In this bonus episode, I dig into the UK’s newly published Critical Minerals Strategy 2035 — a document dressed up as environmental responsibility, yet rooted in the same extractive logic that has driven ecological breakdown for decades. Behind its polished language lies a blueprint for expanded mining, weakened planning protections and a deeper entanglement between government, finance and the arms industry. Communities are reduced to footnotes; ecosystems are treated as expendable; and the climate crisis is used to justify fresh harm.

This episode unpacks what the strategy really means for places like the Sperrins. It exposes the quiet convergence of political power and corporate interests, the gap between rhetoric and reality, and the way decisions of enormous consequence are made far from the landscapes that will pay the price. If you want to understand the forces shaping our hills, our water and our future, this is essential listening.

#CriticalMineralsStrategy

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LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW 

UK Critical Minerals Strategy 2035 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-critical-minerals-strategy/vision-2035-critical-minerals-strategy

SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media) 

https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins

LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES 

http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/

Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction.

https://yestolifenotomining.org/

The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169

Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block.

This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this

LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine ) 

 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc