Kingsnorth Six

Zac Goldsmith outside Maidstone Crown Court © Rezac/Greenpeace

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First, a quick announcement: following Jim Hansen (the world's leading climate scientist) yesterday and Zac Goldsmith (environmental advisor to the Conservatives and former Ecologist editor) today, tomorrow Inuit leader Aqqaluk Lynge will be appearing court by videolink from Greenland, as a witness for the defence in the Kingsnorth Six trial. Having seen him speak before, I'm looking forward to it.

Back to today though, when Zac Goldsmith took the stand along with the last two defendants: Will and Huw.

Goldsmith was there to give a political context to the defendants' actions and, almost immediately, he told the court that there was "a staggering mismatch between what we've heard from government and what we've seen from government in terms of policy". The key points of his evidence were:

Defendent Ben Stewart

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It's hard to say whether there were more or fewer nerves on the way to court today. On the one hand all the defendants now feel - visibly - more comfortable with the court surroundings than they were at the start of the proceedings yesterday.

On the other hand, today was the day some of them were going to take the stand for the first time. Either way, listening to the Star Wars theme tune blaring over the radio as we made our way to Maidstone in the minibus could only be a good thing for morale.

We filed into the court room at around 11am. By 11.30 - after circulating some documents to the jurors - the prosecution had closed; it was the turn of the defence.

The defendant's QC, Michael Wolkind, is a pleasure to watch at work. He started by introducing six "of the nicest people... accused of saving the planet".

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This morning, the Kingsnorth Six - plus a few hangers on like myself - made their way from a rural Kent retreat to Maidstone Crown Court for the start of the Kingsnorth trial.

I've spent the day watching the proceedings from the public gallery. (It's my first time in a Crown Court and I'm pleased to report that it's all true: the court really does all rise, there are curly wigs, and barristers really do look up the finer points of law in thick legal compendia.)

Actually, the whole experience is fascinating; the careful negotiations, the nuances of argument and the hints of theatricality have all left me a little agog. And having a friend's-eye view of the defendants and their motives makes it pretty poignant too.