If you’ve walked through Guildhall Square on a Friday over the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen the ‘Friday Man’. He has a distinctive long grey beard and a tricycle. He sometimes bangs drums and his many banners proclaim his mission for "Clean air not toxic air’.
We went along this morning to chat and find out his story. He was very helpful and told us his name is Paul Bleach, he’s 55, a gardener, and from Portsmouth, and is a committed activist for the cause. He wants to hold the council to account, he said, but in a polite way, and he was very polite to us.
UPPompey: I know you do this every Friday but do you do this anywhere else?
Paul Bleach: No, no, no, no, no, no - because of time. It may go nowhere but it makes me feel positive to be doing something and public interaction, even just this first hour.
You get the odd bit of abuse but not much really, I think the more people that see me the more they get confident to talk to me.
UPP: Do you think the big media in general are painting a bad image of the campaign? Do you think they are taking it seriously?
PB: No. I think maybe The Guardian and George Monbiot. He’s a good advocate. But no generally no not at all.
What we are trying to do is look at lots of avenues. I am here to hold my council to account. In a polite way, at the moment anyway. I am hoping there’s a little bit of engagement.
UPP: Have any councillors approached you or spoken to you?
PB:The Labour councillor for Cosham, Asghar Shar, gave me some advice on where to go next. Basically, he said get the four councillors together and have a meeting with us. He said “what you are doing is really good, it’s helping us” so that’s in progress.
Councillor Kimberly Barrett - Liberal Democrat councillor for Milton Ward, I believe she is an environmental officer, we have had a meeting with her. Again, what I want to expose is what we already know in a way, the lack of urgency.
If you go on the website ,2019, their strategy for the climate emergency, Where is it? Where is the evidence that we are on track? Kimberly already said to me “we are not going to make this 2030 record”.
UPP: Is there anyone that inspires your cause?
PB: Mostly, Sir David Attenborough. I’m a little bit miffed that he hasn’t come out publicly but he’s done a lot behind the scenes. If you could put this in your article, the book that everyone should read/watch is “a life on our planet”. What we’ve done in 200 years took Mother Nature 1million years.
We do a 12:30-13:30 sit down here (in Guildhall Square), bang the drums, I want this to be an event. I know they can’t do it all because it is higher up, it’s starting the process and it’s got to be a quick process. The oil companies have got their hands in the pot and are controlling the councillors.
UPP: I think we can get some students behind this cause.
UPP: My inspiration is Greta Thunberg, she was a student. Respectfully, you’re going to be bearing the brunt of this more than I am. Most humans are innocent, they abide by the powers.
Trees, insects, we cannot live, we are part of them.
Read about Paul’s Story Here → https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/just-stop-oil-activist-from-portsmouth-charged-with-causing-public-nuisance-after-officer-injured-on-m25-and-activist-on-gantry-3911842
Contact your local councillor
Cllr Shah is the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services
Cllr Barrett is the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City
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