Margaret Jones, a university lecturer from
Bristol, and 26-year-old student Richard Lloyd, who took part in a
peaceful roadside demonstration at Stonehenge, Wilts, in June last year,
while an or der made under the Act banning assemblies of 20 or more
persons was in force. They were found guilty by Salisbury magistrates.
Dr Jones was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 legal
costs, while Mr Lloyd was ordered to pay £300 in fines and costs. But
their convictions were overturned on appeal to Salisbury Crown Court in
January, which decided there was no case to answer. High Court ruled the
Crown Court had got the law wrong and ordered a re-hearing. Lord Justice
McCowan said the Crown Court had appeared to accept "that any assembly
on the highway is lawful as long as it is peaceful and non-obstructive
of the highway. "In my judgment, however, that is mistaken."
The judge said it left out of account the fact that an order had been
made to prohibit the holding of a demonstration for the right of access
to Stonehenge within a four-mile radius of the ancient monument between
May 29 and June1. A demonstration had taken place on the grass verge at
the side of the A344 beside the perimeter fence. The judge said: "In my
judgment, the prosecution need prove no more than that the assembly
consisted of 20 or more persons and that the particular person accused
was taking part in that assembly, knowing it to be prohibited by an
order under section 14 A of the 1986 Public Order Act."
Mr Justice Collins agreed, adding: "The holding of a meeting, a
demonstration or a vigil on the highway, however peaceable, has nothing
to do with the right of passage. "Such activities may, if they do not
cause an obstruction, be tolerated, but there is no legal right to
pursue them." Later Dr Jones said: "This ruling is extremely bad for
democracy in this country. It supports something which is ill-liberal,
undemocratic and wrong. "The judgment denies any right to assemble
freely in a public place if the police seek and obtain a banning order
from a local authority under the new Act on the grounds that there is
danger of disruption to the life of the community. "Peaceful protest,
protests of all kinds, whether to prevent the closing of a hospital wing
or in a trades union context, are all affected. "We are going to attempt
to take the case to the House of Lords. If we fail or we don't get an
enlightened judgment we shall fight on and go to the European Court of
Human Rights. "This draconian law runs counter to the letter and the
spirit of European law."
Dr Jones and Mr Lloyd contend there were less than the number required
for a "trespassory assembly" and not all present were involved in the
demonstration. The public rights pressure group Liberty reacted with
dismay to today's "extraordinary" ruling and called for a Bill of Rights
to defend the freedom to protest. Director John Wadham said: "A
peaceful, non-obstructive gathering is a reasonable use of a public
highway.
"To say that it is a form of trespass seems extraordinary.
"It must be one of the more bizarre consequences of the 1994 Criminal
Justice and Public Order Act.
"If we had a Bill of Rights then it would be much harder for Parliament
to pass such a ridiculous law which has resulted in people being
prosecuted for effectively doing no more than walking along a footpath.
"In the absence of such protection for human rights under our own laws,
I hope Margaret Jones and Richard Lloyd succeed in the European Court of
Human Rights."
Westminster Dance till Dawn
the Private Members Bill by Barry Legg, conservative MP for
Milton Keynes SW.
The "Dance till dawn' paper is a series of guidelines and recommendations
for local authorities to consider when granting public entertainment
licences. Organisations like Release, Lifeline, Festival Welfare
Services, The Scottish Drugs Forum and Megadog, had some input into the
guidelines which have many positive elements. Like the provision of free
drinking water, ventilation and chill-out areas. However, about 20 percent
of the guidelines are so bad, they make the rest unworkable. These include
increased stringent searches, anti-drug notices, strict security, exclusion
of convicted drugs offenders (ermm ... how!), installation of cameras, the
tapes of which will be routinely inspected by the police.
Originally the guidelines stated, (and generating some amusement!) that
there should be a requirement for periods of quiet during an event. It is
now suggested that clubs face losing their licence if DJ's play tunes that
are too fast. These guidelines say they have a duty to play slower pieces
if dancers are getting "over-excited or exhausted" ...!! and they could be
criminally liable if they don't.
House of Commons Hansard Debates for 17 Jan 1997 (pt 1)
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199697/cmhansrd/cm970117/debtext/70117-01.htm#70117-01_head1
TALKS NOT TRUNCHEONS -
From December 1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newasletter
TALKS NOT TRUNCHEONS -
was suggested as the way to deal with the Stonehenge situation by one
senior officer of Wilts police some years ago. He was promptly moved. Now
the talking has started again.
In the Autumn newsletter we mentioned that the local council were about
to hold a review of their policy of always agreeing to police requests
for banning orders under the Public Order Act and the CJA. This was to
have been a round table discussion with 'all interested parties'. When
it appeared that no interested parties other than from 'their' side
were being invited, George of Robin's Greenwood Gang contacted them as
an intermediary and suggested some names from 'our' side. People
connected with travellers, free festivals or the Campaign were
rejected, but George, Rollo of the Glastonbury Druids and ex-mayor Tim
Abbott went to the meeting, which eventually took place in November.
The Chief Constable turned up, giving the meeting some credibility as
he is the one who actually makes the decisions in Wiltshire. The core
of the problem was not tackled, as areas of the past were ruled out of
order for discussion, but it appears that some of the rabid hostility
to Solstice events is slowly calming down.
Councillors seem to be mainly concerned with finding a way of saving money
on police operations. Some are under the impression that allowing a fenced,
Reading style commercial festival miles away would make the problem
disappear, with the police being paid from the protection rackets they run
at these events. They do seem to be more ready to start accepting access to
the Stones for celebrations, but are reluctant to look at realistic ways of
managing this without repeating the mistakes of '88. There has to be
somewhere to go for people who are not members of well defined groups, have
heard the Stones are going to be to some extent open, and want to come,
celebrate the Solstice, and maybe take part in a ceremony in the Stones.
And this somewhere has to be generally acceptable or people will just find
another for themselves. Very few want to return to the 1984 festival where
it left off, with problems that needed tackling. But the spirit of the free
festival lives on, and many still believe that with the experience of
varied events in the '90s and without fanatical oppostion, a free event
could be a workable solution that even the locals could accept.
One compromise being suggested is for a non-profit making but licensed
event, with 'reasonable' ticket prices covering costs only, with site
jobs for those who cannot afford even that. Something perhaps along the
lines of the Big Green Gathering and similar events.
Another is to have a main event some distance away and a campsite of
minimum impact - no vehicles - acoustic music only etc, in the sacred
landscape itself for those mainly interested in ceremonies in the Stones.
The talks so far seem to have achieved little in practical terms, and
were seen as a possibly useful first step towards more productive
discussions. A next stage might have been talks between facilitators of
Urban Free Festivals, BGG etc and council officers to find out what
options are worth pursuing and what local concerns need working on.
However the first step was the only step, and as far as we know the
review will be taken no further before the police apply for next year's
orders. George will be trying to move what he calls the 'peace process'
forwards in the meantime, and we would welcome any feedback on what
people think our position should be.
The authorities at the meeting apparently said they weren't happy that
we continue to list the Solstice Free Festival annually (surprise!), and
that removing it might help with the processing of the peace. We have
been fobbed off so many times by false declarations of good intentions
by various authorities in the past that we would take a lot of
convincing on that one!
