Sunak says he’s not going to attend the Cop27 climate summit.

Until China, a major producer of pollutants, is willing to play ball, it’s never going to achieve much in my opinion. We in the West depend so much on Chinese production and have cut our own, and it seems to me that we are just outsourcing this to another (not very friendly!) country while praising ourselves to the skies for the ‘progress’ we are making. The USA, another major player, is not too happy about the ‘accords’ agreed at these meetings and there is evidently huge discord in that country about the extent and cause of global warming anyway! Consumerism is the greatest evil of all in so many ways and until we try to cure ourselves of that addiction, what exactly changes?

Important as the environment is, Sunak may rightly feel that he neither should leave the UK right now, nor use public money for an expensivie flight.

Yes, future generations are doomed if we do not solve the environmental issuses, but they will be just as doomed if Putin starts using nuclear weapons.

Admittedly, I doubt that he will but as his propaganda dept. is as of yesterday blaming Britain for blowing up Nord Stream 1 and 2 AND for having military personel in Ukraine, I don't think anyone can blame Sunak for staying where he is.

I have earlier pointed out that the King cannot just up and go to another country, even if he would like to.

Could we please try to discuss enviromental and political issues without being rude to each other?

On most other Gransnet threads people manage to treat each other politely, so it should be possible on the few threads were rudeness is common.

Yes, I can’t think of anything more urgent than the worse thing that is happening to our planet

That's right.

Why bother about the habitability of the planet, when you have a tax cut to work out.

Urmstongran

He’s got a lot on his plate right now. He’s definitely doing things differently to Boris. “Focusing on domestic issues”.

My thought too, urms. He has more immediately pressing concerns to deal with.

Our posts are crossing in time growstuff!

growstuff

If I were the leader of a small country, I think I'd prefer an invitation to Buckingham Place rather than attending some global conference, where most of what happens is administrative and procedural. World leaders go to international meetings all the time, but they don't often get invited to Buckingham Palace.

Nope. I wouldn't.

Are leaders of small countries meant to be impressed by an invitation from Charlie to an event where he can tell you that you're all doing very well? Or would they rather attend an event where the world's experts were gathered to look at something dispassionately, knowing that world leaders have made the effort to be there because they know how important it is?

Buckingham Palace probably doesn't have the allure that you think it does growstuff, when your country is drowning.

Has it been reported anywhere other than the Telegraph?

volver

growstuff

Well done indeed, King Charles!

I think about 200 countries send representatives to COP. I don't suppose they'll all attend the meeting at Buckingham Palace and no formal decisions will be made, but whatever Charles says will be reported globally and maybe have an influence. Sunak should hang his head in shame that he's not taking the initiative and giving out the message that he doesn't care.

growstuff you and I generally agree about most things but you are way off the mark with this.

Charles has invited "international leaders" to the Palace. It's got nothing to do with the realities of COP and IMO it's an attempt, either by him or by Sunak, to make people think that the UK are doing their bit. But we are not, we are missing the point entirely and possibly, even undermining COP.

We need influential political people to be at COP, not at some glass clinking exercise at the Palace.

Hmm ... OK! I didn't know anything about the Buckingham Palace invitation (I hadn't read anything about it). I don't know what's motivated King Charles. If you're right and it's some agreed PR exercise with Sunak, I agree with you.

PS. I think it's appalling that Sunak isn't attending COP. It's consistent with his giving Coffey the Environment role and his demotion from the cabinet of Alok Sharma and the Climate Minister. It's obvious he really doesn't care less about the environment.

If I were the leader of a small country, I think I'd prefer an invitation to Buckingham Place rather than attending some global conference, where most of what happens is administrative and procedural. World leaders go to international meetings all the time, but they don't often get invited to Buckingham Palace.

growstuff

Well done indeed, King Charles!

I think about 200 countries send representatives to COP. I don't suppose they'll all attend the meeting at Buckingham Palace and no formal decisions will be made, but whatever Charles says will be reported globally and maybe have an influence. Sunak should hang his head in shame that he's not taking the initiative and giving out the message that he doesn't care.

growstuff you and I generally agree about most things but you are way off the mark with this.

Charles has invited "international leaders" to the Palace. It's got nothing to do with the realities of COP and IMO it's an attempt, either by him or by Sunak, to make people think that the UK are doing their bit. But we are not, we are missing the point entirely and possibly, even undermining COP.

We need influential political people to be at COP, not at some glass clinking exercise at the Palace.

I don't know about tearing anybody off a strip. However, I would imagine Charles had a draft speech lined up for COP and he was told by Truss he couldn't deliver it. I would imagine he was put out. He's known as stubborn and used to getting his own way, so I'm not surprised he would put his finger up metaphorically to his government. I would imagine that globally he's better known than Sunak, Truss and certainly Coffey and I think people will listen to what he says.

