The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

The last of the tomatoes

You’re never at a loss for something to do of an evening at Pilsdon. Wednesday night is Games Night, which usually entails nothing more energetic than a round of canasta or a frame of snooker. Thursday night is Swimming Night where those who haven’t crammed too much dessert down them head off to Bridport’s swimming baths (this has yet to entice me). Friday night is Comedy Night, entertainment provided by professional comedians who have kindly allowed their shows to be recorded and provided to us on a DVD. Saturday night is Film Night in which we gather in the library-cinema and fall asleep in front of the latest Ewan McGregor yawnathon. Sunday night is Church and Soup Night whereby we do church (along with some from the surrounding villages) then eat soup. Monday night is Craft Night for those of a crafty disposition.

Tuesday was the only evening when people found themselves kicking their heels wondering whether to have a bath or go check the greenhouse for slugs to exterminate. So one Tuesday a few weeks ago I decided to put on a film called “Just Do It”, a documentary about climate change activists, and christen Tuesday evenings “Activist Night”. Five or six people came along and we found the film quite an eye-opener and very well made considering it was put together on a shoe-string budget.

On subsequent Tuesdays I've either put on other documentaries which address some current issue, such as nuclear proliferation (“Countdown to Zero”), conflict minerals in consumer electronics (“Blood in the Mobile”) and South American politics (“South of the Border”), or just encouraged a discussion around what issues people feel strongly about and what if anything we can do about it.  It’s fair to say that most evenings we haven’t had any crowd control issues. Often we’ve been able to fit all attendees comfortably on one sofa. Nevertheless I think those who have come have appreciated the chance to talk about what matters to them, and to have a forum to allow ideas to germinate for what they themselves can do and then potentially get others to help them.

One thing I’d like to do is join the local Greenpeace group and it turns out there are a few other people who feel similarly. Unfortunately the nearest one is 45 minutes drive away in Dorchester but hopefully we will be able to make it to the next meeting in early November. They appear to be a small but fairly active bunch, and in fact today they will be meeting with an MEP called Sir Graham Watson to lobby for changes to the Common Fisheries Policy to avert the currently unsustainable depletion of fish stocks in Europe, and present him with some locally-caught fish by small-scale fisherman who use more sustainable techniques.  As it’s my day off I thought I’d try to go along and show some support but it turns out that it’s a closed meeting with named participants so my first attempt at local activism has been cruelly thwarted. 

Another issue raised at Activist Night has been animal welfare, in particular thinking about the animals at Pilsdon which do on the whole get very well treated already but there is always room for improvement.  One idea is to fence off an outdoor area for the pig weaners to live in, next to where the sow lives, as they currently reside in a shed with only a small outdoor pen.  This is expected to go ahead if we can get budget approval for the fencing. Another idea is to look into improving the conditions of the over-wintering cattle.

While we may not be able to do anything particularly earth-shattering, even the small things we do get round to doing can make some difference and make this world a slightly better place, whether for humans, beasts or vegetables. Your own suggestions are welcome in the comments box below!