Insulate Britain - a bunch of loonies or rightful cause?

[EerieSilence]

I'm watching the videos with Insulate Britain people blocking the motorists, people driving their children to school, hospitals or simply going to work.
I don't get the cause and the way they chose. I'm a leftist myself and participated at demonstrations but this, I really don't understand.
How is blocking normal people doing their normal business going to achieve anything?
If it happened to me, I would be pissed off and wouldn't care one iota about the cause. Why don't they protest in front of Boris's expensive nursery, blocking ways to Queen's residences and parliament but instead target people who didn't cause the problem?

I’m questioning why people feel the need to glue themselves to roads to get something as simple as home insulation on the agenda you really need to question? lets take a stab then: global pandemic, billions in the red- soaring cost of living, increased NI- are you happy to pay to insulate your neighbours house?

Idiots and hypocrites from what I've seen (maybe not all of them). Surely there are many better ways to go about improving things.

I wouldn't mind betting they're government stooges upping the anti so the public will agree with harsher punishments for protestors!

Only half joking.

If they're legitimate they're just idiots - but then I don't give a shit about climate change. If humans are wiped out it won't be a huge loss to the planet 🤷🏻‍♀️

@TravelLost

What do you propose they do instead?

Atm we have a government thst doesn’t give a shit. People don’t seem to be conscious of the situation.

So I’m wondering what people think will have an impact instead.

Do the same thing that people affected by the cladding scandal have done to get it on the agenda for parliament? Or the people behind Flex Appeal - flexible working for everyone, who have managed to get that on the parliament agenda? Lobby MPs, contact insulation companies and home builders and start conversations with them on how to progress this, get the support of the media and social media?

What exactly have Insulate Britain done previously that didn't work?

Regardless of whether cause is worthy. They way they are acting there is no way I could entertain the possibly of following the cause.

Dangerous, selfish twats.

Without widespread support behind them there is no pressure for the government to act

Rational people know this, LittleMysSister, but unfortunately you're not talking about rational folk ... just noisy attention seekers, where the only real interest for many is a bit of a ruck and the opportunity to prate at others

If they're legitimate they're just idiots - but then I don't give a shit about climate change. If humans are wiped out it won't be a huge loss to the planet

what about if we wipe out other life on Earth too?

@Orangejuicemarathoner

If they're legitimate they're just idiots - but then I don't give a shit about climate change. If humans are wiped out it won't be a huge loss to the planet

what about if we wipe out other life on Earth too?

Still don't care!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers yes. As far as I’m aware this is something the government have already committed to and haven’t revoked that.

We’re shifting into a period of rising energy prices and emergencies/disasters caused by climate change. If relatively simple measures can ease that then I’m all for it. This situation isn’t going anywhere.

There is a cost attached to climate change and energy needs whichever way you want to look at it. It’s going to have to be paid for (and not just £££) one way or another. Better to have things in place before it’s needed than have to deal with the costs associated with difficulties. But then this cabinet in particular don’t appear to be fans of preparedness and prefer the costlier methods of clearing up self-created messes.

I understand what they want to achieve but pissing off the general public trying to work etc and blocking emergency services will never, ever get people to pay attention to anything but the disruption they cause!!

Effective, how exactly? Didn't Yougov just publish that only 16% of the British public had either a “very favourable” or “somewhat favourable” opinion of the protesters, while 53% had either a “somewhat unfavourable” or “very unfavourable” opinion of them.

Given the Govt has also given police powers to arrest them, and publically written them off, not sure this has been in any way 'effective'.

You are confusing popularity with effectiveness.

They don't care about popularity

Just look at the levels of abuse they are prepared to take.

I don't think many people on this board would have the guts

Rightful cause approached wrongly by a bunch of loonies.
I think they are doing damage to the cause generally which is affecting others who are actually taking positive useful steps in the public arena.
Yes they've got people talking about it but they've also switched off the general public At a public event recently where we were approaching this from a constructive standpoint we got a lot more pushback from lots of people from all sectors of the community than usual due to their antics.

I have no idea what they want and all I know about them is they are annoying, so their protest hasn't worked. I assume they want everyone to insulate everything but most people who do care already have or can't because not all houses can be insulated with a quick cavity wall job.

Ha ha what “guts” they sit down in the road and a few people shout at them. Easier than many peoples every day jobs.

I don't think many people on this board would have the guts

It takes cowardice to not give a shit about being responsible for someone being paralysed. It doesn't take guts to prevent children with cancer getting the treatment they need it takes heartlessness. It certainly doesn't take guts to have a woman begging you to get to her ill mother in an emergency and shrug and say "the police will move us soon probably" that takes a certain level of being a sociopath.

They care about people so much that they are willing to sacrifice others for their cause, which they can't even articulate properly themselves.

