Happy Mondays' Bez joins anti-fracking protest: 'They don't care for the planet'
Why is fracking getting Bez's maracas in a twist?
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.He may forgotten to register his Reality Party in time for the General Election but Happy Mondays dancer Bez did remember to turn up at an anti-fracking protest today to lend his vocal support.
Activists gathered outside Lancashire County Hall in Preston on Wednesday to protest against proposed fracking tests.
Speaking to reporters, Bez said he was opposed to fracking companies because, "The welfare of the people don’t come into question. What comes into question is profits and that is all they care about. They haven’t got any interest at all in any sort of welfare or the being of this planet or even care for the planet itself.
Yesterday the government was forced to toughen fracking regulations in the face of a backbench rebellion that would have halted the industry in its tracks. Ministers agreed to an outright ban on fracking in all national parks, sites of special interest and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
On Wednesday, Lancashire county council deferred planning decisions on full scale fracking for eight weeks. The council was due to decide this week on two proposals from shale gas explorer Cuadrilla.
Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, allows companies - like Cuadrilla - to extract usually inaccessible gas from shale by blasting water into the rocks.
Bez launched his Reality Party earlier this year but he forget to register the new group with the Electoral Commission.
The regulator wrote to Bez several times warning him that The Reality Party would be removed from the register because it sounded like The Realists’ Party, falling foul of Commission rules not to have two parties similarly named which might cause confusion among the electorate.
He was given a deadline of 12 January but forgot to get back to them. As a result The Reality Party was deregistered on the day the revolution was supposed to begin.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments