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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder why Brits aren't protesting in the streets?

243 replies

ponderingpaula · 17/10/2022 07:38

I used to live in the U.K. and I can't for the life of me work out why the British people aren't protesting the government, given how utterly shafted you have all been by them, and how things have been getting worse and worse over the last few years.

Working people needing food banks and "warm houses" because the costs of living is so outrageous, the nhs is utterly broken unless it's an emergency and even then people have to wait hours for an ambulance, social care virtually doesn't exist now, transport is crap and constantly striking, there have been so many lies it's impossible to count, multiple leaders over a short time, u turn after u turn, prioritising the ultra rich, I mean this is just off the top of my head...

In any other country on earth people would take to the streets to protest or even riot... why don't Brits?

OP posts:
mewkins · 18/10/2022 13:34

MayThe4th · 17/10/2022 07:57

People always talk about how in other countries people don’t stand for anything and protest in their droves.

But what good does protesting actually do? When has real change ever been brought about through protesting?

Protests are essentially just a way for people to voice their dissatisfaction, protests aren’t going to bring about change, just as they don’t bring about change anywhere else, and being a country prone to riots as happens in some countries is hardly an accolade to aspire to.

The Boston Tea Party? the Suffragette Movement?

IcedPurple · 18/10/2022 13:45

MayThe4th · 17/10/2022 07:57

People always talk about how in other countries people don’t stand for anything and protest in their droves.

But what good does protesting actually do? When has real change ever been brought about through protesting?

Protests are essentially just a way for people to voice their dissatisfaction, protests aren’t going to bring about change, just as they don’t bring about change anywhere else, and being a country prone to riots as happens in some countries is hardly an accolade to aspire to.

That's what I'm wondering.

Have all these alleged protests in these wonderful unnamed 'other countries' actually achieved anything tangible?

HellothereSH · 18/10/2022 13:46

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Previously banned poster.

mewkins · 18/10/2022 14:01

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This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Previously banned poster.

I'm sure a quick Google about the history of protests could help the pp disprove their own question 'when have protests ever changed anything?'😂

HellothereSH · 18/10/2022 14:04

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Previously banned poster.

gogohmm · 18/10/2022 14:20

Because the vast majority are ok, cutting back on luxuries but ok.

The marginalised at the bottom are too exhausted to protest.

Food banks in particular are an example of something that creates its own need. I work with one, the vast majority of people using them are working, some have had an unexpected bill but the majority have long term debt issues, thankfully we provide support to manage the debts and most do not need help many times - before food banks people ran up even more debt

mewkins · 18/10/2022 14:27

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Previously banned poster.

I'm ok with that.👌History can teach us nothing.

TooBigForMyBoots · 18/10/2022 14:30

Civil rights campaigns in NI.

TooBigForMyBoots · 18/10/2022 14:30

Poll Tax riots.

vera99 · 18/10/2022 14:46

BNP HQ in Welling got shut down.

Krupkrups · 18/10/2022 15:42

Awful isn’t it. You only have to look at @Mamamia7962 ’s post to see why, people are either apathetic or are shit down by the small but not insignificant minority who are doing very well out of the status quo.

Krupkrups · 18/10/2022 15:42

Haha *shot down, but shit down quite apt

DdraigGoch · 18/10/2022 20:00

Luxurysleuth007 · 17/10/2022 07:59

Because

  1. it’s autumn and chilly

  2. too many average Joes are addicted to their phones or tablets to grasp the bigger far reaching implications all of this has for them

  3. the media control the narrative

  4. ‘compared to what’s happening over in Ukraine, we have it easy’

  5. ‘what exactly would change?’

  6. we’re not cohesive as a society, there’s too many social groups and tribes that don’t mix together, what X wants is irrelevant to Y and Z who think they’re better than X

  7. ‘Labours just as bad’

  8. Things may be tight at the moment but no enough people are feeling the real financial pinch yet, once this bites protesting will be more palatable

  9. There’s no specific cause for all of this, just a pile of shoddy decisions made by many (including the leave voters), the war in Ukraine and Covid. It’s been a fairly gradual slide in what’s actually acceptable to the vast majority so more are seemingly happy enough with less. It’s only when you stop and think how shockingly bad food prices, energy bills, NHS wait times and services, public transport, the economy, the pound and sham of a government have all become that you realise just how terribly weak our Nation is now.

And have you seen the price of petrol? How many Molotov cocktails does a £10 note fill these days?

InCheesusWeTrust · 18/10/2022 20:58

it’s autumn and chilly

Revolutions 1989.
Wusses

MrsLargeEmbodied · 20/10/2022 11:59

m.youtube.com/watch?v=sr_KyGYTGN8&feature=youtu.be

TooBigForMyBoots · 20/10/2022 12:06

I'll be protesting in the streets next Saturday.

vera99 · 20/10/2022 12:17

They are

twitter.com/JustStop_Oil

Original poster
ponderingpaula · 20/10/2022 21:50

Even more need now isn't there!!!

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