The revolution has been postponed awhile
Francis Sedgemore, Sunday 29 March 2009 at 14:18 UTC
What can I add to my words of yesterday on the G20 protest march in London? The police estimate of 35,000 marchers was near enough right. There were possibly 50,000, but certainly no more than that. It was a good-natured event (as I wrote yesterday, “a family fun day out”), and the policing was relatively low-key. No trouble was reported, even from the well-organised contingent of a few hundred black-block anarchists, who were no doubt saving their energy for next Wednesday. The worst than can be said is that the protest lacked focus and passion.
The march was organised by a coalition of trade unions, anti-poverty charities and environmental campaign groups, but all the usual ultra-left sects were out selling their papers. One young man handed me a “Workers Power” leaflet, but this individual has almost certainly never done a day’s work in his life, and rarely rises before noon. And then there was the well-spoken young lady who introduced herself to me as being “a journalist from Socialist Worker”. Those words don’t sit easily together, and I politely declined the request for an interview, referring the lass instead to my NUJ colleague holding the other end of our union banner as we approached Piccadilly Circus.
Carrying a union banner in a stiff wind is not something I would recommend. Still, I’m glad I did it, and that the NUJ had a presence on the march, albeit a very small one in comparison with some other organisations of similar size. The public sector workers’ union Unison had a huge presence on the march, and I was very impressed with the design of their banners and other materials.
The weather was a mixture of sunny spells and short, sharp rain showers, with a little hail at one point in the proceedings. It rained on the rally in Hyde Park, and many people headed off to the pub rather than stay and listen to dull speeches from the usual suspects. This aspect of the event organisation was distinctly unimpressive.
Unfortunately, my day was ruined by the theft of my bike, which I’d parked outside the Royal Festival Hall before crossing the river on foot to where the march began on Victoria Embankment. I thought it would be safe to lock my precious velo up there, what with hundreds of people constantly milling about the South Bank arts complex, and a strong police presence due to the march. But no, these people obviously ignored the thief, who would have required heavy duty boltcutters and some time to deal with the lock protecting my bike. And of course the Metropolitan Police are not interested in bicycle theft.
See here for the BBC News coverage of the Put People First protest.
Feed the writer! 
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 16:56 UTC
The stealth bike has been stolen!?
That’s terrible! It seems only yesterday that we were admiring it outside the Duke of York.
Given that the current global crisis of overproduction is set to continue for a while, perhaps you’ll manage to get a good deal on another.
Perhaps one protected by some sort of powerful incantation that kills bike thieves dead.
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 17:18 UTC
I can’t justify the cost of replacing the bike, and, even if I were, I would almost certainly cease using a bike as a practical means of getting from A to B, where at B the thing has to be parked in a public place. Insuring bikes here costs too much for it to be economically viable, and the chances of me again falling victim to bike theft in London are extremely high. This city is full of complete cunts, and the police are next to useless.
As for the cost of bikes, you cannot get a decent one in the UK for less than around €500 in proper money. As you know, John, I ride for aerobic training purposes/staving off the deleterious effects of middle age, so a cheap and cheerful velo is out of the question. I need one that will do 10,000+ kilometres a year without falling to pieces or wrecking my body.
I fucking hate this city, and detest urban life in general.
Yours, in misanthropy…
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 19:24 UTC
So it’s appropriation and not property that is theft.
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 19:27 UTC
Max – you’re a cheeky fecker, but in essence correct.
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 21:21 UTC
Speaking of theft, I want to draw your attention on the incredible similarities in today’s articles of the Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Times on Jackie Smith’s husband.
Entire paragraphs copied and pasted from one newspaper onto another.
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 22:04 UTC
Max – bylined news reports are occasionally taken from wire services and repackaged. Note that the Guardian piece is bylined “Staff and agencies”.
Sunday 29 March 2009 at 23:14 UTC
Yes, the Guardian declared it, the Mail added some interesting background details, the Times instead comes last, just copied, pasted and signed it as original.
Monday 30 March 2009 at 08:14 UTC
Bad news on the bike, Francis. There’s a Trot cell crouched over it as we speak, wondering how to turn this liberated police vehicle into a chariot for the oppressed.
Monday 30 March 2009 at 09:22 UTC
>> I fucking hate this city, and detest urban life in general.
So speaks William Cobbett.
The banner reminds, of course, of the George Orwell novel, Animal Farm.
Monday 30 March 2009 at 12:23 UTC
“The banner reminds, of course, of the George Orwell novel, Animal Farm.”
It should be a semi-colon rather than a comma in the banner slogan. Standards are slipping.
Monday 30 March 2009 at 12:24 UTC
Boyo – Trots are far too slow-witted to be professional bike thieves.
Monday 30 March 2009 at 13:07 UTC
I don’t mind people who misspell “connexion”, or even think IZE is an American usage, but as a fully paid-up member of the Royal Semi-Colon Preservation Society, this upsets me more than not placing fullstops outwith parentheses.
Come the revolution, such miscreants will be first up against the wall, I tells ya!
Monday 30 March 2009 at 13:13 UTC
Alec – Perhaps you’d care to relate your feelings on this matter to the Dear Leader:
generalsecretary@nuj.org.uk
Monday 30 March 2009 at 13:47 UTC
He’s a darling, isn’t he?
Wednesday 1 April 2009 at 20:14 UTC
[...] streets, but the anarchists in particular can chalk up the action as a major success. Unlike the lacklustre march at the weekend, today we had a mostly creative and cathartic protest/riot/call-it-what-you-will. [...]