In the run up to forthcoming Salon debates in Leeds and Manchester on fracking, I decided to go down to Balcombe and find out what inspired the protestors to oppose this drilling technique.
I was expecting climate change to loom large in interviews, but I was surprised to discover this particular concern was barely mentioned. Beyond the specific risks that were believed to be posed to water, the protestors were animated by a wider sense that things were not right in the world.