Extremists? Really Nick?

In Nick Clegg's speech at this years Autumn conference said;

BUF uniform held at the IWM London

If history has taught us anything, it is that extremists thrive in tough times.

So yes, if we fail to deal with our debts and tackle the weaknesses in our economy, our country will pay a heavy political price. But the human cost would be higher still. Not only would we fall behind internationally, we would leave a trail of victims at home too.

I found myself thinking back to the 1920s and 30s across Europe and through the political mire of European politics. There is the rise of Fascism and ultra nationalists in Southern and Central Europe with Communist powers and agitators in the East spreading to Germany and France.

Even in the UK the BUF (British union of Fascists) gained support as did the various different Marxist groups and the two even clashed on the streets of London.

Did they achieve anything in those desperate times?

William Joyce aka Lord Hawhaw earned himself a Pierrepoint necktie as did a few others who joined the Legion of St George, a detachment of the Waffen SS. Others served prison sentences for aiding the Germans or were interned if they stayed in the UK.

As for the Marxists- they went underground especially when the Cold war started. The Rosenberg case in the US was enough to scare anyone.

The British popular psyche doesn't like dictatorship. A cursory glance through history reveals only one successful dictator - Oliver Cromwell. Any Monarch who grew too big for their boots usually ended up meeting sticky ends or in exile. If you don't believe me check this out;
John - Forced to sign the Magna Carta by armed Barons and poisoned later.
Edward II - red hot poker inserted in him.
Richard II - disposed then murdered.
Richard III - betrayed and butchered at Bosworth.
Charles I - publicly executed.
James II - died in poverty in France.

The English/British people are quick to rally around their rights as far back as Watt Tyler and Jack Cade. Although a certain- alright a good proportion of the current Nationalist groups are fuelled by Racism be it anti Muslin or European or even an ignorance and fear of other's culture. These groups are no where near as politically active or backed by any real political philosophy or, as in the case of Hermann Goering and the NSDAP, a decorated War hero or celebrity backing to attract followers.

As for the Socialists and Marxists - They're absolutely on the scene. When I was in the Union on the solitary strike I went on we were inundated with Socialist newsletters and one guy from the Communist party. They agitate at national strikes but most people at those sort of Demos are not politically motivated in that way. They're vexed at things and making a statement but not yet ready to start singing the Red flag.

Groups like TUSC and UKIP are enjoying more support but they are hardly extremist groups in the same way as the BUF.

I agree with Nick that there is a possibility of it happening and if it all goes up Chutney creak then chaos will probably descend but I think we would have to be right up the creak, tied up in the bottom of our paddle less canoe that was slowly sinking!

UK Un-cut protest outside Clegg's house

Yesterday, anti-cuts protesters held a peaceful protest out side the Deputy Prime Minister's house in the form of a street party. Bunting was laid out and even a samba band played for the masses of people come to protest about the Austerity moves made by the Government.

A further 70 protested outside the Constituency office of Mr Clegg in Sheffield;

David Kirkham stated;

We're here celebrating and partying for some great British institutions, namely, the welfare state, our NHS and the public sector life blood - things that were achieved by our ancestors in the post-war period

Another protester stated:

Nick Clegg is one of the architects of austerity; he’s a millionaire and lives in a million pound home. The cuts are a political choice of this government and the Cabinet of out of touch millionaires, they are not necessary.

Also UK Uncut stated on twitter today:
MEMO TO CLEGG: many of your neighbours & their kids joined us in the sunshine on our street party yesterday Ps stop the cuts


Mark Sewotka the head of PCS union also said:
We applaud their innovative and inspirational action that takes the campaign right to the doorsteps of those responsible.We would like to see more of this kind of community campaigning, linking up with unions, arguing for the alternative to spending cuts, for investment to improve our public services and to protect our communities from what this arrogant government is trying to do

It was a peaceful protest and passed with out incident according to the news sources however they are barking up the wrong tree in my opinion.

