Saturday, March 26, 2011

More protests ... this time in the UK

More protests to be commenting on, but this time they're in the UK and they're not about a war. Perhaps some would say that they're about a form of repression which could be akin to the repression seen in the Arab world and which has been so bravely confronted over the last few months.

Is this a good comparison? No.

People here in London are marching against tax increases and benefits cuts. They're complaining that they're suffering from a reaction by the Coalition Goverment to the hole the UK finds itself in as a result of the recession; a financial repression.

But there is a way to protest for more effectively than walking down a street shouting and waving banners- they can vote at the ballot box.

What these demonstartors seem to have forgotten is that less than a year ago, they put a cross in a box and voted for this government; and the government clearly stated that they were going to aggressively tackle the deficit. So why complain?

You make you bed...you lie in it.

The recession has caused hardship for all of us. There's no way out of this unless we tighten our belts. Whinging on about cuts and tax hikes is not going to solve anything.

The protestors are free to protest, so protest...but things will not change. We are in a recession and we need to take measures to get out of it. If you don't like it, then you know what to do in 2015.

And as for those minority of people who think that a protest is a good vehicle for violence and mayhem - leave the violence and anarchy to the despots of this world like Gaddafi and Bashir. There's no room for your type of destabilising tactics in a democracy. You're on the losing team. Stop being immature and get down to solving your own problems.

All of these protestors will be off for a coffee and a sandwich at Starbucks or Costa Coffee after the march, will take public transport or drive home, and will rest their heads on their own pillow in their own home tonight. They'll not be worried that a sniper will take a pot shot at them. They'll not be worried that a dictator will sweep in and make life in their towns and villages hell.

Be thankful for what you have and work together towards a better future.

Stop complaining.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just a quick message to say I really enjoyed this post. I agree with a lot of what you said, but I think some of the problem was last election people were so unhappy with Labour and yet didn't feel angry enough to vote Tory ended up crossing the Lib Dem box. Many of them, I think anyway, didn't understand that by doing this their vote could lead to a coilition that many Lib Dem voters never wanted to happen. Will post a link to this post on my blog if that is ok. Thanks. OB

Desertman said...

Thanks for your comments. Please do add a link. I'll do likewise and add you to the blogs I follow. I've been a few times to your blog and found what you have to say interesting. Your "about me" section is quite familiar to me - back in 1995 that's what happened to me.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated. Hope things turned out well for you in 1995? I know so many people who came here and fell in love, must be something in the water.