DEM not gonna CON dis NATION: Rolling UK politics in the short-lived Cleggeron era

The anger is being expressed at the wrong targets and in the wrong place.

Public demonstrations of anger are one thing but there's nothing socialist about frightening ordinary working people (receptionists etc.) who in real terms probably have a lot more to lose (they're the ones who are going to end up being priced out of London because of spiralling rents and the downsizing of housing benefit) than the protestors.

tory hq is the wrong place?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millbank_Tower#Occupants

I dunno, watching some clips of House of Commons discussion earlier today really does give me more sympathy towards those who've scaled it up to riot status. If a bunch of complacent overprivileged sociopaths are deciding what is happening to you, of course you're going to be angry.

Also, this is what happens at peaceful protests: "The British Stop the War Coalition (StWC) held a protest in London which it claimed was the largest political demonstration in the city's history. Police estimated attendance as well in excess of 750,000 people and the BBC estimated that around a million attended."

That really worked, didn't it?

But obviously I don't want to see anyone hurt, and there's always the likelihood that the people who escalate are just there to kick off and don't actually give a shit about the cause.

These kind of random bursts of adrenalin violence are never cool, absolutely. But if these kids are playing into the hands of their enemies by shifting the focus of the discussion, we oughtn't to get sucked into the same trap. On a sliding scale, this uncoolness is nothing to what's being protested about.

i realise there are other people in millbank but i would like to know where exactly this perfect alternative venue is

Yeah this can't be fun for the people working elsewhere in Millbank who have nothing to do with the Tory Party or the government. You'd hope they'd have been evacuated ages ago but that would presume competence here.

I'm looking forward to seeing some hapless LibDem stooge get eviscerated on Newsnight tonight if nothing else. But I can't see it actually changing anything unless some LibDems actually grow a spine and rebel.

wonder if this was a tory undercover agent subverting the cause from within
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01758/beer-pot-noodles_1758450i.jpg

You have to check the boots tbh

i realise there are other people in millbank but i would like to know where exactly this perfect alternative venue is

um, on the streets. tv coverage would be better for one thing.

no one would have given a shit

like g-20?

reckon a few self immolations would have put the message across way better than chucking a couple of computers about

Smoking ban in public buildings, dude

think plenty of non-politicos might have been caught up in those too? xp

Also, this is what happens at peaceful protests: "The British Stop the War Coalition (StWC) held a protest in London which it claimed was the largest political demonstration in the city's history. Police estimated attendance as well in excess of 750,000 people and the BBC estimated that around a million attended."

That really worked, didn't it?

Um, it didn't stop the war, but it did motivate people to join in with the groundswell of opinion, and make themselves heard. It's not like it got totally ignored and had no news coverage, was it?

it had no consequence

Anything happening at LibDem HQ round the corner?

It's not like it got totally ignored and had no news coverage, was it?

I mean, an actual LibDem rebellion is the only way this can possibly get canned, right?

LibDem's rapidly hanging out a banner that says "SWP Can't Whine Here"

a friend (currently in Paris funnily enough) tweets: STUDENTS, GET TO SKY HQ. KAY BURLEY IS YOUR NEXT TARGET

Mark, I don't think the aim of the Stop the War protests was to get news coverage. Otherwise it would have been called the Get News Coverage protests. There's a significant clue in the name. It failed.

(Bad use of grammar there, sorry)

dg, g20 riots were general anti-capitalism things, pretty untargeted. my point mentioning them is that you can riot in the streets and get on tv.

if you want to get on the news while minimizing the number of people who have nothing to do with your campaign who get caught up, ascending a tower block does not seem like a smart move.

unless you do it King Kong style

conservative party have like two floors in millbank. they have an actual central office round the corner too. now that's box office.

matt, i think the street the LD HQ is on was blocked off when it started getting violent

Pluck Theresa May screaming from her office

if you want to get on the news while minimizing the number of people who have nothing to do with your campaign who get caught up, ascending a tower block does not seem like a smart move.

er smarter than rioting in oxford street surely

They are only in Milbank now IIRC, the old central office at 32 smith square, irony of ironies, is the London office of the European Parliament.

xp, don't know what we're talking about now

Mark, I don't think the aim of the Stop the War protests was to get news coverage. Otherwise it would have been called the Get News Coverage protests. There's a significant clue in the name. It failed.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 10 November 2010 16:53 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i am not sure if this 'riot' is likely to succeed in its aim of getting fees f**ked

Two forms of useless action, which one is more fun for bored students?

Well, the poll tax riot, oh wait...

ken, no, neither am I. But then I'm not sure that the mostly peaceful aspect of the protest today will succeed either.

Imagine how awesome it'd be if a bunch of disenfranchised child benefit recipients torched their nearest Conservative Club.

This is just more tired 80s revivalism really.

ed, you are correct

90s revivalism surely? There was an illegal rave in the centre of London last weekend.

Fucking hell was the Poll Tax riot 1990? lol old. Was thinking of the early 80s riots tho tbf

All togethr now: "I think it's so groovy now, that people are finally gettin' together..."

But then I'm not sure that the mostly peaceful aspect of the protest today will succeed either.

Of course it won't, it'll be totally obscured by reports of the violence for one thing.

I'm surprised Tory HQ is victim to the nanny state elf 'n' safety madness fire extinguisher requirement.

I do want to reiterate that I'm not unequivocally supporting this escalation. I'm just, I guess, understanding it.

Also, has this actually become a 'violent' protest? There's property damage, sure, but I'd consider that to be a different thing.

80 revivalism isn't going far enough, gotta go all out with the retro and publicly lynch G. Osborne if you want to make a real difference.

80s*

@PennyRed: Woman with blood running down her face: 'I didn't raise my hand to anyone. I was just trying to get in the building. A policeman whacked me'

Sounds pretty violent to me.

1780s revivalism!

xpost

Hey, let's not bring my family into this, please.

WD, shit, have the cops started being particularly awful again? Hadn't actually heard anything of that ilk yet, was hoping that maybe their techniques had finally improved.