Firstly, I admit that as someone that has never had to worry about money Nick Clegg, in fact a good chunk of the cabinet do not necessarily understand the hardships that the common family has to suffer and the compromises they have to make just to scratch by however why target Clegg? Maybe because he is a soft target? Lets be honest Cameron has more of a Police presence so the next one down is Nick and lets face it he is quite unpopular already for many reasons.

But is targeting Nick justifiable?

The man who has been influential in pushing Libdem policy that means you no longer get income tax on the first £10,000 you earn? For bringing in the Pupil premium to aid children from poorer backgrounds in school? For nagging David Cameron and the Conservatives to change tact and invest in infrastructure and move away from Austerity? Yeah the guy sounds like a complete arse...

On top of that he vocalised on the Marr show this morning that Austerity has been necessary. For all of those who have failed to noticed or just not interested in the truth, the economy in 2008 was screwed... The Coalition took steps in 2010 to plug the leaking ship and that meant cuts - anything that was seen as unnecessary or to costly was scrapped and tough decisions were made because they had to be made. Sometimes you just have to be brutal. God knows I haven't agreed with all the places the axe fell but it had to. Now that the leaks have been plugged the Government are looking at where they can invest to encourage growth and the cuts have only been the first stage.

The third prong of my attack is that this is Nick Clegg's home... Its where his wife and kids live. Whatever the man does at work, and what ever you feel about him you should leave his family alone and his meagre family time as well. It is well documented that Nick Clegg works long hours and tries, like many of us, to balance a hectic job and his family time so why ruin it for him? In the past he's had dog excrement put through his front door and the Police even advised him to stop cycling to Parliament as they couldn't guarantee his safety. That's why he has to ride around in the Ministerial car that you guys keep criticising him for. There have been many tweets on the subject:

Cllr Ian Roberts:

#UKUncut : 'spend money you haven't got NOW or we'll harass your family'. Top notch, guys.

Shane Greer:

I really don't think #UKuncut protests at Clegg's house are right. Must be terrifying for his young children. #shame

Conservative MP Louise Mensch also commented (and encouraged followers to donate to the Libdem party):

If you believe targeting home & family of a politician you disagree with is intolerable bullying - £5 for Nick Clegg https://www.libdems.org.uk/make_a_donation.aspx

Importantly though its where his young boys are, they are innocent in all of this and the Protest trapped them in doors on a bright Saturday. They are not to blame for this and yet must suffer. How is this ok?

If you disagree with your football manager's handling of the team do you go back to his house and protest? No! If you get crap service at Tesco do you go to the Manager's or Staff's house? No!

So why is it ok to pester the man's family on the weekend? I'm not doing an impassioned Leave Nick Alone!!! rant, I'm just saying that its ok to disagree with his policies and the way the Government carry out its business but leave the man's family out of it.

On the London riots.

I was going to try and spend today writing a balanced piece about the riots on Saturday but instead I have been watching BBC News 24 and following the Twittersphere as the riots and disorder spread across London and now as far as Birmingham and are threatening to spread around the country. I'm even taking precautions in my own home and Medway is not a likely place for the disorder and I am hoping we are far enough out of the city centre that if it does kick off we will be shot of it. Also if any would be looter is thinking about hitting my house, fair warning; You will get a bat to the face.

The streets of London have very rapidly descended into  mob rule. Police cars have been burnt, residences and businesses have been burnt down, 215 arrests have been made, railway stations closed and everyday citizens are losing their livelihoods and homes. What are the causes of this and what are the solutions?

The initial trigger to the initial disturbance in Tottenham was a peaceful protest over the shooting by Police officers of Mark Duggan, 29, on Thursday. Currently the information in the public sector is that police acted on information from Operation Trident and stopped a minicab. Three shots were fired, two by police, the one by Mr Duggan struck a police officer's radio. Members of the community and family of Mr Duggan organised a protest and request for information at the local police station. As time went by tempers freyed and a small minority torched a couple of parked squad cars and then it all flowed from there. There were arguments that this was caused by elements who felt that they are victimised by the Police and even on the basis of race and frustrations just boiled over. Who could say?

