unclear nuclear

Cherry

By Di_Hard

Tue, 31 May 2022
  • 3600 reads
20 comments
 

we'll rack up radioactive waste

costing billions to dispose of

safely. but who has billions to spare

when people are dying now, for lack

of Health Services, Social Care?

Those selling say "Nuclear's clean" -

it's not, the danger's out of sight

and we must be out of our minds 

if we love children, want 

to provide lives better than ours

when the only renewable thing

with nuclear is the kicked can

do. We think the gun lobby's crazy?

Who demands the right to kill children?

Anyone who wants to be free

from the limits of wind and solar energy

 

 

this is from listening to a radio program about the cost of nuclear waste in Britain :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013zm3

Certificate U
Poem
Rant

Comments

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

You've made so many valid points here Di. Some are pushing nuclear energy as if it's a risk-free, magic bullet to the energy crisis.

Nuclear is not clean, the risks and long term effects are frightening. We all need to stop being so greedy that's all, correction, not all, the unsung heroes of the environment are the many living without cars, luxuries, air travel, new clothes, food waste, meat, etc etc. The agenda ultimately appears to be one of destruction. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much Jane :0) when you write it is a poem that exists on many levels, when I write it is proselytising!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I do remember as a student (long ago!) visiting a nuclear facility and being told 'hopefully' that 'we will soon find a solution to waste disposal', and I realised how shaky such a hope was.

However, you can't reverse people's accustomed usage of energy overnight. The strides in getting renewable energy have been actually quite immense, but the reliance on Russian oil has produced a (temporary??) problem, and so there will be pressure to investigate further renewed usage of fossil fuel sources as well, I suppose of nuclear. And the pollution problem for our children will not seem as severe as the bombs and gun-deaths by ill-intent of war or mad indiviuals.

And as I read in a headline yesterday, 'Our selfish dismantling of marriage has left children in a lonely Dickensian hell' with the dwindling of stable family environments. Far worse than children riding family arguments.

So, although your verse is well constructed (and a clever alltierative title!)  and raises important issues of trying to protect our environment, the children of our world have other big dangers now as well. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I think that story about marriage was in the Daily Mail. All I can say is that I've been with my partner for over thrity years, we have two children, we're not married and our children have had a very stable family life, no splits or affairs, certainly no Dickensian hell. Among our once married, now mostly divorced friends the story is different, they've gone through splits but kids have been looked after, although not completely unscathed. 

More money for social services, schools and family education is what is required. Perhaps that could come from higher taxes, business taxes or even the churches.

 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I think the article was looking at the country as a whole and the inability of a care system and fostering to cope with the laws and ethos undermining the encouragement to perseverance of family units and support for such that are struggling. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Rhiannon, I'm sorry all my replies to you keep being in the wrong order and I cannot sort it!

I agree with both you and Jane?

While I have been with my partner for 20 years we are not married. It is a struggle and we have had some low points, including when our son was put in care. At that time the main thrust of social work was for us to split. It was considered by all parties a problem that I did not want to do this. Social work were incapable of listening. They had no understanding of depression, despite repeated letters from psychiatrists. Tjhis has nothing to do with funds, it is an attitude. I'm sorry to rant, but I feel so strongly about this! We were told by so many people during the complaints process, that we could not expect them to apologise. and they didn't. Even as the person in charge of our complaint said that the people involved had been made aware that they had done things wrongly, those same people were writing letters to us saying that we were mistaken! There is no support for struggling familes, for people asking for help, for those with depression or other health issues - for them the solution is to put the child in care. It is ABHORRENT.

