f Two decades ago, a young American
3 photographer was strolling through a
. tomato lield nearPalomaresin
i Southern Spain, when a GI in a
T protective ‘spacesuit ‘ approached him
- and asked him it he spoke Spanish. The answer was yes, so the soldier in the
‘spacesuit’ said: ‘Tell that larmerto get
Scotland, who are so keen to welcome ‘ the European Demonstration
do well to think at what happened on 17
man—tell lrom the sky.
collided in mid-air with its reluelling
portion oi the countryside underneath. ' ‘Operation Broken Arrow’ sprang into
. ordered the local people to burn the clothes they had been wearing at the
f EDRP? Well, it the inquiry gives the
SKY HIGH
the hell out oi this lield because it’s radioactive.’ The nuclear enthusiasts ol north-east
Reprocessing Plant to Dounreay would
January, 1986, when plutonium—one ol the most deadly substances known to
The US Air Force 8-52 bomber
tanker. These accidents have happened betore, but this time there was a problem: the 8-52 was carrying tour thermo-nuclear bombs and their plutonium was spilled over a generous
action. 1,700 servicemen came in to clean up. They burned tomato and other crops, slaughtered animals,
time or the accident, scooped up 1088
cubic yards ol contaminated soil ior
burial in a nuclear dumping ground. What has this to do with the Dounreay
EDRP the go-ahead, it is envisaged that each year 6,300 tonnes oi llasks containing the last breeder reactor irradiated luel will be shipped into iour north-east Scottish ports. After
reprocessing, plutonium will be llown back lrom the Dounreay airstrip to the French and West German luel labrication plants in as many as 200 ilights. Some people, not all at them wild-eyed environmentalists, are worried about this trallic ot plutonium in the sky. Sir Douglas Black, the eminent scientist who chaired the inquiry into the health at children living ‘ nearthe controversial Sellatield reprocessing plant in Cumbria, England, recently aired doubts that are shared by many oi his scientific
‘Obviously transport by sea and, even worse, by air introduces additional
CONTRIBUTORS :
Publisher Robin Hodge, Editors Nigel Bilien. Sarah Hemming. Glasgow Editor Graham Caldwell. Design Simon Esterson. Publications Manager Sally Kinnes. Advertising Edinburgh Joanna Watson. Suzie Paterson. Advertising Glasgow Eleanor Harris. Circulation Jane Ellis. Accounts Richard Gray. Typesetting Jo Kennedy and Hewer Text. Production Editor Paul Keir Production Assistant Alan Gordon.
mun!
hazards. There are two problems to deal with. There is the risk at terrorists taking the material lor their own ends. There is also the risk oi human error, oi which there have been repeated examples in the industry at Sellatield, one oi which has led to the case.’
Sir Douglas was reierring to the accidental leak of radioactive ruthenium into the Irish Sea in 1983, iollowing which British Nuclear Fuels Limited, one at the co-sponsors oi the EDRP, were lined a total at £70,000.
Ten years ago, the British Governement’s commission on environmnental pollution, chaired by the then Sir 8rian Flowers, warned against the unnecessary shipment ol plutonium. Sir Brian urged that a plutonium-iuelled last reactor ‘should have its own luel reprocessing and labrication plant on site in orderto remove the security risk 01 the shipment oi plutonium.’
Last week, Peter Davies olthe UK Atomic Energy Authority, which is the other sponsor oi EDRP, was conlident
that the llasks containing the plutonium
will be sate lrom terrorist attacks or accidents caused by human error. Mr Davies said: “The llasks are extremely robust. The risk at catastrophe is so remote that it is not credible.’ (John Sweeney).
FALL OF THE EMPIRE?
It has been conlirmed that all rock concerts scheduled tor The Empire in Edinburgh's South Clerk Street have either been moved to dinerent venues or cancelled altogether, iollowing an injunction presented to The Empire and Regular Music by the Environmental Health Board over excessive noise
’ levels.