Now... Enfield and Brixton were struck last night now Hackney and Peckham, even Bromley, Croydon and I received a text from a very good friend in Lambeth has text me that riot police have just moved into Elephant and Castle. Now violence is opening up in Birmingham and there are unconfirmed rumours of things happening in Leeds. I have been forced to ask;
What the hell is going on in this country?

I've been trying to wrack my brain for reasons why this is happening and how things have got this bad and I've listed them below. What I can say is this...
Now is not the time to be partisan about this and look for who is to blame, be it the Coalition for their cuts, Labour for causing the financial situation, the Liberals for backing down over EMA and tuition... none of this matters. What matters is that society has obviously failed a whole generation who are so detached from what society and community should be that they think that what is going on is completely acceptable and THIS has to be tackled across parties and by all parts of society.

So what has caused this?

Lets talk about the cuts first. Now I know the Austerity measures are tough, I suffer them and I know many who do.Communities across Britain have been asked to give up vast amounts of money and time and it is hard. It isn't a task that any Government wants to undertake but it needed to be done. The problem rises from the fact that Westminster seems so removed from the city streets and households, most of the cabinet are millionaires and don't have to suffer the privations of the everyday citizen... How can they understand what we are going through?
Others find Politics so impenetrable and dull that they feel it has no relevance to their lives, something Charles Kennedy warned us about in his book; The Future of British Politics.
People are angry and feel frustrated that they don't have a voice and that even their local councils, which they elected this May also don't seem to be listening. Could this frustration and rage have overflowed into the riots?
It is indeed possible BUT at no point has any placard been waved or cause announced short of the original demonstration.

What of this lost generation? Now, it couldn't have escaped your notice that when you wander through town centres or on estates you'll see large groups of youths just hanging around. I've seen them, at work and at home, when I grew up I did a similar thing at times. Where I work we often get youths just coming in to pass the time, others and a specific group come in regularly, cause damage and antagonise our staff. This isn't necessarily because they are bad kids or are urban criminals its just they don't have anything better to do and so act out of boredom. I grew up in a very rural village and there was literally nothing to do most days so when I wasn't playing on the PC or reading a friend and I would go out and walk around the public footpaths and relax in the sun on various bridges and chat so I can sympathise with them in a way. However my thoughts never turned to acts of crime!
Still the majority in this case see something exciting happening and immediately want to jump in and get involved. They saw how easy the protests were in the autumn, saw Laurrie Penny's "People's riot" on Oxford street and more importantly they saw how powerless the Police were to deal with it. One ex Police officer also referred to the revolving door justice system of the UK. How many of the 215 will serve any kind of sentence? The prisons are overflowing and re offending is becoming frighteningly common. Lets be honest its only the ring leaders who will get a stiff sentence in a media fuelled frenzy and then in a few years time, with barely a whisper of condemnation they will be released early.
The mob knows this. What have they to fear?

On top of that they also know the Police are in a tight situation. A Police officer has to think twice before striking a member of the public. Job and pension are on the line. When my Grandfather was involved in a riot he was guarding the truck and was attacked by a couple of protesters and he was forced to lash out in defence and struck them with the starting handle of the truck! His Inspector at the time was impressed. Now he'd have lost his job and may have been arrested for ABH and assault. Also the Police don't know the areas well and groups are able to hit and fade in a guerrilla warfare style. At the moment actions are taking place across London and already officers are being drafted in from elsewhere to assist the situation.
Also coming back to problems with the Policing in their community. I have a friend who is stopped regularly in Brixton because he's of Afro-Caribbean origin, drives a black sports car with tinted windows, he has many friends who suffer the same. Some communities feel that they are victimised by the Police and when one of their own is shot and there is a five hour delay on simple answers to the questions of the community then yes anger will come out. Something Claudia Webbe was talking about on BBC Radio 4.

