Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Scissor; Building bridges rather than blocking them? XR appear to have finally noticed nobody likes them.
From the Guardian;
Extinction Rebellion announces move away from disruptive tactics
Climate protest group says temporary shift will ‘prioritise relationships over roadblocks’
Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent
Mon 2 Jan 2023 00.19 AEDT Last modified on Mon 2 Jan 2023 08.55 AEDTThe climate protest group Extinction Rebellion is shifting tactics from disruptions such as smashing windows and glueing themselves to public places in 2023, it has announced.
A new year resolution to “prioritise attendance over arrest and relationships over roadblocks”, was spelled out in a 1 January statement titled “We quit”, which said “constantly evolving tactics is a necessary approach”.
The group admitted the move would be controversial. Other environmental protest groups, such as Just Stop Oil, have stepped up direct actions, notably throwing paint at art masterpieces.
…
“In a time when speaking out and taking action are criminalised, building collective power, strengthening in number and thriving through bridge-building is a radical act,” the group said.
…
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/01/extinction-rebellion-announces-move-away-from-disruptive-tactics
Extinction Rebellion’s attempts to reach out to ordinary people have not always worked out the way they wanted.
As for their building bridges campaign, it is difficult to imagine a worse case of bad timing. Almost as ridiculous as their plan for an April 1st 2022 mass uprising.
As winter bites, as ordinary Britons struggle with energy bills, as gas and electricity prices skyrocket, these rich kid green dilettantes have decided now is the time to reach out to ordinary people and convince us to accept more of the same.
Are we sure it isn’t April1?
I had to check…
Yes. I wish it was, then it wouldn’t be so bloody cold!
Test their resolve. Donate a box of fresh UV activated super glue.
Leave them some photos of convenient bridges or the chunnel where they can try gluing themselves to public infrastructure.
Tell the guards and local officials to ignore glued activists and all possible interactions they caused.
If they are still glued three days later, use the French method of activist removal.
Stand guards around them to ensure they remain glued for three days
I guess Easter does fall on April 1st occasionally.
Now hang on a minute, I’ve just thought of a better idea….
I shudder when I think of that French method. Yikes!
It’s good that they’re shifting tactics. We’ve got enough controversy already scheduled for the new year.
Speaking of which, best wishes and hopes to all of us here for the coming trip around the sun.
2022, AMF.
“”that French method””
A short sharp shock
It is gruesome but, I’m willing to bet good money, that if the French keep using this brutal method the number of people gluing themselves to things in France will quickly drop to zero.
“brutal method”?
Personally, I think it is perfectly proportional. They glue themselves to something, they should expect to become unglued, right?
Maybe that is the underlying cause for their change in “tactics.”
A diminishing pool of volunteers.
In one of my dreams, I carry a large container of super glue with me at all times, hoping to come across some of these “protesters”. And after watching them glue their hands to a car, statue, or roadway, then I then assist them glue other parts of their anatomy as well. I help them glue their feet, their faces, their buttocks, and… well, use your imagination.
Sooo … they’re no longer going to disrupt they’re only going to disrupt.
Yes, but with thousands (they hope) instead of just a pathetic two.
Like EV sales figures they could show up with 4 protesters instead of 2 and claim a 100% rise in believership
“corrupt government”
Leftists find it impossible to believe that anyone could ever disagree with them for legitimate reasons.
I believe the government (most if not all) is corrupt. They just are picking the wrong narrative, in my opinion.
Now if they decided to protest against politicians that are profiting from the
renewableruinable industries, I’d be more likely to listen to them, as opposed to seeing if I could get away with causing them bodily harm.Although the train commuters in the above video appear ‘fit-to-be-tied’ with the ER tactics the Sky News commentary and comments shown from interviewees are relatively mild like ‘they are doing the wrong thing for the right reason’, who are you going to believe Sky News or your own eyes⸮
I’m reminded of a video of the CNN commentator standing in front of a burning building during the Kenosha riots saying that it was mainly peaceful.
IOW it’s too damned cold and wet to be gluing ourselves to roads!
“”constantly evolving tactics is a necessary approach”.””
They’re out of ideas. Most people don’t have the luxury of time to waste on a non problem, they have to put bread on the table
If the new target of the XR types is corrupt government, they have a permanent tsk on their hands. Historically that function of trying to replace corrupt government with an alternative, was done in ‘democratic’ society by forming an alternative political party to vote for.
