Extinction Rebellion founder jailed for five years!

Interesting article Baggs.

Whilst acknowledging that deaths from natural disasters have declined, the author notes that:

“This trend does not mean that disasters have become less frequent, or less intense. It means the world today is much better at preventing deaths from disasters than in the past. This will become increasingly important in our response and adaptation to climate change.”

As the climate temperature rises and sea levels rise, I suspect we will have more people on the move due to drought rendering previously viable farming areas into deserts and people's lands disappearing under the sea.

I totally oppose ER in its actions on the M25. I do think prison will turn them into martyrs in many eyes, why not house arrests combined with having to work on projects that put something back into peoples lives for a long periods.

In 2011 there were riots on the streets of London. Buildings were set on fire. Looting was rife. The people responsible, who were caught, were given lengthy prison sentences. As far as I am aware we haven't had any major rioting on the streets since.

Well I think it’s meant to make an example of them.
Pour encourager les autres
How many people were seriously impacted by Just Stop Oil protests?
Prevented from reaching dying family members, from attending hospital appointments, receiving urgent medical treatment, attending family funerals, ambulances, transplant organs or donated blood not getting through in time ?
I could go on. Regardless of their stated aims, the people affected were not “Big Oil” or influential executives - they were people like you and me. We may not seem important to the protesters but their selfishness wiped out any sympathy I might have had for their cause.

RosiesMaw2 👏👏👏

It’s actually debatable how much the suffragette movement helped get votes for women. WW1 was the real change.
So not a great comparison.

Kandinsky

It’s actually debatable how much the suffragette movement helped get votes for women. WW1 was the real change.
So not a great comparison.

Whenever a poster reels out suffragettes or Hitler I think they feel they are on the wrong side of the debate…

RosiesMaw2
It certainly got them attention, but in a negative way. Not much help in promoting their cause.

A right wing ‘think tank’, known as Policy Exchange, advised Sunak’s government on the wording of the anti-protest bill, under which many climate protesters have been imprisoned.

What a coincidence that the very same ‘think tank’ has received considerable donations from oil company giants

www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/rishi-sunak-right-wing-think-tank-anti-protest-laws-policy-exchange/

Oreo

People don’t need educating by those extremists, we already know masses about global warming.
Perhaps they should hop over to India and China and educate them there.Or the US.
Here in the UK we are actually doing very well.

Here in the UK we are actually doing very well.

I disagree, Oreo. If, here in the UK, one purchases an item at a store or on Amazon or uses a cell phone, that could be contributing to global warming and one's consumerism habits affect the polluting companies in India and China. Air fryers, hair dryers, cell phones, clothing, prescription drugs, furniture, cleaning supplies, face masks, tablets, computers, grocery bags, etc...

Everyone is a part of the problem, except for people such as the tribes in Peru that have not developed our stages of consumerism.

It's a loop.

I think that it is good that they went to prison for breaking the law. I also think that the law should be modified but I don't know how.

These people need to be educated on how to protest properly and effectively, in a way that does not harm other citizens. I believe in the right to protest but not in a right to disrupt.

The planet IS burning . Whatever you think of XR, at least they recognise this unlike those who choose to bury their heads in the sand. Everyone needs to wake up!

Skydancer

The planet IS burning . Whatever you think of XR, at least they recognise this unlike those who choose to bury their heads in the sand. Everyone needs to wake up!

Those of us who have had the privilege of education, the World Wide Web etc. are fully aware.

Those in so called third world countries along with dictatorships just want what we have…

We might (certainly should be) aware, but if we're deflecting the responsibility onto other countries or making other excuses to avoid drastic action, we're still burying our heads in the sand as Skydancer says.

valdali

We might (certainly should be) aware, but if we're deflecting the responsibility onto other countries or making other excuses to avoid drastic action, we're still burying our heads in the sand as Skydancer says.

But as we are typing/dictating into whatever device we’re using, on a device more than likely produced by one of the biggest polluting countries, presumably with some form of lighting, or maybe drinking a hot drink or a plastic lined can of something, whilst we watch the news about their activities on yet another resource using device, we are contributing to global warming.
Hearing of someone sitting smugly on a gantry watching the disruption they have caused to people’s earning, education, health, etc. doesn’t make people think about climate change, it just makes people cross.

Here’s a thought from someone in China about the low rate of ordinary crime, like theft or criminal damage. Reasons offered?

Probably the all pervasive cameras are a deterrent plus the inhumane prison conditions.

This is one of the benefits of living under a ‘strong government’

Ok, so I wouldn’t like to live there. They don’t have a good Human Rights record.

