Monday 21st October 2019
11 of us welcomed one new member to the group. Three people sent their apologies.
With the rapidly changing Bexit situation, we took a moment to consider where we were. The Withdrawal Agreement presented by the government is presented with very little time for consideration. We were aware that such an important issue needs much more time. The government is not prepared to give parliament that time in order to leave ‘do or die’ before end October. It is likely that, with strong opposition to this rush, a general election will be called. The government’s plan to introduce photo ID for this was seen by many as an underhand means of reducing voting amongst poorer sections of the community.
We reflected upon the recent October Rebellion led by Extinction Rebellion (XR). Those of us who had attended in London were impressed by the non-violent and thoughtful approach of XR, by the wide range of educational and training activities included in the Rebellion. It seemed apparent that the mass media were only interested in reporting violence and disruption, thus creating a misleading picture of the events. The BBC’s reporting was criticised. Those present found it to be a highly emotional and uplifting experience.
But where next? In the light of XRs three objectives (reducing CO2 emissions to zero by 2025; creating a ‘climate emergency; creating Citizens Assemblies with real power) we considered how XR might develop as well as how policies should respond. It was seen as demanding systemic change; although, as individuals, we are also challenged to make radical changes to our expectations.
We also discussed recent local developments such as the Hope Valley Climate Action group which has 300 people signed up and appears to have enormous potential for action. We thought that this local activity was a complement to XR type of action. Indeed, as parliament has increasingly shown itself unable to meet such challenges (as global warming, inequality, Brexit), perhaps local action is becoming a more powerful locus of change. Like XR, HVCA’s value may be as much in developing a sense of shared community as of reducing ‘carbon footprint’.
We ended on the optimistic note that what is important (eg Climate, Equality, Arms Trade) can be addressed equally well whether we are in or out of the EU. (We have argued in the past that EU membership is important to supporting Climate action.)