[Politics] Extinction Rebellion protester grounds plane at London City...

[Paul Reids Sock]

Was going to write a response, but then realise the Johnathan Pie rant in post #2 above says everything I want to say and says it better than I could.

Amusingly I watched that after and did make me think about a lot of bits.

However, some points I still think stand. Everyone is entitled to an opinion which is great. Equally everyone is entitled to protest and do what they think is best to get their point across. My main frustration probably comes from the fact that so little is being done which leads to these guys doing these things.

It is infuriating. I just don;t think this will help because of the way they are perceived (whilst fully appreciating the people that perceive them that way are the actual problem)

 

[abc]

I have taken a keen interest in environmental issues for many years and have argued for climate change warnings to be listened to for as long. However I am really concerned about Extension Rebellion's methods and ironically their message.

Post war history has shown that the British people are very tolerant of protesters and their right to a voice, especially when their is an instinctive sympathy and understanding of 'the message'. However, there is a limit to that tolerance and when protests are perceived to go too far, cause too much hassle to ordinary people's lives or appear to be too militant, people will turn their backs and 'the message' (however worthy) is rejected. There is a real danger of this now and the loser will be the planet.

But there is a problem with ER's message too. Raise awareness, yes of course. But to lay the blame at the door of all industry, farmers, all politicians, travellers, tourists, and so on and attack them relentlessly will not create positive change. All these people and more will form part of the solution (and many businesses, farmers and so on are already doing just this and arguably more postively than the militant members of ER) and alienating them will put the process of addressing climate change backwards not forwards.

Its a cliche I know, but Climate Change is another issue that we need to tackle together not by deliberately creating division and alienation.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

[tweet]1182081931804119040[/tweet]

Interesting Andrew Neil 'Extinction Rebellion' interview.

Proper evidence-based journalistic scrutiny

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Amusingly I watched that after and did make me think about a lot of bits.

However, some points I still think stand. Everyone is entitled to an opinion which is great. Equally everyone is entitled to protest and do what they think is best to get their point across. My main frustration probably comes from the fact that so little is being done which leads to these guys doing these things.

It is infuriating. I just don;t think this will help because of the way they are perceived (whilst fully appreciating the people that perceive them that way are the actual problem)

Their previous protests got our government to declare a climate emergency. Peaceful civil disobedience gets attention and has a history of working. Sure it’s inconvenient but not as inconvenient as what stands to happen if people don’t wake up.

 

[worthingseagull123]

These environmental protesters are the worst scum in the UK.

I wish we had police like the French to kick lumps out of them.

 

[highflyer]

Amusingly I watched that after and did make me think about a lot of bits.

However, some points I still think stand. Everyone is entitled to an opinion which is great. Equally everyone is entitled to protest and do what they think is best to get their point across. My main frustration probably comes from the fact that so little is being done which leads to these guys doing these things.

It is infuriating. I just don;t think this will help because of the way they are perceived (whilst fully appreciating the people that perceive them that way are the actual problem)

As someone who has been (peripherally) involved, in trying to get politicians to take climate change seriously and DO something about it for 15+ years and who briefly sat in the road on Westminster bridge on monday, I can tell you, you think hard about what the likely impact of your actions will be and how it will be perceived. But there is a point where you just realise that nothing else has worked. And what do you know - this is working. I've seen a bigger shift in terms of public understanding and demands for action the last year than in the 15 years before that.

There are solutions, but they don't sound easy. Because they aren't. And they don't involve hoping individuals will stop buying cheap crap and flying to Prague for the weekend. They involve taking on global vested interests and the state taking action at scale.

Frequent flyer levy. Green New Deal. Technology transfer. Carbon tax. Rewilding.

They all go against the grain of the right/centrist politics of the last 40 years. But they are a far better option that sitting back and taking the risks we now understand very well.

The Green party and the Labour Party have understood. Other parties have not.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

These environmental protesters are the worst scum in the UK.

I wish we had police like the French to kick lumps out of them.

Nothing like a bit of police brutality to de-escalate a situation am I right? Bloody lefties! Trying to raise awareness of a global problem through peaceful means!

 

[Dorset Seagull]

China and India are having their own industrial revolution so I am not sure that anything the little old UK does will make much difference in the great scheme of things.

Also was there a genuine reason why the recent one involving all the school kids was on a Friday, when they should have been at school, rather than the weekend. Something to do with turnout possibly!

 

[nicko31]

These environmental protesters are the worst scum in the UK.

I wish we had police like the French to kick lumps out of them.

Thankfully we are still better than the French at some things

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

As someone who has been (peripherally) involved, in trying to get politicians to take climate change seriously and DO something about it for 15+ years and who briefly sat in the road on Westminster bridge on monday, I can tell you, you think hard about what the likely impact of your actions will be and how it will be perceived. But there is a point where you just realise that nothing else has worked. And what do you know - this is working. I've seen a bigger shift in terms of public understanding and demands for action the last year than in the 15 years before that.

