Anyone want to name an example of a protest march that a) acheived its aim...

[SpringchickenGoldBrass]

within living memory and b) achieved its aim better and quicker because some fuckwits people actually took their very small DC along?

oh yh course oops - iirc ours went from being x amount per person to same amount per household.

yes sharbie and being 'piloted' in Scotland where tories had no, or miniscule, representation.

Bigeagleeyes - is your sister in a Labour controlled council?

spidery - can see what point you are trying to make - my local council is a Lib-Dem authority. Which these days means tory, doesn't it?

Spiderslegs re cuts DS is loosing £30 each week from Sept as a direct result of EMA cut. That is a LOT of money.

Hello, Poll Tax, Suffragetts, women gave up their lives for our rights. See everyone else has posted before me. Will unfortunately take a lot of violence and a few deaths for the government to take any notice.

Bella, same here. Makes it hard to sympathise with the higher rate tax payers losing £30 cb in a couple of years doesn't it? Guess that is how the Tories like it the fuck you attitude, as long as we are alright.

SGB - I know somebody who took their 6th month old baby along. Don't call her a fuckwit - that's deeply offensive. If you care about what's happening and can stand up for yourself then of course you take your dcs along too - because it's their future you're struggling for.

I was going to say suffragettes but it wasn't in my life time.

There is a bigger 'franchise' question here, isn't there?

The Tories did not have a mandate from the public to re-structure our nation in the way it is setting about doing so. It is operating as a 'minority govt' propped up shamefully by the Lib Dems who want a bit of power. Such a constructed govt. has no moral authority to behave in the way it is doing so. There is a question over it's legitimacy.

So. When there is resistance on any scale, peaceful or not, the lack of legitimacy becomes a focus for the resistance.

suffragettes didn't take their children along to protest though

Maybe - but EMA is a recent benefit - many young people did well without it - it's only been here a few years

the obv. analogy is Blair's lack of legitimacy in involving the UK in the war in Iraq - the last time there was a large scale, and violent, protest against govt. action.

Rohanda - The Tories did - they were the front runners in the election so for the LibDems to support Labour would have been morally bankrupt. They are a legitimate - though weak, government.

I marched today with my child and I can assure you I am not a fuckwit. I was exercising my right to protest, grateful for the fact I have it, unlike in Bahrain and the Yemen.

can I ask why you took your child?

Honest question.

Protest marches in themselves don't appear to acheive very much. Ever.
Wasn't it three million people who took to the streets to object to sending troops into Iraq? Mm, that worked.

Taking small DC on demos is wanky. If you're not actually putting your kids in danger (ie demo is on such an emotive subject that there's probaby going to be a riot) you're using them as accessories (Look! I'm a parent! I must be Right because I've obviously had sex at least once and my kids are wearing Boden!) to a cause they might not support anyway.

OOOOoooooooooohhhhhhh, my brother used to have a bollocks to the poll tax t shirt

spidy - yes, tories had more MPs than Labour, but still in a minority.

Anarchist groups enter the vacuum left when democracy, in reflecting the will of the people, fails. this tory govt. doesn't have the mandate to act so radically - it is wildly out of proportion to it's 'licence' to act.

i am with the march, and hope it will be more and more every day, this cuts will stop and all the the previous cuts will return back, we are not sheeps to folow any shit. people has to speak for their rights.

I'm very glad we have that right, it is, however, in this country, futile, & I think to take your child is facile shite as SCGB says, & potentially very dangerous

Rohanda - it's not as radical as any of them would have you believe

I disagree SGB - the result of this march is to give people in the country a greater confidence in resisting the efforts of this govt to divide people against each other i.e. divided into people who can afford a private provision previously available cheaper, or free, and those who can;t and so must do without.

we are a very rich nation. the experience of poverty for swathes of our population in years to come will be shameful if these cuts remain.

that true, i cant attent the march because of my child as i cant take him to this kind of places, you will never know how it will end.

I can't see why anyone would take a child on a march when you know it could all kick off due to 'rebels'

I'm with sgb on this.