100 Women - Anti-Fracking demo

100 women anti-fracking demo 12.09.18

Wednesday the 12th September, parliament square London was a special moment of the Anti - Fracking campaign.
Inspired by the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote, dressed as suffragettes over 100 women (mostly from Lancashire) descended upon the capital, to express their disgust at the governments decisions to go ahead with fracking our countryside for shale gas. Some of us would refer to this as 'ecocide'.
Personally, I wouldn't compare myself to a suffragette, they were much more hard cote than many of us, and they had more barriers than we do. I discussed this with my companion on the train on the way to the demo, thanks to them (the suffragettes) we feel we have a voice in the political arena.
The Anti- Fracking campaign is not just an environmental issue, its also a human rights issue, democracy was taken away from the residents of Fylde, when the government over turned their counselors decision to frack at Preston New Road.
Many of these women have been involved with the movement for as much as 7 years now, and are more determined than ever to continue shouting 'No", "We said No". It always occurs to me that many of our politicians come from middle or upper class backgrounds, university educated, male, white, which is a barrier for many people. The politicians that attended the 100 women as speakers, were female, grounded and in touch with the people making them much more amenable. The green party particularly are very 'accessible', people that you don't feel afraid to talk to because they don't have airs and graces like the traditional politicians, and I am grateful for this.
This blog is about commending the women involved with this movement and high lighting our many differences. we are a diverse group of people that are jelled by a common goal, to fight fracking and stand up to the government.
It seemed natural for me to do this in the form of poetry and pictures.

100 Women - Who are we?

We are MP's,
We are counsellors,
We are disengaged voters,
Some live in suburbia
some of us are boaters.

We come from Lancashire,
Sussex, Wiltshire and Yorkshire,
No boundaries divide us,
No war of the roses.

We are grey
We are dreaded
our hair may be henned
Some us Toni and Guys
For tother the kitchen sciccors will suffice

We are vegans
We are veggies
Some eat meat
No-one judges.

We may read the Times,
The Independent or the Mail
We read the Metro for free
whilst travelling by rail.

We wear boots
Some wear suits
Se shop at charity shops and markets
Some of us buy our knickers from Marks's

We are students, some work
Full time mums or retired
The eldest amongst us
decline to be expired
(Especially our octogenarian Anne Power)

We are educated, middle class,
dyslexics, illiterate
whatever our back gound
its actually irrelevant

We are researchers, we are admin,
At home we are keyboard warriors,
We are front line demonstrators
some are even lorry surfers

We are mums, we are daughters
Some are wives or full time carers,
The 100 women are strong
and will continue to protect us.

Professional Photographs from the day by Fields of LIght

#WESAIDNO
#WE"LLBEBACK
#UNTILWEWIN



I would like to dedicate this to Wendy Hirst, who I never personally met. But a Facebook friend, and one of the strong key board warriors we had on board. She sadly passed away in the summer.
Wendy was a 100 woman x

Just had to add this, I was lucky to finally meet Joe Corre, fellow fashion designer and anti-fracking campaigner (and son of legends Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mclaren)

Me and Joe Corre at 100 Women demo