Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests - August 2020

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

The article is almost 5 years old, and given that the Sun, cited within it as an "offender" was going to be leading today with Attenborough's article,  it hasn't aged particularly well.

Fair comment. But The Sun was not the only one mentioned and it is only one article. So here are some more recent links

https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/another-humiliation-for-british-climate-change-deniers-and-their-promoters-in-the-media/

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/environment/2020/02/uk-newspapers-promote-favourite-myth-mini-ice-age-climate-change-deniers-denial

https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/is-fleet-street-in-climate-change-denial-15122

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/murdochracy-controls-climate-debate-australia-200124052356203.html

Yes I know one of them is Australian, but it is about News Corp so is relevant. 

[broadgage]

One of the major policies of XR^▸ (Crossrail) is to "reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025" A laudable aim IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), but I wonder how many of their supporters have properly thought through what would be needed to achieve this.

Policies to achieve this aim would have to include

An end to virtually all aviation. Not tinkering by adding "green strings" or slightly more efficient aircraft but closing down almost the entire civil aviation industry.
A very few flights could be allowed for life saving, but holiday or business travel, no way.
Make a start by closing down half the air transport industry THIS YEAR with more drastic measures in years to come.

An end to virtually all fossil fueled road transport. Certainly no more private cars unless electric. A handful of fossil fuel vehicles could be permitted for emergency services or other life critical functions.
No more diesel HGVs.
Make a start THIS YEAR by prohibiting any new registrations of fossil fuel vehicles, and doubling the price of fuel, with more drastic actions in future years.

An end to domestic heating that uses, gas, coal or oil. Make a start this year by prohibiting new fuel burning installations and doubling the price of fuels.

Ration electricity to that produced from renewables. Presuming that priority is to be given to electric public transport and to hospitals etc, this means largely eliminating domestic use of electricity, except at times of relative plentiful supply. No more 24/7 domestic electricity.
Make a start THIS YEAR by building the long talked about Severn barrage, and remove planning restrictions on renewable energy installations.

No more oil powered ships. Sail power or electric only. Make a start THIS YEAR by building sailing ships.

Whom is going to vote for this ?

[TaplowGreen]

The article is almost 5 years old, and given that the Sun, cited within it as an "offender" was going to be leading today with Attenborough's article,  it hasn't aged particularly well.

Fair comment. But The Sun was not the only one mentioned and it is only one article. So here are some more recent links

https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/another-humiliation-for-british-climate-change-deniers-and-their-promoters-in-the-media/

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/environment/2020/02/uk-newspapers-promote-favourite-myth-mini-ice-age-climate-change-deniers-denial

https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/is-fleet-street-in-climate-change-denial-15122

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/murdochracy-controls-climate-debate-australia-200124052356203.html

Yes I know one of them is Australian, but it is about News Corp so is relevant. 

Hmmmm Al-Jazeera............

All interesting articles, but fundamentally, no-one, no matter what their motivation or how virtuous they perceive their cause to be, has the right to prevent someone else reading whichever newspaper they choose, whatever that newspaper says or who owns it. There's no room for "yeah but" middle ground or equivocation on that, and I'd rise in defence of Morning Star readers on that point as much as those who take the Times.

XR^▸ (Crossrail) hasn't done itself any favours this week, what with wanton vandalism, preventing the progress of emergency vehicles, mass protests whilst COVID is still around, and now this.

Possibly a wakeup call for a lot of people, who, with the best of intentions, have offered their support up until now. There are other organisations with the same (noble) aims who conduct themselves in a far more responsible manner

[Red Squirrel]

All interesting articles, but fundamentally, no-one, no matter what their motivation or how virtuous they perceive their cause to be, has the right to prevent someone else reading whichever newspaper they choose, whatever that newspaper says or who owns it. There's no room for "yeah but" middle ground or equivocation on that, and I'd rise in defence of Morning Star readers on that point as much as those who take the Times.

Yeah, but I suppose it depends on how you define 'newspaper'. I believe ISIS had a journal of sorts.

Possibly a wakeup call for a lot of people, who, with the best of intentions, have offered their support up until now. There are other organisations with the same (noble) aims who conduct themselves in a far more responsible manner

Well... I doubt XR^▸ (Crossrail) draw much support from readers of any of the affected titles; particularly the print editions.

[ellendune]

Hmmmm Al-Jazeera............

I try to read a range of views so I am not constrained by believing what "people like me" think is what everyone thinks.  I am not a natural Telegraph reader either, but Al Jazeera did once employ Andrew Neil so worth a read for a different take on the world ebven if I don't agree with it all the time.

All interesting articles, but fundamentally, no-one, no matter what their motivation or how virtuous they perceive their cause to be, has the right to prevent someone else reading whichever newspaper they choose, whatever that newspaper says or who owns it. There's no room for "yeah but" middle ground or equivocation on that, and I'd rise in defence of Morning Star readers on that point as much as those who take the Times.

I did say I didn't agree with it. 

XR^▸ (Crossrail) hasn't done itself any favours this week, what with wanton vandalism, preventing the progress of emergency vehicles, mass protests whilst COVID is still around, and now this.

I think I will let public opinion in general be the judge of that - I have been shown to be wrong too often when I have tried to second guess them.

Possibly a wakeup call for a lot of people, who, with the best of intentions, have offered their support up until now. There are other organisations with the same (noble) aims who conduct themselves in a far more responsible manner

Possibly - perhaps not - I cannot tell.