In undemocratic systems revolution is the usual option.
With that historic background to guide them, the Climate Alarmists/Eco Anxious out there have a clear route to follow.
Form a political party, maybe call it the ‘Green Party’ who knows someone might vote for them. The alternative is to form a revolution and do what the Russians did for 70 years destroy entrepreneurial spirit and end up bankrupt.
Choices, choices.
They could always resort to their usual hopeless activities and remain universally hated by society. XR present a permanent example to the world of what happens when ignorant, uneducated loons, are given the freedom to disrupt society. People ignorant about nature and ignorant about how affordable energy availability, has saved the planet need help.
Yes, I read one of the comments on a Guardian story about climate protests, and this person listed all the protests they participated in over the years –
every firckin’ cause you could think of (all far- left of course).
Such people must have nothing else in their lives to motivate them.
Sad.
“The Guardian view on the BBC: more important than ever
Editorial”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/01/the-guardian-view-on-the-bbc-more-important-than-ever
As The BBC buys more copies of the Guardian than anybody else…..
Propagandists sticking together
If Thatcher had called the Poll Tax a “BBC Support Fund”, the left might have supported it.
If she’d studied Richard II and the Peasants Revolt she might have fared better with that one. Politicians are still trying to implement Ordinance of Labourers and Statute of Labourers
Now they call for people to disrupt the Conservative government. Thus they reveal their true nature, socialists
Unfortunately the major parties in most of Europe run from Socialist to Communist.
The masses not only don’t like them, they view them with utter contempt
I’m happily surprised.
Everybody has heard of climate change. It’s not news. It’s not obscure. Further communication will not provide further information. It will not change minds.
The reason that people have not changed their lifestyles to fight climate change is that people knowingly choose their current lifestyle. Climate change is known, understood, evaluated and not deemed a priority.
That goes for every scale. From families flying to holidays up to nations flying to COPs for waffle and doing of… nothing.
XR chose direct action because everyone had already decided that their views were silly. They had to try and change the debate.
But their views are still silly. They have not made anyone think that the issue is more of a priority.
XR has failed.
“It’s not news. It’s not obscure. Further communication will not provide further information. It will not change minds.”
Stop being rational!
Just Stop Oil accuses media of ‘not doing enough’ over climate crisis during an appearance on BBC Newsnight
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/just-stop-oil-accuses-media-154029034.html
I suppose one could suggest “Learn about the climate crisis while you sleep”
I accidentally caught the opening sequence of “60 Minutes” last night.
It looked like they were going to spend the entire hour hyping climate change. They showed a short clip of some old guy whining about the ongoing mass extinction event and how we only had a few decades to save all life on the planet.
Yes, because somebody put such ridiculous ideas into a computer “model” and people are gullible enough to believe the output of said “models,” despite their complete disconnect from REALITY.
To clarify a bit…
For the more rational among us, the “issue” of “climate change” is not even an issue to begin with. It’s not even about “prioritization,” which suggests “climate change” is an “issue” which it is not. A WARMING climate during an INTERGLACIAL period during an ICE AGE is called GOOD NEWS, not an “issue.”
“Hypothetical bullshit,” which is the basis of “the issue” that XR and JSO and other such cesspools of delusion have their panties in a twist over, is simply NOT AN ACTUAL “ISSUE” at all.
What IS an ACTUAL ISSUE is the colossal harm that WILL result from the implementation of the IDIOTIC POLICIES that XR and JSO and other such cesspools of delusion advocate for.
The real irony being that even if “the issue” as they see it WAS real, those idiotic policies they advocate for wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. Because China, India and other so-called “developing” nations are not joining the cult of economic suicide and will thereby guarantee that GLOBAL human CO2 emissions WILL continue to climb irrespective of the fruitless pursuit of “reductions” by deluded ‘western’ governments.
A wise move.
Being morally right (or morally wrong, your mileage may vary) may give you a warm fuzzy, but does not actually prevent injury.
If you sit in traffic, you risk being run over. Sure, it is illegal to deliberately run someone over, and even accidentally running someone over will involve an investigation and possible charges, but the very important point here is that if you were the one who got run over after choosing to sit in the middle of the road, then you have still been run over.
How do we reduce the risk of being run over? Minimalise the time spent on the road.
Seriously, the more these people spent time on the middle of roads the greater the chance of one or more of them getting run over and injured.