Casdon

My understanding of Charles’ meeting after the summit is to get the Government representatives and Sunak there with him so he can tell them his views and hopefully tear a strip off them for not taking it as seriously as he does. I just hope they take it in.

Why would he "tear them off a strip"? What outcome do you think Charles wants to achieve by having the reception? Are you really suggesting that doing as you suggest would accomplish that?

Well done indeed, King Charles!

I think about 200 countries send representatives to COP. I don't suppose they'll all attend the meeting at Buckingham Palace and no formal decisions will be made, but whatever Charles says will be reported globally and maybe have an influence. Sunak should hang his head in shame that he's not taking the initiative and giving out the message that he doesn't care.

It has been very noticeable that the political programmes are talking about policy for once, rather than politics. The period of personality politics is coming to an end. It can't come quickly enough.

Personally, I'm not aware that the King has just gone ahead and done this of his own bat. I would be surprised if he has. It is more likely it has been agreed between the palace and the government.

My understanding of Charles’ meeting after the summit is to get the Government representatives and Sunak there with him so he can tell them his views and hopefully tear a strip off them for not taking it as seriously as he does. I just hope they take it in.

No, I'm not accusing the King of shirking, not at all. I would just not want it to be seen as him doing his bit for the planet, but he is actually putting his fingers up to Sunak, I think.

And WTF is Johnson doing? Can anyone just rock up?

Yes. Pretty much.

Perhaps he will camp, as all the hotel rooms must be allocated?

What an idiot he is!

Any speech that Charles makes in the Palace is preaching to the converted. He should be at COP too, just to shake hands and get his piccie taken. That's what we pay him for.

You make it sound as though he's shirking going, volver. I'm sure you didn't mean to.

He doesn't really have a choice if the PM advises him not to go. (Though I do think he could go incognito...)

And WTF is Johnson doing? Can anyone just rock up?

volver

I think it would be useful to understand what COP really is.

It's a working meeting that has been happening every year for nearly 30 years and the reasons Heads of Government or Heads of State go is to press flesh and demonstrate support for the cause.

That's why our PM should be there and why it can't be delegated. Sunak can't delegate the responsibility of being the leader of the country, that's what he is. (I was going to say that's what he was elected for, but...)

Any speech that Charles makes in the Palace is preaching to the converted. He should be at COP too, just to shake hands and get his piccie taken. That's what we pay him for.

The people doing the work at this meeting are the people whose names we don't even know. The people who will be sitting with their heads in their hands if Coffey turns up to talk about reusable cups.

The only possible reason for Sunak not going is that he doesn't think it's important to use the influence of the UK to get countries and organisations onside. He's in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry and is concerned about only one thing - big sums of cash for the Tory Party.

Yes.

But I’m still glad the King is putting up two fingers to Sunak though. In the circumstances it is all he can do.

Whitewavemark2

The Tories are all so United😄😄😄😄

I see that the King has decided that in the event that he’s been refused permission to attend Cop 27, he has invited all the attendees to a reception at the Palace at the end of the week in which he will give a speech.

Sunak has been invited and presumably will find time.

Well done Your Maj!

Didn't someone say that 30,000 people were going to COP27?

Will they all fit in Buck House?

I think it would be useful to understand what COP really is.

It's a working meeting that has been happening every year for nearly 30 years and the reasons Heads of Government or Heads of State go is to press flesh and demonstrate support for the cause.

That's why our PM should be there and why it can't be delegated. Sunak can't delegate the responsibility of being the leader of the country, that's what he is. (I was going to say that's what he was elected for, but...)

Any speech that Charles makes in the Palace is preaching to the converted. He should be at COP too, just to shake hands and get his piccie taken. That's what we pay him for.

The people doing the work at this meeting are the people whose names we don't even know. The people who will be sitting with their heads in their hands if Coffey turns up to talk about reusable cups.

The only possible reason for Sunak not going is that he doesn't think it's important to use the influence of the UK to get countries and organisations onside. He's in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry and is concerned about only one thing - big sums of cash for the Tory Party.

twinnytwin

I believe Rishi Sunak's decision is the right one at the moment. Evidently King Charles is mindful of his new constitutional role as monarch and understands that a short trip to Egypt would not be appropriate for his first state visit abroad. They've both got their hands full at the moment I'm sure. Four senior ministers will be there it's reported.

I'm not even sure that King Charles should go.

I don't know if any of you have worked in a company that is in dire straits, but it can lead to far more meetings and far less being achieved (headless chicken syndrome). A good CEO/Chairman will put a stop to this. I do wonder if we need this meeting or if, this year, a short virtual one would have done.

What we do need is countries actually doing things. That includes especially the UK for whom the phrase "fine words butter no parsnips" must have been invented. All countries also need to be held to account on their previous promises.

Sometimes you have to delegate and trust others to do a good job with briefings before and reporting back after. There is an awful lot to do before Hunt reveals what the government has decided to do to try and do