Demo on Saturday in London

craner

Beast of Burden
We need policies that promote new and old industries.

Well, this is a grand and noble vision that Labour (for one) could build upon, but won't. Coal, steel, websites, traditional tailoring and organic sausages. I got mocked for this last week. Thank you, TUC.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
flags are good.

wonder how many people will be there. apparently - inevitably - some of the posters advertising it don't show the meeting points. So fucking typical....
 

ifp

Well-known member
Thoughts of those who went?

I went, tagged along the TUC march for a bit, then when it got to Hyde Park went over to Oxford Circus to check out the anti-workfare demo.

Main march was dull and ineffective - but was still impressed at the turnout. Didn't bother to watch any speeches but found it interesting that the unions were calling for strikes and Ed got booed (who thought it would be a good idea to let him speak?!).

Demo on Oxford St was a bit of fun - definitely had a whole lot more in terms of visibility to those not on the march and it kept the police on their toes a bit.

This seemed like a bit of a warm up ... will be interesting to see if things escalate a bit over the next few months. the fact that people got to cause a bit of chaos and weren't kettled/nicked is a good bet that they'll be willing to come out again for whatever gets organised next...
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
Main march was dull and ineffective - but was still impressed at the turnout. Didn't bother to watch any speeches but found it interesting that the unions were calling for strikes and Ed got booed (who thought it would be a good idea to let him speak?!).

A bit of mild booing at an event like this won't do Ed Mili any harm politically.
 

john eden

male pale and stale
Lower turnout than March 26 2011.

Ok as these things go. I think the organisers hoped to move miliband to the left.

Whether or not it was effective depends on whether people now feel inspired to go on strike. (Or unionise.)
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Oxford St part (presumably instigated by UK Uncut?) was good, agree with ifp that it gave proper visibility to the whole thing. For something like this to be effective it's got to disrupt the routines of a lot of people, and at least it got passers-by interested (though some of their reactionary comments were beyond parody). Managed to get a few tax-dodgers to close down temporarily, which was satisfying, and tax evasion stories seem to be prominent in today's papers.

I think at least it gave refreshed visibility to anti-government activism, which seems to have been lagging a bit this year.

Walking past Blackmarket Records after, overheard: "What's that march all about then?" "Pensions, innit"
 
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