WOODHENGE
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
WOODHENGE: Another meeting took place in October, between various Druid
groups and English Heritage. It was to discuss a proposal by the Secular
Order to rebuild Woodhenge, for use by the local community and by Druids at
Midsummer, as a gathering place from which seperate groups would walk to
the Stones for seperate ceremonies. Heritage Chairman Jocelyn Stevens was
supposed to attend, but apparently decided there were too many people, and
didn't turn up. It seems that the building of a replica 1/2 a mile away
might be accepted, but it was pointed out that a sacred building can only
be built on a sacred site. (The design follows the common artists'
reconstructions of a large hut with a roof. There is no evidence that
Woodhenge was actually a building as such or had a roof, any more than
Stonehenge did. There are other theories as to what it was for.) When it
came to its possible use for facilitating organised acess to the Stones,
Druids were told by the General Manager that they must not 'force the pace'
on that issue. As she was talking last year of 'no
access for a generation' and this year of 'no access until after their
Millenium Park is finished', that is exactly what needs to be done. The
Park may go the same way as all their other recent schemes, and never
happen. It does seem that of all the authorities involved, it is now
English Heritage that is dragging its heels the most.
send an sae for the next
(Spring Equinox) newsletter *
Mail Lost (sorry)
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
Sorry! - some mail sent us early Sept got lost. If you wrote
and didn't get a reply or a newsletter, please let us know.
Contacts - please check your entry. If you have been left out, we
haven't heard from you in a while!
Twyford Rising book
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
Anyone who was there can help write the story of Twyford Rising. Sae to
Friends of Twyford Down, PO Box 162 Winchester, Hants SO22 5ZD.
Stonehenge Website lost in cyberspace
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
Our main website is currently lost in hyperspace. Try the portable page at
http://www.algroup.co.uk/wpb/stonehen.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAMPAIGN APPEAL
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
CAMPAIGN APPEAL:-The Stonehenge Campaign exists to lobby, campaign,
attend meetings, raise public awareness and maintain links with
interested parties for the reinstatement of the Stonehenge Peoples Free
Festival and religious access to Stonehenge itself, and to protect the
Stonehenge landscape and environment.
The Campaign holds monthly meetings in London from Sept to May, to
which all are welcome. We always need help with - money, stamps,
stationery, artwork, info and dates of events, gigs, demos, festivals,
gatherings, etc.
We also welcome letters or articles for possible inclusion in the
newsletter to give a wider base of views expressed.
Newbury
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
(((if you could include this it would be great ...
also on our web site ...
Also there is a day of direct action on friday 10th january
....
Newbury Friends of the Earth and The Third Battle of
Newbury
P.O. BOX 5520, Newbury, Berks. RG14 7YW.
Tel: 01635 45544 Fax: 01635 45545 24 hr info: 01635
550552
E-mail: info@battle3.demon.co.uk
URL: http://www.gn.apc.org/newbury
Immediate release Tuesday 3rd December 1996
Press Release - Advanced Notice
Reunion Rally at Newbury Bypass - one year on
ENDS
EDITORS NOTES
For further information contact Andrew Wood at the above
telephone number. A more detailed press release to follow
on Monday 5th Jan. 1997.)))
One year after destruction work started on the route of the Newbury Bypass,
Newbury Friends of the Earth and The Third Battle of Newbury will be hosting
a Reunion Rally on Saturday January 11th 1997. The rally is to demonstrate
the continuing opposition to the Newbury Bypass and the Government's Road
Building Programme.
In February of this year eight thousand people attended a mass Rally
opposing the Newbury Bypass. Those returning are likely to be shocked at the
destruction of some of the finest countryside in southern England. Most
striking is the ten foot high security fencing topped with razor wire which lines
the nine mile route and forms numerous compounds which are guarded by
security guards.
People attending the Rally will arrive at Newbury train station from 11.00 a.m.
and walk along the Bypass route to the Rally site. The Rally which starts st
2.00 p.m will feature several speakers including Charles Secrett, Director of
Friends of the Earth. After the Rally people will decorate the bypass fence and
link hands around a compound. A two minute silence will be observed once
the human chain is formed.
The linking of hands and decoration of fencing echoes the 'Embrace the
Base' demonstration in December 1982 at RAF Greenham Common, near
Newbury. At that time cruise missiles were being stationed at Greenham
Common.
24 HOUR INFOMATION HOTLINE: 01635 550 552
NEWSBITS
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
NEWSBITS:-
- # Visitor Centre - The cost of this project
has risen to £83m, with Madame
Tussaud's chosen as Heritage's business
partner. Details are being kept secret until
the Millennium Fund approves it.
- # A303 Stonehenge Bypass, 'shelved'
earlier this year, was finally dropped from
the current road list in the budget.
# McLibel Case is at last over.
Judgement next year.
- Heritage Chairman Stevens was to
leave in March, threatened to resign over
his slice of the Budget last month, and will
now stay another three years.
- TWO COURT CASES
are challenging the way police use
banning orders at the Stones. One
has already been heard, but
judgement will not be given for a
month or two. This was an appeal by
the State against the aquittal on
appeal of the 'Stonehenge Two'. They
were originally convicted by Salisbury
Magistrates for 'Trespassory
Assembly' ,under the CJA., at the
10th anniversary demo of the 'Battle
of the Beanfield'. ("What was that?"
asked one judge)
The other will be heard in February
and concerns the so-called 'exclusion
zone'. Three people have accepted
cautions, but five others will be
contesting charges of being illegal
processions. It is hoped that the
nonsense that underpins the making
and use of these orders will be
exposed in court for the first time.
The results of both cases should
be known around the time of year that
the police usually start applying for
orders.
Wilts Cop Cop and Hengist in court
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
Wiltshire's Top Copper to appear
in court:
Salisbury's Magistrates have issued a
witness summons against Walter
Girven, Witchfinder General and
Chief Constable of Wiltshire to
appear in court over a Solstice trial.
Girven signs the orders that allows
the police to impose para-martial law
and as such can be compelled to
come to court as a material witness.
Girven has been on a power trip for
years, and can expect a fiery cross-
examination from anyone defending
themselves which is what is
happening.
Trial date 18th Feb, for more info
phone Hengist McStone on 0973 716
310.
Letter From Karelia
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
========================
Letter From Karelia (Fri13Dec1996)
------------------------------------
Dear Stonehengerists,
Saw that Hillsborough drama/documentary
on telly last week - horrorshow -
I didn't believe all of it but empathised
- the ambulances locked out - horrorshow
then fast cycled across London -
spitting at a van that almost.
----------------------------------
Hitched from 9.30pm to 11.30pm
September Equinox but no lift so
last bus home to Wandsworth EcoVillage
(my best summer since 1995( at least!))
Hope to get to Stones for Dec Solstice
Don't relish a windy wet cold outside-
(bet Arthur'd rather be out+wet tho)
--------------------------------
Got me a new free website at
www.geocities.com/soho/9000,
dicenews.htm world-wide...
.....your cousin,,,,,,,
.....Dice George Lightshow....
=======99% fluffy =========
Bath Actions
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
I expect hundreds of actions have been going on nationally and
internationally recently..but here is a report from a local grassroots
action in Bath:
A group of consumers, students and a scientist carried out an action in
Bath to increase public awareness of the dangers of consuming
genetically engineered soya last Saturday 14th to coincide with the
international day of action against genetic engineering. This local
action, organised by Bath Eco- Futures group, consisted of dressing up
in white lab-coats with the slogan "Genetic Engineering? NO THANKS!"
written around a circle within which was drawn an angry, evil-looking
genetically modified plant.
After assembling outside Waitrose they gave out about 1000 leaflets from
WEN and Greenpeace and the Natural Law Party urging consumers to write
to supermarkets, unilever and their MP and MEP.
They then paraded with banners raised through the city centre and, before
being moved on by police, joined the local busking band "The Mop-Heads"
and danced. Following this they made their way to Sainsburies and walked
into the store with banners to inform shoppers before being asked to leave
by the manager, at which point there was a valuable discussion about
consumer rights.
Many of the points raised were ignored by the manager. Leaflet
distribution then continued outside for the rest of the morning. There
was good coverage in the local rag due to an earlier press-release.
There was much positive response from Christmas shoppers, and one or two
complex discussions with other university students and scientists who
happened to be shopping at the time.
