Entertainment For Lively Minds
Maggie Maggie Maggie! Out Out Out!
Tony Hunter's post down there *points down* about the Melbourne protest march ends with the line it's been a while since I've said "see you at the demo", and it got me thinking.
In my teens I was always up for taking to the streets. Coal Not Dole and anti Poll Tax marches particularly spring to mind, but I half-remember protesting against planned hospital cuts too. The last time I hit the streets for a cause must be a full 20 years ago though. Since then, I don't think I've protested at all. Not even against going to war in Iraq, even though I was against it.
A couple of days ago I received an email from a friend spreading the word about an anti-fascist demo and trying to muster support for it. I've just dug the email out and read it again, properly this time. It's this Saturday. I'm free this Saturday. It's a worthy cause. I could take part. I should take part. Yet I know I probably won't, through sheer laziness rather than political apathy, though I know it's a very fine line between the two.
Are any members of the Massive more active than I am on the campaign front? If so, what was the last demonstration you roused yourself for and physically took part in?
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I've never marched, never will
Not that I don't feel strongly about things, I'm just not a marcher.
I remember when I was at university coaches taking students to London to protest against the miners' strike or whatever, and most of them spent the day in the pub or went shopping. The coach was just a free way to get to the big city. The scales fell from my eyes.
Of course there are plenty of people who do genuinely believe in what they're marching for, so good for them. But you won't see me with a 'not in my name' placard.
Just a few weeks ago
'I'm a photographer, not a terrorist' demo at Trafalgar Square...
(That's my mrs in the red hat)
http://photographernotaterrorist.org/
Damn! I didn't know about this...
I would have gone for sure. Things are better in Italy... I was taking photos on the street when I got stopped by an undercover police officer. He explained to me that it was illegal to take photos of the public without their permission. As he was talking I spotted someone I just had to photograph and pressed the shutter! He didn't arrest me...
Just struck me....
...how absurd it is to chant "Somebody, somebody, somebody....out, out, out." The day of an election, maybe, but not just because you're cross.
Indeed
You could at least be a bit more specific with your anger, couldn't you?
*Coat coat coat, out! out! out!*
'Cross'
doesn't even come close.
I was at the anti-Iraq war march
Glad I went.
One thing about these events. At the time, the Stop the War coalition put the number of marchers at around a million. The police said about 500,000. Since, I have heard people quote various figures all the way up to 2 million. The numbers for most demos/marches seem as mutable as estimates of who REALLY saw The Pistols.
I marched against student loans.
Then got one.
I marched against my local hospital closing.
Then went private.
I kid you not.
Countryside Alliance here
Always enjoyed a good demo in my youth - Pro solidarity and Anti CND days out in London were particularly memorable.
Hadn't been to anything for 20 odd years until I went on the Countryside Alliance march to Westminster. Combined it with a trip to Rough Trade, Daunts and a nice dinner making for a grand day out.
Good man.
Head. Parapet. Let's see what others have to say.
Last time I was on a demo it was what became referred to as the 'Poll Tax Riots'. We had a good day; we marched all the way from the muster in a park somewhere, stood around in Traf Square listening to all the worthy speeches, then traipsed down to the Embankment to find the coach home, only to see others arrive 5 minutes later who'd seen the disgraceful display from the mounted division and the badgeless bullies in full swing; we saw the first wisps of smoke in the distance from the fires behind the builders' hoardings as we crossed the river towards the M4 and were glad we'd made our way back to the coach so promptly. We were both Secondary School teachers at the time, and the chant, 'Maggie Maggie Maggie, Out! Out! Out!' certainly wasn't something we felt we needed to reserve for the next general election. We wanted the bitch gone, and we were keen to say so.
It takes something like Thatcherism
where communities were actively being torn apart in the name of profit to rouse people from their armchair torpor. We just haven't seen anything like it since, and hopefully won't do again, (tell that to the people of Iraq or Afghanistan, I know).
Yes my protest days were in the Thatch / Major era..
.sorry double post coming up
Yes my protest days were in the Thatch / Major era..
I think the last was on the eve of the original gulf war. I remember a sing song which began with someone with a guitar leading a chorus of the obligatory "Give Peace A Chance" which eventually ascended into a 20 minute routine of arbitrary (ie: nothing to do with war or peace) versions of Lennon / McCartney songs. A jolly good time was had by all...
Incedentally do any former protestors remember the classic "We All Live in a Facsist Regime" or "Those were the days my friend when we had grants to spend" ??
I'm sure K-Tel could put something together.