Transpontine
history is made at night
Went down to the London anti-cuts demo in Whitehall tonight.
Got to whitehall before the student demo arrived, probably around 500 people there. The organisers announced that the police had agreed to close Whitehall from 6 pm so people should go into the road - some of us did but the first car came along and everyone got out the way! Eventually after some minor pushing and shoving one side of the road was closed. When the main student demo turned up - bringing numbers up to around 3000 - some people also blocked the other side of the road, but were eventually pushed back. The organisation wasn't great - 10 good stewards could have closed the road in no time.
Felt kind of unreal - police blocking people crossing over towards Downing Street, but anybody could walk round them and make their own way there. France it wasn't, but maaybe the long haul to building an effective movement has started.
Jesse Jackson spoke, his left liberal keynesianism is not my thing, but he can work a crowd! Also must admit to feeling a little bit moved by the geographical/historical continuity he represents. After all he was on the balcony when Martin Luther King was shot. How many people from that time are still out there on demos?
Neil
Got to whitehall before the student demo arrived, probably around 500 people there. The organisers announced that the police had agreed to close Whitehall from 6 pm so people should go into the road - some of us did but the first car came along and everyone got out the way! Eventually after some minor pushing and shoving one side of the road was closed. When the main student demo turned up - bringing numbers up to around 3000 - some people also blocked the other side of the road, but were eventually pushed back. The organisation wasn't great - 10 good stewards could have closed the road in no time.
Felt kind of unreal - police blocking people crossing over towards Downing Street, but anybody could walk round them and make their own way there. France it wasn't, but maaybe the long haul to building an effective movement has started.
Jesse Jackson spoke, his left liberal keynesianism is not my thing, but he can work a crowd! Also must admit to feeling a little bit moved by the geographical/historical continuity he represents. After all he was on the balcony when Martin Luther King was shot. How many people from that time are still out there on demos?
Neil