Vote for Hain on climate change
■ WHAT a superb article by Peter Hain recalling the persecution of the suffragettes, his own anti-apartheid campaigns, the deportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the military attacks on Chartists and Tonypandy strikers (Mirror, October 17).
This should remind everybody that some of the things we take for granted today only came about through protest and demonstration.
Sure, people will be inconvenienced but what could be more important than trying to prevent the planet becoming uninhabitable?
And it’s great to see so many young people campaigning against the causes of climate change. As a grandad of four, I fear for their future. Paul Methven Winscombe, Somerset
■ Having read Peter Hain’s piece on the climate change protesters, I was pleased to see there are still a few decent people left in politics. We should always remember that without the sacrifices of others who have gone before us we would have none of the freedoms we enjoy today. His references to the suffragettes, Tolpuddle Martyrs and antiapartheid campaigners served as a great reminder that we should applaud these climate protesters who are not out for personal gain, but want a safe world for future generations.
John Morton, Southport Merseyside
■ I take my hat off to the Extinction Rebellion protesters as direct action is sometimes the only way to force governments to listen. We are sleepwalking into an environmental disaster on an unimaginable scale and if a few people are inconvenienced on their way to work then that’s a price worth paying. People need to wake up and listen to the scientists – global warming isn’t some far off distant threat, it’s real and we need to do something about it while we can. Angela Healey, Wilmslow, Cheshire
■ It was inevitable that the public was eventually going to get fed up with the disruption these protesters are causing. Most workers can’t afford to spend two weeks protesting against something this country already has a good record on. If they are really intent on bringing about change they should protest in the USA, India, China, and any other country not making any the effort to reverse climate change. Reversal won’t happen overnight no matter what we do, but at least this country is trying.
R Tandy, Liverpool
■ Although I do understand the motives behind Extinction Rebellion, I disagree with their methods which are more likely to annoy people by causing disruption.
As a widow on a pension, I also wonder how they can afford to spend so much time demonstrating. D Hughesdon, South London
■ Peter Hain’s article referencing all the other activists and campaigners who sacrificed so much to bring about change is so true. Once you read into the science and the reasons why Extinction Rebellion are doing what they are doing, then you realise there is no other choice if we want to avoid disaster.
J Smith, Hove East Sussex
■ Protesters are calling for the Government to do more to tackle climate change and younger people all over the world are having their say on this issue. But are they willing to stop taking flights for their holidays? If not, they are not only hypocrites, they have wasted their time.
Mike George Biggleswade, Beds