Swampy
Encyclopedia
Daniel Hooper is an environmental activist, sometimes characterised as an environmental protester
or eco-warrior
, from the United Kingdom
. He was active in a variety of protest groups including the "A30
Exeter
to Honiton
Protest" and "Fairmile
Road Camp".
, Devon
, resisting attempts at eviction by police. Several people took part in the protest, but Swampy was the last one evicted. Swampy was originally from Newbury, Berkshire
, the site of the protest over the Newbury bypass in 1996.
Swampy's subsequent fame included an appearance on the BBC
comedy current affairs quiz Have I Got News for You
, on 18 April 1997, when he briefly became the show's youngest ever panelist. In 1997, he took part in another tunnel protest intended to prevent the building of a second runway
at Manchester Airport, and has also been involved with the Trident
nuclear submarine protest camp at Faslane, Scotland
.
In 2006, Swampy was living with his partner and their three children in a yurt
, a dome-shaped tent in 'Tipi Valley', a remote New Age
commune
at Cwmdu near Llandeilo
in West Wales. In 2007 the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported that he was taking part in the climate change protests at Heathrow Airport. Swampy's presence on the protesters' site was dependent on his keeping a low profile, so his celebrity status would not detract from the protest.
comic featuring "Spawny" who impeded the construction of a "Spaceport" in the same manner as the real-life eco-warrior. The story ends with the construction continuing unimpeded, with Spawny apparently being sealed alive under the concrete foundation, a reference to a public comment by Conservative minister John Arthur Watts
that he would like Swampy to be "buried in concrete".
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
or eco-warrior
Eco-warrior
The term eco-warrior is a self-description for an environmental activist that adopts a 'hands-on' effort to save or salvage a plot of land, or to advance some ecological ideology...
, from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was active in a variety of protest groups including the "A30
A30 road
The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
to Honiton
Honiton
Honiton is a town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. The town's name is pronounced in two ways, and , each pronunciation having its adherents...
Protest" and "Fairmile
Fairmile, Devon
For the boat builder, see Fairmile MarineFairmile is a hamlet in the English county of Devon. It lies on the former A30 trunk road approximately west of Honiton, where this road crosses the Talaton to Ottery St Mary road, in the valley of the River Tale...
Road Camp".
Biography
He became a nationally known figure after spending a week in a complex series of tunnels dug in the path of a new extension to the A30 road in FairmileFairmile, Devon
For the boat builder, see Fairmile MarineFairmile is a hamlet in the English county of Devon. It lies on the former A30 trunk road approximately west of Honiton, where this road crosses the Talaton to Ottery St Mary road, in the valley of the River Tale...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, resisting attempts at eviction by police. Several people took part in the protest, but Swampy was the last one evicted. Swampy was originally from Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, the site of the protest over the Newbury bypass in 1996.
Swampy's subsequent fame included an appearance on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy current affairs quiz Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, on 18 April 1997, when he briefly became the show's youngest ever panelist. In 1997, he took part in another tunnel protest intended to prevent the building of a second runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
at Manchester Airport, and has also been involved with the Trident
Vanguard class submarine
The Vanguard class are the Royal Navy's current nuclear ballistic missile submarines , each armed with up to 16 Trident II Submarine-launched ballistic missiles...
nuclear submarine protest camp at Faslane, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In 2006, Swampy was living with his partner and their three children in a yurt
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
, a dome-shaped tent in 'Tipi Valley', a remote New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
at Cwmdu near Llandeilo
Llandeilo
Llandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th century stone bridge. Its population is 1,731.The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.- Early history :...
in West Wales. In 2007 the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported that he was taking part in the climate change protests at Heathrow Airport. Swampy's presence on the protesters' site was dependent on his keeping a low profile, so his celebrity status would not detract from the protest.
Image
Swampy was parodied in a Judge DreddJudge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
comic featuring "Spawny" who impeded the construction of a "Spaceport" in the same manner as the real-life eco-warrior. The story ends with the construction continuing unimpeded, with Spawny apparently being sealed alive under the concrete foundation, a reference to a public comment by Conservative minister John Arthur Watts
John Arthur Watts
John Arthur Watts was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons between 1983 and 1997....
that he would like Swampy to be "buried in concrete".
See also
- Environmental direct action in the United Kingdom
External links
- Salon.com - article from 1997
- BBC about the Manchester Airport protest
- Another article about Manchester Airport
- Third Battle of Newbury in the press
- Guardian - Whatever happened to Swampy? (2003)
- Guardian - Whatever happened to ... Swampy? (2006)
- CBRD biography