This was in 2011. Recently someone we know, his Mum has repeatedly threatened suicide, he is looking after two much younger siblings and receiving no help from social work at all. They are useless

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I have read a bit about that time of trouble with social services in your story and Insert's comments, and what you say then and now does highlight that even at their best social services and putting children into care is difficult to do really well and sensitively and with real understanding of the children and adults involved, and the impermanence is a real problem. Better to plough the money into helping faimlies that are struggling as you say. I helped with Home Start for a while where they aim to provide a supporting friend or brevit 'granny'. Partnerships can be long-term and steady, and seem to be being looked on like marriage – maybe it is society again that puts the nervousness about calling it that? Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou for coming back to say that, Rhiannon. I'm sorry for the ranting, as I know, apart from the marrying bit, we are in total agreement! If only there had been someone to help, like you, someone to ask! The first time we got in trouble, there was a lovely health visitor, who was great, but it wasn't her job to look after us, she had only been asked to assess my son (she said he was fine) . When he was put in care years later, I met her the following day and she couldn't understand how it could have happened, was sure he'd be back in a few days. Everyone was, because it was a misunderstanding. But it took over 6 months and no admittance there was a misunderstanding at all, just lots of attempts at justification. I think the very worst bit was that they had no concern for the wellfare of my son whatsoever. Despite the school and psychologist and kind health visitor, they just didn't care, it was all about proving they had not made a mistake. Towards the end threatening to send him to a children's home and mentioning adoption if I didn't agree to something that wasn't true. 

As we live far from family and are not good at making friends and do not have lots of money, we are a bit isolated. There is no one to ask advice from. It's not so bad now he is nearly grown up, although still worries. I so so so agree with you that the money would be better spent on people like you. That was what we needed, what my son's friend needs, what every family I know of here who's been entangled with social work needed. The few cases of actual abuse the police should deal with. Instead everyone is afraid of social work and there's no one to help. I wish I had had some of your advice poems to read when he was a baby :0)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Yes, Rhiannon, you are completely right! It is as Jane says though, how nuclear is being offered as a solution? Even on environment programs, which should know better, but cover the issue of waste in one sentence! And nuclear will be a threat to children of all countries and faiths, it will not matter if they come from happy families or not?

I am so grateful for your thoughtful comment, it is always so good to know how you feel as you think so much about things, too and give a broader picture

 

Submitted by marandina on

Yes, I read one of the Sizewell reactors was due to be decommissioned in July but the government are looking to extend its life. The whole "energy security" issue is a bit of a mess and will be difficult for quite a while. Food for thought.

 

[Should that say "limits" in the last line?] 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

yes, it should say limits :0) Will change it, thankyou!

They recently discovered the nuclear reactor near here has major cracks in which were categorised as at criticallevels. Did they shut it down and fix them?

Guess?

They changed the categorisation to say the cracks weren't so bad after all

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

An attentive caring poem Di to the menace that's all around us. 

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much for reading and commenting :0) That's why it is brilliant to have your gentle, uplifting, wise poems to reade, for which I am so grateful, as they always make me calmer and feel better

 

Submitted by celticman on

nuclear power has enormous costs and neglible beneftits, but France gets three-quarters of its energy that way. We can't use it as a quick fix in the global warming crisis, becuase it takes too long to build a reactor. And when we factor in each station needs to make a profit, then we know what happens next. It does make a profit to our cost. The advent of unmetered electricity never happened. Nuclear means weapons. It's that simple. I've little doubt we'll have another nuclear bomb going off, especially since the advent of generals saying they can use they tactically. Ironically, Ukraine had a shit-load of nuclear weapoons on their land, which they handed back to Russia.  

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Uggly Puggly for Energy Minister? I'm in....

 

Submitted by celticman on

me too.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

And me!

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Ukraine went from Russia's doorstep to threshold of the West. Am not sure if Russia would have wanted them to keep the weapons, the West wanted them away because old and dodgy, but if they still had them now, would Russia have invaded?

Good on France if it's dealing with its waste. However, we have other ways:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2004/dec/15/energy.greenpolitics....

And the problem about them taking ages to build is solved if they build little ones. Weeks after a report said this was a bad idea, the govt says it's our best hope

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Di

 

Very good poem with much food for thought. 

Jean Day

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Hullo Jean, thankyou so much for reading and commenting, you are very kind