this post is being updated and written up properly today Friday 2 June. And this coming weekend. 10 years planning - sadly..
Time to speak, freely.
For about 20% of the time in the last 15 years I have been involved in, and have in parallel been chronicling environmental matters in The Marches – my patch from Clun in the North to Talgarth in the South. Roaming endlessly, speaking with many. Often unplanned - meandering on an old bike. But NEVER 'off duty'. I was one of four founders of Friends of The Earth in Hay-on-Wye . With my daughter. We may has well have gone to a convention of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Especially when P**** of Transition Towns stared up in opposition. And eschewed my approach "there are only about 10 of us in whole area who REALLY care... how about we combine meetings, website and...moral support"
Her fuck off (TT HQ told me to say) charmy sweet smile was... priceless.
(needless to say neither 'organisation' ever did ANYthing...real)
The last decade I have especially chronicled the apocalyptic
changes to the environment (of this whole region) , and I would say, uniquely, the hypocrisy within the so called environmental
movement of the region. I am up every day at 5m doing just this, no matter what.
I have wandered with willing heart – to engage truthfully and sincerely on projects and eco causes - some new ones to roll out, others obvious to attempt to further, but also a film camera and audio recorder always on (always on to protect myself - yes very necessary...even here).
Exasperated, as it became the case that there was almost only ‘people pleasing’ (a serious psychological condition) everywhere.
Lucy Hurds a Libdem candidate in Hereford asked me (in a 90 minute happy face to face) to spread the word on a superb river saving project, autumn 2022. I dedicated myself full time - no pay no expenses, no savings....for two months to returning to many many supposedly eco-keen people - the crème of that bowl of sour smelly crème, regionally. All "whoop whooped" "what a fantastic project .what a GREAT idea to save our rivers [Lugg Arrow Wye ] .i will support!!!!... roll it out in my spot too [ support = never money, time and moral support only ever sought]" And then never answered an email or text, or had forgotten we even had the effusive chat the next time i would see them.
And just a few days ago I am most inspired by Katherine the water
tester by Hay. She is a rare egg - tells
it like it IS. Concurs that the mass narcissistic Messiahdom of the useless environmentalist of the region is the true hurdle. Why ALL our rivers are fuckerated. From the river at Clun in North to Wye in South. I do not so much blame the corporations or government any more.
I have dozens of true crimes in my digital machinery filmed and recorded (all treble
backed up with one copy secreted so safely the SAS couldn’t find it)
just a month ago film of major flow for hours of raw sewerage going into the river AT Clun.... no one bothering to sandbag it..all bigwigs so busy on their phones ABOUT..it (on a bank hol - would take hours to get the pump machinery in) .. no one bothering to tell the children playing in the river TEN METRES downstream of 10 gallons/min raw sewerage from municipal bogs actually flowing in) not such a good idea (i had to of curse - no one else of 10 gathered bigwigs even noticed them)...all filmed of course AS i am working on solutions to their vie solution...
All along I am reticent to bother naming even one name – they are also shabby.
I have a rule: only name those whom take heaps of public
money, or heaps of public regard – that does include their catnip - their Facebook likes.
Catnip doesn’t even keep a moggy alive. And narcissism can be fatal...is for the fishes of my local rivers. When these people are the 'custodians'.
One of many real baddies is Bulmer of Noke. From ten years ago I have an audio recording of a river scientist ( a neighbour of his) telling me of his cynicism in respect of making simple changes to improve the ruined Arrow that goes along the bottom of his thousands of acres, fancy garden theme park
AC Grayling - a true supporter of Extinction Rebels - as they rolled out 2018 - a sincere man cares about the planet, said to me face to face long chat (recorded) 2019 if the truth is that the present environmentally aware are steeped in fatal acedia (=spiritual sloth) - tell that truth, even if it hurts.. for the sake of future maybe real custodians of nature.
I also mentioned to him how extraordinary it is that the Extinction rebels seem to think that their (endlessly renewed) hair dye ..isnt a chemical.... going down the extremely hard pressed drains of this ecologically sensitive region... "A C.. i have so many truly evocative...pretty pictures... they may try and sue..but my chronicles are most accurate and ...bulletproof from libel.."
It will take me a few months to really get motoring with fully presenting a website to back up a book on all this long i have been working on.
I have had a secret website several years building. All is on there - it will be hashtagged and search engine optimised....soon.
It is not only a doom laden thing. There is no 'hope', but I try and weave in jokes.
EARNEST DOES NOT WORK... the 'Greens' can never hear those words... so self obsessed, and obsessed with only preaching to their own 'converted' - to make themselves look good of course.
ohh and i have many recordings of how morally corrupt the Green Party in the region are. Nervy weird townies one and all - sex obsessed [ the unconventional mode - deaf to the fact that 96.5% still are rather conventional] even if they never have any in their back garden thank you very much, and no morals. And my my i have some stories about them... they should be closed down for crimes against...ehh a young woman who worked for them in fact - their most sincere wonderful willing slave...... who was my 'plant'....
( i actually have to leave the area to finish the last publishing phase of this work - it is hilarious how the so called greens and their ilk really don't like the truth being told about them.....never mind the worst offending farmers and businesses of the region - they get violent.. i have many many arty photos and films showing a decade of dodgy dealings by them... )
ANY support - i live on fresh air for years - i have 20 years... welcome.
Paypal / bank details at bottom of this page on this site - click on:
https://www.simonclayton2020.com/2023/03/site-guide-and-urgent-practical.html
I also have woven in a chronicle of how the media - specially BBC, have played in to a completely fraudulent picture of the chummy environmentalists of the whole region - especially Hay-on-Wye. It is as if they live in the Blue Boar (the ultimate country pub) ..on your expenses of course...