They all need to be arrested and hauled off to some loony farm for a bit so normal people can get on with their lives! If not for everyone else but themselves as the way things are going someone will be killed soon. It’s not the right way to get attention for the cause. If someone was stopping me getting to hospital for my child or similar I would get them off the road no matter the cost! It’s ridiculous.

In 100 years time, there will be statues in their honour

You need to lay off the

They’re selfish, egotistical idiots.

The cause is important and, particularly with rocketing energy prices, funding for improved insulation would be an easy sell at the moment. You could tie it up with fuel poverty, food poverty, children living in poverty etc. It would be popular with the elderly. It’s a (relatively) cheap way to cut energy consumption and save money on future fuel bills and it makes complete sense for the government to act on this with a new functional scheme of grants.

The way this group have acted has not only risked lives and alienated people it’s actually stopped the government from bringing in any new scheme - anything introduced while these people are blocking motorways and making threats would look like capitulation. Tory leaning papers have described them as terrorists. Boris can’t afford to look weak to his own party.

It’s miraculous that no one has been killed with these people running out into moving traffic on motorways.

@Orangejuicemarathoner

Effective, how exactly? Didn't Yougov just publish that only 16% of the British public had either a “very favourable” or “somewhat favourable” opinion of the protesters, while 53% had either a “somewhat unfavourable” or “very unfavourable” opinion of them.

Given the Govt has also given police powers to arrest them, and publically written them off, not sure this has been in any way 'effective'.

You are confusing popularity with effectiveness.

They don't care about popularity

Just look at the levels of abuse they are prepared to take.

I don't think many people on this board would have the guts

Erm, I don't think you understand that effective means RESULTS. You do realise for a Govt to feel pressured by a protest enough to deliver RESULTS, there needs to be public support right? That's the point of a protest... If the public are willing to step in and fight protesters on behalf of the Govt, the Govt can just sit back and chill, yes?

Abuse without results is just stupidity isn't it...? Unless they want a statue in 10 years for "Here lies X, took loads of abuse from everyone. Legend."

Also, BDSM enthusiasts enjoy abuse more than most. Not sure they're people I need to aspire to be.

Every single one of them and their loved ones should be denied life saving treatment. Stopping ambulances and very unwell people from getting the medical attention they need is beyond reprehensible.

They do nothing for their cause, their own houses are poorly insulated. Hypocrites with no morals. We need those water cannons and quick.

I have very little time for this.

But atm I am pregnant. Having previously been an ablebodied person with no time requirements or health requirements meaning I understood very little the issues others may have with being trapped somewhere against there will.

Now I have horrendous morning sickness.

When I need to go to the loo - I need to go.
When I need to eat - I need to eat
When I need to drink - I need to drink.

These are not optional for me in the same way they used to be. Now if I do not plan my day around these I end up a horrendous mess of puking, fainting and severe illness due to my pregnancy induced low blood pressure problems.

I now have a huge sympathy for others who must have to live their lives like this - diabetics, those with young children, those with IBS or any other issue.

What they are doing is emotional abuse, and by extension physical and financial.

I do not see how its any different from an abusive partner saying you cannot leave the house, or you cannot go to work etc.

These videos of people dragging the protestors off the road is exactly what needs to happen.

IMO this is a civil dispute. And if they want to emotionally, physically and financially abuse the public. Then the public has the right to remove them with the minimum force required as self defence against this abuse.

Yes the motorists are holding someone against their will by holding them at the side of the road, but it is only in response to them being held against their will. I dont see how its not justifiable in court.

As others have commented the government is quite happy to let a group of middle class protesters and ego-centric agitators (who go from cause to cause) disrupt people on the M25. Nothing could do a finer job of moving a legitimate climate concern into the shade by losing public support and whipping up public anger so efficiently. Causing accidents and distress and blocking emergency vehicles is punishing the wrong people and it’s the kiss of death for their message.

Have you looked on the Covid boards? There seem to be an awful lot of people who we’re put off having the vaccinations not because they were anti vaxx or afraid of side effects but because they were being told to get vaccinated by the government and they don’t like being told what to do. I find it odd but it’s a very real phenomenon.

How a message is conveyed is important. The actions of these protesters, blocking motorways, has angered a lot of people and made them less receptive to any environmental message. It seems irrational because the actions of some idiots in promoting their cause don’t negate the validity of their cause but people are odd.

Disgusting people who aren't at all interested in the cause, only in their own self-congratulation.

There are genuine leftists that actually care about people and causes, and there are ones who are only interested in feeling morally superior and disrupting other people. This lot are very much the latter. They don't even give any advice about how to insulate your home on their website!

It's not like nothing is being done about insulation either. All new homes are massively insulated (so much so that they become greenhouses in the summer), and there are billions of pounds in grants for home insulation for those that want it.

They are targetting the public because they hate ordinary people.

The shock impact of doing it once to a major road should have been enough. With all these halfhearted attempts on fairly random roads, it's just inconveniencing completely normal people trying to get by & do their job & get to school like anyone, while they look like privileged limpets without any cares in the world.