Britain can no longer be held to ransom by the spiteful antics of puerile Macron

Flaky France

BRITAIN can no longer depend on the goodwill of France, nor be held to ransom by the spiteful antics of its puerile President.

Hostility towards us suits Macron politically. And he and his lackeys dislike us anyway, especially after Brexit.

So they think nothing of seizing a UK trawler or threatening a crippling Calais go-slow or even the severing of a supposed international ally’s energy supply.

It is entirely legitimate for Britain to refuse licences to dubious French boats unable to prove they are entitled to fish our waters. France is simply trying it on.

Not even the EU has supported Macron.

Yesterday he backed down again. But while he remains in power the tantrums will go on. Look at him flying furiously back to Paris after one day at COP26 because Boris Johnson couldn’t meet him.

So we SHOULD shift our EU imports and exports away from Calais and to ports in Holland and Belgium.

When a rogue state threatens our economy with juvenile fits of pique, it is time for more grown-up partners.

Star bores

HOW can Jeff “Amazon” Bezos and other jet-setters be so blind to the damage their hypocrisies do to the eco revolution?

Here is a man whose giant firm emits vast quantities of CO2, flying into COP26 (on his private plane, naturally) to ­lecture the world about going green.

Indeed, no matter how many trees they plant as penance, you can bet all the politicians and celebs who have descended on Glasgow — hundreds in private jets — have carbon footprints far greater than ordinary people’s.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng calls such criticism a “cheap shot”.

We disagree. It matters. It harms the credibility of the global effort.

Likewise Mr Bezos’ donation to it, large though it is, is a tiny fraction of the riches he has amassed from his tax-swerving, High Street-wrecking mega-corporation which spews out more greenhouse gas than a decent-sized country.

Where we agree wholeheartedly with Mr Kwarteng is that optimism and hope can inspire us all to save the planet.

Apocalyptic doom-mongering won’t.

Nor will daft “CO2 counts” on the guilt-inducing menus for diners at COP.

Most people are onside already. Ceaseless nagging is sure to turn them off.

Video shame

DO any tech bosses hold their hands up for the harm they do?

Certainly not the man behind perhaps the world’s sickest, most violent virtual reality game, among those said by a judge to have inspired teenager Jacob Talbot-Lummis to shoot a schoolboy.

Blood Trail’s arrogant creator Doug Gerber says critics should “educate themselves”. He should be ashamed.

His game left a blood trail all right.

A very real one.