SEEING RED: We'll soon be holidaying in Donny-on-Sea if we don't take climate change seriously

I took last week off - which coincided with very little mention of ‘‘boring Bregsit” on TV.
Extinction Rebellion protesters on Waterloo Bridge in London.Extinction Rebellion protesters on Waterloo Bridge in London.
Extinction Rebellion protesters on Waterloo Bridge in London.

Talk about timing my annual leave to perfection, eh?

Instead the news bulletins were dominated by the green protests across central London by a group called Extinction Rebellion.

I seem to be in a minority, in all honesty. For every single person I have spoken to seems to be dead against what the protesters were doing in the capital, but I wasn’t. Perhaps I need to consider the company I keep?

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I’m not usually one to consider myself a lentil-loving, tree hugger - or any other label our judgmental society can come up with.

I’ll hold my hands up, I’m no expert on the issues facing our planet - but it does seem weird things are happening to it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to explain that bizarre and unnatural things are happening to our climate.

Yes, we’ve always had weird weather on these shores - but we’ve just had the hottest Easter for more than 60-odd years (even I wore my shorts), while in February the Mercury rose to around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit in old money.

Unheard of, right? I’m old enough to remember the first rumblings of the damage man (and woman, to be politically correct) was causing. Back then it was all about the ‘greenhouse effect’ - which meant very little to me.

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The only greenhouse I was aware of was my late grandfather’s, who used it to grow his prized tomatoes.

But I was reliably informed it wasn’t about tomatoes, but more about every-day products like hairspray and deodorant.

I felt guilty every time I bought a bottle of Wella hairspray to keep my precious locks in place.

Fortunately, going bald not only saved me money, but - I’d like to think - ha also gone some way to helping to save the planet too.

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However, in all seriousness, while the protests last week were not to everyone’s liking, they at least brought the subject of climate change to the fore.

Now that is not a bad thing, surely? Don’t get me wrong, I’d be upset if my holiday, job interview or even health appointment was delayed because of these protests.

But sometimes we have to endure short term pain to enjoy long term gain. If weird things are happening to our planet now, God only knows what it will be like for our grandchildren in decades to come.

Who knows? Folk round here won’t need to travel to Skeg for a stroll along the beach in their braces.

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Instead they can pop along to the coastal resort of Donny-on-Sea.

I’ll be honest, my pro-protest stance hardened every time I switched the radio on to hear presenters like Nick Ferrari bleat on about the disruption the campaigners had caused. Ironically, these are very the same folk who love to christen those who are easily-offended as ‘snowflakes’.

So, the fact so many commentators were left seeing red last week left me grinning like a Cheshire cat.

For if anyone can upset the likes of Ferrari and his mates Julia Hartley-Brewer and Andrew Pierce, they get a big thumbs up from me!