Anyone else’s kids striking today? My oldest is off to Manc with her mates with a home made banner. Never have I been prouder. Given everything that’s going on right now I do wonder whether we should put them in charge.

He says so but it’s an INSET day anyway.

Meanwhile, the national grid sees a spike in demand as loads of kids bunk off school to play xbox.

But they don’t care enough to give up their Saturday for the demo?

Saturday

Strike

Don’t think strikes tend to happen on Saturdays.

But they don’t care enough to give up their Saturday for the demo?

Think about what you just said.

No and as Perchy says most kids will just see it as a day off school.

Getting used to rising water levels in Bristol. 😀

INSET day down here, plenty of kids playing in the warm sunshine.

No placards in sight.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47250424

Seem to be plenty out across the UK, though I can see why they had today as an inset day, makes sense if the kids are away and you are paying the teachers

But they don’t care enough to give up their Saturday for the demo?

If my kid went on strike on Saturday he’d miss the school ski trip! 😆

“Think about what you just said.”

I did. It isn’t a strike it’s a day of school for a demo. So, not wanting to give up a Saturday?

I did

You can’t fool us by suddenly starting to think about what you day after years of not.

I did. It isn’t a strike it’s a day of school for a demo. So, not wanting to give up a Saturday?

No, it is a strike. School children are walking out of school to make themselves heard on Climate Change. They can’t walk out of school on a Saturday because… ohh, if you haven’t got it by now you never will.

I did. It isn’t a strike it’s a day of school for a demo. So, not wanting to give up a Saturday?

It’s not a day off, it’s a refusal to attend.

Didn’t take long for the cynical w***** to appear did it? As has been said, you can’t strike if you’re not at school/work in the first place. And for the record my kids have a 100% attendance record and are very proud of it. It’s actually an exteremly powerful and hopeful movement, and I only hope it keeps growing. It’s a crying shame that kids feel like they have to do this because they’ve been betrayed by their elders.

i think its pretty inspirational and im proud of the ones making an effort. Stick your cynicism up your arse! some of the most switched on kids I’ve heard/seen are in this generation.

I don’t have any children, but I think this is absolutely brilliant.
Good on them. The future is theirs!

I think its brilliant. There was a banner along the lines of “I’m not in school because you won’t listen to the educated.”

I wonder how many got a lift to the demo from their parents? In the diesel suv of course.

GrumpySTW
Kids are doing nothing, they just sit on their phones and haven’t got what it takes to demand what they want
Kids Protest Over Climate Change
GrumpySTW
Dismisses and undermines their actions while doing nothing constructive

I wonder how many got a lift to the demo from their parents? In the diesel suv of course.
Well, seeing as all of the protests took place in cities with good public transport, or, in the case of Bath, is so small that the majority can either walk or cycle.

Last weekend wasn’t it ‘yellow vests’ in favour of hard Brexit?

I think more kids protested and actually marched today than ‘yellow vests’ did last weekend……

Dear me the media reports didn’t help they made it look like this.

Was at Westminster today. On one side a bunch of inconmpetent fuktards sitting on their lazy selfish arses while the country slides down the toilet, and on the other a crowd of young people raising their voices to protest the destruction of our planet. I know which lot I have more respect for.

May thinks it is a bad thing – good enough for me 🙂

https://news.sky.com/story/theresa-may-criticises-pupils-missing-school-to-protest-over-climate-change-11638238

One such young lady on 5Live this morning said that climate change had only been debated once this year in parliament. The kids may have a point.

I don’t have any children, but I think this is absolutely brilliant.
Good on them. The future is theirs!

Same here, I did like there’s ‘no planet b placard’, they are going to live with our mess.

Mays just a f…ing joke she should actually be impressed with what the kids are actively trying to achieve and tbh I would have thought most teachers would be behind it.

One day off school to make changes for a lifetime seems a fair exchange.

I think it’s brilliant.

However……caution is needed in order to not be hypocrites.

We have a group here that are passionate about it. They absconded school (it’s a boarding school) to go to London to be part of the extinction rebellion in December. Last week they did a demonstration at the front of the school at drop off time about the number of parents and staff journeys made in that could have been car shares or using public transport. But….one of the ring leaders has been to the USA on a family holiday and been on a trip to Cuba between the December protests and her organising a campaign at the school gates. Apparently one was a family holiday and she couldn’t let them down and the Cuba trip was just an amazing experience. So that’s ok.

Likewise I really hope yesterday’s protesters are going to follow up the sentiment and not participant in any unnecessary environmental damage over their half term break. Government action is clearly important but so is taking individual responsibility.

If it makes you feel better convert, I teach kids who have been involved in the protests and are certainly not jetting off to Cuba in the school holidays 🙂

I get a few kids talking to me about the science behind climate change, and I usually point them towards the WWF carbon footprint calculator. https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/

They can take it a few times to see what the changes to their footprint would be if they stopped flying around.

I’m planning to protest about how protests never seem to solve or improve anything. I’d take the day off work/school to do so but doubt anyone would notice me gone. Tapping a few sentences into an internet forum is more likely to “change the world”. May I have jelly for lunch please?

I think it’s brilliant.

However……

one of the ring leaders

Even if they don’t meet your standards of ideological purity, they’re way ahead of our elected leaders.

“Way ahead of our elected leaders” – if ever there was an example of damnation by the faintest of praise.

Biggest difference they’ll make is the reduction in school runs being made.

#cynical

That will happen soon enough when schools need to move to a four day week.

Surprised myself with this.

Countzero, you’d think in a city these kids would be travelling sustainably wouldn’t you? Wrong.

I worked overlooking the most central school in Bristol and it was carnage with cars dropping off and collecting kids.

They’ll have a shock when congestion zones come in. Maybe parental school choice will factor in accessibility.

they’re way ahead of our elected leaders.

Yes and no. The elected bit in that phrase is the important bit – we get the leaders we deserve. Quite simply the general public might pontificate about climate change and pollution being a bad thing but are not that great at accepting change that would involve a potential significant alteration in their own lifestyle for the worse. To be blunt we (collectively) are not ready for elected politicians that would do bad things to us for our own good – they would not get elected. The incumbents desire power too much to propose it as they know they would only last their current term.

UK specifically – we voted for brexit for heavens sake – we are never going to vote with intelligence on something like climate change. We are collectively too stupid.

Quite simply the general public might pontificate about climate change and pollution being a bad thing but are not that great at accepting change that would involve a potential significant change in their own lifestyle for the worse. To be blunt we are not ready for elected politicians that would do bad things to us for our own good – they would not get elected. The incumbents desire power too much to propose it as they know they would only last their current term.

Some of the general public, it’s not a unanimous feeling out there, you also miss the business lobby who are fighting environmental policies by “sponsoring” political parties. There are plenty willing to change but parties are not grasping that and running with it.

There was a good photo in The Times yesterday showing the girl who came up with the plan with her sign.

Wrapped in plastic. 😕

I think it’s obvious that many kids care. I doubt they’re doing this for purely altruistic reasons though.