The day was a great success and was followed up today (monday 17th) by
ringing Waitrose head office on 01344-424680 to ask what action they
were taking to protect consumers and by informing the company that
un-modified soya shipments have been made. Their reply information is
going to be posted back, and they declined to comment further on the
phone.
All the best,
Christian
For info on the GMO's (genetically modified organisms) being used now to
experiment on you,
contact the Women's Environmental Network (see contacts)
or Manchester EF!, Dept 29, 1 Newton St, M1 1HW. 0161 2744665.
---------------------------------
PIOU - Police In..
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
tashpoiu.htm
(This was from Tash recently)
Thought you might enjoy reading the following piece:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
POLICE INTELLIGENCE
Many who have been involved in street protests, especially in London, in
recent months will have come across the Metropolitan Police's Public
Order Intelligence Unit (POIU), part of its public Order
Branch. Led by Inspector Barry Norman, it was set up initially to deal
with football hooligans.
A recent television document showed Norman and his side-kick, PC Tony
Brittain (affectionately known as Laurel and Hardy), 'dealing' with
football supporters, The concept of the POIU appears to be a belief that
by actively mixing with its 'troublemakers' they are able to gather
intelligence about future 'public order' incidents and help identify
ringleaders.
Certainly they have been diligent: POIU officers have been turning up at
protests in and outside London, advising local police about how to deal
with 'situations' such as Reclaim The Streets protests and Earth First!
actions.
Conversations with other police officers, however, some of whom seem to
resent the POIU, suggest that its activities are not universally welcomed
within the Met.
The POIU and other TSG officers have also been taking an interest in
photographers and journalists .
They initially try to be friendly by offering to 'ex-change information'
about future protests.
They will sometimes try ringing them at home.
When this fails they get aggressive and suggest that they 've.
it'll make life very difficult for you' if they do not assist.
So far the threats have yet to be translated into action but the NUJ's
lawyers are ready to respond if they do.
Gathering intelligence on public order activities has always been the
remit of Special Branch (SO).
Even within the police, SB officers are said maintain an air of
intellectual superiority (not difficult) and are often envied or disliked
by ordinary officers Their relationship with MI5 -- or `box' as they call
it--is their justification for their obsessive secrecy.
It is difficult to see how the unsophisticated approach of the POIU is
appreciated by SB officers.
Britain's favourite chat up line -- I've got a picture of you on my wall
at Scotland Yard'--runs against the whole ethos of discreet and subtle
intelligence gathering.
Certainly since the POIU have been on the scene, activists have become far
more aware of plainclothes officers trying to mingle with protesters.
It is probably the case that the POIU's antics are resented by SB even
though they presumably appreciate the flow of U intelligence' that they
gather .
Thus at one demonstration, a TSG officer, who asked why he was taking
photographs and notes when it was the job of SB, replied: `Because they're
shit!' misinformation perhaps, but it seems slightly too sophisticated a
line for the TSG.
Rationale
Part of the rationale behind this new approach appears to have come from
the Met's postmortem of the Park Lane anti-CJB riot in October 1994.
On that occasion the police attempted to stop two sound systems entering
Hyde Park As the conflict escalated, protesters eventually succeeded in
chasing fully equipped riot police, supported by horses, dogs and vans,
out of Hyde Park and into Park Lane.
It took the police a long time to regain control of the situation and
eventually they cleared Hyde Park.
As a consequence many thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to
shops and cars in Oxford Street. (Had the police chased protesters from
Oxford Street to Hyde Park, rather than the other way round, thus
minimising damage, the Met would presumably have congratulated itself.
In the event, having done precisely the opposite, it still congratulated
itself!) At the time observers noted that individual police units appealed
to be acting a-most randomly. A police van, for instance, was driven at
speed around Hyde Park attempting to run over protesters.
Of course this was all emphatically denied by the police at the time.
Later, in a report, Commander Kendrick, who had been in charge, conceded
that their had been a ' cultural abhorrence" by the TSGs to withdraw when
ordered.
Diplomatically, he noted that "some of the serials responded by advancing
in an uncoordinated manner to the crowd while others were withdrawing" .
In response the Met set up two 'command training courses' to teach senior
officers about how to respond they were the 'Pre-Planned Public Order'
course and the 'Spontaneous disorder' course.
They also devised the concept of the Public Order Intelligence System
which would involve teams of 12 'specially-trained' officers terming
Forward Intelligence Teams who would attempt to build a "rapport" with
street activists" so that people "likely to provoke disorder can be
identified early in the event"ss.
The activities of the POIU at recent events seems to fit nicely into
this pattern. Supposed key activists have been identified by Norman and
Brittain and they have then been arrested by ordinary police officers.
Many of the 80 people arrested at the RTS action in Brighton on 24
August had been identified by the POIU.
Some of the arrested, including a scientologist, suggest that the
POIU 'intelligence' is still some-what lacking.
Failure
So what has the POIU achieved? There is no doubt that the success of
RTS,, especially in London, has been a source of intense irritation for
the police.
Before the major RTS action on 13 July, the Metropolitan Police were
telling journalists that on this occasion it would fail. They had
earmarked sufficient police units to prevent any street being blocked.
Certainly when activists arrived at the location the police tried
very hard but were eventually overwhelmed.
They then started telling the press that the road was a largely
irrelevant stretch of Motorway and that the protest had caused no
significant delays to traffic.
When they eventually discovered that parts of the Motorway had been
dug up during the festival the embarrassment of the police was hard to
hide.
indeed the heavy-handed raid on the RTS a few days later not only
exposed these feelings but confirmed failure of the POIU's
'intelligence-gathering'.
As activists increasingly become aware of the POIU's methods, their
ability to provide anything remotely useful will diminish.
it is hard to understand why senior police officers believe that
such provocative and brutish tactics assist them in dealing with public
order situations.
The presence of the POIU, as with the TSGs, gives people an added
incentive to succeed.
It is very easy to regard the state as an united instrument of
oppression in which is various arms work in unison. Any contradictions
are seen as de-liberate ploys to confuse.
In practice, however, things are different.
On many occasions protesters have en-countered ordinary police
officers who are keen to provoke trouble: their motive is not that they
are part of a sophisticated MI5 - led plan to discredit dissent, but
because they are about to start overtime and need the extra cash to pay
for their holidays.
Given the traditional hostility between uniformed and plain-clothes
sections of the police, it seems likely that the activities of the POIU and
the crude intelligence gathering that is being carried out by TSGs, is
resented by their more sophisticated SB colleagues.
The most likely explanation is that Scotland Yard created the POIU
just to deal with trouble at football matches.
Certainly its heavy-handed tactics of intimidation and abuse appear
to have been partially successful in identifying and isolating
individuals and gangs at matches. It was possibly on the basis of this
success that Norman decided to extend its remit to political
demonstrations. It would also help justify its work throughout the year
and not just during the football season.
For Norman it might also have offered him to chance to add more
officers to his four- strong team: for an Inspector to command one
Sergeant and two PCs is baldly a measure of personal success in a
career-motivated organisation like the Met.
Response
So how should protesters react to the POIU? Whilst it could be argued
that the antics of Norman, Brittain and their overweight sergeant,
Sully, have only strengthened the determination of protesters, the fact
remains that their primary task is intelligence gathering.
Anything that you say or do is noted or videoed and no doubt collated
at Scotland Yard.
Police officers have, for instance, been seen with sheets of
photo-graphs with names of 'key activists' which have been produced by
the Public Order Branch.
So even though the POIU's antics have probably strengthened the
determination of protesters--at the very least it has shown them that
have achieved something--they should not be assisted in their work.
Intelligence gathered by the POIU is no doubt passed on to other
units such as the Animal Rights National Index (ARNI) and then used to
intimidate individuals and disrupt protests.
By far the best response to the POIU is to ignore its activities.
Any questions or threats from the likes of Brittain should be
ignored and care should be taken when talking to each other in their
vicinity.