The Empire, which had been
? iunctioning only as a bingo hall since
the early 703, when it played host to
artists like Elton John, Marc Dolan and j David Bowie, opened again to rock
audiences in February, when Regular z Music began presenting a series at
late-night concerts there. Since then three acts have appeared, and the
e iourth, 8ig Audio Dynamite . (interviewed in this issue), are the lirst
victims oi the ban, their perlormance being rescheduled to the inappropriate
‘ Queen's Hall on Saturday 19. All iuture
acts are now in doubt. Editorial Assistants Liz Wilson. John
Perlman. Art Alice Bain. Lucy Ash
Books Alan Taylor. Classical Music Carol Main. Dance Alice Bain. Film Allan Hunter. Trevor Johnston. Folk/Jazz Norman Chalmers. Kids Sally Kinnes. Media Allan Hunter. Sally Kinncs. Open Richard Norris. Rock (Edinburgh) Alastair Mabbott. Rock (Glasgow) Andrea Miller, Sport Graham Caldwell. Theatre Sarah Hemming. Liz Wilson. Photos Chris Hill. Graphics Graham Johnston Camera Darien Printing Co.
Complaints were made by students living in the vicinity oi The Empire — though no more than two orthree, by reliable estimates- and the injunction was served with no attempt at negotiation, even though plans were aloot lor insulation improvement. Regular say they accept the complaint, and that they and Mecca Leisure are willing to do all they can to reduce noise coming irom the venue, such as soundprooling and rescheduling times at concerts so that they don’t interrupt sleep. They also emphasise that The Empire will be lunctioning as a rock venue only occasionally. An acoustic survey was commissioned, and staged improvements could be made costing substantial sums or money, which Mecca are currently investigating. It is claimed that noise could be reduced to less than the level at background traffic noise, but even then there is no guarantee that concerts would be allowed to continue, as the EH8 insist that music causes quite a dillerent disturbance trom machinery or tratlic, and a more annoying one.
Although the EH8 claim they are willing to discuss any other ways oi alleviating the problem, another bone 01 contention would appear to be the way the particular injunction was served. Along with the appropriate section or the Noise Pollution Act, Regular and The Empire were also presented with the restrictions placed by a local by-law, against which the excuse that all reasonable physical and linancial attempts have been made to alleviate the problem is no delence. A :j report also automatically goes to the . licensing court.
The implications at this are that any
T pub or place at entertainment could be i closed down with no warning or
' negotiation because ol one complaint i lrom an adjacent home, and there can be tew who would run the risk oi losing their licences lor just a low hours oi
' amplilied music.
Regular Music lost the old Caley cinema as a venue last year for the . same reason, and accepted the , decision then, but are now seriously ‘ concerned, declaring that as one or the best— it not the best—venue in Scotland, The Empire is worth lighting tor, Reaction to The Empire has been almostunanimouslyiavourable,
attracting big-name bands to i Edinburgh (some or which are already { pulling out at their commitments in the 5 city since The Empire will be 1 unavailable) and neither should we target the new jobs it has provided. It is g the sort oi medium-sized venue that a 4; city oi Edinburgh’s importance has i been crying out lortoryears, and '* thousands oi music ians would be sadly , disappointed il itwas lost. (Mab)
Cover Design Simon Esterson. Published by The List Ltd. 14 High : Street. Edinburgh. 5581191 and 13 Bath Street, Glasgow 332 3393.
_ 3 £15 per
List Ltd. Printed by Dunfermline Press Ltd
i
i
year. £8 for 6 months. payable to The
i
Issue no 14 18 April—1 May 1986 i
Helena Bonham Carter in Merchant Ivory‘sA Room With A View.
2
8ig Audio Dynamite.
Mab chats t: i BAD man Don Letts.
4 *
Dounreay.
Economic Dream or Ecological
Nightmare? John Periman investigates.
7
Listings
Full guide to events this fortnight.
Theatre 8 Dance 11 Classical Music 12 Folk 13 Jazz 14 Rock 16 Film 2() Art 28 Sport 1‘) Media 32 Open 18 Kids 33
35
Backhst
35
Capital Show — Kenny Mathieson on
Heart‘s great season.
36
Books — Around the World in 1825
days (or thereabouts).
37
Food — Art on a full stomach.
38
Sunday — A Heathen's Guide.
. _. .. ,___, _ i The List lb' April ~ 1 M;i_\'1