Topic: More climate change protests in Central London

[Fambo Number Mive]

Climate change protesters have blocked off Oxford Circus.

Other members of #ExtinctionRebellion also at Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and Marble Arch.

Organisers say they intend to stay for at least a week and emulate the Occupy movement.

Nothing on the BBC website but it's trending on Twitter. 20 bus routes on diversion.

A load of plants have been put on Waterloo Bridge.

[king_tubby]

Are they in the nuddy yet?

[Blumf]

A load of plants have been put on Waterloo Bridge.

Unrelated Joanna Lumley activity.

[jobotic]

Good for them.

[biggytitbo]

I wonder what % of them are real protesters?

[solidified gruel merchant]

I think they’re all real.

[Uncle TechTip]

I wonder what % of them are real protesters?

I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that this is in reference to undercover police and such.

[biggytitbo]

Yes judging by other protest movements, especially environmental ones, there'll be a lot of coppers holding those placards, and having sex with the nicer ladies.

[Fambo Number Mive]

BBC finally is reporting on the climate change protests:

Extinction Rebellion said protests would continue throughout the week "escalating the creative disruption across the capital day by day".

The group said it planned to "bring London to a standstill for up to two weeks", and wanted the government to take urgent action to tackle climate change.

What are the first actions the government should do to tackle climate change? I think scrapping the upcoming roadbuilding program and replacing it with public transit alternatives such as guided electric busways or trains would be a good start. Public transport also needs to be more accessible to wheelchair users so they don't need to rely on cars so much.

[gib]

I wonder what % of them are real protesters?

If you look at the pictures you'll see a lot of them are plants.

[hummingofevil]

Yes judging by other protest movements, especially environmental ones, there'll be a lot of coppers holding those placards, and having sex with the nicer ladies.

The approach of ER is to be as open as possible about what they are up to. They tell the police everything they plan to do and are doing this intentionally to try to limit Police infiltration (idea being what is the point?).

On the flip side there is no top-down structure as such and people encouraged to just get on with whatever ideas they have (there is beef between ER and Greenpeace who they see as idle and useless) which means there could be scope for some wrong'un's from the Police to smash shit up for propaganda purposes. Suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

[biggytitbo]

Nuclear.

[Blumf]

What are the first actions the government should do to tackle climate change?

Tighter rules on home builders and landlords for energy efficiency. I think we're at the point now where new homes should have stuff like solar power+battery systems installed as standard. Not to mention ground source heat pumps (which are easier to setup before the house is built)

As for landlords; was speaking to one this weekend who's been going over the current rules and it seems like they have to do next to bugger all, even with these environment checks that have come in. i.e. no requirement for double glazing! (due to cost/returns estimates apparently) That ain't right.

[hummingofevil]

BBC finally is reporting on the climate change protests:

What are the first actions the government should do to tackle climate change? I think scrapping the upcoming roadbuilding program and replacing it with public transit alternatives such as guided electric busways or trains would be a good start. Public transport also needs to be more accessible to wheelchair users so they don't need to rely on cars so much.

My immediate idea is to increase tax on airplance fuel but ban ALL private jets and helicopter and drone use; rich cunts can still use first class but if poor people have to pay more for flights then super rich can do without their private planes. Throw in the immediate grounding of all military aircraft across the world too. That would sort out quite a few problems in one go. As if.

[greenman]

A lot of investment in fusion research and some large scale public investments in renewables, something like the Severn Barrage.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Military aircraft are often used for flying supplies to countries hit by extreme weather, but I agree about banning private jets, helicopters and drones.

First class on trains should be renamed business class and not allowed to make up more than 11% of the train at the weekends or 22% of the train on weekdays to encourage more people to travel by train.  How often do you see a nearly empty first class carriage on a train with loads of crowded normal carriages.

[biggytitbo]

Environmental activists have smashed windows as they vandalised the London headquarters of oil giant Shell - in protests aimed at grinding the capital to a halt.

We've found the undercover policeman.

[biggytitbo]

Now listen up you hippies...

[Fambo Number Mive]

We've found the undercover policeman.

I doubt that most, if not all, of those involved in the Shell action are undercover police officers:

https://twitter.com/SaraHajibagheri/status/1117765102315479040

https://twitter.com/TRF_Stories/status/1117769346913316867

[metaltax]

It must be great to be unemployed.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Many of the protestors may have taken the day off, work part time or work weekends so get Monday off. Of course, some will be unemployed or retired, or under 18, but many will have jobs as well.

[hummingofevil]

A lot of investment in fusion research and some large scale public investments in renewables, something like the Severn Barrage.

I think fusion research is a waste of time. 20 years ago when I was at Manchester all my professors were telling us that fusion of electricity production was the panacea for all our energy needs and is "20 years away". We are a tiny step closer than we were but nowhere near large scale production. Happy to be convinced otherwise mind.