One should also collect and circulate intelligence about their
activities.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Regards,
Tash
One Eye on the Road
====================================================
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tash_lodge/
====================================================
writing at 23:57 , on 01 January 1997
Using EMail Assist for WinCIM
end of scn-96 newsletter
(from December1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter)
Stonehenge Campaign September 1996 Newsletter
# Sorry! mail that arrived 5-16 Sept got lost.
Er - please write again.
# Send an sae for next (winter) newsletter.
# In July, David Icke was in the Stones with a group who had permission, and was thrown out and
banned for misbehaving.
# The Chief Constable of Wiltshire is leaving in March. They are getting a new helicopter & CS
gas.
# Whatley Quarry - expansion has been approved. Infoline 01749 880144
# A30 - Fairmile camp expected to be evicted very soon. Phone tree 01404 81572
# The new Chief Executive of English Heritage resigned in July overadministrative irregularities'.
***STONEHENGE CAMPAIGN INTERNET WEBSITE***
http://www.kingsway.ac.uk/kiss/stonehenge/campaign.htm
WANTED: - words, dates, pictures, dates, help.
Also anything from VE day'95 for multimedia project.
# In case you missed it, the crop formation on the back page appeared in the field opposite the
Stones on 7-7-96.
# Archaeologists now believe the 10,000 yr old holes in the Henge car park (marked by white
circles) may have held totem poles.
Solstice June 97
- The solstice ban asked for by the police this year was only agreed to
by the District Council on condition that before any more 'exclusion
zone"orders were made, there should be an 'annual review involving
consultation with all interested parties'. Five parish councils were
sent an inaccurate potted history of the last 10 yrs, with several
questions such as: Should the ban be renewed? and 'Should there be any
kind of organised festival?"
At a Council meeting this month three parishes reported back yes,
the ban should stay, one said yes but-, and one said no. There was some
discussion of our civil liberties and of a possible festival, but only
something like a Reading style event, with organisers paying the police
lots of money. There was a vote, 9 - 5 against this.
They seem to think that access to the Stones for the Solstice
depends on there being something else arranged that removes the need for
an 'exclusion zone'.
There will be a 'round table conference"in the next few weeks to
which 'interested parties will be invited', but we know of no-one who
has. They complain 'it has not proved possible in the past to identify
spokespersons for New Age Travellers'.
VISITOR CENTRE
In the latest scheme this has become a 'Visitor Complex', which is
now planned to be built behind the service station on the north side of
the Amesbury roundabout. The site is vast: 1km long and nearly half the
size of Amesbury itself. This is because the project would be a 'private
finance initiative', under which a large company would be allowed 'in
the public interest"to develop the site in a way that would 'normally be
unacceptable"in return for them paying for the Stonehenge facilities
included. Money would also come from the lottery millennium fund, which
has to be applied for by November, so English Heritage are trying to
rush the plans through without telling anyone details of what they are.
Chairman Jocelyn Stevens startled local councillors by suggesting
McDonalds would be a suitable partner to build the centre! "Tourists
don't want McStoneburgers or Chicken McDruids. They want a magical and
mystical experience." said one.
The scheme would also include a 'transport link"to a
'viewing/dropping off point"nearer the Stones, which could be a 2nd
visitor centre on the environmentally sensitive King Barrow ridge, at
the top of the hill going towards Amesbury.
====A303 leak===
A303 - Instead of making a long awaited announcement on the
'improvement"of this road, the DoT have been 'leaking"parts of their
decision in stages. First it was learned that the northern routes near
Larkhill have been ruled out, and that the long tunnel option was
probably too expensive. That leaves on-line dualling, the southern
route, or doing nothing. Then we heard that a local transport meeting
was postponed, as a package of roadbuilding for S. Wilts was rumoured to
be announced by the end of this month. This would include a decision on
the controversial A36 Salisbury 'by-pass'. Police have already started
advising landowners on the A36 route on how to stop their trees being
occupied by protesters.
When English Heritage applied for their Visitor Complex planning
brief to be passed, councillors wanted dualling of the A303 as a
condition, but EH said they thought this was 'not a priority"for DoT.
A303 update
UPDATE - A303 WIDENING AT STONEHENGE SHELVED!
On 27 Sept the DoT announced that they were dropping funding for
any 'improvements' to the A303 past the Stones 'for the forseeable
future'. They confirmed that all the surface routes proposed for
dualling of the road had been rejected, and that they could not
currently afford the 3 mile, £300m long tunnel alternative. The
non-controversial by-pass for nearby Winterbourne Stoke will go ahead.
This effectively rules out later reconsideration of the northern Henge
by-pass route or the proposed (north) long tunnel route, as they would
have included this by-pass on a completely different line.
There is still an option for the future, of a long tunnel to the
south, which could join on to the new by-pass and run twice as far away
from the Stones as the version the DoT considered.
The threat of further unwanted dualling of the A303 in the West
Country may now recede, now that it has been accepted that part of the
A303 is going to remain single carriageway.
The A344 running past the Heelstone can still be closed and
grassed over, but the 303 will remain as is, so English Heritage won't
get the road- free Millenium Park as they wanted it.
A decision on the A36 Salisbury by-pass is expected 1st week in Oct.
Letter from Rev.Dr.M.Scobie,MSD,DD.PhD,FSMs,
Herald for GlastonburyOrderofDruids, HonourarySecularOrderDruid, etc.;
To whom it may concern: on Wednesday the 19th June 1996 at 10.am.
myself and two others, Richard a knight of the Loyal and Arthurian
Warband, and King Arthur Pendragon, walked to Stonehenge from CaerBaden
(Bath). We had a successful journey insofar as we reached Stonehenge
(except for King Arthur) by 21 hundred hours on Thursday night, the
20th.
Having previously been told of the ground rules of such visits
with a pieces of paper outlining the "exclusion zone" the procession
order and what a tresspassory assembly was. Upon arriving at stonehenge,
we stopped at the Celtic Cross at the foot of the Fargo plantation where
we stopped for a picnic and were joined by some ten to twelve others,
amongst them Gallahad.
At 9.30 that evening Police Inspector John Wicken came and 'had a
chat' and left perfectly satisfied that we were not a trespassory
assembly, in that we numbered only fifteen (not more than 19) and were
there for the purposes of a picnic. I personally informed the inspector
that the purpose of my visit was religous, not criminal, that I in no
way intended to process to Stonehenge, (to be a part of a procession,
which is more than one person - even a man and wife or child...) to go
there on my own, to be there on my own, not to be part of any
trespassory assembly and to welcome our sun god on the longest day- the
transition period, to which he agreed that that was good policy.
One hour and ten minutes later he returned with 45 of his mates,
with videos, still cameras and lights, our assembly, still being only 15
people. He asked us what we were doing, we said picnicing, he then told
us that he had reason to believe that a breach of the peace would occur,
and therefore advised us to move on towards Shrewton and Devizes. or be
arrested.
I explained I was there for religous and not criminal pruposes. he
asked me again if I was prepared to move, at which juncture I said no,
he said "I must arrest you" to which I replied- on what grounds, and on
what charge, to which he replied "potential breach of the peace", when
an arresting officer was found, he placed his arm on my arm, and
cautioned me with the new caution at which point I placed my hand on his
arm and arrested him under articles 9, 10,11 and 14 of the Strasburg
Convention of Human Rights 1953, and a cautioned him that anything he
said could and would be used against him in said court. We were driven
to Salisbury Police station, where after due process, we were locked in
a cell, with no use of a telephone, no cup of tea, no blankets and I
personally had to threaten a doctor in order to get medication for my
serious back injury. at 4am 4 of us were driven to Amesbury police
station where we were held until just after 6am when we were
unceremoniously dumped on the street still not having had a cup of tea
or a blanket with no charge.
