'No' to Fracking Imposition, says Peter Aldous MP

At the Norfolk and Suffolk Coast and Estuary Conference on 15th October in the Orbis Energy Centre Peter Aldous MP had some critical things to say about 'Central Government' (which is his government since 2010).

He said “...governments – whether it's wind-farms or solar farms, or dare I say it, fracking, governments impose these things on communities... but governments shouldn't work with communities, communities should lead projects.”

Gentle though this might appear, Aldous is criticising his own government for not listening, he's questioning their competence, he's taking a position on fracking, and he's saying quite clearly that the government is out of touch.

Peter Aldous is our local MP. He is a member of the Conservative Party. 

The recent turmoil in his own government has obviously caused a bit of inner turmoil for Mr Aldous (a turmoil he must be getting used to, as he was also one of the first MPs to register his dissatisfaction with the previous Prime Minister, Mr Johnson).

A couple of days later, Peter Aldous questioned the competence of his Prime Minister, and suggested to The Lowestoft Journal (reported on the 17th) "...There are two issues – the economic and the political.

"They are intertwined, but I think the immediate thing that needs to be done is to address the economic challenges as best you can. That will be done, I hope, within the next two weeks.

"If these measures have the desired effect, I think we then need to review that particular situation."

That 'particular situation' is Liz Truss. I'm not sure the 'desired effect' has been achieved.

Tonight (the 19th October) the Labour Party put a motion to Parliament calling for the banning of fracking. The government may, or may not, have seen this as a vote of confidence in the present government, and or may not have imposed a 'three line whip' (which means if you don't vote for the party, you will no longer be a member of that party.) 

There was chaos again in Parliament, with confusion and alarm in every direction, as whips whipped or didn't whip, the Home Secretary resigned, a Special Adviser lost their job, and those of us glued to the news watched what can only be described as a rendering asunder of a political group. Not that that means anything in the long term. But then, what does...except Climate Change, of course.

Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, voted with the government. Forty of his colleagues abstained, though not necessarily because they disagreed with their government.

The Estuary and Coast Conference was organised by the Norfolk & Suffolk Coastal Forum. The event was an interesting and pertinent event, and a report will follow on this site.

John Ellerby