On 15 Apr 2011 at 3:15pm not from around here wrote:
I read with interest and alarm in equal measure how locally based 'alternative' power generation company OVESCO (Ouse Valley Energy Services Company Limited) were trying to get a foothold in local power generation via solar panels.
That was the 'interest' part.
Now for the 'alarm' part. One of the directors of the company is none other than Dirk Campbell.
Dirk Campbell as you may remember has been involved in 'direct action' a number of times including the event where protesters were trying to break into a power station in Kent because they don't believe in the method of power generation (fossil fuels).
Is this really the type of person who should be in any way connected or in control of local power generation and do people realise who he is and just how radical he is?
What if he does not agree with your politics? Will he take 'direct action' by cutting off your power supply?
Presumably by his own 'ethics' anybody who does not approve of the solar panels can take legitimate direct action to prevent them from being installed?
I seriously doubt that the most of people like myself who would love to buy power from a company who produce it from renewables would want to have anything to do with radicals such as Dirk Campbell. Such a shame these things are always hi-jacked by an extreme minority in Lewes.
Does buying power from Ovesco mean we would be funding radical political action as well?
I think people need to know.
On 15 Apr 2011 at 4:06pm Le Badger wrote:
Cripes, if you think like that then you probably don't want to get your power off any of the big companies either. Most of their head honchoes are involved in some pretty 'ethically grey' decision-making.
I think you'll find it hard to find a company that doesn't get involved in (what I would consider) some pretty immoral stuff somewhere along the line (more's the pity).
I'm not saying I agree with him, but he's probably the lesser of two evils if you compare what he does to what the head of someone like Shell or a big power company probably get up to...
On 15 Apr 2011 at 4:29pm not from around here wrote:
Le badger - I guess that's fair comment up to a point. What I do think though is that many people are already well aware of some of the poor ethics of the giants we already buy our power but are they aware to the same extent with Ovesco? It is presented as a warm, fluffy alternative to the big utilities, but is it really?
On 15 Apr 2011 at 6:06pm Janet Street Preacher wrote:
Oh come off it nfah, Dirk Campbell is a hippy with principals and values.
He wants us to be aware of the unsustainability of our current power supply and plan for a future without it. At least then we wont need to invade the Middle East for our oil any more.
He's not a flippin' evil terrorist for Christs sake.
He is also just one of several people involved with Ovesco that are actually getting off their arses and getting things done.
I applaud him and Ovesco's vision
On 16 Apr 2011 at 2:26am not from around here wrote:
Well no I wasn't suggesting he was an evil terrorist but I was suggesting that his actions are far from benign. If people are ok with one energy provider attacking the power plant of another provider just because they don't agree with the method of power generation then that's fine. Trouble is most people don't know that he is involved in 'direct action' and many would not approve if they did. After all if it's nothing to be ashamed of then why does the Ovesco website mention plenty about him but nothing about his involvement with climate camp, plane stupid and all the other 'causes' he is involved with?
On 16 Apr 2011 at 7:08am MC wrote:
What petty rubbish. It's almost grudge material.
Ovesco is a hard working force for good and for a very small organisation they are managing to some great things in the town (the solar energy panels on Harveys warehouse being only one of them). We desperately need viable alternative sources of energy. The environmentally destructive oil iis becoming scarcer and increasingly the cause of death and war. Nuclear power is expensive and dangerous. The governments have been too slow to look for alternative forms of healthy, renewable energy.....
....how can you be bothered just because one guy has been on some demos?
On 16 Apr 2011 at 9:06am Vesbod wrote:
Shock, horror, someone's been on a demo, whatever next.....
On 19 Apr 2011 at 10:52am Clifford wrote:
Oh yes, we can't have people going on demonstrations. Where do they think they're living, in a democracy? Not from round here - posting from Yemen, Syria or where?
On 19 Apr 2011 at 4:50pm not from around here wrote:
All of the above - that's fine as it's your view. Now this is out in the open others can make up their own mind. I wouldn't say being part of a group trying to invade another power station is petty rubbish at all, I would say it's pretty serious stuff. I do believe we need alternatives but dodgy characters getting involved will do more harm than good.
Dirk Campbell was far more than 'just on a demonstration' he was in fact arrested on the climate camp demo.
Why is hid commitment to direct action not mentioned on the ovesco website? - it's highly relevant.
On 19 Apr 2011 at 9:57pm MC wrote:
The worst thing about Dirk Campbell is his sense of style (witness the greying pony tail).
Ovesco are much more than this geeza. Why do you judge them by him? It'd be a bit odd if Ovesco put on their web site: "Oh by the way one of the guys associated with one of the projects our organisation is involved in took part in direct action against a power station". Don't you think?
Lewes is lucky to have an organisation like Ovesco. We should be proud of them, not trying to smear them in petty ways like this.
On 20 Apr 2011 at 4:42pm sfb wrote:
Funny how their "sustainable" business model falls flat on its face when not receiving government handouts - sorry the old higher-rate feed-in tarifs. Which is why they are in such a rush to get OVESCO set up in the next couple of months before the new lower feed-in tarifs kick in.
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