38 others were arrested with me that night, among them 2 arch
druids, King Arthur Pendragon and 10 of his knights, 33 of whom were not
charged of the 6 who were charged 2, travelling on their own, were
charged with Procession, the other 4 having been in pairs.
WORLD PEACE ANYONE?
Dark was the night on Salisbury Plain, and a red moon hung
broodingly over Stonehenge, just visible above the glarring Security
Lights of the A344 police Road-block as I approached. As well as being
Summer Solstice, today was World Peace Day, and as a Druid I had come to
pray for Peace. The Police told me that if I did this I would be
arrested for a Breach of the Peace.
Walking down the noisy A303 past the Stones, the sound of my
mandolin is drowned out by a convoy of 43-Ton lorries thundering past,
reminding me of the previous week's MOD gunfire, which I had heard from
Tan hill, Avebury, 15 miles away, for over 24 hrs. Breach of the Peace?
After spending the night in Salisbury Police Cells, along with
every other Druid arrested at Stonehenge, I was pleased to hear that a
female Bard had managed to play her Harp inside the Stones (before being
arrested), but this must have been while the Armed Guards were away.
Yes, that's right, ARMED Guards inside Stonehenge. I wonder - were they
there to pray for Peace?
Out of the 40 or so Arrests at Solstice (over a dozen Druids)
some 13 have been charged, 4 of whom are members of the Loyal Arthurian
Warband, are cuvrent!y fighting this through the Courts as a Civil
Rights issue. So are we Criminals, Freedom Fighters or victims of
religious persecution? Welcome to Nazi Britain!
I was let out of Prison the following day, and as I sat in the
Sun Circle at Avebury Henge I was reminded of the earlier Stonehenge
Free Festivals. The Dawn Stonehenge Harper arrived & her music drifted
among the Sarsens, mingling with the singing of the skylarks. Peace at
last!
The Summer Solstice Ritual was one of the most moving yet, and
although it was held at Avebury Henge, I remember this was the Tribal
Ceremonial Centre of Britain before Stonehenge was built to replace it.
However, about a week before Solstice, 10 of the Avebury Sarsens were
vandalised: daubed with thick black and white emulsion paint from top to
bottom. It occurred to me that the timing of this desecration (just
before the Solstice) was rather a 'coincidence'. Predictably, the
Wiltshire newspaper I read blamed seasonal 'New Age Travellers'. It is
now a possibility that English Heritage will fence off part of the site,
as the National Trust have started doing already. Perhaps there is a
conspiracy going on to prevent those of us using Avebury for Ritual
purposes at Summer Solstice from gaining access? If so, by graffiti-ing
the Stones at such a sensitive time of year, the blame can be soon
linked to the Media's illusory 'Seasonal Menace"English Heritage
perpetuate at Stonehenge.
As a consequence, Police powers to remove us from Stonehenge at
Midsummer & lock us up all night are such that you don't have to be
breaking any laws for them to be able to do it.They can release you
without charges, 12 hrs. later of course, and we can beat them through
the courts on this. However, the Police can still nick people for no
reason by their Powers of Arrest alone, thus preventing even single
persons, within the law, from reaching Stonehenge. Under Common Law, the
'possibility"of an individual being a 'possible"cause of someone else's
'possible"Breach of the Peace is enough for them to put you in Jail for
the night. [No it isn't - but they still did it - ed]
I've been thinking (dangerous) : since I was arrested and
Charged for being a 'Procession', I thought maybe the Police should
arrest the Constellations of the Zodiac, as their alignments at
Stonehenge are linked to the Procession of the Equinoxes. So how about a
new clause in the CJA for an 'Illegal Procession of Heavenly Bodies'?
From the Stonehenge Battleground - Peace to you all!
Llwch, L.A.W.
Get off my Planet!: George Monbiot
A few years ago, I travelled to Stonehenge to watch the annual
gathering of a strangely dressed tribe of itinerants. They came from all
directions, in Range Rovers, helicopters and riot vans. They camped on
the verges and spent the day engaged in the cabalistic ritual of
sticking pins into maps. They blocked up the roads with their red and
white totems and stood in respectful formation in front of them.
Finally, no longer able to contain my curiosity, I walked up to a
barrier and asked one of pilgrims why. Why the numbers, the machinery,
and the monumental expense?
At first he looked lost, and stood in puzzled silence beside his
road cones and stripy tape. Then his brow cleared. "Last year," he told
me, "there was human excrement left in the field."
This year the police force's revelry at Stonehenge was facilitated
by provisions of the new Criminal Justice Act. They didn't make a lot of
difference, as the police were using these powers at Stonehenge even
before they existed. The official reason for this six-figure show of
force is not the lack of a Portaloo, but the damage the visitors would
do to the monument if they were allowed in. Hippies' feet, of course,
are rougher than those of the worshippers who have used the site
sporadically for the last 4000 years, and would rapidly grind the stones
into dust.
Meanwhile, a few miles down the road, the Ministry of Defence has
recently completed its renovation of another scheduled ancient monument:
a unique and archaeologically famous Bronze Age boundary ditch, which,
despite years of pleas and warnings, it filled in to make a tank track.
It can add this victorious manoeuvre to an impressive tally of enemy
installations it has damaged or destroyed on Salisbury Plain, including
longbarrows, roundbarrows, tracks and dykes. As on previous occasions,
the ministry has been politely asked not to do it again.
The high jinks at the stones illustrate an absurdity that prevails
all over Britain. Not only at Stonehenge, but in almost every corner of
the countryside, we are shut out of the land which once was ours. The
reasons for our exclusion, while appearing robust from a distance,
behave rather as the stones are said to do. They crumble as one
approaches them.
As the ethics of enclosure spread further, now penetrating cities
as well as the countryside, increasing numbers will find that they are
trespassing on the planet.
Whenever I am caught trespassing on a
large estate I am told I'm intruding on the owner's privacy. It is of
little account that the owner may live in a wholly different part of the
country or that I may never come within sight of his house. By crossing
the boundaries of his land, the gamekeepers tell me, I may as well have
stepped into his living room.
This hyperbole exposes the weakness of the argument. Our homes and
their immediate surroundings are, of course, our private domains, and
most of us are content with that. Why a large landowner's need for
privacy is so much more pressing than ours that it should extend to a
substantial proportion of Britain has yet to be adequately explained.
Visitors to the countryside, we are told, damage landscape
features and destroy wildlife. Well, the ramblers have obviously been
hard at work, for huge swathes of countryside have, in the last few
decades, lost all their hedgerows, ancient woodlands, downland,
watermeadows, heathland and archaeological remains. In many places there
is hardly a feature remaining to arrest the eye. It is, in reality,
because we are excluded - not only from the land itself but also from
the decision-making processes affecting it - that landowners have been
able to make a clean sweep of the countryside, replacing our history and
sense of belonging with what some have proudly described as a factory
floor.
There are places, like Derwentwater and Dovedale, where the
pressure of numbers does damage the land, and there are others where the
fauna or flora is so vulnerable that it can tolerate no intrusion, but
these conditions are rare and localized. They fail to justify our
exclusion from the rest of Britain. Some visitors to the countryside do,
as landowners claim, damage hedges or frighten livestock, but
restricting these activities (and there are plenty of laws with which to
do so) does not necessitate excluding the harmless majority. We don't
ban everyone from using the pavements because a minority of passers-by
spray graffiti or break shop windows.
The gamekeeper's penultimate resort (the last is always that he's
bigger than me and legally empowered to throw me off ) is that we have
an adequate network of footpaths, from which there's no need to stray.
Regrettably, many of the most charming and intricate corners of Britain
are wholly inaccessible by public footpath. Indeed it seems that while
some landowners have allowed us to walk across places they have
destroyed, they have largely succeeded in keeping us out of the places
they have chosen to preserve.
