This August, we will be at Reclaim the Power[1] camp at West Burton power station in Nottinghamshire, and we hope you will join us! Here are three reasons why:
1) More frontier gas means more repression and environmental injustice
There’s certainly no UK criticism of the lack of political reform [in Algeria]. That’s very different from what the British say about Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The argument is that it’s not in their interest to start berating the Algerians. It is similar to the way they have looked at the Gulf, where there is the same tension between commercial interests and concern about human rights.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev with European Commission President Barroso before meeting on 21 June
British and EU political involvement pushing for frontier gas contributes to repressive regimes, in Algeria, Azerbaijan where the signing of a pipeline agreement is helping President Aliyev cover up unrest in the run up to a national election, and elsewhere.
We will be co-running a workshop at Reclaim the Power on working with communities on the fossil fuel frontline.
2) Gas dependency locks us into a fossil fueled future and climate crisis

Fuel Poverty Action protest. Image copyright 2013 Martin LeSanto-Smith.
3) The power of gas and energy companies pushes people into fuel poverty
- Reclaim the Power: http://www.nodashforgas.org.uk/
- energy is high on the agenda: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/david-cameron-visits-algeria
- Claire Spencer, a Maghreb expert at Chatham House : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/30/david-cameron-algeria-growing-warmth-sahara
- one in four UK households: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/01/fuel-poverty-affects-quarter-households
- most recent official prediction: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian%20-%20carrington%20-%20blog/2012/sep/28/shale%20-%20gas%20-%20fracking%20-%20uk%20-%20carbon%20-%20energy
- this pamphlet from Fuel Poverty Action: http://fuelpovertyaction.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ndfg-18-4-for-website-v2.pdf
- @nodashforgas: https://twitter.com/nodashforgas
- Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/543632202347244