Running naked, civil disobedience and climate change

Edmund Burke.

Those who gather Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton recently discussed the idea of civil disobedience.

The tongue in cheek conversation was about running naked through the city’s Maude St Mall, but all agreed much more could yet be done to draw the public’s attention to the seriousness of climate change before resorting to such tactics.

Dr Jeremy Sammut, a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, discussed civil disobedience in a recent article Melbourne Age headed: “Coal hoax fails to dig deep without a martyr to the cause”.

A “kicker headline” on the story said: “Protesters need to face legal consequences to sway public opinion”.

Alerting us to this story, supporter Terry Court said: “I wonder who the gutless ones in this argument are. Nevertheless I have to do more”.

Terry’s sentiment is understandable, but the forces ranged against accepting the realities and implications of climate change are driven by massive self-interest and so those of us who gather Beneath the Wisteria need to remember the observation of Edmund Burke.

The 18^th century statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher once said in an almost prescient manner: “No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little”.

Those of us who regularly gather Beneath the Wisteria are really doing only a little, but at least we are doing something!