Are we getting angry at the wrong people?
John (MetroTalk, Tue) says the BBC should send Chris Packham ‘packing’ after its presenter described the jail sentences for the Just Stop Oil protesters as a ‘grotesque miscarriage of justice’.
I disagree. Packham should be able to speak his mind. He is one of the ‘crown jewels’ of the BBC and is only reminding us of what Sir David Attenborough has already clearly stated – that we’re in a desperately serious climate and nature emergency, and all governments must take urgent action for the sake of all life on Earth and our children’s future.
Of course this is a miscarriage of justice. How is locking up five peaceful climate protesters for a total of 21 years proportionate for having a Zoom call [to plan the protests that closed the M25]when violent offenders and drug dealers serve less time?
As the United Nations secretary general António Guterres said in 2022, ‘We are on a fast track to climate disaster… Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals, but the truly dangerous radicals are the countries increasing the production of fossil fuels.’
METRO TALK – HAVE YOUR SAY
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Other readers don’t agree…
I’m glad the Just Stop Oil protesters got these prison sentences because they inconvenienced the public, and caused untold harassment and distress.
They were planning further disruptions but thankfully their plans were nipped in the bud.
We should start to dish out similar sentences to anyone who thinks their beliefs should be forced on to others.
We have had it up to here with the Tarquins and Henriettas who have nothing better to do than severely disrupt people simply going about their business.
I hope the courts realise the majority of people in the UK are quite happy for these sentences to be dished out. Bring them on.
Not so eco-friendly on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge…
I have just read the letters by people saying these prison sentences were wrong (MetroTalk, Tue).
Try telling that to those who live in the Dartford area. In an earlier Just Stop Oil protest, they were trapped in their homes while these idiots were up on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. For two nights we had traffic bumper-to-bumper, spewing out fumes with the noise of running engines.
People missed operations and outpatient appointments etc and God help anybody if their house had caught alight – the fire engines had no chance of getting through.
Also, fellow eco-protesters Insulate Britain glued themselves to the road at Swanley and a young man was knocked off his bicycle and killed by a dustcart, which was more than likely caused by the congestion caused by the traffic.
So give a thought to the family of the man and the people who suffered because of these protesters.
While I don’t fully condone their actions, the sentences are shocking and akin to political sentences handed out in dictatorial countries such as Russia and North Korea.
Groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil do what they do because they care about our planet and the lives of so many at the detriment of self.
Pollution is a threat to everyone in the future but an immediate one to those with respiratory conditions. Global warming is a threat to our future but an immediate one to the poor in developing countries.
These selfless individuals were trying to get the rich and powerful to listen.
Hopes rise for end to war – and we’re not shirkers
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has authorised his foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to visit China for talks on how to end the war that Russian president Vladimir Putin launched on Ukraine. Let us hope Zelensky’s efforts bear fruit and we’ll see an end to this dreadful war.
Kay (MetroTalk, Wed) says there is a ‘lack of accountability for performance or attendance’ for public sector workers. Just to reassure her that although I work in the NHS, I actually have to turn up for work. Incredibly, I do actually get managed and appraised, too.
Robby (MetroTalk, Tue) compares the role of Helen Pitcher as chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in keeping an innocent man in jail for 17 years, with that of Sir Ed Davey as Post Office minister during the Horizon scandal.
The equivalent of Ms Pitcher in the PO scandal is Paula Vennells, who was CEO of the PO from 2012 to 2019 when many postmasters were wrongly prosecuted. She is already disgraced, having handed back the CBE awarded to her by Theresa May.
Flexing for Trump, bumpy buses, your cat’s dirty business
Regarding your comments about bumpy bus rides (MetroTalk, Wed), I find that most bus drivers have no idea about how to use the clutch. To anyone suffering from spinal problems, it feels like a kick in the back every time they pull away.
In reply to Janet from Kent and her contribution to the cats versus dogs debate (MetroTalk, Tue).
The reason cat owners ‘don’t bag up their dirty business and hang it off bushes trees for us all to see’ is because most let their beloved little darlings roam free so they can defecate in other people’s gardens, resulting in them having the pleasure of picking up cat poop. If I could bag it up and return it, I would happily do so.
I think I’m addicted to social media. Martin Lawrence’s line about a nightclub on the Moon having ‘loads of space’ (MetroTalk, Tue) made me laugh and I immediately started to look for the ‘Like’ button below the comments on the newspaper.
Only in America would you have Hulk Hogan on stage at the Republican National Convention, ripping off his top and flexing his biceps to show support for Donald Trump.
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