The question posed by Polly Toynbee (To those who sneer at activists blocking roads: what are you doing to save the planet?, 10 November) should be put not just to the sneerers but to every one of us. Politicians will not take the issue seriously until they believe there is overwhelming support from the community at large.
We don’t have to take disruptive action, but we do need to make our feelings known to decision-makers. Sending an email to your local MP is easy. If all of them were to receive huge numbers of messages from constituents, that would make any government take notice. We cannot just blame leaders for not doing enough: everyone has a part to play.
James Pertwee
Malvern, Worcestershire
• Thank you, Polly Toynbee, for standing up for Just Stop Oil. As you say, nothing else has worked and the many young people involved are scared for their future, as we older people are scared for our grandchildren’s. There is no single sure-fire approach to getting the groundswell of public support that will force politicians to take action. There is a cohort that loves a wartime analogy – how about regarding Just Stop Oil activists as like the French resistance fighting an existential threat?
Kristian Ravnkilde
Beeston, Nottinghamshire
• Polly Toynbee should be putting that question to the protesters themselves. Their fundamentalist take on human rights, in which their right to protest trumps the right of folk to peacefully go about their business, alienates the very people they need to convince. Democracy is not about unilateral demands, it’s about rigorous debate.
Stan Labovitch
Windsor, Berkshire
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