Bike ride protest at Fairford airshow

[Blippie]

I for one have no problem with people wanting to get their message (or indeed messages) across in a polite and thoughtful way.

On Friday I had a read of some of the website info they wanted us to look at, and it provoked me to think about the use of depeleted uranium and ask questions about what we do to clear up such items when a conflict is over. The clearance of land mines is something that has been highlighted by people like Princess Diana, and is an accepted cause, and I would never have given the impact of DU a second thought.

So I'm pleased they came. Now on with the show.

Cheers

Blippie

[stuart n]

I had some leaflet left on my car in Green Car Park, had some stuff about the A-10 and depleted uranium rounds.

I popped back to my car in the green car park on Saturday lunchtime and there were all of 2 protesters trying to talk to people, they got a load of abuse back. When I went back in they were taking their anti A10 banner down and packing up.
Ironically on the way home we spotted a blue escort estate with 2 bikes on the back and the A10 banner on the back window so they must have drove and then biked the last 2 miles. Not much of a bike ride!

[bobirving]

As one of the protesters at Fairford, I'd just like to explain why I was there.
1) You guys who were there for the two public days of RIAT perhaps are aware that what you see on those days is subsidiary to the main event which happens beforehand, when the sellers of war planes and munitions get together with buyers and suitably cosy up to them to shift their kit. You may also be aware that there are very few wars going on between countries at the moment. So all the weapons that are being sold are very likely to be used to oppress those countries' own populations, allowing various tyrants to retain their lucrative seats at the top of the pile. BAe Systems etc seem happy to oblige them.

2) amongst those performing for you were the Saudi airforce. The Saudi tyrants have recently sent their armed forces to help the Bahreini tyrants oppress their population.

3) People have mentioned the A10 and the depleted uranium munitions - the use of DU is unspeakable.

4) The effect of RIAT is to get many thousands of people to drive across Britain, others to fly in for what is a giant arms fair with a circus tacked on, just for the ambience. This gives it an enormous carbon footprint which nullifies any efforts that the rest of us make in Gloucestershire. I don't accept that this would have happened anyway. The flying displays alone must cause these aircraft to be used for hours of practice which would be un-necessary if they were not going to perform at this type of event.

Having said all the above, it beggars belief that the RIAT organisers have the nerve to say that the event is for charity. As we said on the leaflets, a vanishingly small part of the ticket goes to anything remotely resembling a good cause - mostly air cadets, I think - nothing at all for vets. I don't think very much goes into our local businesses, apart from campsites and hotels, and I know that most of the bands play only for free entry.

If you've read this far, thanks very much. Please go to another event next year.

[Kieran]

Please go to another event next year.

Your wish might come true if aircraft participation levels worsen!

[iaint]

So all the weapons that are being sold are very likely to be used to oppress those countries' own populations, allowing various tyrants to retain their lucrative seats at the top of the pile. BAe Systems etc seem happy to oblige them.

2) amongst those performing for you were the Saudi airforce. The Saudi tyrants have recently sent their armed forces to help the Bahreini tyrants oppress their population.

Conveniently ignoring the other side of the very same coin and why NATO is involved in Libya

[boff180]

Please go to another event next year.

Same to you, preferably far away from me!

[Arthur Tee]

So all the weapons that are being sold are very likely to be used to oppress those countries' own populations, allowing various tyrants to retain their lucrative seats at the top of the pile. BAe Systems etc seem happy to oblige them.

2) amongst those performing for you were the Saudi airforce. The Saudi tyrants have recently sent their armed forces to help the Bahreini tyrants oppress their population.

Conveniently ignoring the other side of the very same coin and why NATO is involved in Libya

Yes - it's just so damned oppresive in Bahrain - that's why the motorway is jam packed every Wednesday night with Saudis pouring into Manama for a pint and a Russian prostitute!

Arthur

[bobirving]

Not sure what your point is about Libya.
One of the earliest things that happened in Libya was that some Libyan pilots flew out to avoid having to use their Italian(?) aircraft against their own people, which I think sort of proves my point about what the aircraft are sold for.

All the airstrikes by NATO are flown in support of the Libyan rebels by NATO countries in their own aircraft. The action has at least the approval of the UN and was at the request of the Libyan Transitional National Council(?) TNC. Quite why NATO is supporting Libyan rebels and not Syrian rebels is not clear to me. For all the 'magnificent men' b***shit at Fairford, the NATO forces don't seem to be very effective as they have flown an awful lot of sorties (5000?) and Qaddafy is still there.

i think (hope?) events like RIAT have a great future, unless people want to see remote controlled warplanes pilotted by people in darkened rooms near Las Vegas(?)

[vandal]

i think (hope?) events like RIAT have a great future,

Didn't you just suggest in your last post that we 'please go to another event next year'?

[spiralkicker]

out of interest what do you do for a job Bob?????

[spiralkicker]

He's gone, that means he's
a, unemplyed meaning we have to work twice as hard and produce twice as much greenhouse gases to keep him, so he can have an artificially clean concious.
b, his own job situation is as bad for the enviroment as most others.
or c, he is a Syrian gunship pilot

[bobirving]

Yes - it's just so damned oppresive in Bahrain - that's why the motorway is jam packed every Wednesday night with Saudis pouring into Manama for a pint and a Russian prostitute!

Arthur

I think that's why the Saudis are so keen to keep Bahrain the way it is - they need it as a place for young Saudi blokes to get their rocks off. Same as South Africa had Sun City.... It's probably not oppressive if you're an expat and keep your nose clean-ish.

