,
6 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
The point I tried to make on Newsnight is that it's not enough for "influencers" at Davos to ask heads of industry and government if they would kindly do something about climate breakdown. This is about power, and it requires the political fight of our lives.
The idea that all it takes is for the right "influencers" to say the right things to the oligarchs who have been trashing the planet is so naive it is not worth discussing. Unfortunately the BBC seemed to feel it is the most important aspect to discuss.
This is about power. The oligarchs have got it, and all those who believe in both democracy and a future for humanity should seek to wrench it back from them. #Davos is the last place on earth where necessary change will happen. It represents the problem, not the solution.
The media's annual grovelling before the lords of finance in a Swiss ski resort, and the way this revolting event is used as a gauge of global trends, makes me want to throw up.
Oligarchs do not give up power because you ask them nicely. They never did and never will. They give it up only when they have no choice. That is the whole bloody point of democracy, and this awareness should be woven into every fibre of our political being.
Sorry if I sound angry. I am, right now. This faux naivity about how change happens, exemplified by the BBC's line of questioning last night, impedes the urgent, democratic solutions to the existential threats we face.
