[Other Sport] Protester climbs onto crucible snooker table

[The Wizard]

I'm a little disappointed this morning. In a couple of hours last night it had escalated from putting some paint on a snooker table to stabbing tennis players, violence and revolution. I expected absolute ARMAGEDDON this morning when I got up, only to find it was still a bit of paint on a snooker table which got resolved with a Hoover

Vandalism is vandalism, it’s like the blocking roads etc is all for a ‘good cause’ until someone in your family misses out on critical medical treatment because of the ‘peaceful’ protest

I asked the supporters of these kinds of acts in one of my earlier posts, where is the line drawn?

For example one of these JSO protestors/vigilantes tomorrow goes to a local graveyard and smashes up the lot, paints just stop oil on the church etc is that too far? Or is it just acceptable that because you perceive the cause to be a good one, that any action is for the greater good?

This is what I can’t get my head around, somewhere a line needs to be drawn on what is acceptable, you may laugh but I wonder how many people at the snooker yesterday will have some kind of PTSD from what they saw, for a split second I bet they thought the guy was about to blow himself up or something… I was watching it live and I thought it so I dread to think if I was there.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

This is my reasoned opinion.

Climate change and man’s destruction of the planet is very real.

But I don’t believe in petty vandalism to disrupt, instead persuasion and jaw-jaw-jaw to get the vast majority on side. Consensus, with integrated public systems as we see in parts of western Europe.

I also own up to being a hypocrite, aren’t we all? I fly to holiday destinations.

The overarching point here is that these protests are just a symptom of the environmental crisis we face. The more we mess up the world, the more people will get angry and do silly things.

I don't believe for a second that this protest will do anything to change minds, it is possibly counter-destructive to the cause. Petty vandalism, as you say. But it's what desperate people do, and the human race as a whole is getting more and more desperate.

These protests are a symptom, not a solution - and without real solutions they will just get more common.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Christ, if there's a cure for insomnia it's this whole thread. Pure shite. Members that know absolutely nothing about snooker.

It's now f**ked up the tournament schedule and the players that worked so hard to qualify for the match last night must be absolutely seething.

Wouldn't it be funny if protestors got onto the pitch at Wembley on Sunday and slashed the goal nets, causing the match to be abandoned and a wasted trip to London?

Wànkers.

I don't mind watching a bit of snooker, but I'm also happy to look at the bigger picture and say that a bit of disruption at a tournament is hardly the end of the world, in the grand scheme of things. As with any other major business/event/industry, they must've done contingency planning for situations/delays (medical emergencies, terrorist attacks, power failures, etc, etc), so I'm guessing it'll all get sorted relatively quickly.

In the same way, would it be 'funny' if the goal nets were slashed ahead of Sunday? No, not really, but I'd expect the spare set to be wheeled out, the protesters to be dealt with and then for the game to continue

I heard Mark Allen come out with the old 'that's not the way to go about it' trope on the radio. His opinion, but what IS the right way to raise awareness of what is (to JSO and probably many other people) a very important issue for us as residents of a planet? Because that line is ALWAYS trotted out, regardless of what 'they' have done. To some people the 'right way to go about it' is to do is absolutely nothing, which is a bit pathetic, really.

Anyway, good to see you back posting Durlston after your nasty car accident. I hope you're well on the way to full recovery.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Vandalism is vandalism, it’s like the blocking roads etc is all for a ‘good cause’ until someone in your family misses out on critical medical treatment because of the ‘peaceful’ protest

I asked the supporters of these kinds of acts in one of my earlier posts, where is the line drawn?

For example one of these JSO protestors/vigilantes tomorrow goes to a local graveyard and smashes up the lot, paints just stop oil on the church etc is that too far? Or is it just acceptable that because you perceive the cause to be a good one, that any action is for the greater good?

This is what I can’t get my head around, somewhere a line needs to be drawn on what is acceptable, you may laugh but I wonder how many people at the snooker yesterday will have some kind of PTSD from what they saw, for a split second I bet they thought the guy was about to blow himself up or something… I was watching it live and I thought it so I dread to think if I was there.

I point you to my post above, until the reasonable rest of us actually do something constructive about the climate crisis, these protests will only escalate. They are mere symptoms of the problem. The protesters can be criticised, lampooned, arrested, legislated against, punched, kicked, scorned, ignored, laughed at, whatever - until the underlying issue is resolved they will only get more frequent.

Don't fixate on the symptom, tackle the disease.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I have tickets for this Saturday afternoon at the Crucible (up to Sheffield on Friday, watch the snooker, then come down for the semi final), so yes if the protesters get that called off, i'll of course be livid at all the time and money i'll have wasted.

On the other hand, we're lucky to live in a country where protest is legal, and recent legislation suggests to me, we should not take this for granted. While I support protest for climate change, i'm highly puzzled by the choice of targets.