At the centre of all of this is the beating heart, the cold calculating brain, the criminal. Its one thing to be caught up in the mob mentality or acting out of boredom knowing that there is no line of recourse. Its another to be organising this sort of thing for material gain or just for the sake of doing this just to cause trouble and have a go at the Police.
On the 7th August Liam_1993 ( self described as Post Capitalist. Student Activist. Revolutionary Anarcho-Syndicalist. Lazy Bastard.) tweeted the following:

apparently #Enfield is kicking off, remember to mask up if your gonna join in, if your arrested, no comment.

I don't think I need to say anything further about this, except to echo David Lammey (MP for Tottenham) in saying that the most horrendous acts are not being carried out by locals but an outside group. This may not necessarily be true of Tottenham but definitely Enfield, Peckham and Harrogate.
There has also been reports of preprinted documents handed to looters and rioters of how to avoid arrest and what to do if arrested. Others have had petrol bombs which means that they have prepared for action this day and haven't acted on the spare of the moment.
 Yes the communication revolution has helped organise these things quickly but it is merely an aid not a cause.
There are also extreme incidences where a photographer has been bottled;

marmite_ marmite
Just seen a photographer being deliberately bottled, horrible. #hackney via @billykenber #LondonRiots (tweeted about 8pm)

Others, appearing on BBC news have talked about cameras being smashed and been threatened with weapons for valuables like telephones. Shops like Currys, Aldi, Lidl, MacDonald's all ransacked and broken into and not just the big companies that can afford it but little off licences and corner shops are having their lifeblood taken from them.

Who suffers from all of this? The Community. Family businesses will not be able to afford to reopen. Housing prices will drop, other buisnesses will not want to rellocate there, some will not rebuild their lost shops. More importantly the everyday civillian who has lost everything at the hands of the mob have no reason to stay. The minority are ruining it for the majority.

So what can be done? As I said earlier, now is NOT the time for party politics or points scoring. Comments like Ken Livingstone's ("I'm not trying to politically point score but its all the government's fault") or Dianne Abbott whittering on in the I about cuts are not helpful. What needs to be done is a cross party solution where we all sit around the table and actually listen to the communities, to the local councils and Police commanders as we try and figure out what the cause is and what solutions are available and not jump on a bandwagon and sally forth to vanquish another foe and getting it completely wrong.

Now is not the time for knee jerk reactions. My first reaction was to call for the army to reinstall order. This was done a century ago when rioters took parts of London and Liverpool, in fact in Liverpool a Navy Gunboat sailed up the Mersey and opened fire on strikers. This is not Syria though and if we started rolling APC's and Tanks down Peckham Highstreet then surely something would be amiss?

On the other hand it would send a clear message. After the LA riots a 7pm-7am curfew was installed with a shoot to kill from the military as a deterrent. Maybe such a curfew for the duration of the emergency is needed but that is up to the policy makers.

There were also compelling arguments for water cannons. Not just for their ability to disperse the crowds and allow the Police, Firefighters and Paramedics to do their jobs and help those in need but also to help put out the fires in shops, in cars and remove these focal points for the mob.

Ultimately it is a temporary solutions. What needs to be looked at is the youth of the country and what they want to do or not do. Their subculture has become so distant and removed from civilisation and society that scenes like this are OK, that taking part in actions like the riot is acceptable if not wished for! How could we have come to this? Something desperately needs to be done to reach this doomed youth.

The new Politics, the one we believe in, the more open and understanding politics that isn't overloaded with party rhetoric and tribalism needs to come into play and we actually need to listen to the people, what they want and what the government and councils can provide.

We also need Justice to prevail and be reformed so that those who break the law or conspire to public disobedience at this scale are punished properly and fully.

Splitting the left vote?

This election saw the TUSC movement trying to gain local council seats in localities. Here in Medway we had Jacqui Berry for Gillingham South, aged 23, Andrew Feist who had just turned 18 for Gillingham North, they are young, they are enthusiastic and they are a party to watch out for in the future, but are they dangerously going to split the left vote and keeping the Tories in power?

The party's main aims are to the left of Labour's current position and I would say have a lot in kin with old Labour. Their basic message is that Labour has failed to represent the unions or the electorate and TUSC are moving into the void. They aren't, as some commentators have labelled them "this TUSC band of lunatics" but a serious party that should, in my opinion be taken seriously.