They - media, believe a certain family who get on radio 4 often enough to tell of eco crimes in the totally destroyed river Wye region. Such people ADORE their radio 4 spots..
Well i have many photos of how that wealthy family (shabby inherited money, as usual), my ex neighbours, would strim the SSSI they owned along the banks of said river in MAY - critical bugs and birds time!.... even 15 years ago. And of course nowadays have cashed in in the huge tepee fest right on said SSSI banks
But i shall hold out on the true eco frauds until.... it is all packaged up as thing of beauty, despite them.... Full time the next few months.
But don't think I am some half hearted pretender. I alone had the (£10million operation) Hay Festival in the radio 4 spotlight 2010 or 11 for his engagement with EOS first class only Airlines, as his main sponsor, while charging us all thousands for environmental talks.
Just a few nights ago i had Monbiot all to myself....in a pub.(my recorder on as usual) .....amazing how he didn't know of THE most serious eco hypocrisy, ever, that the Welsh government had 'postponed' their 5 years germinating (costing you millions - all their fancy PR) river protection legislation... that was long heralded as coming into folklore...1 Jan this year...then April... then...
"we will have to have another consultation...and MAYBE will issue [pollution]licenses.."
That fantasy legislation would have done more to protect the Wye Arrow Lugg Severn Dee...as they meander into England, than any other folklore.. thats Why it was created.. to protect the NVZ upper reaches catchment of such rivers.. but Monbiot like all the rest is here to 'party'...
And then...tales...
so many
Of how they gather..the gatheratti
places like this
(today at dawn)
(many pictures to come, soon)Gather, natter, gossip... complain...about the environment... but never actually do any work to protect it.
Or speak with the 'stewards' of it..or try to assist actually protecting otters for example... that so sadly 2019 i chronicled the inevitable 'demise' of.... around and about.
I can track and have many very very evocative pictures... many...
Roads littered with dead Brocks... otters aside the road seemingly hit by motors.... really, now....?
And then we have Mr Nationally Famous Hay business owner... I was his landsman a few years.... I really don't like it when some London drug addict twat tells me one May i should disregard the instructions on the back of a very strong chemical he wishes used alongside a very sensitive stream going through his land, to hold back the bracken ... that says categorically "do not use in the spring, it will fuck the rivers for miles"
Or has a local redneck exterminate the bats in his 1000 year old barn...so he can get planning
And many such other cases of...
The thing is this region has been held by media for years as the 'garden' of ...??? and far more programs and books - ohh the books!!! on environmental matters (and saviours) have appeared on thois region than any other in uk by FAR!!!
It is most symbolic, totemic.... litmus.
i hate lies....
But certainly to begin it is the absolute sour backstabbing and fraud among the so called 'protectors' of the 'environment' that will keep me busy for some time.... and i shall lose many year 'friends' ..because many were, except they weren't really friends, as a true friend puts aside her personal hobbies, and ...
Appreciates we are all the same stardust - don't take ANY 'differences' to heart...
My 'free speech' will be tested to its limit... they don't like it the 'left' (or 'goodies') when it is used on them, of course. But i care... my daughter was bought up learning to swim in local rivers - all summer we would be at the Wye...minnows nibbling the children's toes - only glee!
And be clear, it is NOT only factory farming that has caused them....to be extinct. As good as.
Even the Environment Agency spin the spin "its the chicken sheds.."
Nope... actually at leas 40% of overall river damage is outflows or 'spillage' from inadequate domestic systems...
If the population of a region increases maybe 50% over 20 years (i recon even more)...all drawn here by Guardian and Hay Festival fantasy it is some fantasy paradise, and THEIR 'converted' barns, pisspots and shitpipes are not upgraded to deal with THEM ... increased crap down their bogs...ohh yes and even more hairdye and other such products... their crap ruins the rivers, too...or i would posit, more...
But of course that fact doesnt rub too well with the main business of the area - selling old barns and overpriced houses to rich Southerners so they can turn into Surrey, too...
And as for camping, became 'glamping' - i have years of photos, the one i had to hold back on was a decade ago - the 'eco' campsite...owner...close to the eco river...
he would be down there at his banks at dawn, with his digger..large JCB in fact... just down from Glasbury - all that free shingle, from his riverbank.... 100sof tons i filmed being excavated - except not really his, as the most protected of birds, the little ringed plover, actually had legal protection to be there.. despite him.
When reported in - three times, to the Brecon Beacons National Park....did they do anything? except spend millions more on changing their name
I have zillions of photos from... then and before. I start to publish ...soon.... from 'sanctuary'. Offshore.. Fifteen years of them...oh what 'memories'...
Well i have several names - i am busy writing in one of them - my most enjoyed only happy book.... but never say i am not organised...andf it is time for the truly lovely one - to see the llight of day
from daybreak today:
i know few greens who even manage to get up by... [fill in - so much more to this than may meet the eye]
like how so much of my time is wasted i hardly ever have the time to slice a banana to put on the bread - it being quicker to alternate-bite the sacrifices! (15+ years of their sick people pleasing bullshit - every word chronicled, MOST accuirately)Off to.... see...
refugee.
Leaving behind so much poop on your deck, the bears will have to steal your waterwings...me, i always float to the top
(picture of ACTUAL lump of shit floating down the Wye AT Hay just a few days ago...i have so many truth-images it is daft...but not quite the time i need, to organise my photos and commentary.....just yet)
to be continued....soon