The Stonehenge short tunnel: a “decision”?

Or WAS it a decision? The Stonehenge Alliance team WON the argument against the combined forces of English Heritage, Historic England, and the National Trust so that the Planning Authority recommended permission should be refused. What happened was that the Minister, Grant Shapps said he would grant permission anyway! So was it a “decision” or a pre-planned Government agenda? There seems little doubt.

English Heritage are delighted: “A landmark day for Stonehenge”, something which will “help future generations to better understand and appreciate this wonder of the world.” It is hard to credit such tricky words from archaeologists. How will future generations better appreciate Stonehenge if the free view of it is hidden from countless millions of people forever?!

In the next century alone, hundreds of millions of people will be deprived of seeing the stones as the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Elizabethans, John Aubrey, William Stukeley, Samuel Pepys, Darwin, Turner, Constable, and Obama saw them and as every archaeologist in English Heritage, Historic England and the National Trust has seen them. No traveller will ever again see a rainbow over the stones. This is not “helping future generations to appreciate the stones”, it is stealing the future’s heritage for a road scheme, and painting it as educational. The future will not be fooled, it will be contemptuous.

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Had the argument been lost, that could have been the end of the matter. But it was won. So congratulations to The Stonehenge Alliance team for that.  All that now remains is to work to reverse this outrageous and philistine Government-imposed agenda with the help of all, including UNESCO, who know the Future would judge it as theft. We wish them well.

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See the Stonehenge Alliance’s Dr. Kate Fielden being interviewed about the decision

https://www.facebook.com/stonehengealliance/videos/827980771374428

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