[spiralkicker]

job bob???

[bobirving]

out of interest what do you do for a job Bob?????

I'm a researcher in an architecture department at a university - I work on making buildings and heating systems more efficient. We try to save people money on their heating bills so that they can waste it on going to air shows and on short haul flights to Prague for stag nights.

RIAT will be back next year, don't worry. It's too lucrative for the arms trade not to run it.

[spiralkicker]

Well Bob my wifes friend who came with us to RIAT has a printers and the leaflets you were handing out were far from (shall we say) green. she prides herself on enviromentally friendly stuff and laughed at yours.
Secondly regarding your research job, i am the designer of a certain new piece of energy producing kit, very difficult to market though because the energy efficient manufacturers do not like new inventions that put their own monopolies at risk, it seems my friend your own industries are as corrupt as everyone elses and are far more interested in their own money inventing ideas than the enviroment.
We all fight for our markets Bob and thats why we have armies!!!!

[bobirving]

i think (hope?) events like RIAT have a great future,

Didn't you just suggest in your last post that we 'please go to another event next year'?

Missed a "don't" out - silly me

[mrlovepantsuk]

out of interest what do you do for a job Bob?????

RIAT will be back next year, don't worry. It's too lucrative for the arms trade not to run it.

I take it you will be protesting at Farnborough next year then and the Olympics getting thousands of people to drive across the country and fly from all over the world for 4 weeks of meaningless entertainment?

[parabola50]

Maybe you could type out a list of approved hobbies/interests for us? I feel just awful for continuing my interest in aviation without your approval.

I'll continue to do my bit for the environment by turning lights off, not wasting water, etc. But I certainly wont be worrying about a bit of extra pollution from some planes flying around next year at RIAT, or from my 5 hour drive to get there.

[mrlovepantsuk]

You sir are the one that has a set list of hobbies that are suitable for us just merely pointing out the fact that it leaves a big carbon footprint as well at least with airshows if they werent flying there they would be doing training sorties instead to protect our countries and people what good as hitting a small white plastic ball over a net on a table done to anyone but people still fly thousands of miles to participate and watch it? It is very admirable what you do turning lights off etc, just because we go to airshows doesn't mean we don't do that as well

[spiralkicker]

Where are you Bob you didnt reply to my p2p Bob.
Thought you were my saviour, really want to know mate why i was told that the manufacturers of certain energy using devices have invested too much money making these devices more efficient and were not yet ready to look at alternatives yet. money is more important than the enviroment then for them and their researchers Bob.
So you Bob are embracing the biggest enviromental issue our planet faces, the domestic carbon footprint, you Bob are worse than all (kettle black)
would love your thoughts Bob... this is the first time i have got to talk to an energy researcher!!!!!

[parabola50]

You sir are the one that has a set list of hobbies that are suitable for us just merely pointing out the fact that it leaves a big carbon footprint as well at least with airshows if they werent flying there they would be doing training sorties instead to protect our countries and people what good as hitting a small white plastic ball over a net on a table done to anyone but people still fly thousands of miles to participate and watch it? It is very admirable what you do turning lights off etc, just because we go to airshows doesn't mean we don't do that as well

My post was directed towards Bob. At the time I started typing his was the most recent reply. By the time I submitted it there had been a couple of new replys so my message to Bob ended up underneath your post. My post says I'm pro-RIAT and don't care about the pollution it brings.

[bobirving]

Maybe you could type out a list of approved hobbies/interests for us? I feel just awful for continuing my interest in aviation without your approval.

I'll continue to do my bit for the environment by turning lights off, not wasting water, etc. But I certainly wont be worrying about a bit of extra pollution from some planes flying around next year at RIAT, or from my 5 hour drive to get there.

I'm not your conscience. If you're not really willing to change what you do, why should I waste my time? If you think that it's only "a bit of extra pollution", then nothing I say will make much difference.

[spiralkicker]

Thats a poor answer Bob !!!!! surely you can do better than that, thats a cop out

[parabola50]

Maybe you could type out a list of approved hobbies/interests for us? I feel just awful for continuing my interest in aviation without your approval.

I'll continue to do my bit for the environment by turning lights off, not wasting water, etc. But I certainly wont be worrying about a bit of extra pollution from some planes flying around next year at RIAT, or from my 5 hour drive to get there.

I'm not your conscience. If you're not really willing to change what you do, why should I waste my time? If you think that it's only "a bit of extra pollution", then nothing I say will make much difference.

So what else do you protest? Football matches? Thousands of people driving to the stadium every week causes a lot of extra pollution. What about airports? Surely people shouldn't be going on holiday so they reduce the number of planes that fly so they don't pollute as much. You could make an argument against people doing pretty much anything.

[mrlovepantsuk]

You sir are the one that has a set list of hobbies that are suitable for us just merely pointing out the fact that it leaves a big carbon footprint as well at least with airshows if they werent flying there they would be doing training sorties instead to protect our countries and people what good as hitting a small white plastic ball over a net on a table done to anyone but people still fly thousands of miles to participate and watch it? It is very admirable what you do turning lights off etc, just because we go to airshows doesn't mean we don't do that as well

My post was directed towards Bob. At the time I started typing his was the most recent reply. By the time I submitted it there had been a couple of new replys so my message to Bob ended up underneath your post. My post says I'm pro-RIAT and don't care about the pollution it brings.

yeah sorry I read it as from him.