It is easy to throw labels around and neatly box people and parties up but if you intend to fight parties at the ballot boxes you should study them and evaluate them and their messages - after all parties exist because they represent someone. With the shift of Labour towards the right many people feel unrepresented, especially some of the unions like the PCS who have seen their workers in the civil service maligned and targeted by the last administration and will continue to be so under this government. Now as an ex PCS member and a member of the civil service I can agree with the sentiment. When they talk of civil service pay freezes across the board at £22k pa it hits people like myself who work in London and earn that much as prices for the commute, food, VAT, interest rates go up. One of my Colleagues said that she can only just scrape by on her wages and I myself am forced to face the very real possibility that I may be priced out of my job in three years times by the level of rail fares! Other governmental moves by the Labour administration included alterations to the Civil servants compensation scheme which would make staff easier to get rid off and cheaper too, after all as in any place of employment its always the bottom rung person who'll get let go rather than a manager and that had been our Union Rep's fear.

Other groups, that are separate from the Unions are apposed to the cuts, everyday people who supported the peaceful UKuncut demonstration back in March and went to Hyde Park to listen to Mr Miliband speak.
Others who work for the NHS are worried about job cuts, privatisation, "efficiency savings" that will not only jeopardise Patient care but also patients lives.
On the local level people are worried about affects on council services, loss of Sure start, wasting money on a new Bus station that no one really wanted, public services etc
Who do these people turn to? The Conservatives? Labour- who have let them down in the past and whose plan for the future is pretty much the same just slower or a blank sheet of paper, Lib Dems?- The bedfellows of the Conservatives and betrayers of the people (obviously not my view but a common one) UKIP or the BNP? Greens? -aren't the environmentalists? No one is there...

TUSC does represent people's needs and fears. They aren't some loony lefty fringe party that only has one message they have practical suggestions and courses of action that would solve unemployment and their plans are drawn from historical precedent and actions of the Attlee government.

(Please see: http://gingerliberal.blogspot.com/2011/04/trade-unionist-and-socialist-coalition.html for more of what they stand for and what I think, Jacqui Berry's facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-Jacqui-Berry-anti-cuts-candidate-for-Gillingham-South/189146447796319)

As a Historian I am forced to ask what has History taught us about this? At the turn of the last century the leading party that represented the people and brought in reform such as better health, old age pensions, votes for women and residential reform looked at a small party led by Ramsey MacDonald and Keir Hardie as a group of left wing radicals that were over exposed to Marx and Engels and would never develop, in fact Asquith offered them a loose coalition just to help keep the Conservatives out and his party in power. A century on the Liberal party is all but gone, its successor the Liberal Democrats just suffered a major electoral loss to this small party - Labour.
I'm not saying that in a hundred years time Labour will have been supplanted by TUSC but it is a scary precedent!

So how well did TUSC do in the local vote in Medway? Well they stood 8 Candidates across the whole conurbation and received, on average 249 votes per candidate! Well that's more than I got! Some people will say that they only got 0.72% of Medway's vote but as I said they only fielded eight candidates so that's pretty damn good in my opinion.

(Figures quoted from: http://wwwjohn-m-ward.blogspot.com/2011/05/medway-council-election-results-some.html)

BUT and back to my original point, does their existence threaten to keep a Tory majority by splitting the left vote? Yes it does.

Some people, who would normally vote Labour or Lib Dem are drawn to the message, decisiveness and drive of Ms Berry and co. as well as their direct campaigning on the streets of Medway and at the PCS hustings, an event the Conservatives and ourselves failed to attend ( I was there, just didn't have the gumption to get up and speak!) By default the Conservatives get in, however this is no reason not to vote for a party or its representatives. After all only a year a go the Conservative media was telling us "A Vote for Clegg is a vote for Brown!" and I recall an episode of the Simpsons where the evil aliens Kang and Kudos are running for US president,
Homer says: "We could vote for a third candidate"
Kang and Kudos in unison. "Sure you can, throw your vote away!"
If the party were to use this election as a learning experience and get out on the streets and really push the message then they may even take seats at the next election, especially if the Libdems continue to fall apart and Labour continue not to do anything about their economic policy or properly oppose cuts etc.

