9 protesters locked up for between 3 and 4. months and one talking a more prominent role 6 months... at least the 'system' has prevailed on this occasion... A judge not afraid to upset a proportion of society... kudos...
Don't think a judge's concerns about upsetting a proportion of society will have come into it. Seems they breached an injunction that outlaws anyone protesting on roads in certain areas in and around London, so a pretty clear cut case legally I suppose. I'm not sure that protest being outlawed is something to celebrate though. It sounds a bit like this new policing bill that's going through. All a bit dictatorial for me that. I find it frustrating and a bit sad that road disruption and attention being drawn to environmental issues make people so much more angry than the really serious problems society faces, to the extent that people getting locked up for protesting is a cause for celebration.
I don't think it's about politics. It's a cause for celebration imo. I basically support their cause (or at least the notion of doing more to help the environment etc), but surely no sane person can defend / support the way they've gone about it. I get that some believe it now needs urgent action, but there has to be much better ways of getting their point across than the ways they have been employing.
This is interesting. If govt now adopts a real, workable policy to provide more support to insulate homes (which they should) then the protesters will rightly claim victory because it would be very hard to say govt were going to do it anyway. So in the bigger picture 3 months of disruption on the roads would pale into insignificance.
I don't have an issue with the way they've gone about it. I think people are too wedded to car travel and excessively reliant on permanently clear roads for their private use, which simply isn't realistic and becomes less realistic the more cars people buy. I do drive, so I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I think I minimise my use of and reliance on cars. So I'm less likely than most people to be angry about roads being blocked by a protest. Yes, obviously it could potentially hold up an ambulance or something, but realistically any number of other things can and do hold up ambulances, perhaps the most significant being excessive traffic due to so many people spending half their life on the road moaning about the rest of the traffic. I'll sort of repeat what I said initially; I find it frustrating that people are so much more bothered by road delays than they are by the serious issues that the protestors causing the delays are protesting about.
What I will say in opposition to the protestors is, I have no idea what specifically it is that they actually want. I get that it's insulating homes but no more than that. I thought modern homes were quite well insulated. Is it retro-fitting insulation in older homes? I'm sure they have a point but they haven't communicated it very effectively. But then it's easy to sit on the sidelines and pick faults.
It's also easy to sit on major routes/roads and disrupt other people's lifes and livelihoods.The law is the law,don't do the crime if you can't do the time. I have no sympathy for idiots.
When some Man Utd fans sat in the road a few years back to protest about the Glazers the police,ice immediately charged them on horseback swinging batons. They justified it saying obstructing the highway was a serious offence and would not be tolerated. For too long they have been pussyfooting around with this lot asking them if there was anything they needed and treating them with kid gloves.
Our homes are the worst insulated in Europe apparently. Including those of some of the leading protesters who also drive diesel vehicles.
Coppers have always been eager to kick the **** out of demographics that are predominantly working-class, be it football fans, miners or anyone else they perceive as 'yobbish'. Predominantly middle-class activists like Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain will always be treated more leniently. It's better optics and more justifiable to the general public when a copper twats a football fan with a baton than if they did it to people who look and dress like this:
The prison will most likely be the greenest home some of them have had. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-prisons-go-green
I remember a while back them sailing into some pretty peaceful lot protesting about countryside matters whilst standing back as anarchist types went about causing bother without any hindrance. That was OK by lefties as if they were from the countryside they must be toffs.
If these protesters has sat politely at the side of the road protesting we would never have heard of them and would not be debating their cause on a football forum. I think it’s a real shame that action groups are forced to put themselves and others in danger to get heard. oh, and finding out that some of the protesters are not totally perfect themselves (driving cars and living in poorly insulated homes) does not change their argument one slight bit. It’s so easy to pick apart someone else’s life in order to avoid having to change yours. it’s the people that don’t give a damn about the environment that need to be doing time.
