Introduction by Mike J (Vurrister) (General)

by unknown, Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 15:03 (5000 days ago) @ admin

Thanks for that David I obviously read it wrong.

Where I indicate time is premium - that is a general statement; but I've been laid low since last October with Shingles in the leg which apparently is a very rare place to get it and perhaps just as well - I wouldn't wish it on anyone - it practically took out the nerve ends of every mucle and for quite some time I was virtually like a jelly fish. It's starting to come back now - hopefully completely fingers crossed; so I do actually have more time to spare at the minute than usual, and will try to participate and contribute where and what I can. In fact as I write this I see somethings come in from Maurice Teague - the way it's going it might be hard to keep up for a while!!!

Not got far enough into your site yet so some things may be already covered. E.G. we have a organisation here called Dean Forest Voice (DFV) www.deanforestvoice.org (sorry haven't worked out how to insert live link yet - can't seem to get the button on the right to do what I want??) this link will tell you quite a bit about whats gone and going on more recently - I don't like rattling my own cage that much but I was largely responsible for it. I organised a meeting of Commoners, Freeminers, and other grass root Foresters at the Miners Welfare Hall at Cinderford to introduce a Gov. Countryside Agency Officer called Val Kirby - Val - lovely lady - and her small team came here to carry out a social experiment called Intergrated Rural Development (IRD). Shortly after the meeting had been publicised foot & mouth broke out but sanatisation procedures were quickly organised and we went on with it. The Hall was packed and the atmosphere superb; and out of it came the suggestion to set up DFV initially to work with Val K who coincidentally had spent much of her time working in NewZealand.

As it happened a film crew were here filming for the Forestry Commission and they filmed the entire proceedings which they kindly gave me a tape of.

This is one incident of a much larger event which I suspect is well remembered by most Forest posters when a Group called Action Against Quarrying (AAQ) got jittery and claimed that virtually the entire South Forest area was under threat of large scale quarrying and began a campaign to give the Forest a Special Status. It coincided with a general election which brought a Government Minister here called Frank Dobson and he cottoned on and promised them the earth!! which actually a lot of us knew wasn't deliverable. Nevertheless AAQ presurised local MP of the day Dian Organ for Dobson to keep his word and consequently she attempted to drive their agenda with an Early Day Motion that failed - if truth is known she didn't have much option with AAQ so heavilly on her back. Anyway I then got word of a exercise going on where a Consultancy called LUC was engaged in a 'workshop' project in front specially selected audiences to look at various other alternatives which could have seriously damage our ancient mining and quarrying rights, not least because they were largely a bunch of kneejurking Nimmbies from posher parts. Previous to this I had been actively countering AAQ in the local press (The Forester; Wye Valley Review and so on.). Anyway Dian Organ recommended I go along to one of these sessions to see for myself; but when I got there they wouln't let me in; so I gate crashed and quickly established that out of eighty odd people in the room there weren't many I knew. So on that I asked the Chairman (Stephen Wright) to let me speak and I simply said that appart from one or two I didn't see many Foresters hyere and on that Dr Camp's wife Gill jumped up and said well lets have a show of hands and the result was 6 of um!! The room fell silent. Then I proposed that the proper contributors lay out side the room and the meeting broke up; I didn't hear of another; and inj next to no time the Countryside Agency came here with their IRD which was brilliant because one of the earliest coonclusions they came up with was that the Forest has two distinctive Unique Lanscapes - One Scenic and the other Cultural and it's the latter of these that DFV are working to keep alive and well.

Anyone wanting to find more about some of the things I get up to - try searching 'Vurrister' on Google and you might come across some of the evidence doc's etc. that I do now and then to Gov. Select Committees - Local Councils and the like. - Not sure what's out there right now - it seems to change - but there's often something or other. - Most recently I have responded to The Local Planning Framework Core Strategy Doc.; and right now I'm working on similar objections to a scheme out to consultation now called the 'The Northern Quarter' near Cinderford which aims to develop and take out over 100 acres of Forest Waste (Waste is legal term for all Statutory Forest land irrespective of tree cover not legally enclosed by the Enclosures Acts 1667 and 1808).

Hope someone finds this interesting.

Incidentally; The next meeting of DFV will be Monday 6th June 2011 at the Royal Foresters Mile End at 7.30p.m - Everybody welcome

Best regards

Mike J