Shepway Friends of the Earth.

1) Proposed airport expansion;

I have watched the issue of the Airport over the years, I remember Michael Howard granting permission for the runway extension when he was Environment Minister. The new application is I understand very similar and if this is the case I suspect it would be passed by KCC who I believe have the final say.

I personally have not flown for over ten years; I prefer the train, Eurostar and my car. I understand one family flight to New York is the same as a household for a year. I do wonder how many of the Lib Dems who are against the airport fly off on holiday each year? Equally I think the Conservatives approach is nothing more than a sham, years ago they would have been positive and for it as our M.P. is.

I do think the promised quality jobs is a must, if they are to be produced and in a significant number then I would be much more inclined to support. If no skilled well-paid jobs with a recognised Trade Union welcomed on site, then I can see no good reason to support. This area needs well-paid skilled jobs, the exodus each morning from Shepway is massive and comes with an environmental and personal cost. Too long Shepway has been a low wage low skill area.

I will need convincing the jobs will exist and that the infrastructure will be improved two big gains. In the past we have had the environmental damage done by the gravel extraction, which produced very few jobs and some of the poorest roads in Kent, the lorries thundering across Romney Marsh each day is not a great site. Yet the Conservatives and the Lib Dems were all for gravel extraction in the past, no action groups then. We must not repeat that mistake.

2) Dungeness C

I am employed at Dungeness B and am the President for the GMB Trade Union at Dungeness, which I am happy to declare. If the issue is as structured in the letter from SFE, about sea level rise then the answer has to be a supportive one. Dungeness is situated at one of the highest points on Romney Marsh and the sea protection I understand, is one in three hundred years and in front of the power station, one in 10,000 years.

The nuclear power stations in this country produce 25% of our electricity and emit no Co2, which if Co2 emissions is the issue then we are going to need nuclear plants, at least in the next 50 years.

If the question was the unasked one of do we need a new generation of nuclear plants or is Dungeness a good site, then my answer would need to be more considered. I support the use of nuclear power stations, would be strange if I didn't, but is Dungeness a good site? Not having a degree in Geology I would have to say I don't know.