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Steve Lowe, editor of Bedfordshire on Sunday, speaks out on the Nirah situation:

"It was not the people making all the noise on Monday night which spoke volumes but those that did not.

I am not talking about the Italian football fans but the Nirah meeting at Bedford's Corn Exchange.

Several hundred people turned up to listen to the pro-Nirah speakers. The speakers waxed lyrically about the fresh water aquatic conservation centre, which they hope to bring to a disused clay pit near Bedford.

Virtually everyone who attended spoke in favour of Nirah and were at best bemused, and at worst very angry, at the possibility it may slip from our grasp.

The most eloquent speaker was the deputy head teacher of Stewartby Middle School. He pointed out that when Hanson Brick cease production in 2008, the town of Stewartby may die if Nirah fails to become a reality.

And, of course the clay pits may be permanent scars on the landscape.

Even more eloquent, however, were the non-speakers. There was no official line from Bedfordshire County Council. I have been told by the county council that when we broke the story two weeks ago that disagreements and delays between the council and Nirah had reached breaking point, we got some of it wrong. Maybe we did, as it is difficult with such a huge subject, cloaked in so much secrecy, to pin down all the facts.

But here was a perfect opportunity for the council to spin us the truth. Instead of which we had silence. Is the county council in favour or getting cold feet? What does the secret report by Price Waterhouse Coopers, commissioned by the county council and the East of England Development Agency, say about the project? When will the county council take a decision? Silence.

It is not surprising that Nirah executives, like the developers of the Wixams town and of the Willington Rowing Lake plan before them, start to feel like the woman propositioning the soldier in the old folk song. Every time they go off to their grandfather's chest and come up with what has been asked for, something new is demanded.

The other group noticeable by their absence were the animal rights protesters. That is slightly unfair as they were apparently there, they just did not bother to protest.

Or perhaps, like the PWC report, it was a secret protest. It was an ideal time for them to put across their point of view to people who mattered and engage in a lively debate with professor Chris Shaw, the man who will be in charge of the science and education end of the project. In my experience, protests that no-one knows about are not very effective.

There is a slight Catch-22 in that Nirah was advised to have more leisure attractions to make it financially viable but are now being told the leisure attractions make it difficult to hand over public money, making it less financially viable.

The reality is that few people mind others holding contrary views. If the county council, or the MP for Mid Beds, or animal rights protesters, oppose Nirah, here was the chance for them to say so. Equally if they support it.

Let's have a debate on the pros and cons. But make it quick.

MPs have a long and slightly dishonourable way of ‘talking out' Bills in the House they do not want to see become Acts of Parliament, or often even properly discussed. This is known as filibustering. If people feel Nirah should not come to the area, or doesn't stack up financially, or is not what it says it is, Monday night was an ideal time to say so. No-one did.

But don't say you want it and then stop it happening by bureaucratic filibustering.

If you can't help, don't hinder."

Robert