Even this inadequate network is under attack, as, after years of
obstruction by means of fences or ploughing, footpaths are extinguished
on the grounds that no one uses them any more. Perhaps more importantly,
one visits the countryside to escape from the constraints of dedicated
space, the narrow regimentation imposed by the pavement, the office or
ten square metres of garden. Keeping to the footpath does little to
relieve our sense of confinement.
As one examines the ethics of ownership, it becomes clear that
excluding people from the land is not, as landlords suggest, a duty, but
a privilege. In buying a swathe of Britain you buy the right to exclude
other people from it. The exclusive use of land is perhaps the most
manifest of class barriers. With physical exclusion, one obtains a
guarantee of social removal from the common herd.
The rest of us are, quite literally, pushed to the margins of
society. Having confined us, through centuries of enclosure, to the
cities, most landlords now intend to keep us there. If we enter the
countryside we must sneak round it like fugitives, outlaws in the nation
in which we all once had a stake. As the ethics of enclosure, propelled
by the Criminal Justice Act, spread further, now penetrating cities as
well as the countryside, increasing numbers will find that they are
trespassing on the planet.
It is, in truth, not we who are the trespassers but the landlords.
They are trespassing against our right to enjoy the gifts that Nature
bequeathed to all of us. We must challenge this intrusion by demanding a
statutory right to roam, which would require the owner to produce a good
reason for excluding us, rather than requiring us to produce a good
reason for being there. In the meantime we should, like the people
trying to enter Stonehenge, heed John Major's call for a classless
society, by trespassing in the countryside as often and as
comprehensively as possible.
=== LETTER FROM WILLY X ===
Graffitti-ing the Stones at Avebury woz out of order. Bad news.
Pedestrianise Avebury - dig up and remove all the roads inside the
Stone Circle.
Stop the sheep using Glastonbury Tor. They have been and are
destroying the spiral..
Willy X Autumn '96.
=== POEM FROM BIG PETE ===
As I awoke this morning and got out of bed
and went down the stairs these thoughts filled my head
as i put pen to paper and remember what i said
many friends have died; this is what they said;
as long as the Stones are standing, as long as the word is read
we are only sleeping, your words are our bread.
so my friend keep on breathing and remember what's been said
for we're not so sure when living than when we are dead.
For like our brothers and sisters our mothers and fathers too
the Sun the Stones Mother shines on them always anew
and when their father the Moon is a beautiful blue
and his wife is rising, their kisses are the dew
so let us rejoice for everything come anew
and we are still talking because of you.
The Stones walkabout and sing too
this must not be forgotten, it has not because of you.
Big Pete.
*********** Letter From Karelia Sept1996 **********
1.) Summer Solstice I stayed in bed at Wandsworth Bridge
Eco Village (shame - zero credibility points) I'd been putting
movies of Heathens All and us lot in the Stones on VE Day 95
onto the internet at www.kingsway.ac.uk/kiss/stonehenge/
2). Of the 3 roads I say leave the 303 as is;
close the dangerous 303/344 junction;
and grass up the hundred yards of road
which bloody cuts Stonehenge I from its Avenue.
3). Next summer - aha - the Tories should be gone
(if they don't Con us again- register and vote):
we'll have a hung parliament: compromise&flourish
DiceGeorge@geocities.com tel: 01712238557
*********** (PS Stonehenge is a symbol) ***********
June 1996 Stonehenge Campaign Newsletter
ROADS: - SOLSBURY HILL: action day when road opens June/July. 01225
448 556.
NEWBURY; Anyone with pics, video or any evidence about arrests or
evictions please ring 01865 45544 to see if you can help.
A303/HENGE; The Chairman of the November Conference has sent his
report to the DoT asking for 'swift and serious consideration... in the
hope that Stonehenge may be appropriately restored to its landscape as
soon as possible.'Castle FIN says No more Roads OR Tunnels, Let the
Stones Be.
THE BENEFIT GIG in Glastonbury in March turned into a benefit for
several causes, with Ozric Tentacles packing the place for a brilliant
evening. £100 was raised for the Campaign, and the open meeting the next
day decided it should be split three ways for the walk, this newsletter
and extra publicity.
THE LAND IS OURS occupation of a derelict riverside site at
Wandsworth is still happening. (end of May) This demonstration project
to build a sustainable village with farms and community projects has now
been handed on to people who hope to live there. Visit or contact them
at: LandIsOurs EcoVillage, Pure Genius, Gargoyle Wharf, York Rd,
Wandsworth Bridge, SW18 2PU. Landowners Guinness are trying to have them
evicted. TLIO 01865 722 016.
SUSTAINABLE POLICING?
For the eighth year running, Wilts police have claimed they are
incapable of policing the Solstice unless a state of para-martial law is
declared in the area again. This time they are applying for both the
procession order they used before last year (so its illegal to move) and
a CJA trespassory assembly order (so its illegal not to move). The
reason for this preposterous overkill is that both types of ban have
been weakened by court cases. King Arthur successfully sued the police
for arresting him as a procession, so in '94 people were able to go, one
by one, to the Stones and gather outside. So in '95 the police tried to
use their new CJA powers to stop people gathering instead, and arrested
Arthur again.
But the court agreed that separate groups in an area, each less than
the 20 needed for the law to apply, did not make one assembly. Anti-CJA
campaigners arrested at the Stones on June 1st won an appeal in which
the court confirmed our right to gather peacefully at a roadside if we
were not obstructing it. So even if the Home Sec approves both orders,
the bans cannot legally stop any individual going to the Stones and
meeting others on the roadside. (although they can stop anyone on their
way to a real 'trespassory assembly'.)
At the Spring Equinox, police ordered a startled National Trust to
'close' the field opposite the Stones, which is normally open to the
public, and has been used for ceremonies since last summer. So they
declared it closed - but did nothing when people used it anyway. This
suggests police realise there is likely to be a gathering at the
Solstice, and want to confine it to the road.
Things are slowly changing in Wiltshire. Local authorities are
increasingly reluctant to throw money at the police year after year just
to maintain a standoff, and the police are finding it increasingly
difficult to justify their demands for draconian powers with vague fears
about the problems of years ago. English Heritage helped them out with
an excuse for this year with yet another fatuous claim of damage, the
Chairman saying that the half-dozen people who climbed the Stones
barefoot (before being asked to come down by the others) on VE Day had
somehow tragically destabilised the whole monument and scraped lichen
off with their boots. However Salisbury District Council said that this
was the last time they would rubber-stamp an order, and wanted a review
of the situation before the police ask them to approve another ban next
year. We have heard this 'maybe next year' many times before, and it has
always come to nothing. 3 years ago the County Council voted for
'discussions with all interested parties' to try and find a solution,
but were quietly told behind the scenes where they could stuff their
vote. This time it does seem a little different, with more local
discussion and even the police publicly making guarded comments about
'welcoming' a review and 'law-abiding groups' being able to celebrate
the Solstice 'eventually'.
The Council's decision may have been influenced by their recent
experience of the downside to having a confrontational police force. The
Salisbury Festival (a season of cultural events) wanted to include
something for the young, and organised a small open-air concert with The
Prodigy. Wilts police freaked out, claiming there would be people
running amok with guns and they couldn't handle it. The local community
couldn't understand why these events can take place regularly without
fuss elsewhere but wouldn't work in Wiltshire. They were shocked by the
rumours of the undemocratic means that were used to stop the event.
So attitudes seem to be shifting, but it is difficult to see how
movement towards any compromise can take place at a time when the
general situation is moving in the opposite direction, with free
festivals being suppressed and even legal events under attack in some
areas. (Although the much publicised refusal of a licence for the Tribal
Gathering may have more to do with a private feud between police and
organisers over Reading Fest policing costs.)
London Walk 1995 report
We walked 17 miles one day-
all the adults were complaining
but we ran ahead every time.