If Labourites are worried enough about the rise of TUSC, and I believe they should be, then they need to address their party's policies or represent genuine people's problems in Medway and dare I say it the UK in general and remove the need for a splinter party. As for us, I'm not sure. I think the Lib Dems have their own journey to make and because of our spot in the coalition it could cause massively harmful ramifications for us.

Ultimately the appearance of TUSC has inconvenienced Labour at this local election, probably cost them some votes and maybe even a seat or two across the board but they aren't some lunatic fringe that should be ignored, I think they're a force to be reckoned with and should the economic situation fail to improve or, as Ed Balls suggests, double dip, then their support will, rightly, grow and grow.

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition flyer in Gillingham South

I felt it only fair that after I reviewed the leaflet of the Independents and LibDems I should cast equal light on Jacqui Berry's election pamphlet which was delivered yesterday.

I am surprised as to how impressed I am with Ms Berry's proposition. From her photograph I would say she is quite young and from the text she is very passionate, possibly from personal experience about cuts.
She is very direct and to the point and I find myself agreeing with her on many of her points and I admire her passion.

I worry about the way cuts are being carried out, and job losses should be kept to an absolute minimum. I also feel massive empathy that the bankers and big business (and the rich) should make more of a donation towards the damage that has been caused and not the working classes who already struggle with day to day costs of living.

I also agree that a massive job creation scheme is necessary and in my opinion I think we should go back to constructing industries, ships etc.

I also worry about pensions... People of my Grandfather's generation are in a good situation but the current generation, myself included, could find themselves in serious problems when they are in their formative years and I agree that the pension system needs to be looked at seriously,

I especially agree with her belief in renationalising the railways and I'm sure many of my fellow commuters will agree too! The companies that run it do not care how they treat us as they hold a monopoly.

My only problem is that unfortunately I think we need to make cuts over the next few years. The Debt is high but the large deficit is making it bigger at a scary rate and it needs to be fixed now, this parliament. We cannot hand a massive spiraling  debt to our Children. The projects, such as renationalising the railways and banks as well as housing projects are amazing and I agree that they are the way forward but we don't have the money to do it at the moment.

But Thank you  Ms Berry. I sincerely admire your flier and passion! You've also made me think, something which is always a good thing and something a candidate should do and next time I run (not a paperless as I am this time) I hope I can do the same.

Why Uk-uncut got it wrong today.

Before I discuss today's actions in London I want to outline a couple of truths. Firstly I have nothing against the TUC organised action day, I have a lot of respect for peaceful protesters and their message is a good one showing a lot of community spirit. Secondly I am also hit by the cuts, I am a lower end civil servant working in loosely for the department of culture and arts whose pay is frozen for three years and worse case scenario could be made redundant, I'm also a father of a 10 month old baby who uses the nursery and sure start centre nearby whose prices will only rise over the next three years and I commute by rail and the prices will rise as well. So I understand the cuts are hard, believe me I am painfully aware and have been coming George Osbourne's budget very carefully looking at any ramifications that could affect myself and more importantly my family, I am not a landed Tory who is looking down on those who are being oppressed.

Today's peaceful demonstration, much like the tuition fees demonstrations of last winter were hijacked by a small minority of anarchists and socialists who have now monopolised the news and media coverage with their irresponsible actions. As a peaceful march passed through Parliament square with their banners and listened to the speakers and music in Hyde park all hell was breaking lose in Oxford street. Paint was thrown at Police officers along with light bulbs filled with ammonia, banks and shops were taken over by protesters who broke windows, held sit-ins and spray painted slogans on walls, bins were overturned, Barclays sponsorship ripped from Boris bikes, attacked and occupied the Ritz and Fordham and Masons. I've even seen reports of an injured Police officer and the paramedics treating him were fired upon by

protesters using fireworks.

