Reclaim your lives you fucking tree-hugging Hippies

[Wij]

Most of the trouble seems to have come from 'side-demonstrations'. In other words, looters who heard there was gonna be trouble and thought it would be a good opportunity to nick a video

 

[Wazzerphuk]

/me glares at TUG

 

[Guest]

Bloody know-nothing sheep the lot of you. All bleating to the same fucking tune.

 

[WPKenny]

Care to expand on that a little SoWat?
I agree that there are a lot of people out there with a point to make, but then there are a HELL of a lot of wankers who just want to go out and cause trouble. There was one guy who got the opportunity to sit and have a face to face with Jeremy Paxman last night and he said "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the "riots"". Very true, it does give certain people the opportunity to be heard. But then it also gives people the opportunity to be absoute tits and go out for a big party on the streets of london. I know this for a fact because I know people who actually DO this sort of thing ie go on large protests just to cause trouble (I said I knew them, not that I was friends with them). When things get like they were in london yesterday and last year, then who the hell can tell the difference between who's actually got a legitimate reason to be there and those who think it's "cool" and "political" to go and wrench MacDonald's signs off the wall.
A lot of these people moan about capitalism, but then it would be VERY interesting to find out how many of them actually have a JOB and pay TAXES.
There's SO many peaceful protests going on all the time...why be tits and go overboard and sway public opinion AGAINST yourselves? Doesn't make sense.

 

[Wij]

Sounds about right to me. Care to enlighten us to another viewpoint then Sowat ?

 

[old.[CS]Sentinel]

Many of the people with 'points' to be made also seem to fail to realise that should we implement their method of government whereby everything is governed to peoples needs and not their profits. Admittedly it sounds very nice indeed - but the simple fact is, it wouldn't work.

Without profit you have no motivational factor to work (communism proved this) - hence poor quality products. They also fail to realise that profits are generated by giving the people what they want.....which more often than not is a Widescreen TV as opposed to new dungarees for Billy Joe (people are fickle - I know I am!).

But they should be allowed to protest, albeit not by disrupting business by riding 500 fucking bikes through London at a snails pace! Grr!

Plus the Violent Anarchists are all a bunch of Begging Tossers anyway...

Sent

 

[Guest]

Umm, my initial post was a bit OTT. I'd just opened my self assesment tax calculation, and wanted to join the anarchists there and then!

The anarchists are tossers, simply because they divert attention from the real purpose of the demonstration. Most of the press coverage concentrated on damage and violence, rather than what the majority of people there wanted to say.

The 'tree hugging hippies' are in fact people trying to make a difference. I wouldn't want to live in a commune and wear those horrible jumpers they seem to love, but I do see where they're coming from.

Huge multinationals are employing people at slave-labour rates and, effectively, controlling the local economies (and in some cases national economies too). Millions of kids dying each year, despite there being enough food in the world for everyone. Third world countries crippled by debt repayments. Repayments caused by past dictators/governments buying arms rather than food...blah blah blah. The list is, sadly, extremely long.

Most people tend to argue over the details "It's their own fault" etc, etc. Effectively not seeing the wood for the trees. The tree-huggers have boiled it down to the simple fact that it's plain WRONG. They're right, but nothing is going to change the status quo as long as people in the 'civilised' western world continue to be more concerned about whether they can afford a widescreen telly, than about some poor kid dying because nobody gives a fuck.

Naturally there's lot more that can be said, but I'll leave that for the mo.

So what did the people here think about yesterdays' suspension of civil liberties by the police? Was it worth preventing a few more shop windows from being smashed? I saw a clip where a policeman was pushing protestors off their bicycles (protestors who were exercising their right to protest). That really brings home the fact that this country is turning into a police state (though in my opinion the police have always been cunts anyway. Preferring to follow the orders of the Home secretary rather than uphold the law and the publics' rights).

 

[old.=DI=Penry]

Hear Hear !!!

