The eco-activists of Extinction Rebellion (XR), the proverbial that just won’t flush, have been in London again this week. We’re going to be seeing a lot more of them, regrettably. Along with members of other environmentalist groups, they descended on Westminster over the weekend, saying the government had until 5pm on Monday to ‘enter negotiations’ with them about their ‘demands’ – or else! They want an end to all funding for fossil fuels – a particularly insane demand amid a backbreaking cost-of-living crisis – and for a new ‘emergency citizens’ assembly’ to decide on the best way to commit this colossal act of economic self-harm. The government has obviously ignored them and so XR is dropping its commitment, made earlier this year, to leave disruptive protests behind. ‘Within three months, Extinction Rebellion will have designed a plan for the greatest acts of civil disobedience in this country’s history’, said one XR spokesman.