I've always believed in the ideals of the law, the fundamental being that any action that you do should not cause offense to another person's sensibilities or life and today this has been well and truly smashed. I have long disagreed with sit-ins as a practice as it stops innocent people from carrying out their day to day business and has 0 affect on the companies. Today's example is the Ritz, a symbol of the capitalist dream and a hotel for the upper echelons of Marx's pyramid of power which is no doubt why it was attacked but who suffered? Well yes the owners will have to repair the damage but this is but a drop in the ocean, glass can be replaced, walls repainted who has really suffered? The poor innocents who had paid £50's a head, yes £50's(!), to take high tea at the Ritz. These people aren't Lord Carstairs of Fothering hall but normal people who are spoiling themselves with a day trip. I went with my sister and mother in 2009 to celebrate my mother's birthday and I could barely afford it but I paid out. I would have been mortified and enraged if on that day a group of balaclava and hooded thugs burst through security and helped themselves whilst their brethren smashed windows. The damage may cause a company inconvenience for a week maybe a month but will put a blot on innocent people's lives until they die.
"Remember your mother's 57th birthday?"
"When all those protesters broke in and ruined it? Yeah."
 Also, on a Saturday, when I am off duty and going shopping I want to be able to access shops or banks not be forced out by flash mobs who are sitting in or vandalising the place. It doesn't attract support it deflects public sympathy from a just cause! This is not a nation that deals well with revolution, in our history there has only been one successful revolt that saw proper constitutional reform and that was the Civil war. During 1848, The American war of Independence in 1775-83 or the French revolution this country wobbled but never fell. It offends the sensibilities of law abiding folk and even the peaceful protesters in Hyde park to see hooded anarchists causing chaos, it doesn't attract support merely disdain. What do you think the headlines will say on tomorrows papers? Laurie Penny can't write them all.

Whilst watching the BBC news 24 coverage I heard one protester in Oxford street shout out:
"Police should be fighting crime not us."

Well I've got news for you sonny... Vandalising private property and assaulting a police officer are crimes. If we're going to get technical your demonstration that has taken over Oxford street is also "Obstructing the Queen's highway." Go on, grab a statute book and look it up, I did and yeah you can still get nicked for it. The Police force also agree with the message of cuts, they look to lose numbers and pay other officers at Hyde Park said they wished they could join the strike action and they sympathised so why are you alienating them by hurling smoke and fireworks at them? Even more importantly why are you terrorising the injured and the paramedics who are treating them? What has a medic done? Guess what? They also agree the cuts are bad but they are doing their duty and tending the injured! More importantly, all those man hours that the Metropolitan police force is paying for and redeploying crime fighting police officers is all because you are doing what you are doing! If you weren't running amok through the streets of our nations capital like a Visigoth rampaging through Rome then they WOULD be out tackling crime, drugs cartels etc...