 

[old.Rostam]

The peaceful biking demonstratation,was disruptive to other people, which isnt really exersising the right to stage a demonstration. Its a pain in the arse.
The event gets hijacked by arseholes and cunts, hence bad publicity. The police are in a no win situation,what ever they do they will be critised by some one. I mean how the hell do you control an event like this knowing there will be cunts out there bent on causing trouble with out the slightest use of force at some point.
If you ride your bike slowly as a group wanting to cause a jam,then the presence of police is infact a form of protection cuz I'm sure at some stage frustrated drivers will feel like doing some thing to get the bikes off the road.
As of yet there doesn't seem to be the perfect form of government. Most people feel England is a democracy, then by vote the majority of people have voted and chosen who they want to govern them. There fore if peoples openion needed to be changed, riding bikes to cause trafic jams isn't the way to get peopls sympathy, specially at events like yesterdays. I know the aim is also to make them aware of a cause but in most cases no one is going to actively do anything about it.
People vote to the party they feel they will be better off under, most parties offer tax cuts and/or various forms of better living prommises. The money has to come from some where? So they will exploit some one some where to get it.


p.s I'm sure those bikes are probably built using cheap labour in some other countries.

 

[Wij]

Originally posted by Rostam
p.s I'm sure those bikes are probably built using cheap labour in some other countries.

hehe. clever point

Sowat - I don't think ppl really have a problem with the aims of the demontrators that you were mentioning. AT least not woth their right to protest about it. Companies who use child labour and the like should be made to feel ashamed of it by letting everyone know about it. Most British ppl are decent enough to avoid buying certain brands if they are made aware of facts like these. The issue about world hunger and it's causes is FAR too complex to go into deeply but i agree that not enough is being done about solving the problem.

Most ppl's greivance with the protestors is that they can't see how smashing windows and nicking videos is helping :/

In my experience of protests a lot of the ppl there were in it just to satisfy their 'radical-conscience' (IER impress their student mates) or just for a ruck. Reasonable protests get hijacked like this all the time therefore police have to be present.

 

[old.=DI=Penry]

Originally posted by Rostam
... Most people feel England is a democracy,

Soon most people will realise that it closer to a police state.

BTW did anyone else try to watch what was going on from the BBC Traffic WebCams … that strangely cut out at the exact time the protestors were cordoned in ?

 

[Wij]

ooh, really ? didn't realise they were available :/

 

[throdgrain]

well... if we going to be serious....
In the 1980's (many years ago , I know...) I actually was what most people here would call an "anarchist".Very keen on the stonehenge free festival (anyone remember that?)only listened to Crass (anyone remember them???)or the poison girls or whatever...got arrested a lot,you know the scene!
anyway 20 years later I look at these people and I think "bloody people ! lock em up!" etc etc
Most of the time I think i've grown up,Im responsible for a million pound a year business,own a house, car blah blah.
And very very rarely I think I sold out.But I haven't you know, It's easy to say this is bad , or thats bad, particularly when you dont have to offer any rational large scale alternative.can you imagine 55 million people in this country living in communes? no nor me.
I grew up, I guess they will one day.

 

[Ono]

Originally posted by throdgrain

In the 1980's (many years ago , I know...) I actually was what most people here would call an "anarchist".

You old Hippy you

 

[Wij]

There'll be another lot after em tho. Always will

 

[throdgrain]

I know m8 its scary innit?

 

[Testin da Cable]

you didn't sell out throdgrain m8eh, you changed. Or at least your view on things did. Perfectly acceptable

 

[old.Rostam]

Originally posted by throdgrain
....can you imagine 55 million people in this country living in communes? .
.

O what a happy environment that will be. Good old non xenophobic open minded british all happily living and working together for the good of all.
I live for that day.
But then again I lie. Scary concept.

 

[Wij]

Communes ? Where would I hang my bowler hat and brolly ?

(Oh and imagine the b33r they would make from fermented nettles and dog-poo. I'll stick to nice multinational brewed l4g3rs thx )

 

[old.[CS]Sentinel]

Originally posted by =DI=Penry



Soon most people will realise that it closer to a police state.

