Sky News???

[cee-dee]

Sky News, do you ever watch? There's a possibility it might close down:- 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41909321

In recent times I find Sky News extremely boring, lacking in real news and dominated by Politics.

The two most boring, arrogant and pompous individuals are Adam Boulton and Faisal Islam. Virtually all politics is not newsworthy and I find Sky News content extremely biased.

They seem to have forgotten that "The News is......" The news is what's hapened but as far as Sky is concerned the news according to Sky is what they think, what they think is going to happen, what they think should happen and what they think whoever they're talking about should do all coupled with their opinion on the matter.

Heck, I sound like them?

[lambsy_uk]

First we have to see how actions would benefit the greater community in order to want to take it. Often those proposing actions have their own interests at heart while hiding behind supposed good of the community as justification.

[cee-dee]

Ah-ha, now it's coming out, some of those "protesters" are being paid up to £800 A WEEK to take part. So much for selflessly giving up their time?

• Activists have been paid more than £200,000 since the start of the scheme;
• The cost of the payments is increasing by 'at least £40,000 a month';
• Activists are targeting 'high net worth individuals' for more funds;
• They spent £5,000 on a camping tour of Europe for key members.

[upthecreekyetagain]

Not sure what the problem is?

The Daily Mail call it "being paid" XR call it "expenses".

Unions pay strikers and have done so for generations, all sorts of groups from Girl Guides to politicians to schools pay out expenses for voluntary work carried out.

Is it because the Daily Mail don't like the aims of XR as a group that they are misrepresenting the payment of expenses.

[joe_bloggs*]

Might answer some of the daily mails attacks:

"These attacks depressingly tend to come hard and fast as any attempt to address the status quo of the worsening climate and ecological – and democractic – emergency emerges. This doesn’t just happen to Extinction Rebellion, but to any group and people that want change. We’ll take it as a compliment." 

https://rebellion.earth/2019/10/13/read-all-about-it-response-to-mail-on-sunday-as-1000s-come-togeth...

[upthecreekyetagain]

Most national and international protest groups have employees as well as paying out expenses.  

Does this make organisations such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace and their aims and 'protests' any less legitimate?

[cee-dee]

Oh come on, those scoundrels wouldn't be doing it if they weren't creaming it, financed by those fools who have made "easy come, easy go" money.

[upthecreekyetagain]

Which scoundrels are you referring to?

You wouldn't get me out in the cold and the wet, gluing myself to buildings and such, protesting about a cause I didn't actually believe in for £400 a week!

[cee-dee]

Some of them would do anything for a few quid buckshee.

[suzieseaside]

Must admit I am surprised CD about your comment about these 'scoundrels'. If you had watched TV coverage you would have seen that the protesters are largely white, middle class parents and grandparents plus their kids. Hardly the anarchists you claim they are.

I happen to believe that climate warming is exacerbated by human activity and, as a scientist during my career, I have believed the science for 30 years. I'm not convinced that XR have entirely the right approach to gain public support but I think something has to change and we need to wake up to it. To depict the protesters as scoundrels and troublemakers simply exploiting expenses from XR is inaccurate IMO.

[cee-dee]

Ah yes, the scoundrels? Whilst what you say about some of the "protesters" is true, the demonstrations are being overtaken by the scoundrels who just want to cause trouble. It wouldn't matter to them what the cause is, they'd be there causing obstructions etc. Given a very small chance (not even half a chance) and they'd be there causing damage, destruction and looting.

As I've said before, the scoundrels are really nasty, jealous types who resent anyone with a few quid, they resent "the establishment", they resent Law and Order and really, the only thing they do like is picking up free money!

[suzieseaside]

That's your opinion, not fact. Given the thousands of protesters, where was the rioting? Where was the looting?

My opinion is based on what I have been told by people I know who were stewards there during the first week as well as film footage which shows people of all ages obstructing but not being aggressive.

The Animal Rebellion lot tend to be more militant, I would agree, but I see no evidence that most of XR are comprised of nasty types that you describe. In fact much criticism of the 'movement' in the media has been that it is too white and too middle class. That is, People who have a few quid themselves. Their motivation for making the effort to go to London and protest is not to collect expenses.

[cee-dee]

We each have our respective opinion? However, although there hasn't been any "rioting or looting" yet, it's only a matter of time before that happens.

I'll agree the "animal rights" lot are worse. A long while back they were reponsible for releasing loads of Mink and look what's happened with those? They recently broke in to a Pheasant farm and were responsible for the deaths of thousands of young birds.

I don't know what the ER lot think they can achieve by doing what they're doing, as far as I can see they're increasing the very thing they're "protesting" about. When they get nowhere with that line, we'll see how far they're prepared to go.

[lambsy_uk]

Obstructing but not aggressive; typical passive-aggressive actions! Hide behind something claiming to be reasonable to achieve things that are abhorrent!