Anybody who knows anything about adolescent human males knows that the very last way to stop young Muslims going to Syria is to tell imams to lecture them even more sternly. These people are above all romantics. The right way is to inspire them with an even more attractive vision than being cruel and horrible to defenceless people in the Middle East. There is such an inspiring vision readily available. What could be more enthralling than saving the very earth for our children from the great natural disaster towards which unrestrained capitalism is so rapidly hurtling it? But I can’t see Eric Pickles inspiring anybody with that vision. Goodbye earth. It was nice knowing you.