But do we now have a strong enough government to make crime exceptionally low?

vegansrock like so many seems to think that any disruption or detrimental effect to ordinary people caused by these protesters is fully acceptable even though it doesn't have any impact on those in a position to legislate for or to enact changes. I wonder how enthusiastic these same people would be to me laying siege to them in their home for a period of days or weeks to "make my protest". That they may be missing urgent medical appointments, may be missing important never to be repeated family events, or the opportunity to gain meaningful employment is of little concern because 'the earth is burning' and protesters with 'ideals' trump all. The total hypocrisy of some just defeats me.
There was a poster some while ago who was all for eco protests inconveniencing anyone, but when challenged stated her family member should absolutely not give up his planned experience of a lifetime no matter how polluting it was, because he was a 'lovely lad' who deserved it.

Skydancer

The planet IS burning . Whatever you think of XR, at least they recognise this unlike those who choose to bury their heads in the sand. Everyone needs to wake up!

Except they do absolutely nothing themselves to contribute to the solution, on the contrary their activities just lead to increased consumption of fossil fuels.

How much fuel was used by all the car and lorries while held up by the M25 protesters? how much more if they achieved the grid lock they hoped for.

How do their antics advance their cause one jot?

I firmly believe that those at the core of XR and its offshoots are essentially anarchists and that their aim is to disrupt and endeavour to breakup civil society by any means in their power and because they are, mainly, highly intelligent people they know how to press all the right buttons and that the soft belly of modern society is concern about global warming and they have harnessed this cause as being the cause most likely to cause civil uneasiness and destable society.

I suspect that if they thought that being anti-abortion or opposing female politicians (I have deliberately chosen examples of causes that would be total non-starters) then they would use them instead.

Awww and Cressida’s Mum was on TV tonight complaining that Cressie will miss her brother’s wedding as she is in prison.

cressie is, of course, multi talented, highly intelligent, superb musician etc etc etc.

I hope she spends the wedding day in clink thinking about the chaos and disruption she and her mates caused.

Primrose53

Awww and Cressida’s Mum was on TV tonight complaining that Cressie will miss her brother’s wedding as she is in prison.

cressie is, of course, multi talented, highly intelligent, superb musician etc etc etc.

I hope she spends the wedding day in clink thinking about the chaos and disruption she and her mates caused.

Oh yes, I saw that.

Actions have consequences, maybe her mother should have taught her that.

Primrose53

Awww and Cressida’s Mum was on TV tonight complaining that Cressie will miss her brother’s wedding as she is in prison.

cressie is, of course, multi talented, highly intelligent, superb musician etc etc etc.

I hope she spends the wedding day in clink thinking about the chaos and disruption she and her mates caused.

I've just seen a video of that on X. How she could stand there and say that it was wrong Cressida would miss her brother's wedding when a man was reported as missing his father's funeral leaves me astounded at the crass insensitivity of the woman. Not a single thought for the harmful impact caused to thousands of people by her daughter's conspiracy to disrupt the motorway. If people read the judges sentencing comments (a link was provided by GSM) they will see the multitude of reasons why the sentences are such as they are.

I’ve just seen the clip of this woman saying her daughter didn’t deserve prison and telling us all how wonderful her daughter is.
I don’t think she’s wonderful, she’s a criminal and is in prison because she committed crimes and was found guilty of committing those crimes.

maddyone

I’ve just seen the clip of this woman saying her daughter didn’t deserve prison and telling us all how wonderful her daughter is.
I don’t think she’s wonderful, she’s a criminal and is in prison because she committed crimes and was found guilty of committing those crimes.

Hear, hear

Primrose53

Awww and Cressida’s Mum was on TV tonight complaining that Cressie will miss her brother’s wedding as she is in prison.

cressie is, of course, multi talented, highly intelligent, superb musician etc etc etc.

I hope she spends the wedding day in clink thinking about the chaos and disruption she and her mates caused.

So what? Lots of criminal are very clever people, or have musical or other artistic skills.

Her mother needs to be reminded of the song from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance

When a felon's not engaged in his employment
Or maturing his felonious little plans
His capacity for innocent enjoyment
Is just as great as any honest man's

When the enterprising burglar's not a-burgling
When the cutthroat isn't occupied in crime
He loves to hear the little brook a-gurgling
And listen to the merry village chime

When the coster's finished jumping on his mother
He loves to lie a-basking in the sun

M0nica thanks for that reminder. 😁
We did the Pirates at school and now I’ll be singing that song for the rest of the day!

Actually she might realise that other people’s actions (in this instance the judge sending you to prison for your crime) impact on your life. but then again, maybe not.
Mummy’s reaction possibly explains why DD feels entitled to do such things.