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On the prospects of this month’s UN Climate Change Conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters at the G20 in Rome: “If Glasgow fails, the whole things fails.” Lo and behold, it is descending into chaos and ‘Global Britain’ is taking quite the kicking. Here are The Hound’s top three COP26 clangers before it has properly begun.
Litter litany
There have been reports of washed-up plastic islands on the River Clyde and swarms of violent rodents attacking pedestrians on the streets. One bin worker was even sent to hospital for a Tetanus shot after being bitten by a rat. All this is because thousands of rubbish collectors, led by the GMB union, have decided to go on strike. Perfect timing then.
Train wreck
Hundreds of desperate delegates saw their train journeys to Scotland delayed or cancelled due to a fallen tree and severe weather (how ironic). Eleanor Langford, political reporter at PoliticsHome, ended up having to take a gas guzzling short haul flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh and then a bus to Glasgow. Not the best of looks environmentally.
Cue queues
The problems did not stop for those that eventually arrived. Thousands are still waiting outside the Scottish Event Campus in gusty conditions to receive their accreditation. One attendee said that security looked “overwhelmed” by the blockade and that the African Development Bank delegation had to squeeze past the crowd. Yikes.
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The Hound will keep you up to date with all the COP flops as we get them.