BTW did anyone else try to watch what was going on from the BBC Traffic WebCams … that strangely cut out at the exact time the protestors were cordoned in ?

Heh, now you're starting to sound paranoid. Next thing you know you'll be wrapping yourself in tin foil to prevent the spy cameras from seeing you...



Sent

 

[Testin da Cable]

there are cameras???!!334
watching us?!@!##$!@$
OMG!!@!#$34564

/me runs around panicing w/tinfoil hat on

 

[old.=DI=Penry]

Originally posted by [CS]Sentinel
Heh, now you're starting to sound paranoid. Next thing you know you'll be wrapping yourself in tin foil to prevent the spy cameras from seeing you...



Sent [/B]

Hummmm - Just had 2 identical e-mails back from the BBC (from 2 different people) after i wrote to them about the webcams.

Turns out that the Travel cam's feed directly to Scotland Yard! - who in turn send the feeds onto the BBC!

Paranoid - - - Nope
Police Censorship - - - Looking Likely !

 

[Wij]

Makes a change the Police actually bothering to protect people's property instead of chasing minor motoring offences to get the conviction rate up.

 

[old.Rostam]

Cameras around.
Me puts my willy away.

To be honest it doesnt really bother me that scotland yard uses these cameras. But then again I'm not living in the UK at the moment.

 

[old.=DI=Penry]

Originally posted by Rostam
To be honest it doesnt really bother me that scotland yard uses these cameras. But then again I'm not living in the UK at the moment.

It bothers me when they make them public THEN stop the public using them, at exactly the same time that a 'non Scotland Yard' controlled webcam around the corner shows a group of 200 or so tooled up coppers in riot gear heading that way - what were they trying to hide ??

It stinks - i tell ya' - it stinks (said in a fokel kinda seudo american accent)

 

[Guest]

The police were definitely not keen on being filmed. I saw some scenes where the coppers were putting their hands over the tv cameras. That sort of action that is normally performed in non democratic countries (and followed by the cameraman getting a good kicking, which our 'brave boys in blue' haven't progressed to yet...they're still practising on the general public).

 

[Guest]

Opps, nearly missed this:

The peaceful biking demonstratation,was disruptive to other people, which isnt really exersising the right to stage a demonstration

Umm, that's the whole idea of a demonstration! No point in having a demonstration if you're going to pack it in as soon as you inconvenience someone!

<Tree Hugging Hippy (THH)> "END THIRD WORLD POVERTY!!!"
<bystander> "Oi!, not so loud, I'm trying to read me SUN newspaper"
<THH> "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll be off home now then".

 

[old.Morpheus]

Comments on May Day Protesters

This is a genuine letter which appeared in the Bristol
Evening News - I'm guessing around this time last
year.


---- Begin Letter ----
Dear Sir,

It has long been my belief that you should only be
allowed to protest in public if you pay income tax.
And you should only be allowed to vote at the ballot
box if you own property. Sensible policies, both. And
tested in time, too. If only Mr. Blair had thought to
bring about these simple changes in the law, he would
have avoided last week's double embarrassment of Red
Ken's election and the rioting soap-dodgers. Perhaps
it's me, but could someone explain why people who
campaign for animal rights would throw bottles at
police horses? Or why Friends of the Earth supporters
would want to dig up the grass in a perfectly
adequate London square? Or why anti-capitalists
thought nicking the till out of a burger bar was a
political statement? Or why campaigners for freedom
would desecrate a shrine to the very people who fought
and died for that freedom? Whata buncho of immature,
selfish, hypocritical idiots. Bring down the State?
Better not, Tarquin. The State provides your giro and
your housing benefit, you work-shy moron. What would
you do without that little green cheque every other
Thursday? Somebody has to pay for the extra-strong
cider and multiple nose piercings. It makes me sick.
If a bunch of football fans had pulled a stunt like
that, they'd have been banged up before you could
say CS gas. But this gang of middle-class warriors
was allowed to deface nationalmonuments while the
police looked on. Mind you, Winston Churchill with a
green Mohican haircut would have scared the wotsername
out of Adolf Hitler. My comments on the moral values
of travellers seem to have ruffled a few feathers
amongst the bleeding-heart Lefties who live like
leeches on the publicly-funded fat of our society. One
enraged correspondent (it must have been his turn to
have the crayons this week) accuses me of using
"intemperate and exaggerated language", says people
like me should be exterminated and then likens me to
Adolf Hitler. Pot, kettle, black, old pal. Another
wailing Willy, who was obviously off sick the day they
did irony at school, challenges me to produce hard
evidence to support my claim that gypsies steal
babies.

