Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
There has always been a big question mark in my head as to whether protest marches ever actually work on any significant level. This is mainly because all the ones I have been involved in have not succeeded in their goal.
I marched against student loans – failed
I marched against the Iraq War – failed
I marched against Climate change – failed
I marched against Brexit – failed
So what’s the point? As they say doing something over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. But the alternative is nothing and action is always better than apathy. Nothing ever happened from doing nothing. When you march through streets joined by thousands of others who feel the same way you are united as a body of people, you feel like a unit, there is a sense of togetherness and the positive energy that generates is maybe reason enough because in some ways, that feeling of oneness is all we need to go forward. It creates a unified collective which focuses on the power of the many rather than our own individual sense of powerlessness. Even if this is essentially a delusion, this feeling of empowerment is ultimately enough to warrant the action.
So why are we protesting? Because we know austerity is bullshit and we know that the reason that there is austerity in the first place is because we bailed out the banks. They took our money and now we’re up to our eyeballs in debt. Their debt that they saddled us with and then rode off into the sunset only to start all over again. We cannot forget this. We mustn’t forget this.
This is not our debt. It is theirs but we paid for it. It was not the public sector workers debt. It wasn’t the disabled. It wasn’t those on benefits. It wasn’t those who lived in council flats. But they are the ones who they have taken the money from. Was there money for the DUP? Yes. Was there money for Brexit negotiations? Yes. Hinkley? H2? Trident? Somehow there is money for all these gargantuan insanely expensive projects that no-one wants but apparently no money for sections of the population that actually need it.
We are also protesting because we know the current establishment is not working for us. They are working for themselves. It is blatantly obvious to see. Referendum? For them, not us. Snap election? For them. One billion pounds of our money to buy 10 seats? Them again. They are our elected body. Technically they work for us but in reality their actions are largely driven by a desire and need to cling onto power. Is that really who we want to govern us? A government that has no concern for our concerns or any concerns other than their own.
The march on Saturday through London was called NotOneDayMore but the sad truth is we have five more years of MayBot bollocks and even though you can feel a change in the wind, a step in the right direction, a shifting of public opinion, a desire for something less cunty, more caring, there is still a shitload of time before any of that can kick into gear. In the meantime, we must fight for what is right, what is decent, what is morally correct, regardless of party politics. It doesn’t matter if you are blue or red, whether you hate Corbyn or not, this is about doing the right thing. It really just boils down to whether you want to be on the side that gives a shit about people or the side that doesn’t. Is that too simplistic a view of life? Am I being naive? All I know is that there is a good person and a git in everyone of us and I know which one I would rather be.
I will try and give politics a rest for a while now, well, at least until the next major shit hits the fan but in the meantime I will put it on the back burner, on this blog at least. In person? That I can’t guarantee…
p.s I accidentally posted two pics yesterday so you got a extra one thrown in for free this week. That’s the kind of caring sharing guy I am…
