‘At its root, is the fact that “we don’t pay what food’s worth”.’
https://mstdn.social/@junesim63/115019890209644745
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…In the excellent article above that @junesim63 shared is a reference to the Fen Power project, focused on the area of south Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and north east Northamptonshire that I grew up in:
“Fen Power is a research project exploring what people need to live in a good place – and how we might begin to reverse decades of managed decline in English regions.”
https://fass.open.ac.uk/research/projects/place-community-and-connection-in-the-fens
…“the [Fen Power] project is rooted in deep listening and public engagement.
Drawing on over 125 interviews, community events, historical and policy research led by Dr Dan Taylor, Fen Power offers a new way forward for regional development: one grounded in the lived experience of local people,and structured around the interdependence of infrastructure, connection and identity.”
…”What the Fens does not lack for is brilliant communities, great history, nature, food production. It’s got so many strengths, so many assets.
But in a sense, part of the problem is that decision makers and politicians rarely come and visit the area. And you’ll see it: the state of the roads, the state of public transport, the state of healthcare, of housing. There’s been decades of under-investment in this area…
A sprig of willow catkins and green leaves wrapped in the threads of a spider’s web shimmering in the sunlight.
A ragged tattered Union Jack flag flies from a short flag pole, jutting from the front of a green-grey-painted brick building facade, into a white cloud-covered sky.
A street view of decline: a white-haired woman walks past the closed shop front of Country Wear with white-washed windows and a ‘for sale’ sign. In the foreground, a car reversing.
Aerial view of St Botoloh’s, the ‘Boston Stump’ towering above the River Witham and the town of Boston, Lincolnshire.
…“And you know what it creates? It makes people feel insecure in their lives. They feel like their communities have been given up on. And they start to give up on their communities too. And it’s entirely politically preventable. “
Here’s the lovely full 22 minute Fen Power film https://youtu.be/7FRxy9Qv93Q?si=ZrwpbCtt34_pj1Xn
A woman walks past and looks upon an intricate mosaic on a white-painted brick wall. The mosaic spells out “Unity is strength”.
A blue painted board on the wall of a blue-painted shed with white script font saying “Dees not words”. To its left a swathe of greenery backlit by the sun.
…This☝️is a brilliant bit of film-making. It speaks to so much more than the Fens.
Heartily recommended. Beautifully shot by Red 7 Productions.
Wonderful, clear-eyed, eloquent voices.
Do watch it
An upholstered pad lies on a window seat with the phrase “There is no wealth but life” woven in green serif letters into its edge.
An inflatable ‘air-dancer’ clown figure with the word ‘FUN’ on it in vertically stacked yellow on red letters momentarily stands alongside the Tower of St Botolph’s church in Boston. Both stand out against an overcast almost white sky.
@urlyman It's an excellent film. Thanks for sharing it.
This country is far too centralised. There were glimmers that it could change when covid and remote working let folk move out of the overpriced capital, but we need the infrastructure investment to back that up and for land to be something for local communities rather than a way to extract money for the gentry.
We need to add Fen Tigers to the common parlance alongside Luddite.
“We’ve created a system which is wrecking everything. We’re taking a wrecking ball to the planet, because we still have this overarching belief that unfairness, inequality and elitism is somehow something to be proud of.
Even though those three principles, unfairness, inequality, and elitism, when looked at globally, are destroying the planet, the lives of ordinary working people and our young people’s mental health – creating competition where competition shouldn’t really be.”
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