Absolutely agree with you on renewables. The UK gov stopping the Swansea lagoon as it is too expensive is a disgrace. As a Welsh person it would be nice for the people of Wales to actually get something back in return for all its resources and water other than generations of poverty but with a coordinated and FAIR approach we could easily produce enough energy for our requirements through renewables.

---

The bigger issue here is how Climate Change has been lumped in with the culture wars. It's a political and not a scientific discussion and climate change denail is just another badge of honor for these alt-right, gammony, UKIP, Brexity, Trumpian turds to proudly wear around their necks.

[buzby]

Military aircraft are often used for flying supplies to countries hit by extreme weather, but I agree about banning private jets, helicopters and drones.

First class on trains should be renamed business class and not allowed to make up more than 11% of the train at the weekends or 22% of the train on weekdays to encourage more people to travel by train.  How often do you see a nearly empty first class carriage on a train with loads of crowded normal carriages.

Modern trains run as fixed rakes, and in most cases have shared bogies between carriages meaning they have to be jacked up and have all the power and control cabling and hydraulic lines disconnected to decouple them. It would take hours on each rake to swap carriages in and out at the start and end of each weekend, as well as needing extra standard class carriages that would stand idle during the week.

A more sensible answer would be to abolish first class completely and have a single standard class with a bit more room (though we are restricted on that score by the narrow width of the carriages from having to fit within UK loading gauge).

[hummingofevil]

I doubt that most, if not all, of those involved in the Shell action are undercover police officers:

https://twitter.com/SaraHajibagheri/status/1117765102315479040

https://twitter.com/TRF_Stories/status/1117769346913316867

Again I know from a very well placed source that they are desperate for there to be arrests for peaceful protestors as that is what gets publicity. As this proves I suppose.

[biggytitbo]

It must be great to be unemployed.

I'm sure this is just selective reporting but all the ones i've seen interviewed on the news are achingly middle class, the digital event planning consultancies they work for probably allow them free day's off to go to climate protest events.

[hummingofevil]

Modern trains run as fixed rakes, and in most cases have shared bogies between carriages meaning they have to be jacked up and have all the power and control cabling and hydraulic lines disconnected to decouple them. It would take hours on each rake to swap carriages in and out at the start and end of each weekend, as well as needing extra standard class carriages that would stand idle during the week.

A more sensible answer would be to abolish first class completely and have a standard class with a bit more room (though we are restricted on that score by the narrow width of the carriages from having to fit within UK loading gauge).

I got the train from Montpellier to Nice a couple of years back. It was something like £30 to buy a ticket on the day for a 5 hour 300km journey. The trains were old stock but there were clean and comfortable and had plenty of room for everyone. Am I missing something when we are told how important it is to have these brand-spanking new stock that only private rail companies can provide? If they clean, have working toilets and a drinks trolley who gives a shit about what else? The wi-fi is extra and never works (4G on phone is more reliable) so why are we paying a premium price? Is it all shareholder dividends?

[EOLAN]

Modern trains run as fixed rakes, and in most cases have shared bogies between carriages meaning they have to be jacked up and have all the power and control cabling and hydraulic lines disconnected to decouple them. It would take hours on each rake to swap carriages in and out at the start and end of each weekend, as well as needing extra standard class carriages that would stand idle during the week.

A more sensible answer would be to abolish first class completely and have a single standard class with a bit more room (though we are restricted on that score by the narrow width of the carriages from having to fit within UK loading gauge).

True. I heard that the Flying-Scotsman was made out of a shared bogie of David Lloyd-George and Harold McMillan. As for the Titanic.....


And as you were. 

[hummingofevil]

..achingly middle class...

So? What is your point? You going down the 2nd Referendum march argument with this one that just because people might be middle class they are intrinsically not worth listening to. On some level I agree with you about the absolute cloth-earred cluelessness of the 2nd referendum lot but you doing yourself no favours if you just cut and paste your arguments over for this one.

I'm not one for marches and whatnot but to me ER are just a bunch of people who give a shit about a massive fucking problem that is staring us in the face. Strip away everything else and they have two demands:

1. That the public are given the correct information about the reality of climate change.
2. That governments do something about it not and not fuck around the edges for years to come until it is too late.

I couldn't give a shit if it's middle class people raising this or not. As for your sneery attitude implying its a middle class concern I'll let AOC explain it to you better than I can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0qn23Pt99Y

[Neville Chamberlain]

It's the classic Brendan O'Neill line of 'argument'!

[Blumf]

I think fusion research is a waste of time. 20 years ago when I was at Manchester all my professors were telling us that fusion of electricity production was the panacea for all our energy needs and is "20 years away". We are a tiny step closer than we were but nowhere near large scale production. Happy to be convinced otherwise mind.

It's "20 years away", with proper funding. And that's the problem, for around half a century, funding has been the bare minimum, so progress has been sluggish. Having said that, ITER should be running within the next decade (after work starting proper 2008-ish) so that's your 20 years.

There's currently other projects, some commercial, of varying budgets and design that should bare fruit sooner than later as well.