Taking to the streets on March 26th - Cuts protest

[llcoolphil]

I don't get it - there's always been a potential to get into a squeeze at place like Glastonbury - doesn't mean we don't go.

The media coverage has clearly done its job of putting off people. I've been to over 100 demos protests, and last weekend went to the 'Save Our Forests' one in Exeter - where less than 20 showed up, and that was double the number at the library protest that day. This is a proper demo, with a destination and a point, not a random march - it's for students, public sector workers, nurses, teachers, pupils, anyone feeling the pinch to say, "Hang on. You lot have no idea what you're actually doing to us! We don't like it and we want to show we don't agree."

Does no one (apart from a handful) really care what happens? Are we who are against it really so few in number?

This fear of going on a demo is crazy and will just make those in charge think no one is opposed to what they're doing. How else exactly do those against the cuts who won't show their support think they're going to make a stand?

I'm depressed that so few of you are actually on board.

If we're not prepared to show that we're against something then we have no right to complain when that thing comes to be.

[llcoolphil]

+1

And to be honest, I just don't give a shit. Protests about wars, fair enough. Protests about things as mundane as tuition fees and budget cuts, f**k no. And the tuition fees saga - when I finally decided to read up on it, it turned out the proposed changes were incredibly reasonable. It makes me think that people just like complaining about stuff. I'm happy to be ignorant on subjects as boring as this.

[brighteyes]

I despair. Subjects like whether we have libraries and swimming pools? Like whether we have enough social workers or policemen or teachers or bin men? Like whether when you need hospital treatment, there are enough nurses and doctors to treat you?

You don't give a shit? You're happy to be ignorant? I hope it's your job that goes.And your benefits are limited because when you could have fought against it, you were happy to be ignorant. And you have to share a house with people you don't know until you're 35, because housing benefit doesn't afford you your own home until you reach that age. And that you have to work a 40 hour week for your benefits because it'll help you find a job and you were just too happy to be ignorant when you could have done something about it.

I hope yours is the next job to go and I hope you're the last off the dole queue. See how much of a shit you give then. See how happy you are in your ignorance.

[Kowalski]

I despair. Subjects like whether we have libraries and swimming pools? Like whether we have enough social workers or policemen or teachers or bin men? Like whether when you need hospital treatment, there are enough nurses and doctors to treat you?

[TalkShow Bob]

Ahaha. No compulsory redundancies in the Welsh NHS. And I hardly think that me going to London and chanting various lame but rhyming criticisms at the government is going to prevent me from being a loser in the long-run.

Is it so wrong to trust the government to make the hard decisions about what money goes where? It's something I'd have to do an impossible amount of research to work out what we can actually afford and what we can't. But of course, you've all done this, so you know better than the government, you know exactly what we should spend on libraries etc and where we should get that money from - what we should cut (wars, at a guess?).

So if I went to the demonstrations, I think the best I could think to shout would be "Stop The Cuts! Although, I don't know much about it, possibly you've got more information about the effectiveness of said cuts than me, but I thought I'd complain about it in this generic, non-specific way anyway because then you might somehow make the country better and I won't end up being a loser when I'm 35 like Phil hopes I will"

[llcoolphil]

Brighteyes - is it so wrong to trust the government to enact cuts for which they have no mandate, in some cases they fought an election on promises directly opposed to what they are now doing and in some cases for nothing other than ideology. Don't you worry yoir head about something as mundane as people's livliehoods, people's services and a generation if young people being lost to unemployment. No wonder the nhs is f**ked when the ignorant are working in it, are happy to be ignorant and don't give a f**k. First out last in is all I hope for you.

[TalkShow Bob]

Libdem councilors not so happy about the cuts eather - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12413101

I'm not so suprised with the way Pickles has been acting.

Edited February 10, 2011 by TalkShow Bob

[rabid]

What it does is start to undermine the coalition by making the Lib Dems sit up and see how much opposition they face.

[eFestivals]

I'm not so suprised with the way Pickles has been acting.

has he stolen all the cakes again?

Edited February 10, 2011 by eFestivals

[llcoolphil]

Really? 1 million people in London and 30 million world wide protested against the war in Iraq. Don't get me wrong, these cuts should be stopped but I just don't think marching is effective, especially with a 'family friendly festival atmosphere' that is being aimed for.

[llcoolphil]

Libdem councilors not so happy about the cuts eather - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12413101

I'm not so suprised with the way Pickles has been acting.

