An activist described as a “brilliant new spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion” has said politicians “don’t seem scared” of the movement, which, she claimed, she had joined with “knowledge that there were plans to escalate if the Government didn’t take the action needed”.
Lauren Conway, a member in Durham, said: “We’re not partisan which is good because it gives us broad appeal, but also I’ve noticed that politicians have also been using us in a way ... they’ve not been scared into action.”
Conway, talking in a Zoom call two weeks ago reflecting on a year since the April uprising, said: “I can’t congratulate us so much because there’s still a hell of a long way to go.” She added that the Government had “certainly not” taken the action needed, “so I would be interested to see where do we go next because time is running out”.
Others on the call, including writer George Monbiot, and host Jamie Kelsey Fry, who praised Conway as a spokesperson for the group, did not respond to her mention of escalated action. Extinction Rebellion states its aim is to compel climate-change action through organised “non-violent civil disobedience”. Could we see a see a splinter movement?
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Lockdown is really getting to some. Keen beans on the Flyer Talk website have been setting themselves a challenge to “recreate a British Airways meal at home”, some of which include champagne. “What’s an avgeek to do when they can’t reach 30,000 feet?” the website asks. A rather more sedate mile-high club.
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Eoin Colfer, whose novel Artemis Fowl is released as a movie next month, warns there are children’s books “out there that are not appropriate”. He adds: “Ninety-five per cent of kids will read them and it’ll bounce off them, but then there’s the five per cent who really take it to heart and get very upset.” The Londoner wonders which children’s authors he has in mind.
SW1A
SARA BRITCLIFFE became the first MP to make her maiden speech remotely yesterday, saying she did so as “I wanted to stay here, rooted in my community, to rise to the challenges we face”. Small matter of a global pandemic, too.
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IT WAS Ellie Reeves’s first day back in Parliament after maternity leave yesterday and she told us: “I have a five-month-old baby, I couldn’t go in physically...I was able to take part because it was virtual.” A silver lining.
Enninful enters voguish era of the silver fox
EDWARD ENNINFUL announced he was “embracing the grey” as the Vogue editor encouraged his followers to stay at home. The age of the silver fox beckons. Ellie Goulding wore a T-shirt celebrating the NHS and Cara Delevingne said “instead of using so much paper, let’s start hugging the trees” as she cuddled to up a gigantic specimen. Then again, a tree like that could make a lot of books...
