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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder how the occupy random places people

107 replies

Sevenfold · 09/11/2011 22:29

can afford to do it.
if they work, are they on holiday? are they rich?
if on JS, don't they loose that as they are not looking for work......

OP posts:
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 09/11/2011 23:20

OOH, controversial question!.....

squeakytoy · 09/11/2011 23:21

a question I myself have been asking... Grin

RosalindFranklinsNobelPrize · 09/11/2011 23:21
maighdlin · 09/11/2011 23:24

they are probably not working but don't get any government help like JSA because they didn't pay enough NI or their partners work (but they also need to work but there are no jobs) and they are protesting because they feel the government don't really give a shit about them

witherhills · 09/11/2011 23:42

I don't understand the question

witherhills · 09/11/2011 23:49

Oh, you mean the protestors?
They live in tents, no rent, no council tax.
Easy!

I think they cover for each other. Only needs one person to look after a couple of tents, they can still pop off to the job centre

I have no idea what I am talking about

MissVerinder · 09/11/2011 23:51

But who is feeding their goats?

SuchProspects · 10/11/2011 07:30

Some of them do work. I don't know any of the London people, but a friend in the US took a leave of absence to join Occupy Wall Street and currently does a few hours a day work from a Starbucks to keep things ticking over. From what he's said most of them tend to work jobs (bike messenger, cafe jobs, consultant) that they can be flexible with, or had good jobs but lost them in the financial melt down. He did mention one guy who works in IT on Wall Street who was going to work every morning and coming back to the camp at night - don't know how long he lasted though. US work and benefits are a bit different to the UK but not totally alien. If you have no debts or responsibilities (like a family or a house to run) I would think it can be quite easy to live V. cheaply for a short time in a communal tent city. Especially when part of your common cause is rejecting the need to be as materialistic as the surrounding culture.

AMumInScotland · 10/11/2011 08:33

I've seen comments that the London ones are mainly not actually staying there fulltime - some are, but many of the tents are empty most of the time. They go to work, pop by for a while in the evening, then go home!

Jajas · 10/11/2011 08:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

thousandDenier · 10/11/2011 08:41

Didn't a news helicopter film the St Paul's camp at night with a thermal camera and found that 90% of the tents were empty? Grin

LydiaWickham · 10/11/2011 08:43

Some people who aren't camping are providing money for food in London.

LydiaWickham · 10/11/2011 08:46

I think the news helicopter saying they were mostly empty was a bit mean, it was something like 9pm at night when they took the thermal images, a lot of the people who were planning to camp hadn't gone to bed yet and were milling around outside the tents/in the comunal areas - but yes, it seems a lot are empty overnight.

spatchcock · 10/11/2011 09:18

A friend of mine is 'living' at the St Paul's camp. She is a freelance journalist and also works part time. She said there are all sorts down there - full time workers who go there to sleep at night, full time activist types, students, homeless people and the unemployed.

dawntigga · 10/11/2011 09:31

I'm curious as to how they wash/have a wee etc.

HasPonderedOnThisAndDecidedTheyAreProbABitWhiffyNowTiggaxx

spatchcock · 10/11/2011 09:53

I was just wondering that myself, Tigga! I have texted my friend and asked her. If she can take some time off from changing the world to reply I will let you know.

DeWe · 10/11/2011 10:04

I grew up near somewhere occasionally peace protesters used to come and camp near. Strangely it was conveniently near a popular sea side resort, and they used to choose to come during the summer holidays with their children. Dad's only at weekends! Hmm

They might have been taken more seriously if they'd come during winter.

spatchcock · 10/11/2011 10:19

Apparently they use nearby cafes and public toilets during the day, and there are portaloos that open at night.

So yeah, imagine they are a bit whiffy.

TeWihara · 10/11/2011 10:22

They do go in and out, it's more viable to keep it going long term that way.

There was an interview in the paper a while ago with a student who is the son of a property millionaire (and thus pretty loaded! but doesn't agree with how his father earned their money), he was quoted as saying that protest was becoming the presever of the rich - as there aren't many people who can afford to do what he was doing.

t'was an interesting point I thought.

thesurgeonsmate · 10/11/2011 10:24

After the thermal camera thingy, one of them gave an interview saying that each tent "represents" a person, but you'll understand of course that we have jobs and families too, so that person is not always there.

ElderberrySyrup · 10/11/2011 10:26

I thought the thermal imaging camera thing turned out to be rubbish, a group of protesters hired the same camera and filmed it not picking up people inside a tent that turned out to have 6 people hiding in it - it's on YouTube somewhere.

BeaOnSea · 10/11/2011 10:29

I wouldn't show up on a thermal camera.

I am always cold.

ExitPursuedByaBear · 10/11/2011 10:31

Read an article by a woman who works for Harpers Bazaar who lives at the camp but goes to work everyday. I think there are showers they can use somewhere. Toilets in shops. People have been donating money (she spoke of a woman barrister who popped round with £2500 for the cause). Someone else donated a piano so she gives piano lessons. A friend of hers brought her son along for the weekend, they all gathered round the piano for a sing song and the boy enjoyed himself so much he asked to go there every weekend.

Lovely.

hardboiledpossum · 10/11/2011 10:34

The thermal camera thing was shown to be untrue, the guardian had a video showing how you often can't see if anyone is in the tents.

I know a few people who are staying there, some on a part time basis and some full time. Two are students, one works part time in a coffee shop whilst also being a carer for his aunt. Another two have full time jobs, they camp there half the week and go to work from there on the days that they stay. I think quite a few people have full time jobs as in one of the general meetings some people were complaining about the noise at night as they have work the next day. It was then agreed that people should try to be quiet after 11. You can read the minutes from all of their meeting on their website.

Quenelle · 10/11/2011 10:38

One of the Occupy London protestors was interviewed in the Times. He had negotiated unpaid leave until Christmas.

Not all protestors are unemployed with nothing better to do. I used a day's annual leave so I could take part in the Stop Bush march and I got sick of people shouting at us to get a job.