I find it really sad that some one like Cameron McNeish, and so many others on this forum, should just 'give in' and accept wind turbines destroying our landscapes. SSE and other developers must be rubbing their hands with glee that such a prominent opponent, (as Cameron himself would like to imagine he is, as he has 'shouted so loudly in the past'), has rolled over and accepted the spin, false information and lies the wind industry spout at every opportunity. If he has 'shouted so loudly in the past' he should continue to shout just as loudly, if not louder, to help inform Joe Public that, so called support for wind turbines will not deliver all that is proclaimed by the wind industry and politicians, but will mean very expensive power costs, lost jobs, no significant reduction in CO2 produced (possibly greater amounts), landscapes and seascapes being destroyed, and some, namely, landowners and developers (mostly foreign), becoming very rich through the subsidies we are all forced to pay. (The landowner at Stronelairg set to pocket £60m. God knows how much SSE will pocket!)
Perhaps if Cameron had shouted loudly on 23rd March 2013 alongside Rhona Weir, the 94-year old environmental campaigner and widow of Tom Weir, at the SNP conference in Inverness, the publicity generated would have gone some way to help educate Joe Public about the true implications of wind turbines. Perhaps if some objectors on this website had joined in, some further publicity from a larger crowd of marchers would have been generated.
See here for further information,
http://scotlandagainstspin.org/As for Cameron's suggestion that "anti-wind groups align themselves with the recreational NGO’s and forget nonsense about moratoriums and opposing offshore wind". Is he suggesting that we should all roll over and surrender to spin of the wealthy power companies? Is it really 'nonsense', to try to correct something which is unreliable, intermittant, expensive, damaging and so really wrong, as wind turbines are?
If we are to 'accept a few crumbs', is it only SNH who decide where wild land is? And does that mean that all other areas are open for turbine development? Even if it means massive turbines are sited close to peoples homes, with all the health impacts involved, (denied by the SNP and wind industry), the loss in property values, (denied by the SNP and wind industry), and of course, costs involved to the consumer and the massive increase in fuel poverty wind power will cause.
Naturally, these 'crumbs' will only be offered after Stronelairg, in the 'wild' Monadlaith is approved. Which it will be, since Highland Council don't object as it will cost them dearly for a public enquiry, the RSPB objection will be bought out by the developer, and SNH will eventually remove their objection when Salmond, their paymaster, tells them to.
And to those who state they would rather have wind turbines than a nuclear, coal or gas fired power plant. Remember, it doesn't matter how many turbines are planted on or around our country's shores, nuclear, coal and gas fired power plants will still have to be built and run
constantly alongside turbines, for all the times when the wind doesn't blow or blows too much. It is not a choice between turbines
or conventional power plants. It is continue to pay (at what cost) for imported gas, imported coal, and, probably imported nuclear power,
on top of all the subsidies for turbines. Failing that, the lights will go out.