TUC National Demonstration Against Cuts

[OrangeBernard]

Who's going? I've just booked my train tickets. Its my first protest, any advice or tips? Bit worried about kettling.

Thousands marched peacefully. Maybe hundreds of thousands. It's totally daft to focus on the handful who are creating trouble. I signed up for the police texts and even they admitted the trouble was nothing to do with the TUC march.

Of course it's not Panzee, stop being ridiculous.

I just don't understand this mentality amongst so many on the left that violent protests are acceptable.

Smashing shop windows is fine, in their world, apparently. Injuring police is fine too, it seems.

no, not ok to smash windows. just providing a balance to LFN's usual deluded rant.

I say it again, it's not fine. Stop tainting the thousands who marched peacefully because of the tiny minority. You're being absurd.

I think the TUC should be held collectively (ha!) responsible for incitement to murder.

At the very least, retailers like Top Shop should sue them for the damage they have caused.

smee no need to be snippy. I was replying to Rohanda's "bit of paint throwing, grafitti, smashing a few shop windows owned by notorious tax-avoiders". Oh that's all right then, as long as they're notorious tax avoiders.

Injuring police isn't fine. Neither is the police killing innocent people (Blair Peach, Ian Tomlinson and too many, many others and getting away scot free).

If you knew a bit more about history and stopped using the DM as your frame of reference LFN, you may understand a bit more.

Though I get the sense that you don't really want to.

Sorry, x-posted.
I believe in demonstration but I don't believe in dismissing those who choose to damage property even if they're a tiny minority.

Am pretty sure by now that LFN is a bit of a socio-path. And a bit bored today so posting stuff to annoy people for her amusement.

Sorry Panzee, am just wound up by LFN's sniping. Having just come back from a so-not-anarchic or violent in any way march, I can't quite cope with her bleating.

As I said above LGF, the police have acknowledged that the trouble was nothing to do with the TUC march. Not that you'll listen of course.

The 'walkiing from a to b' = good, and 'damage to property' = bad school of thought is so lacking in historical and political awareness that, for me, it's not even worth engaging with.

It's very biased of the media to report the UKunCut protest under the same headline as the TUC march

They were never going to be under the same umbrella.

They are totally seperate organisations, using very different methods of communicating their points of view.

Oh good lord LFN, you've obviously gone to planet Moondog. Like a pair of village eccentrics raving on and on and on....

smee :o

Rosebud could you try to bother to engage with that? I like to be educated.

wook, I don't think LGF has gone to Planet Moondog yet, but would be happy to club together and send her.

Most of it was peaceful and everyone I saw when I was in London much earlier today looked pretty happy, police and people on their way to the march.

It does not change the fact that most of the UK knows we need cust, Labour wanted at least 20% cuts, the coaltion 25% and virtually no one thinksd we don't have to make them but the right of peaceful protest is very important. (Just read the interview with Bob Crow in today's FT.. phew, often dines at Rules.. b rother a stock broker, has his own 6 figure salary, would abolish private health and private schools but doesn't think surgeons should be paid the same as street sweepers; works out 6 days a week)

HH - of course deficit and debt are related. One feeds the other.

But we can live with a reasonable level of debt, and even a deficit during recession and low growth. The problem is our deficit is so high that even at full growth levels it remains. So, even Labour agree the cuts need to happen. With them it's about timing, although I don't think they are suggesting we can wait until the economy is back to full growth (by then our debt would be a massive problem).

There are still running scuffles in central London - with incendiary devices being thrown (1 report of a Molotov cocktail, several of fireworks), SWP and anarchist groups being blamed for this.

I marched for 3 hours along Embankment with my 2 year old DS, DH, friends and their 18mo DD. No masked anarchists, burning, shouting, violence where I was - just thousands of people from tiny babies to octogenarians, students to civil servants, all races, both sexes marching peacefully, singing, chanting. If you had seen most of the marchers you would think they were attending a Spring Fete or queuing at Waitrose.

The TUC-led marchers have just thrown a petrol bomb, according to BBC news.

yes, socio-path LFN? You have become a parody of yourself.

LFN: I think that's a garble - the Molotov cocktail was from the "anarchist types" separate from the TUC demo.

Can't find the BBC report on the petrol bomb. Link?