There are solutions, but they don't sound easy. Because they aren't. And they don't involve hoping individuals will stop buying cheap crap and flying to Prague for the weekend. They involve taking on global vested interests and the state taking action at scale.

Frequent flyer levy. Green New Deal. Technology transfer. Carbon tax. Rewilding.

They all go against the grain of the right/centrist politics of the last 40 years. But they are a far better option that sitting back and taking the risks we now understand very well.

The Green party and the Labour Party have understood. Other parties have not.

I guess that last bit is where I see the change happening. The Greens and Labour are there (to an extent) so why not go down the political route, do everything that we can to get an electable Labour party in to power to support these changes. I feel that these protests are being able to be manipulated by right wing press and actually cause harm to the chances of getting a Labour/Green gov. They can, have and will use these images to class people that talk about climate change as ridiculous hippies and then blanket Labour voters as these crazy hippy lefties that are vilified.

It's all my opinion obviously. I hope we do see major change I just think they might be impacting public perception of themselves and it is the majority of the public that will be required in order to elect a responsible government or at least hold the current one to account.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

They are all hypocrites.

Why the hell would they need a generator?

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1...6SHltCHZD6zHKp0co3IAEa5hsirxwqoi-CfD0t8E-n_Dc

 

[BBassic]

These environmental protesters are the worst scum in the UK.

I wish we had police like the French to kick lumps out of them.

The worst?

Worse than, off the top of my head: pedophiles, rapists, murderers and people who don't have their ticket ready at the barrier before getting there thus causing a pile up because they're too bloody feckless to engage their brain for half a minute?

Worse than them?

 

[Murray 17]

Haha, are you for real?

What a hypocrite that you are worried about the climate but fecking it up on a business jolly.

They have a lovely lot of plastic tents too I noticed, they are just a bunch of activists that love being wa**ers as they are smacked out of their paranoid heads on drugs.

He'd find it a longer journey to get to his beloved EU, without flying! What a dilemma! [emoji23]

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[highflyer]

They are all hypocrites.

Why the hell would they need a generator?

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1...6SHltCHZD6zHKp0co3IAEa5hsirxwqoi-CfD0t8E-n_Dc

A generator you say?

Gosh, well that proves it, climate change is definitely NOT happening and nothing needs to change.

Thank you for helping me see the light

 

[highflyer]

Proper evidence-based journalistic scrutiny

https://twitter.com/GeorgeMonbiot/status/1182341957558910978?s=20

 

[Guinness Boy]

The likes of Andrew Neil and Piers Morgan pick and choose who they want to interview very carefully. They are cowards and bullies.
George Monbiot (who is well informed, articulate, an experienced media operator and understands the science very well) has said he very much wants to be intereveiwed by them...but they won't have him on.

Don’t disagree about Neil and Morgan but Monbiot operates in an echo chamber and always has. He writes for The Guardian. It would be interesting to know if that was his choice or if they’re the only paper that would have him. If they were the only choice then there’s the same careful choices operating on the other side of the fence. If not then he doesn’t really want to be challenged at all.


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[Live by the sea]

I get the point, the cause is very important. However this continued disruption is very inconvenient for a lot of people and a big waste of police resources. Enough. Time to stop.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

They are all hypocrites.

Why the hell would they need a generator?

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1...6SHltCHZD6zHKp0co3IAEa5hsirxwqoi-CfD0t8E-n_Dc

Imagine trying to use The Express as a reputable source

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

I get the point, the cause is very important. However this continued disruption is very inconvenient for a lot of people and a big waste of police resources. Enough. Time to stop.

More inconvenient than mass migration caused by climate change? More inconvenient than droughts, flooding, mass species extinction, habitat loss and the threat of global catastrophe?

 

[highflyer]

Don’t disagree about Neil and Morgan but Monbiot operates in an echo chamber and always has. He writes for The Guardian. It would be interesting to know if that was his choice or if they’re the only paper that would have him. If they were the only choice then there’s the same careful choices operating on the other side of the fence. If not then he doesn’t really want to be challenged at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't think that's fair

Monbiot has made it clear (see the tweet I have linked to above) that he's up for a debate with anyone, and always has been. But most mainstream channels just won't have him on. When he has he's done pretty well. He is an exceptionally bright guy.

But if not George, there are plenty of scientists and informed experts (who are supportive of XR) that would provide more challenging, and more informative, interviews.

Not sure if it is the programme makers, or the people involved's fault if they end up struggling because they haven't got the media experience to cope with full on attack under pressure. I don't know what the process of selection was.