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| Who and what, helped Mr. Blair to change his mind about Moblie Phone Mast health risks? | |||
| United Kingdom | Created: 26 Jul 2006 | ||
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PHONE MAST VICTORY AS BLAIR BACKS CAMPAIGN PM steps in to stop mobile firm putting one up near playground Tony Blair has stepped in to stop a mobile phone company building a mast next to a children´s playground. The Prime Minister — who has four children of his own —wrote a stern letter to his local council objecting to the radiation-emitting mast. As a result, planners in his Sedgefield constituency rejected the application by leading mobile phone firm One2One. Mobile phone base stations have been linked to childhood leukemia, memory loss and headaches Children are thought to be particularly at risk because their skulls are so thin. Mr. Blair wrote to Easington District Council after being contacted by villagers in the former pit village of Thornley. He said: “Residents are aware of the fact that we have to provide sites for these masts but rightly feel this one should be erected in a less conspicuous area, on the outskirts of the village, away from the population”. Labour councillor Greg Wharrior said: “His intervention has been a big help. We have to control where the phone masts are erected.” “If it was there, not only would there be worries about the health risks but it might also put off builders and developers from coming here.” Mother-of-two Joyce Unsworth, 47. said: “It was great to get the Prime minister’s support. It must have helped. “Personally, I don´t want a mast anywhere near because of the possible health risk. We are already surrounded by electricity pylons and this wouldn´t help” e idt pvions and this wouldn’t help. “If a mast was erected, not only would it be an eyesore. It could also be a health risk to the villagers, especially the children who would be playing near it.” Thornley, which has a population of 3.000, was badly hit when the colliery closed. But the villagers fought back. Regenerating the village centre with a playground. And last night a spokmsman for One2One said: “If it is possible to site our equipment on another mast on the outskirts of the village, then we would look at that.” They and other mobile phone gigants such as Orange, Vodafone and BT Cellnet are due to put up 50,000 more masts by 2003. ThIs means that there will be mast every 300 metres in towns and cities, and one every 2km in the countryside. The massive Increase follows a massive growth in demand for mobile phone networks. The number of people who own mobiles in Britain now stands at an estimated 31 million. Over Christmas, a further eight million mobile phones are expected to be sold. The Stewart inquiry which was set up by the Government to investigate mobile phone and mast health fears, recommended caution over siting of masts close to children or hospitals. Last week, the Government pledged to carry out an audit on all mast radiation emissions. Mobile phones will now be sold with leaflets warning buyers of the potential health risks. The National Radiological Protection Board — which monitors radiation emissions in Britain – maintains that masts are well within safety guidelines. Exclusive. By Rupert Hamer PAGE 30 SUNDAY MIRROR December 10. 2000 • Comment: Page 6 Sylvia sent us a similar piece which appeared in The Northern Echo on the 7th of December 2000, although not as explicit: http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2000/12/7/184855.html THEN, 9th of March 2005, just before the last election Mr. Blair´s opinion about the health risks from the Mobile Phone Masts has turned totally the other way, Now Mr. Blair BELIEVES in Mobile Phone Masts! Blair backs phone masts The Prime Minister yesterday dismissed public concerns about mobile phone masts by insisting they were safe and the Government had no plans to stop them going up. Tony Blair told The Birmingham Post "there isn't the evidence" to justify a ban. He said the Government kept scientific evidence about possible health dangers under constant review. But he insisted it would be wrong to alarm the public by appearing to confirm their fears and preventing new masts being erected. Mr Blair made the comments during a wide-ranging interview as the unofficial election campaign continued. He refused to give any hints about the date of the poll, widely expected to be May 5. His views on mobile phone masts follow a series of campaigns by residents across the Midlands opposed to the structures being installed in their communities. High- profile examples include the case of St Augustine's Church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, where the vicar has angered residents by agreeing a plan to install a mobile phone mast in his church spire. Campaigner Eileen O'Connor, from Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, became a national celebrity when she took second place in ITV1's Vote For Me show, where the public chose a contestant to stand as an independent MP. Mr Blair's comments are likely to prove highly controversial. Concern that the masts are a risk to health was a major issue in last year's by-election in Hodge Hill, Birmingham, which Labour narrowly won. He said: "We keep this under constant review. We get scientific advice. "But what I'm not going to do in respect of mobile phones is say, if there is a whole series of front pages saying mobile phones cause this and this and this, to then go and agree with it if the scientific evidence doesn't show it to be true. "Because otherwise you alarm people wholly unnecessarily, and you do a great deal of damage to business and industry. "It is not that we don't constantly reassess this, we do. "But it is also important that we proceed according to scientific evidence. "And I have been through a number of these campaigns now, sufficient to know that it is important right at the outset to say to people, wait for the proper scientific analysis from the experts and don't necessarily take everything that you read as the absolute truth." He added: "The reason we have not gone and banned mobile phones, or banned the masts is that there isn't the evidence to justify it at the present time. By Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post Frontpage Mar 9 2005 http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=15274308&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=blair-backs-phone-masts-name_page.html The Birmingham post " Editors comments" (page 11) from the same day, or the 9th of March 2005 are worh reading. Blair isn’t afraid of being an honest leader. Seven years on as Prime Minister, Tony Blair today seeks to portray himself to the nation as a man in command of his brief. Faced with reporters from newspapers across the regions, including The Birmingham Post, he was confident enough to eat lunch while fielding questions on a wide range of issues. Once derided for attempting to be all things to all men, the post-Iraq Tony appears more willing to put his money where his mouth is. And so, today he tells us there’s nothing wrong with mobile phone masts. It’s a bold statement and one that could come back to hunt him. Certainly it will win him few friends among the legions of people who are convinced their health has suffered because of mobile phone masts. Mr. Blair’s words will be used by the telecommunications companies across the country to justify positioning aerials in the face of local opposition. If the Prime Minister says it’s OK, then what right has a school to complain at a mast positioned near its grounds? Backed by the Prime Minister we are likely to see them increasingly encroach on our landscape. Only last week we learned of a Birmingham vicar’s attempt to gain extra revenue by allowing a mobile mast to be positioned in the spire of his church. Mr. Blair’s pronouncement comes despite a Government report warning parents not to allow children to use mobile phones It comes in the absence of Ministers having ever commissioned any definitive research into the potential dangers of mobile phone masts Right or wrong, Mr. Blair has shown his maturity as a politician confident enough to say what he believes. Keep an eye on this space: There will be continuation |
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| Source: Newsitems collected by: Lynn, SCRAM, Sylvia Mast-Sanity, Agnes, Mast-victims | |||
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