Llanidloes, Powys from the national research-based TETRA Airwave safety campaign

O2 Airwave: ‘TETRA in the heart of Llanidloes, perfectly fits the needs of the Airwave service.’

Lembit Opik, MP: ‘Quite. But it does not fit the needs of Llanidloes.’

Nestling amidst the eastern slopes of the Cambrian Mountains, Llanidloes is one of the great little market towns of Mid Wales. Not a place you would imaging as the heart of outlaws and thugs. Certainly not. But O2 Airwave, brave and hardened representatives of the guiding light of the nation’s future, were scared to state their case lest they be lynched. Rather than attend a public meeting, they deferred to their health and safety representative and decided not to turn up. Why not? Compare what happened at Haverford West. People were angry because they felt O2 Airwave was evasive, lacking in responsibility, and lying about consultation.

Or was it the protest march in May that frightened them? Certainly until then O2 had not deigned to turn up at any of the Town Council meetings that consistently opposed TETRA. But the march did draw the issue to the attention of Lembit Opik MP, who subsequently raised question in Parliament and met with O2 over the lack of consultation.

It’s a shame O2 Airwave didn’t go. Llandiloes is really nice place (without TETRA). Anyway over 300 local residents did meet, and quizzed Mike Clark from the NRPB on the science and health issues. They were not reassured.

Meanwhile, O2 obviously felt safe in the protection of Parliament, and invited just ten residents to meet at Lembit Opik’s Westminster office, the day after the meeting. Some thirty did go up to London (it is notable to what lengths and expense protesters fell compelled to go). They presented their case, indicated their profound concerns, and hoped their MP would be able to persuade O2 to change their plans. It was uncharacteristic of O2 Airwave not to turn up (they usually decline much earlier). It would be very much more uncharacteristic for O2 Airwave to listen to the people of Llanidloes and resite a mast.

Just another story of O2 Airwave riding roughshod over people and communities, in pursuit of a valuable contract? What an irony: O2 health and safety advisers saying that it was more unsafe to meet residents with a grievance, than for those residents to live with TETRA?!