27 September, 2021, PM
“We have to act quickly. What we do in the next three to four years will, I believe, determine the future of humanity” – Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government.
“Whenever the Legislators endeavour to take away, and destroy the Property of the People, or to reduce them to Slavery under Arbitrary Power, they put themselves into a state of War with the People, who are thereupon absolved from any farther Obedience” – English philosopher, John Locke.
Dear Home Secretary,
A public letter to Priti Patel
We are more fearful of the loss of our country than we are of you. You can throw as many injunctions at us as you like, but we are going nowhere. You can raid our savings. You can confiscate our property. You can deny us our liberty and put us behind bars. But shooting the messenger can never destroy the message: that this country is going to hell unless you take emergency action to stop putting carbon into the air.
What mother does not do whatever it takes to save the life of her children? What proud citizen can accept so many of our neighbours being cold and hungry? What patriot is not prepared to lay down their life to stop the destruction of their country? We are going nowhere because there is nowhere to go which does not betray our most sacred values – our love for democracy and tradition, our love for our children, our love for this country.
So do your worst Priti Patel. But understand this: you and the Government of which you are a part will go down in history as cowards who did not have the guts to look reality in the face. You will go down in history as traitors who helped destroy this country because you did not face up to your responsibility to protect and lead. As a leading British lawyer told us, “there is no greater crime”.
In this country we don’t do appeasement. In this country we don’t do chronic stupidity. In this country we don’t do tyranny. We do common sense, we face the facts, and we get on with the job.
But you have blown it. You have gone for the dictator’s option of threatening state repression and violence. The country can see your game.
Priti Patel, you are a Neville Chamberlain conservative – unable to see the big picture, illiterate on the question of honour and duty.
The question is: where are the Churchillian conservatives who are able to show leadership at this moment of consequence? When is Mr Johnson going to make the statement his hero would make? That the country faces the biggest crisis in its history, that we face “blood sweat and tears”, that we must act fast so we will start with insulation.
All we are asking is this: that the government makes a meaningful statement that the country can trust, stating you will get on with the no-brainer job of starting to insulate UK homes – the most cost effective means of reducing carbon emissions. That is all we are asking and we will be off the roads in a flash.
“We have to come together otherwise we will die together”: that is what Insulate Britain supporters are saying to the country as they sit in the road again today. We are not going anywhere because there is nowhere else to go. The country is waiting to hear what the government has to say in response.