We have massive and obvious oil interests in this country. If you are a protester wanting to target sport, why not get Man City v Newcastle called off? Why even sport, why not just directly target polluters, oil companies, the newspapers and government ministers who take money from these companies.

From the point of view of the protesters, they need a compelling narrative in order to gain the wider public support, without which they can't further their goals. Surely just disrupting, attacking innocent targets, like art and snooker, is going to lead to them being isolated. To influence government policy, the protesters need to win hearts and minds, to bring others to their cause. At the moment they are just looking and behaving like lone cranks.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Mis post

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The likes of India and China certainly aren't.

So British people can continue to pay the highest energy bills in the world (link posted previously in the thread) because India and China won't change.
This government is actively stopping renewables, speaking out against solar farms (again link posted in this thread about sheep and solar farms) fewer wind farms, and wanting to rely on fossil fuels.
That makes us ever more reliant on the Middle East and Russia who have us over a barrel (pun intended).

 

[The Wizard]

I point you to my post above, until the reasonable rest of us actually do something constructive about the climate crisis, these protests will only escalate. They are mere symptoms of the problem. The protesters can be criticised, lampooned, arrested, legislated against, punched, kicked, scorned, ignored, laughed at, whatever - until the underlying issue is resolved they will only get more frequent.

Don't fixate on the symptom, tackle the disease.

Unfortunately tho KG, how many are going to suffer for what is ultimately a good cause? That’s kind of my point.

The climate crisis ultimately even if this country tackles it, is going nowhere fast until China, India and the US take notice, the statistics I saw the other day on oil use etc show that UK represent less than 2% of the worlds consumption.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Your words not mine.

My point might be that recycling a couple of wine bottles and living off solar panels in the UK might not provide a 100% solution.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

so you're saying...................... give up

The likes of India and China certainly aren't.

I'd think again about China. As summarised by wikipedia:

"China is the world's leader in electricity production from renewable energy sources, with over triple the generation of the second-ranking country, the United States. China's renewable energy sector is growing faster than its fossil fuels and nuclear power capacity, and is expected to contribute 43 per cent of global renewable capacity growt. China's total renewable energy capacity exceeded 1,000 GW in 2021, accounting for 43.5 per cent of the country's total power generation capacity, 10.2 percentage points higher than in 2015. The country aims to have 80 per cent of its total energy mix come from non-fossil fuel sources by 2060, and achieve a combined 1,200 GW of solar and wind capacity by 2030"

First: its amazing what an authoritarian rule can do when it wants to, and second, if the Chinese Communist Party are taking it that seriously, that should be food for thought for all of us.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Unfortunately tho KG, how many are going to suffer for what is ultimately a good cause? That’s kind of my point.

The climate crisis ultimately even if this country tackles it, is going nowhere fast until China, India and the US take notice, the statistics I saw the other day on oil use etc show that UK represent less than 2% of the worlds consumption.

Everyone in Britain is already suffering paying through the nose for energy. How many old people or struggling families are suffering because of the fossil fuel policies of our politicians, who are not backing renewables?

Revealed: Brits are paying the highest electricity bills in the entire world - City AM

New research reveals that the UK has the highest electricity bills in the world.

www.cityam.com

Btw, did you disapprove of the vandalism by Brighton fans, with graffiti like BELLOTTI OUT, or breaking goal posts?

 

[Durlston]

Think Wembeeeeerleeeeey might have a few sets of nets. A stab in the dark perhaps but there you go.

Look at the protest as a positive, snooker has had more press in a few hours than it has for decades

I know you take an interest in snooker so you'll know what I'm getting at.

If the Ashes was disrupted by protestors ruining play I wouldn't make stupid jokes about cricket as I don't really follow the sport but I admire those who do because it's a time consuming sport like snooker and they deserve a bit of respect for that.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Unfortunately tho KG, how many are going to suffer for what is ultimately a good cause? That’s kind of my point.

The climate crisis ultimately even if this country tackles it, is going nowhere fast until China, India and the US take notice, the statistics I saw the other day on oil use etc show that UK represent less than 2% of the worlds consumption.

China is world leader in renewables. But yeah, we need concerted global efforts to change things. We might be less than 2% of world's consumption, less than 1% of world's population, but our influence is huge. Let's use it.