There were ducks, storks, eggs,
and 2 weird animals -
by Danny and Merlin
Stonehenge Walk
Stonehenge Walk
In the merry month of June
the green trees were in full leaf
25 people did on the Stonehenge walk go
along the leafy banks of the Thames
through pastoral idylls
which we would not usually see
green sloping lawns, big old houses
wooden boathouses, paint peeling
and willows weeping
bongoing our message on the bridge at Windsor
-the town eerily silent and subdued-
-a warm welcome here from the riverside pub-
well-fed on tasty communal food
which a few people got together with no problem
every evening, people giving money or help,
then music and stories round the fire
all the way our tents and bags were on
the trusty canal boat
with three people to help us
if you sat still you could sit in the bows
and see all the moorhens and wildlife
Jumping off to get the boats through the locks
friendships forged for life
or a good few years yet
a chance to let your hair down
and get your body in shape
10 miles a day average
the children could do it, no sweat
at the end of one week
primed for the next week
big breakfasts in the cafe at the end of the road
For this year's walk, meet 1pm at Battersea Park
Peace Pagoda ( by the river, midpoint between
2 bridges) leaving 3pm, see you there. Julia.
DiceGeorge's review of George McKay's book
"Senseless Acts of Beauty" ISBN 1-85984-028- 0:
An almost complete study of UK counter culture,1974-95: Windsor, free
festivals, tipi people,Albion Fairs, Crass punks, the Convoy,
RainbowVillage, Greenlands farm, the Glastonbury NewAge
party,Castlemorton, Madchester squat-raves, ClaremontRd,Twyford dongas,
anti-CJA-ers, Justice?, UnitedSystems... Superb quotes, long words,
footnotes and pics. I'm glad he wrote it 'cos now I don't have to (and
I don't remember so much... page 23 reminds me of wild dancing at
Stonehenge).
P.S. Shannon says it's "Acts of Sense and Beauty".
Letter from Karelia ++ Thu 23rd May 1996 ++Stonehenge is a symbol -
who built it? - we did.(DiceGeorge, KareliaBus, NFA by WandsworthBridge)
Long to see yaIn the sun
Looking at the future
But I'm in some mental institution
Gods awaiting my freedom
Stone free Goap,
Ziatham and Amayon
Our children of stone
Will never grow old.
Carson May '96
From cash to hash
stone to stone
& back again.
Willy X 1978
March 1996 Stonehenge Newsletter
TEXT MISSING... to be added soon?
December 1995 newsletter:
CALLANISH CRISIS:
Around Callanish on the Isle Of Lewis there are several stone
circles, of which the best known, Callanish 1, is often called "The
Stonehenge of the North".
There are three single and one double rows of stones leading from
the "circle", which is actually a complex design having a flattened side
that gives it one main axis of symmetry. This axis runs NE down the
centre of the double row, and it has been pointed out that someone
standing at the N end of this avenue would see the moon when on its
lowest track across the sky, not rise at all, but just skim the horizon.
Dips in this horizon would have allowed the small variations in the
moon"s orbit which cause eclipses to have been accurately measured. The
road round the Island is being widened from a single track to single
carriageway (each side). When work started, a burial cairn was found
under the peat to the N of Callanish. Historic Scotland (like English
Heritage but not a quango) funded a rescue dig to investigate the site.
This showed that although 1.7km away, the cairn was an integral part
of the main complex, lying directly on the axis of the stone circle.
There was an inner cairn with the same flattened circle shape, its axis
also pointing to the main circle. It is possible that this cairn was the
actually the viewpoint used to observe the moon, making its position
very important. A report in the Observer that the cairn was to be
rebuilt away from the road because £50,000 could not be found to move
the road instead was descibed as inaccurate by Historic Scotland. They
received angry protests, but said it was the Western Isles Council, not
they, who made the decisions.
Council staff say that although they were aware there was a national
controversy, few of the objectors to the cairn being moved were local,
and the Council had never even discussed the matter. So the Stonehenge
Campaign asked them to discuss it, and at least allow the option of
moving the road to be costed. They didn"t. Roadworks will destroy the
site in the New Year, simply because nobody has officially recognised
there is a problem.
A303 CONFERENCE in Salisbury, November 1995
When the Highways Agency announced their suggested routes (B, & old
options E&F) for discussion at the planning conference, Jocelyn Stevens
of English Heritage was said to be 'incandescent with rage'. at the
effect these would have on the landscape. English Heritage and the
National Trust set up their own rival exhibition criticising the
official HA routes exhibition and launching a Save Stonehenge" campaign.
(Locals set up a "Save Stonehenge"campaign a few years ago - to save it
from EH"s visitor centre plans!) EH & NT suggested route C, very similar
to the route B that appalled them, but with a short tunnel to avoid
passing between two groups of houses, as B would. It would also take the
road away from the E end of the Cursus, but only by tunnelling under it,
and allow access to the Woodhenge area.
At the same time Stevens was saying in the Financial Times that EH
make £2.5m a year from the Stones, but lose another £1/2m due to the
free view from the A303. He told potential private investors in their
future plans that "There is already a revenue stream, and you don"t need
much imagination to see how it might increase sharply."
The 5-day conference started with EH & NT saying they wanted the
A303 and A344 moved away from the Stones; the HA wanting to widen the
A303 into a dual carriageway Euroroute taking motorway traffic from the
M4 & M5; and local authorities wanting a wide uncongested road as
quickly and cheaply as possible, on the present line (E). FoE, the local
Greens and Transport 2000 argued that the West Country don"t want their
end of the A303 widened and that it should be left as it is or re-routed
as a single carriageway only. The conference didn"t agree, and went on
to discuss dualled options only, but accepted that this depended on
Government policy on not restricting traffic growth not changing (which
it might).
Discussion of which areas of the landscape were most sensitive
followed. For the Stonehenge Campaign it was argued that the whole area
within what has been described as the "Stonehenge Bowl"was important.
Imagine you are standing by the Stones looking at the area (and not
being hassled by security!). Apart from one area to the SW, the land
falls away in all directions then rises in the middle distance to form a
level, apparently circular rim - hence the "bowl".
One reason why the Stones are where they are is because this level
horizon is ideal for observing and measuring the risings and settings of
the sun and moon. The conference eventually agreed that this was the
core area that should be avoided by any road scheme.
Local authorities kept insisting on dualling the present road until
it was pointed out that this and route F had been officially dropped in
the House of Lords last year. As routes B & C would run close to part of
the army barracks, the MoD were publicly taking part in this long
running debate for the first time.
Many of us in the Campaign have felt that if the A303 has to move,
it should go on their already damaged land further north (on or beyond
the road at the top of the map).
When questioned on this, the MoD said they were not prepared, even
gradually in the long term, to relocate part of their facilities to make
room for a road corridor or improve their part of the World Heritage
Site. They also claimed that one area on this possible route was the
only place in the UK where a particular gun could be fired, and that the
"startle effect"of other large guns being fired would cause drivers on
any nearby road (even B or C) to swerve.
On day 4 EH floated plans for a £50m "Stonehenge Millenium
Park"which would be larger than the present NT area, preferably with a
£200m long, bored tunnel taking the A303 under it. As all the surface
routes had effectively been rejected, the conference supported the long
tunnel option, but not the specific route (A).
Other points agreed were that the present A303, A344 and car park
should be removed; there should be somewhere on a new road to stop and
view the Stones as well as any new visitor centre; and that any tunnel
should be far enough away from the Stones to avoid disturbing them.
The possible effects of a tunnel on earth energies and ley lines,
and magnetic fields from power cables were mentioned.
We hope to persuade a dowsing group to advise on this.
Luckily any tunnel would have to go well north or south of the
Stones to avoid the sharp dip at the road junction, but the further away
the huger the bill. There would have to be two tall vent pipes somewhere
along its length.
Is a tunnel acceptable at all? If so, how far away would it have to
be?
Is there any particular area to be avoided?
Please let us know what your view is.
