It’s hard to think of a government more misguided than the one that Grant Shapps is currently a member of, unless of course it’s the last one. The one that lasted weeks, that crashed the economy and put up bills for millions of already struggling families.
Shapps is now serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, but when he was housing minister and transport minister – the massive carbon emissions, the harm from these sectors did not reduce. Shapps has been in and out of Government for 12 years, how much time does he want to transition? He allowed politics to fail and has left those who care with no choice but to work to defend all they love and cherish.
Everything the government says about protecting us from climate disaster is undermined by investing in new fossil fuels. Now, instead of stepping up, they are imprisoning ordinary people who are calling them out, stamping down on rights and freedoms.
We will face pain and suffering across the UK as a result of collapsing food systems, and it’s already starting. Last week saw was the hottest Armistice Day in history. Our native landscapes rely on predictable seasons to function — continued heating will see crops fail.
There is now no credible pathway to staying below 1.5C, this happened on his watch. Along with crop failure and starvation we face nothing less than the collapse of ordered society and with it will go all our rights and freedoms, our culture and traditions.
The disruption faced by the country is not the fault of the police, who are the realists in this conversation. As Chief Inspector Chris Noble recognised: “we’re not going to be able to arrest our way out of environemental protest”.
If Shapps is serious about facing up to his responsibilities, to doing his duty, he must end new oil and gas and end the disruption. To refuse to take this simple step is to condemn us all. It is an act of betrayal, of this country and all our children.