The protests are basically irrelevant to this discussion. If our government wastes effort trying to stop them directly, or makes them the problem, nothing will change and the protests will only get bigger. Become a proper world leader and we can make a difference. Can't see it happening with current government unfortunately

 

[Guinness Boy]

I'd think again about China. As summarised by wikipedia:

"China is the world's leader in electricity production from renewable energy sources, with over triple the generation of the second-ranking country, the United States. China's renewable energy sector is growing faster than its fossil fuels and nuclear power capacity, and is expected to contribute 43 per cent of global renewable capacity growt. China's total renewable energy capacity exceeded 1,000 GW in 2021, accounting for 43.5 per cent of the country's total power generation capacity, 10.2 percentage points higher than in 2015. The country aims to have 80 per cent of its total energy mix come from non-fossil fuel sources by 2060, and achieve a combined 1,200 GW of solar and wind capacity by 2030"

First: its amazing what an authoritarian rule can do when it wants to, and second, if the Chinese Communist Party are taking it that seriously, that should be food for thought for all of us.

It's not just the CCP. Big insurers / reinsurers are looking at climate change from a risk modelling perspective and looking at how best to cope with catastrophes caused by global warming, other big corporations are changing policies to be more climate friendly, other governments are promoting renewables and EVs in a huge way. Government and big business understands that this is an issue and are probably far more likely to solve it than some prat turning himself orange on a snooker table. And yet it's the governments and corporations who are consistently vilified by the Green lobby.

It's all a bit "look at me" isn't it?

 

[Durlston]

I don't mind watching a bit of snooker, but I'm also happy to look at the bigger picture and say that a bit of disruption at a tournament is hardly the end of the world, in the grand scheme of things. As with any other major business/event/industry, they must've done contingency planning for situations/delays (medical emergencies, terrorist attacks, power failures, etc, etc), so I'm guessing it'll all get sorted relatively quickly.

In the same way, would it be 'funny' if the goal nets were slashed ahead of Sunday? No, not really, but I'd expect the spare set to be wheeled out, the protesters to be dealt with and then for the game to continue

I heard Mark Allen come out with the old 'that's not the way to go about it' trope on the radio. His opinion, but what IS the right way to raise awareness of what is (to JSO and probably many other people) a very important issue for us as residents of a planet? Because that line is ALWAYS trotted out, regardless of what 'they' have done. To some people the 'right way to go about it' is to do is absolutely nothing, which is a bit pathetic, really.

Anyway, good to see you back posting Durlston after your nasty car accident. I hope you're well on the way to full recovery.

I apologise to anyone offended by my strong defence of snooker. I love the sport more than football, even if that sounds sad!

If the protestor on Mark Allen's table had been male, he would have got a slap, that's for sure! But the woman could still have been a suicide bomber instead of trying to glue herself to the table. Silly bint. OK, that's a little bit OTT but if there's a positive to come out of it, it's that the Crucible will have tight security from now on.

Thank you so much for your kind words, @Greg Bobkin. It means so much mate.

 

[worthingseagull123]

It wasn’t a Tarquin this time, it was an Edred.

Just Stop Oil snooker protester is student who glued hand to painting

Edred Whittingham, 25, is a Philosophy, Politics and Economics student at Exeter University who was sent to prison last year for blockading the Kingsbury Oil Terminal.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Official Old Man]

Perhaps a better target for Just Stop Oil would be PL football matches. Surely there would be a lot of support on here for preventing all matches being played ?

They went through a phase of handcuffing themselves to the goalposts. Didn't they try it once at the Amex. At the start of this year there would be two security people on the goal posts during warm up and half time although that seems to have stopped now.

 

[worthingseagull123]

They went through a phase of handcuffing themselves to the goalposts. Didn't they try it once at the Amex. At the start of this year there would be two security people on the goal posts during warm up and half time although that seems to have stopped now.

They also like to litter the countryside with plastic

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I apologise to anyone offended by my strong defence of snooker. I love the sport more than football, even if that sounds sad!

If the protestor on Mark Allen's table had been male, he would have got a slap, that's for sure! But the woman could still have been a suicide bomber instead of trying to glue herself to the table. Silly bint. OK, that's a little bit OTT but if there's a positive to come out of it, it's that the Crucible will have tight security from now on.

Thank you so much for your kind words, @Greg Bobkin. It means so much mate.

Yeah, but she wasn't! And if it was a man, who was going to given him a 'slap', if they thought HE was a suicide bomber too?

The whole thing is nuts – from the focus on snooker (not you, per se) to the way these stunts are carried out. What is really needed is some open conversations and discussions about what can be done about looking after the planet. But that seems far too grown up and sensible for any of the different groups involved to consider. Especially the government, who seem to think the best way to go about it is to shut protesters down. It's a good job they didn't think like that and were out in force around the Goldstone Ground in the mid-1990s...

 

[A1X]

Christ, if there's a cure for insomnia it's this whole thread. Pure shite. Members that know absolutely nothing about snooker.

It's now f**ked up the tournament schedule and the players that worked so hard to qualify for the match last night must be absolutely seething.

Wouldn't it be funny if protestors got onto the pitch at Wembley on Sunday and slashed the goal nets, causing the match to be abandoned and a wasted trip to London?

Wànkers.