Chris Whiteside's Blog

Proposals are likely to come before Cumberland Council planners at some point this year for an enormous Solar farm east of Egremont at Dent Fell. The plans have not yet formally been submitted but Belltown power, the company which is planning to apply for the solar farm, have published their current proposals on their website where they can be seen by following the link below: Belltown Power proposals for a Solar farm at Dent Fell to be called Cobra Castle Solar Farm . About 120 acres of the 200-acre site would be covered with large solar panels which would be 80 cm off the ground at their South ends and three metres – ten feet – off the ground at their North ends. The proposed solar farm would be in operation for 40 years. There will be a public exhibition and consultation on the proposals tomorrow,  Thursday 3rd April, 3 - 7pm, at Egremont Market Hall, Market Street, Egremont CA22 2D

The latest More in Common Opinion poll has the Conservatives leading on 26%, Reform UK second on 25%, and Labour third on 21%. Like almost all opinion polls over the last six months the first three parties are the Conservatives, Labour and Reform, all of which are polling in the twenties. All three parties have come everywhere from first to third, but the margins are usually mostly within margin or error. In other words there is everything to play for any any of these parties could win, or lose, the next election which is still probably more than four years away. I am posting this poll because the left-wing media always reports on polls which have Labour winning, and another section of the media always posts polls which have Reform UK winning; but polls which have the Conservatives ahead, or which there have been a fair number, only seem to get publicised if Conservative activists post and share them.   

I did consider posting an "April Fool" gag this morning. The trouble is, we're living in a world where Rachel Reeves is still chancellor, and is still insisting that despite having imposed the biggest tax hike on business in history on top of a position where due to the pandemic we already had the highest peacetime tax burden in history, she's committed to getting Economic Growth Vladimir Putin still claims he invaded Ukraine because a county which had never attacked Russia and has elected a Jewish President has a Nazi regime and is a threat to Russia And don't get me started on some of the things happening on the other side of the Atlantic. Just at the moment I don't see how anyone could come up with an "April Fool" crazier than half the real news.