To think todays protest was stupid and pointless

[Ryoko]

All those that have gone before that have had an effect (admittedly there isn't many) have had 1 thing in common, a single point to rally around, a simple ideal that all can rally around sometimes with targeted violence at the thing you are angry about (targeting symbols of the government, council building and police during the poll tax revolt for example).

Todays protest, large as it was consisted of many voices who's only connection was one word in each of their points and that word was cuts, some where protesting against NHS cuts, some protesting that their should be no cuts at all, others that the cuts where unfairly affecting the poor.

Can any protest mean anything without a clear message I don't think so, today was just a collection of the disgruntled matching the streets without anyone really knowing what exactly they are disgruntled about, such things mean nothing and will effect nothing as the people where not really united and sent no coherent message to the powers that be.

Am I right or am I wrong?

But they had no message to send, as they where all marching for different reasons you can't hear a voice if everyone is saying something different.

They would have been better off if each union etc did a protest one a week to cause disruption and voice their concerns, one week the NHS workers, the next week the TUC etc, money talks, the government only care about money, disruption caused by multiple protests works better then one big one where everyone joins in.

The anarchists have the right idea in a way, small protests but many of them causing trouble/disruption, no one cares about people who moan and just walk around, the anti attack Iraq protesters never got anywhere.

NHS great idea.

Doesn't work though, does it?

Needs massive reorganisation at the very least.

Anyway, who said they're privatising it?

I think the people who attended the demo know exactly what they are "disgruntled" about, and that's precisely why they attended. People don't travel hundreds of miles (in some cases) to do this kind of thing on a whim.

People came from all over the country - because they care deeply about what is happening to vulnerable members of our society, are angry at what the government is doing, are concerned about the scale and speed of the cuts that are being implemented and want to make their voice heard. And clearly an awful lot of people feel strongly about this.

I realise that is a hard concept for some self-absorbed types to grasp, mind you.

"Anyway, who said they're privatising it?"

Read it.

They're handing £80 billion to GP's to commission health care and closing down the NHS trusts.

So it will reduce the NHS' role to paymaster. The GP's will choose private companies to provide healthcare as there will be no more NHS trusts. So the NHS will pay for helthcare but not actually provide it anymore. Private companies are there to make a profit. They will not have patients interests at the forefront of their mind and GP's will be under pressure to not spend the budget so they'll have to decide who gets treatment and who doens't which is a conflict of interest between the duty a GP has to their patient in having to decide who they pay for healthcare for.

I am a solicitor in a private firm and we do not control the court system nor do we decide who gets Legal Aid for example. The LSC decide who gets legal aid. Putting GP's in charge of the budget it like putting solicitors in cahrge of the court system or the LSC. Imagine if your solicitor who you'd gone too for help had to decide if your case was worth giving you legal aid for.

I know the people on the march knew what they where protesting about, but the amount of different people protesting all at the same time for different reasons, means the rest of the british public watching doesn't actually know what the protest was about because there wasn't one voice, it was a sea of different complaints, and protests without a single clear message never work.

The TUC isn't a union.

Hope I'm not being classed as a self absorbed type, particularly as I've spent the last academic year teaching for free in a local state school because they are short of specialists in my (core) subject.

Not everyone who votes tory (sometimes) or doesn't blindly follow the left because 'they're nicer' are self-absorbed, you know...

"More than 250,000 people have attended a rally and march in central London against public spending cuts"

From BBC News website. Seems pretty straightforward, no?

I'm getting a big 'armchair warrior' vibe here.

But does the NHS have the best interests of the patient at heart now? Did it work beautifully under Labour?

Not in my experience...

how abusurd. of course there was a message.

the message was that there is an alternative to cutting so fast, so strong and to what.

that there is an alternative to cutting our NHS, our childrens eduaction, our benefits for the vulnerable and our services and our jobs.

all those people who day in and day out, who work hard for the people in the UK will be shafted and all thier 'clients', or the people they work for [ie: you the general public] will be shafted even more.

what is there not 'to get' about today. that was over 250000 people who took a whole day to walk for hours to show that things are seriously wrong and that there is another way.

You're right ilovesooty, the TUC isn't a union as such. It's the Trade Union Congress - it's an umbrella organisation which represents and works on behalf of all unions in the UK.

I think I could find more than 250k people who would march for the cuts. The only problem is that they're all too busy running businesses or saving money as they don't have any pension at all, to spare the time to march.

oh really? so all the people you are thinking of, work every saturday?

Hear hear prinnie...

"But does the NHS have the best interests of the patient at heart now? Did it work beautifully under Labour?

Not in my experience..."

In mine it did.

there were people today who marched who work when you go to sleep every night. when you snuggle up, these people are fighting fires and saving lives in hospitals.

Flippinada thats not straightforward thats a sweeping generalisation that results in the reader saying "yeah so what no one wants cuts".

Protest separately and clear messages can and will be heard that would rally support from people saying "I didn't know that" (like what A1980 said) the cuts are vague the majority do not know the full extent of what the government is doing.

Plenty of people who run their own businesses work seven days a week.

Also I was referred to a hospital under the Tories back in 1996. I waited 8 months for an appointment.

I was referred to hospital under Labour in 2008, I waited 6 weeks for an appointment.

Why would you go on a march to support policies that are already in place? That is completely absurd.

ROFL at the idea though. Maybe all those super busy people could spare a moment to fax or email David Cameron and tell him to keep up the good work?

Blimey, A1980, I want to move to your town...

these people may not be raking in millions for their 'business', but they will be educating your kids, nursing the sick and keeping your streets clean. They will be making the country a better place to live in. If they stop caring...just who will?

I live in London. That might be why. More hospitals, more choice... I don't know.

But living in London is 1996, I still waited 8 months for a hospital appointment under Tories.

YABU. If we do nothing then those who have the power will think we really don't care what they do - that's a scary thought to me x