DICE GEORGE LETTER From Karelia TO STG CAMPAIGN
9512colour
___Poem from Karelia,,,Wed13Dec95___
(Guess a colour not in the Rainbow?)
We don't know who built Stonehenge
or what language they spoke
but now we know who built Callanish.
They were widening a track
for tourists on the Isle of Skye
when they found some Stones:
did an emergency arkeyerlogickal dig,
uncovering a double cairn -
the grave of the builder of Callanish.
So they'll have to put it back
and build their road elsewhere.
One Equinox I parked by the Cottages,
borrowed Louie's bike and almost got
hedgehog-ed at the 303/344 junction-
it's stupidly bloody dangerous
(and decapitates Stones + cursus/avenue??,
It should be closed forthwith
(from the 303 to the carpark -
tourists use the safer roundabout
and triangulate by Fargo Woods).
Later green it + move the carpark.
+++ Love from your cousin +++
dice.george@martian.demon.co.uk
(PS red light + blue = magenta)
(c)DiceGeorge@geocities.com©1997
VICKI STANGROOME
Vicki Stangroome who died suddenly [a few weeks ago] was one of the
extraordinary social campaigners and workers to emerge from the 60's
"alternative culture", combining a practical humanity and a literally
enormous personality and eccentricity.
After starting as a volunteer worker with the 24hr BIT information
service in Westbourne Grove, she became a worker there and then later
was a key figure in the organisation and running of the "BIT Crash Pad
(Roof)"- a free hostel for the homeless in Shepherds Bush very much of
its time. Accepting anyone in need of a temporary roof over their heads.
Together with others she set up "Riverpoint" night shelter in
Hammersmith, in the mid 70's. She was responsible for much of the
practice and policy of the organisation when it opened and she worked
hard for the group for a number of years. At the same time she was a
volunteer for Release, the Drugs and the Law organisation, and a
principal member of its Festival Emergency Service. This was the group
of volunteers and staff who took emotional, practical and first aid help
to young people attending public events. She was willing to deal with
anything from drugs casualties- overdoses and bad trips, first aid from
sunburn to foot-rot (depending on the British weather), to helping to
find food and shelter.
Government concern about the big events of the 60's and 70's was
galvanised into practical concern with the foundation of a Festival
Welfare Service organisation at NCVO. She became its first fieldworker.
She later became vice chair of the organisation and contributed to
twenty years of successful work to make open air events safer places.
That welfare at events is now a concern of pop promoters, local
authorities and the police is partly as a result of Vicki's hard work.
When Release stopped attending events in the early 80's she set up
Festival Aid which, without any real funding and using Vicki's phone and
network of friends, continued to help at the increased number of free
festivals.
Without Vicki there would have been no welfare at many of these
events. Festival Aid was one of the few groups willing to provide help
to the Stonehenge Festival. She continued to organise the distinctive
Green Field welfare services at the Glastonbury Festival.
Vicki always separated the need to give practical help from the
political wrangling associated with many services. She was concerned
first and foremost with getting help to people who otherwise would have
had no help at all. In the late eighties she undertook research into the
health and care need of so called new age travellers.
She was involved in setting up the Travellers Aid Trust.
In recent years Vicki had become deeply involved in working with
people affected by HIV and AIDs.
Vicki was a talented artist and potter and her work had attracted
some attention. She ran stalls in the Portobello Market for herself and
for many of the charities she was involved in. She was a distinct figure
wandering down the Portobello. In the autumn she picked edible wild
mushrooms for some of the West End's best restaurants. No one knew where
she found the time or the energy! She enjoyed a huge group of friends
and the world will be a duller place without her.
Roger.
Links to other news pages
Schnews etc
More <"a href="http://www.geocities.com/soho/9000/dicepubl.htm">
Letters from Karelia (diceGeorge)
Stonehenge Access Conference 1993
STONEHENGE ACCESS CONFERENCE at West Oxford Community Centre
Sunday 25th of April, 1993.
A variety of Stonehengers met and talked. Think of this perahps as
an opinion poll of random people, biased by the counter!
Record of Votes Sun 25th April 1993
-
1 We want access to Stonehenge for anyone who wishes to be there to observe
in whatever way at special times ie Solstices and Equinoxes (no tickets)
[ For=24 Abstain=0 Against=0 ]
-
2 We want to cherish and protect Stonehenge and the surrounding landscape
[ For=24 Abstain=0 Against=0 ]
-
3 We want to steward our own gatherings at the Stones to ensure that the site
is cared for and that gatherings run smoothly [ For=23 Abstain=1 Against=0 ]
-
4 We want the campsite to be away from the immediate vicinity of the Stones
[ For=23 Abstain=1 Against=0 ]
-
5 We want the whole area within the Stonehenge site to be available for our
observances [ For=23 Abstain=1 Against=0 ]
-
6 We want to be allowed to walk from the campsites to the Stones
[ For=24 Abstain=0 Against=0 ]
-
7 We want to have physical contact with the Stones (as long as this is not
damaging in any way) [ For=24 Abstain=0 Against=0 ]
-
8 We want only acoustic live music in Stonehenge (no amplified music)
[ For=21 Abstain=2 Against=1 ]
-
9 We need a working party to work out practicalities in detail (ie stewarding)
and negotiate mutulally acceptable arrangements with English Heriticage etc
[ For=20 Abstain=3 Against=1 ]
-
10 We need to be allowed to arrange a site for camping and parking with
'landowners' [ For=22 Abstain=2 Against=0 ]
-
11 We need a working party to think through parking and camping arrangements
for those attending gatherings [ For=21 Abstain=3 Against=0 ]
-
12 Access to Stonehege needs to be seen within the broader perspective that
the Earth is sacred [ For=23 Abstain=1 Against=0 ]
-
13 There should be access to and protection of, sacred landscapes
[ For=22 Abstain=1 Against=1 ] (?)
-
14 We want the Stonehenge area to be restored to a green landscape
[ For=22 Abstain=1 Against=1 ]
-
15 We'd prefer no more roads in the world [ refered back ]
-
16 We want the A344 closed and restored to grassland to reunite the Stones
and the Avenue [ For=21 Abstain=3 Against=0 ]
-
17 We want the A303 near Stonehenge grassed up [ For=17 Abstain=6 Against=1 ]
-
18 If there must be a road then we want:
(i) it left as it is [ For=1 ]
(ii) it widened with a tunnel [ For=0 ]
(iii) a route south of the Stones [ For=0 ]
(iv) a route north of the Stones [ For=14 Abstain=3 Against=5 ]
19 Good communications, information and networking is needed to inform the
public on all these issues [ For=24 Abstain=0 Against=0 ]
-
20 All parties including local 'landowners' and residents taking part in this
process of consultation should be allowed to without hindrance, and in
accordance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and the European Convention on Human Rights [ For=20 Abstain=1 Against=1 ]
-
21 WE LOVE STONEHENGE [For=037]
This is the end of our Newsletter page :
The Stonehenge Campaign c/o 99 Torriano Av London NW5 2RX
, ______ _________ _______ ,
, / Free \ / The \ / Stones \ ,
, \________/ \_________/ \_______ / ,
, ____ ___ ___ ____ ,
, / \ / \ / \ / \ ,
, | | | | o | ! ! ! ,
, | | | | m | ! ! ! ,
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Geocities: Get your own Free Home Pages!
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World Peace Builders Trust
http://www.kingsway.ac.uk
Kingsway College
and Kentish Town Learning Centre
http://www.kingsway.ac.uk/kiss/stonehenge
Kingsway Internet Support Society
(temporarily deleted December 1996 ???)
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Respect to Tash
http://www.tcp.co.uk/~ait/stonehenge.html
and to Paul
Stonehenge Campaign
c/o 99 Torriano Av, London NW5 2RX (UK)
now |
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or dicegeo@idiot.dircon.co.uk
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