Evidence? Of course there's no evidence. It's all
covered up by a conspiracy of Masonic magistrates,
policemen and politicians, aided and abetted by a
secret sect of corrupt district nurses. Somewhere in
Essex, there's a warehouse full of stolen babies.
They're brought up by retired lap dancers and then
they go off to be prison officers. Stick that in your
meat-free pipe and smoke it, you monument of
mediocrity

My final correspondent (green ink, pressed down VERY
HARD so that it comes through the back of the white
weave Basildon Bond) argues that travellers are
people too and have the right to live just as they
want. Half right, mate. Travellers have the right to
live as they want as long as they abide by the rules
that bind the rest of us. That means paying road tax,
paying council tax and buying a television licence. It
means paying for a plot of land on which to live and
paying income tax on the proceeds of patching up all
those dodgy driveways. It means obeying the law,
rather than laughing at it. And the sooner the
hand-wringing apologists on most councils realise
this, the better. My doctor has forbidden me to read
The Guardian on the grounds that it does terrible
things to my blood pressure, but I sneaked a look
last week to see the following: "Burglars are people.
For the most part, young people, even teenagers. From
their point of view burglary must be fun as well as a
way of making a few quid." Fun? Fun? What are they
on?

What a bunch of lily-livered, social-working,
leather-elbowed windbags.. Fun? Just ask an old lady
who's been terrorised, had her last few possessions
stolen and who now lives in permanent fear. Fun? Just
ask anyone who has to pay sky high insurance premiums
because the cops would rather catch drivers eating
Kit Kats than tattooed scrotes running off with your
video recorder.

I'll give them fun, these poor lambs. Any
sticky-fingered yobbo coming within a hundred yards of
Beelzebub Mansions will get to play a game currently
popular amongst country dwellers. It's called
Reasonable Force and involves a teenage thief, a
baseball bat and a five iron.

Yours faithfully,

Barry Beelzebub

The views of Mr. Beelzebub are purely personal and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editor or
staff of this newspaper, or anyone who thinks our new
cabinet-style council will result in more openness, of
anyone who thinks Jez Quigley is hard, or of the
snotty-nosed schoolboy in the back of the Volvo
estate who stuck two fingers up at me this morning.
Your Dad's phone number was painted on the side,
Sonny. And I'm ringing him tonight.

---- End Letter ----

Hehehehehe!

 

[old.Rostam]

Originally posted by SoWat
Opps, nearly missed this:

Umm, that's the whole idea of a demonstration! No point in having a demonstration if you're going to pack it in as soon as you inconvenience someone!
[/QUOTE]

Heheheh good point. What I meant was the point of the cycle ride was to cause a trafic jam in order to get a point across. Thats not really a peacefull demonstration in my eyes, a peacefull demonstration will cuase minimum of inconvienience to others.
I don't know all the facts about it (as I havent followed the news so I'm quite happy to be corrected)like how much of a problem the cycle ride caused or what they really wanted or if they feel they achived what ever their objectives were.
If what they are asking is better deal for cyclist and more cycle paths then I have no sympathy for them, as I belive there are more important problmes around . If they want less cars, I still have no sympathy for them , as everytime a car plant shuts there is out cry and problmes with redundant work force. If less pollutions, cars are not the only source of pollution. I'm not being naive just this is how I feel at the moment.
And who knows may be one day I will be joining the cyclist parade.

 

[old.Rostam]

Thanks Morpheus
Interesting read. Some very good points.