[Snufflebutt]

I certainly will not be protesting against the rise in tuition fees for a number of reasons. a) I'm Scottish and it doesn't directly affect me The people who it will actually affect aren't the poorest in society. The protestors can dress it up all they want but this is the reality c) The protests are counter productive. They will have the effect of stopping people from going to university. By going around saying tuition fees of £9000 will be charged, the impression is given that every university will be able to charge this when they won't be, thanks to market forces

Whatever cuts the Tories made, they'd have been criticised for them. But the reality is, every government in Europe is making cuts. (and the cuts the tories are making arent even making a difference in the deficit, they are just helping to pay the interest on the debt IIRC - in other words they have to cut harder)

Its also interesting to note other Governments attitudes to the cuts around Europe. The French have ring fenced arts funding, of all things. The fact is, whichever governments make these cuts, they will most likely be f**ked electorally. And if you think Labour wouldnt have put up tuition fees if they were in power, you're rather naive.

[eFestivals]

Different kettles of fish. Labour had a decent majority in parliament and no need to listen to anyone. The Lib Dems are facing - quite literally - annihilation at the polls on a policy programme that isn't their own and in significant part they opposed at the election. This government CAN be brought down by action because it has so much internal discontent. Another lib dem stepped down in the lords last night

What I'd say you're missing is that even if they backed out of the coalition they'd still be annihilated in the polls.

Their best hope for political survival is to see it thru to the end, in the hope that things have turned around enough in five years time for them to be forgiven - cos they sure as hell wouldn't be forgiven if they ended the coalition today.

I say that's their best hope, but of course there's another, and one the tories have used before when facing their own annihilation in the polls due to heavy programme of cuts - war. And I wouldn't put this one past them in four years time.

[eFestivals]

I certainly will not be protesting against the rise in tuition fees for a number of reasons. a) I'm Scottish and it doesn't directly affect me

YET!!!

Scotland's education funding is unsustainable. Something will change, and quite soon.

[5co77ie]

Really? 1 million people in London and 30 million world wide protested against the war in Iraq. Don't get me wrong, these cuts should be stopped but I just don't think marching is effective, especially with a 'family friendly festival atmosphere' that is being aimed for.

[5co77ie]

Its also interesting to note other Governments attitudes to the cuts around Europe. The French have ring fenced arts funding, of all things. The fact is, whichever governments make these cuts, they will most likely be f**ked electorally. And if you think Labour wouldnt have put up tuition fees if they were in power, you're rather naive.

[lost]

Cuts might be necessary but handing everything to your mates in private business isn't.

[llcoolphil]

T

What I'd say you're missing is that even if they backed out of the coalition they'd still be annihilated in the polls.

Their best hope for political survival is to see it thru to the end, in the hope that things have turned around enough in five years time for them to be forgiven - cos they sure as hell wouldn't be forgiven if they ended the coalition today.

I say that's their best hope, but of course there's another, and one the tories have used before when facing their own annihilation in the polls due to heavy programme of cutrs - war. And I wouldn't put this one past them in four years time.

[diddly-dee]

I certainly will not be protesting against the rise in tuition fees for a number of reasons. a) I'm Scottish and it doesn't directly affect me .

[diddly-dee]

...off topic when my daughter was about 7 she was in the middle of a police horseback charge at Ashton Court festival - just as she came out of the portaloo - so I can totally empathize.

Thing is are the police all that happy about their cuts? At Tolpuddle last year a copper policing the march said to me - if things carry on like this we'll be joining you on this march next year.

[5co77ie]

From what i can see about the march this isn't the position they are taking when all 3 major political parties support the deep cuts (but staggered over an extra 2 years in labours case)

When we marched against the Iraq war at least we had the lib dems backing our position.

[eFestivals]

Local activists won't sit back and allow the loss of every council away between now and 2015

So how exactly do you think those local activists can stop the loss of every council?

Who is going to vote LibDem now, no matter what they do? They can promise the world, but that will be looked on a promise they'll be quite happy to break.

They're 100% f**ked if they leave the coalition - no one will trust them whatever they might say to vote for them.

If they stay within the coalition they might, just might, get lucky. It's pretty obvious that the next election will be fought with tax cuts as a big part of the manifestos (and the stupid will always buy into those without much thought of where the money for them comes from), and the LibDems might get to cling onto some seats via that.

There isn't a hope of the LibDems leaving the coalition no matter how big the protests, no matter what their grassroots do.

[llcoolphil]

There isn't a hope of the LibDems leaving the coalition no matter how big the protests, no matter what their grassroots do.

[rabid]

This government CAN be brought down by action because it has so much internal discontent. Another lib dem stepped down in the lords last night

[eFestivals]

Which would be to completely misunderstand the constitution of their party.

turkeys don't vote for christmas.