Also, there is (or hopefully ‘was’) the growing risk that someone was finally going to snap and just beat one or more protestors to a pulp.
Yes, violence in that manner is illegal and I am sure being ethically and legally correct will help you learn to eat through a straw, but you will still be the one with your teeth in a little plastic bag.
If by sitting in a road the ER “protesters” prevent an ambulance with someone needing urgent care is delayed, and that person expires, the ER people ought to be charged to the fullest extent of the law. At least negligent manslaughter if not homicide.
The sense of entitlement is still there. They are right and you must change your life to help.
Runs deep. Was reading the InstaGram of an otherwise completely changing friend. He posted that time line meme where it goes from ‘Climate Change isn’t Real’ to ‘Climate Change is Real but We don’t know how much’ to ‘oh no’ and ‘[four letter slang word for feces starting with C]’ with the overt guilt trip being that you have had PLENTY of time and we have been telling you for years.
This from a man who takes regular trips to Ireland (from Oz) and has holidayed on Antarctica.
Planning to cut down on your unnecessary flights anytime soon, Climate Friend?
(and ‘I offset’ is not an answer. Offsetting is like claiming you shouldn’t be guilty of murder because you just got someone pregnant.)
“Offsetting is like claiming you shouldn’t be guilty of murder because you just got someone pregnant”
OK, I’m stealing that one!!!
“We Quit”: Extinction Rebellion Announces an End to Disruption
this is tearable news. how will i ever get through the day?
I”ve often felt like ripping up newspapers and magazines after reading the nonsense they print as news.
” Our #NewYearsResolution is to halt our tactics of public disruption. ”
If you believe, I have nearby a very nice bridge to sell you…
Ha ha! I think this #NewYearsResolution will vanish in a puff of blue smoke as soon as the warm Springtime weather arrives.
Stupidity has its limits–even sponsored/paid stupidity.
Not according to Einstein, who purportedly said, “Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
Maybe it was the plan to glue to moving trains and planes at takeoff that broke the agenda. But there will still be a large Kool-Aid reception to deal with the narcissism.
Here’s one reason they quit.
A Just Stop Oil activist who brought the M25 to a standstill last month by scaling a gantry over junction 22 has told a judge that the selfish stunt ‘ruined his life’.
Alfred Beswick, 26, of Hackney, east London, helped close Britain’s busiest motorway to a halt during a series of climate protests by Just Stop Oil last month.
…
The court heard he had written a letter in which he admitted the move, designed to put pressure on the UK Government to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels, had ‘ruined his life’ and damaged his relationship.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11519241/Just-Stop-Oil-activist-brought-M25-standstill-says-decision-ruined-life.html
The conclusion seems to be, they aren’t all equally committed 100% to the ’cause’ over everything else.
Good. May the lives of every idiot that participates in such mass stupidity be “ruined.”
Maybe that will prevent those idiots from ruining EVERYONE ELSE’S lives through the colossally stupid policies they are advocating.
Last call for Green?
Humanity is [still] viable and the Earth is green and greening.
They are afraid that their donors will be held financially liable for the damage done to a society that can’t heat its homes during the winter, or deliver food to stores without gas. Who are the groups funding them and you will learn why they are changing their tactics.
That’s big of them.
I wonder if they polled all 200 members, or whether the self-appointed idiot at the top decided it wasn’t bringing in the cash anymore? Time to move on to building the next grifting enviro-pressure group.
That’s a fake resolution. We’re stop if everybody does it for us. Ridiculous.
I’d like to know who ordered the change in direction. Was it the man in the high tower with the personal art collection?
I guess destruction of art classics did not go well with the art collector donors. Follow the “charitable” donation money.
WHY, why aren’t they taken to court.
They are organized, they have their own website, it would not be impossible to go after them.
They will simply join Just Stop Oil and continue to p1ss off the British public that despise them and their stupid antics
You can’t quit, YOU’RE FIRED!
“building collective power, strengthening in number and thriving through bridge-buildin”
Usually code for face-saving retreat after overall irrelevance and losing momentum has been realized and admitted to. Congrats is in order! Long live the extinction rebellion. That all what lives forever might struggle against extinction, even though it might become rather absurd.
Extinction Rebellion = Future Politicians of the New World Order. These elitists don’t care about you or the planet. They are spoiled petulant rich kids who demand to get their way. It is power they are after and power is derived from control.