Another thing... In North Africa the Libyans are fighting a gruesome revolution against a vicious dictator who is more than happy to bomb his own people and send tanks in to crush pro-democracy civilians. In Bahrain the Saudi army has moved in to crush revolt in the Pearl, soldiers have threatened medical staff with execution if they help the injured. Ivory coast civilians have been shot at as have protesters in Syria. In this country the UKuncut mob have broken all kinds of merry hell in the centre of London and been faced by police officers with batons because you worry a few public services are being cut and people will lose their jobs, basically because we as a nation are going to have to tighten our belts for quite a period of time... How can you claim #solidarity with these people beyond the sea? What have you got in common? Brutal dictatorship? Nope. Oppressive police force? Are you kidding me?! No basic human right to freedom of speech and protest? No I didn't think so...
So how can you compare yourselves? You sound like spoilt children whining that because you can't have it your way you don't want to play anymore and you are as neglected as a starving child in Africa. Grow up! We are all cross about things and some of the governments decisions but this is the adult world and we are all adults and one of the basic things you were taught at school (or at least I was) is that you can solve problems by constructive argument and debate than by random violence. This country has systems that you can use to lobby government and sign petitions, yeah they may not work but neither does trashing Oxford street! Do you think that will make George Osbourne look up from his cereals and say: "My God! We should stop cuts, that man has painted "STOP SEXISM" on HMV's window and you know what David? He has a point our entire economic policy is a sham!" ?
I also hear the word "Revolution" and the phrase "Bring down the system!" being thrown around... Do you have an alternative government in mind? Robespierre and Danton did, Lenin did, damn it the American congress did but I bet you don't. Do you have the backing of a popular movement that large or influential segments of the population belong to? No... So your revolution is basically a non starter and a guise you can hide behind to make yourselves feel better and justify your actions. Bringing down the state by daubing slogans on walls or sitting in Barclays. I'm sure the establishment are quaking in their boots. Also a lot of anti-Capitalist sentiment and attacks on retailers but I bet a lot of the protesters buy from HMV or Topshop, how many have Vodafone contracts? If you want to hit them where it hurts boycott the stores. Yes Capitalism is unfair, believe me I wish I had money so that I could have central heating or double glazing in my home and my family wouldn't be huddled around the one electric fire during a cold winter but I suck it up and get on with it. Life is not fair. Why should idiots like Ashly Cole get paid more money than he's got brain cells for kicking a ball around and I, who went to university and has a post grad and a 2.1 undergraduate scratch a living for a small amount of money? It is the way things are and no amount of cussing and petty vandalism is going to change that.

Now despite what I have just said there is one thing I do agree with... I do think that those people at the top of international banks and major companies who have off shore accounts and hide in Tax havens are wrong. They SHOULD pay tax like the rest of us. They SHOULD not receive hideous bonus' that pretty much 99% of us will never see in our lifetime let alone a year. Big question is, what can we do?
"The government should charge them more taxes" I hear you scream from half way up your lamp post.
What will that achieve? Nothing. The major banks will merely move their HQ's away from Britain to a cheaper domicile. HSBC are already thinking about Hong Kong and if they go others may follow. If they follow the financial ramifications for this country will be unbearable. You think its tough now you wait until they leave.
Unfortunately this is not the nineteenth century when Britain held the world in its grip and British was really the only way, the principal of multi nationalism and global monopoly means that if somewhere is cheaper and easier then global companies will up sticks and leave. This is part of the problem with all this action. Years
ago we built ships but continued union action and demands for higher wages mixed with lowering of quality meant that now our ships are built in Germany, HMS Invincible is being broken up in Turkey!!! We also built cars, British Leyland had the potential to be a major company on the world stage but same thing now our car companies are controlled by foreign companies taking money out of the country. The government are painfully aware of all of this, their decisions to cut the banks and companies some
slack was difficult. Your hate figure, Nick Clegg, stated that it makes him feel sick that the Bankers can continue to get away with things but his hands are as tied as ours. If we continually attack them they'll just go and this country might as well just close down.

One last point before I call it a night. Who do you think pays for the damage you have wrought? We do. The Boris bikes that were brought in for YOUR benefit, to encourage health and fitness and green transport in the nations capital, vandalised and broken came, in part from your council tax and part from Barclays sponsorship. If they remove their sponsorship then the system will lose out on much needed revenue and be cut back. The Police officers, the paramedics, the street cleaners, bins, cones, council graffiti removers, railings, fire officers... all of this comes out of the public purse that could be being put to saving jobs or boosting services not paying for your crime. Its not coming out of Osbourne's pocket, or Phillip Green's it is coming out of mine, my wife's, even yours! So what is the point?

I would like to tell you that this overgrown rebellious teenager act is tiresome and damaging not just to the country's current infer structure but also to the economy. Countless soldiers died in the last century to protect your rights and your freedoms so that you could say to your government "We don't like what you're doing" and you are repaying that debt by making a mockery of the system and causing anarchy. One elderly veteran said to me after seeing the results of the Tuition fees riot:
"We should have just stood aside and let them (The Germans) role in."
Your actions will never have the desired affect on Government, nor on the majority of the people of this country.

Yes to Protest, Yes to petitions and writing to MP's. No to mindless acts of vandalism dressed up in the pretentious guise of "Revolution".