Wind Turbines

The British countryside is infected with an horrendous disease. A scourge that is gradually destroying it. It's not ash dieback disease nor is it foot and mouth or any other livestock plague. Worse than that, the problem in question is entirely of our own doing. What I am referring to is the recent rash of wind turbines.

I noticed on a recent trip to Scotland that these monstrosities are cropping up everywhere are blighting the landscape with their presence. What upsets me that, in addition to being horrendously ugly (not to mention utterly ineffectual), they are symptomatic of the aggressive environmentalism that started on the left and seems to have metastasised into trendy thinking. Toyota Prius thinking would be a good name for it. The kind of people that are so determined to be seen as "green" that they spend vast amounts of money on useless baubles that do more damage to the environment during manufacture than their use prevents (the Prius is flown fast distances during it's construction and uses many materials that are extremely difficult and energy intensive to procure). This doesn't matter though as they believe they are saving the planet. They are the kind of people that condemned Prof. David Bellamy as a heretic for daring to criticise the "evidence" of climate change using robust scientific thinking rather than blind faith.

A real irony to all of this (beyond the fact that they don't work in high winds) is that, by recklessly erecting wind turbines everywhere, the greenies are destroying the beauty of the world that they are seeking to protect. Can anybody honestly say that the sight of wind turbines on an otherwise scenic landscape is anything other than an utter eyesore. Worse is the fact that they seem to be built only on the skyline where they are most visible.

Some would argue that they are no worse than electricity pylons but I would disagree. Pylons are at least hidden in the valleys and low ground rather than occupying the most prominent positions on the hillside.

I found this heartbreaking when going through Scotland because our landscape is one of our best features. Not everybody likes haggis, whisky and shortbread nor are ruined castles everybody's cup of tea. I've even heard rumour that not all girls are impressed by men in kilts but I think that must be a lie. Our landscape however can and is enjoyed by all. Sporting types can run, climb canoe and cycle on it while artistic sorts can paint it, photograph it or wax lyrical about it. You can go for a stroll or a hard core climb. However you intend to enjoy it, you will be hard-pushed not to have your breath taken away by it's spectacular beauty. So why spoil it with turbines?

The answer I'm sure is because it makes us look like we're doing something. If I was being paranoid I would suggest that it was a ploy by the leftist fun police to be used as yet another means of controlling our lives. A means of enhancing their narcissistic joy by ruining ours. The sad irony is, if they wanted to make wind power a viable source of energy for the UK, they would be far better placing the turbines offshore with the dual benefit of more, constant wind and the space to place many, many more turbines. This does mean that the turbines would be out of sight and, sadly for these people, out of sight is very much out of mind. Not something that they can easily cope with.

I will end this with a plea: if anyone of influence is reading this please, PLEASE stop destroying our beautiful countryside.

JR