And so it begins, the public backlash that was entirely inevitable. What exactly did these protesters expect? Whilst I don't condone any violence, I'm afraid it was eventually inevitable.
As much as I support the cause of XR, I do not support this and it will cost them a lot of support from normals as seen by their reaction to the protesters!
I'm afraid support was lost before today's events, what you are seeing now is as I say the backlash. Again I do not support any kind of violence, but the more they cause problems for ordinary people, the worse it will get for them. XR needs a rethink, otherwise it is over for them.
Everybody who claims that protests about not addressing climate change is just illustrating that they don't understand the issue. Each year the impact of global warming is becoming more invasive on the life of the global population, including the 'do nothing' deniers! Gradually, those in denial will eventually object to these impacts and (stupidly) demand that the government does something about it, which depending on how long it is before the penny drops, will need to be quite draconian. There will be no safe haven in the world, climate change is not a democratic force, so moralising about inconveniencing people now will seem like a minor irritation worth enduring.
Man made climate change (let's call it what it really is) is indeed having an impact right now. But the ever more ridiculous methods of groups like XR are driving anger, and even hatred against them, and by proxy the cause they stand for. It is setting back environmental causes years, maybe even decades. The bottom line is that change will not come from people protesting on the streets, or on top of tube stock. It will only come from within the walls of Westminster, it will only come when people in business drive changes in attitudes. This only happens from within, not without. Putting it bluntly, middle class millennials desperate to find validation and massage their fragile egos will not be the ones that bring about change.
It is time for people really passionate about finding better, more sustainable ways of living to tackle this with a more mature, pragmatic and realistic approach. To change an entire society's ways will take a very long time, and it will only happen when society feels positive and engaged with what is changing. And before anyone shouts about time running out, let's be really clear here. Even if we went to a carbon neutral position tomorrow, it would take decades, maybe centuries for the climate to respond. And Humans have been impacting the environment for thousands of years, slashing & burning our way through our countries, and yes that includes Britain. There are no easy fixes, there is no easy way to change society, and there is no instant results to be expected.