Climate protests are now fuelling our fury

HEADING for one of my hospital appointments last week, we were caught up in traffic stopped by the idiot activists. It was just around the corner from St Bart’s Hospital in central London and, naturally, there were more police than protesters, mostly sitting in their cars and on motorbikes while a small bunch of extremely ignorant people held up ordinary folk trying to go about their daily lives.

I was about to jump out of the car to have a word with them when my wife very strongly suggested I didn’t and, as you know, I never argue with Lady W. In my current condition, there wasn’t a lot I could do.

As I wasn’t able to give them a piece of my rather limited mind, I’m taking this opportunity instead. I was late for my appointment – it was just a check-up, thankfully, so not that serious – but who knows who else was stuck in traffic trying to get to the hospital?

Or somewhere else. Perhaps going to work or shopping or just meeting their friends. But whether you’ve got a lifethreatening illness or not, it shouldn’t take this sort of struggle to get around our major cities.

What have we become when a small group like this can dictate our movements with impunity?

We’re all aware of climate change and, frankly, Britain is a heck of a lot less polluted than it was 50 years ago… and probably far less so than during the Industrial Revolution.

If the likes of Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and other groups aren’t careful, they are going to shoot themselves in the foot and set their cause back many decades.

I think most Britons are fairly patient, we respect the right to peaceful protest, but this has gone too far.

And as for the police, what is their point if they’re not going to uphold the laws of the land for the majority?

No wonder footage emerged on Friday showing a man tearing banners from protesters in London.