Last updated 15:56, Wednesday, 19 March 2008

OUR MP Jamie Reed is quoted as urging the government to earmark £1 billion as a payback to the area that ‘volunteers’ to take the UK’s nuclear waste in a deep repository.

This does presuppose that West Cumbria would volunteer for this honour.

And that brings us to that often overlooked topic, democracy. The ruling Labour group at the last full council made it clear they did not think a referendum on the issue was a good idea. But a poll of Whitehaven News web viewers paints a diffent picture. Our electronic poll through the Whitehaven News website has so far recorded the following vote on the question “Should there be a referendum on a nuclear waste dump?” Yes 61 per cent, No 34 per cent , Don’t know six per cent.

While West Cumbria has the expertise to safely look after nuclear waste, are we far sighted enough to know whether future generations want to have the area stigmatised as the nation’s nuclear dustbin....that is the question and so far it looks as if we won’t be allowed a say in the matter.