Some thoughts on protest, direct action and the consequences thereof
Observant folk outside the United Kingdom may have noticed that the gilded youth of our fair country has been somewhat miffed of late at a newly-passed set of measures which significantly increase tuition fees at the country's universities (note here that we seem to have an amazing number of these, due, mainly, to the conversion of polytechnics, institutions of higher and adult education, technical colleges and, for all I know, radical madrassas into universities), the rationale for this being both to reduce the massive financial deficit (on which see below) and increase the locally-controlled funding available to these universities.
Now, the reason we have so many universities is that the Dear Leader (A. Blair Esq) and New Labour, in that blessed time when they helmed the ship of state, felt that fully 50% of school leavers should receive a university education (and, purely coincidentally, not appear on the unemployment registers for at least three years). Leaving aside the whole conversation about the plummetting educational standards of our schools, it's hard for this particular non-graduate to understand why on Earth 50% of the population need degrees at all and equally hard to understand where we're going to get our artisans, tradesmen and craftsmen in the future if everyone is forced into an academic track.
New Labour also introduced tuition fees and student loans (low-interest, repayable and interest-bearing only once the debtor's income reached a certain level). This was pretty unpopular. The recent changes have seen doubling of the basic tuition fee to GBP6K per annum minimum, with certain universities being entitled to charge up to 9k per annum. Simultaneously, the loan criteria have changed, with the minimum income triggering interest and repayment going up dramatically.
An odd, inchoate wave of protest has been unleashed. The National Union of Students (which is run by a cadre of somewhat elderly 'students' on long-term sabbatical from their studies) takes violent exception to these plans and has organised a number of mass protests. It is not clear what they suggest should replace the scheme, other than that all cuts are bad and wrong and, as far as I can see, everything should be free. These protests and demonstrations, inevitably, have attracted entryists from various hard left factions plus what seems to be a pretty good turnout of underclass headbangers and the results have been depressingly uniform - violence, confrontation with the police, vandalism, the usual stuff. Amusingly, much ire has been directed at the Lib Dems, junior coalition partners, for having 'gone back' on individual promises MPs made before the election, to oppose these measures if introduced. Leaving aside the fact that no Lib Dem MP in his right mind expected to be in government after the election, hey, guess what, it's a coalition - compromises on *both* sides - that's democratic politics.
Now. From the students' perspective, this isn't great - the average UK voter doesn't care for seeing, as we did yesterday, hoodies swinging from the Union flag on the Cenotaph or folk pissing on the poppies at its base or on the plinth of the Churchill statue - and still less does the average UK voter care for seeing police attacked with staves, stones and fireworks by hooded folk with masks on. Generally speaking, if said hooded folk get a hiding, Mr and Mrs Average will smile approvingly. Of course, the unwanted corollary to this is that a lot of ordinary middle-class kids, clutching the packed lunches their doting parents gave them before dropping them off for the demo in the Prius, will also get battered, which isn't that great, for either the kids concerned or for their parents.
It's great for the hard left, though, which completely understands the dynamic and actually *loves* this sort of thing, which allows a whole new chapter in the internal mythos of the movement and pushes the organs of state into confrontation with what the hard left still sincerely believes will become a mass revolutionary movement which can be led by a vanguard fraction. Yawn. We've been here before, it didn't work then and it won't work now. Be that as it may, though, at least the hard left understands that it's a big boys' game and hence has big boys' rules. Once folk start getting hurt, the rules change.
So - advice for protestors:
If you feel strongly enough about the government's policies and you honestly believe that a straggle down the main street of middle-class kids with amusing and witty banners will change them, then by all means get out there and protest. Dress warm, bring water and a mobile and a bar of Kendal Mint Cake or something; if you end up getting kettled somewhere, you'll be glad of all three (and you can piss in the bottle afterwards, there won't be any toilet breaks). If you see violence beginning, you have two options - either get the hell away as fast as you can (this being my strongly recommended option), or, if you feel that strongly about it, participate - but do bear in mind that anyone in or around a violent crowd is likely to feel the full coercive power of the state pretty soon afterwards, especially after the Met's been embarrassed twice recently.
Also bear in mind that a chap with a baton and a riot shield, being bombarded with rocks and fireworks and perhaps having seen some of his pals taken down, is highly unlikely to apply a sensitive and caring touch to his work. Get in his way, spit on him, shout unlovely names at him while attempting to poke him in the goolies with a stout, SWP-branded protest sign on a long stake - and he will probably strike you, perhaps several times, with his baton. Get over it, this is what it's about. If you don't want to play the hand, don't get in the game.
Now, the reason we have so many universities is that the Dear Leader (A. Blair Esq) and New Labour, in that blessed time when they helmed the ship of state, felt that fully 50% of school leavers should receive a university education (and, purely coincidentally, not appear on the unemployment registers for at least three years). Leaving aside the whole conversation about the plummetting educational standards of our schools, it's hard for this particular non-graduate to understand why on Earth 50% of the population need degrees at all and equally hard to understand where we're going to get our artisans, tradesmen and craftsmen in the future if everyone is forced into an academic track.
New Labour also introduced tuition fees and student loans (low-interest, repayable and interest-bearing only once the debtor's income reached a certain level). This was pretty unpopular. The recent changes have seen doubling of the basic tuition fee to GBP6K per annum minimum, with certain universities being entitled to charge up to 9k per annum. Simultaneously, the loan criteria have changed, with the minimum income triggering interest and repayment going up dramatically.
An odd, inchoate wave of protest has been unleashed. The National Union of Students (which is run by a cadre of somewhat elderly 'students' on long-term sabbatical from their studies) takes violent exception to these plans and has organised a number of mass protests. It is not clear what they suggest should replace the scheme, other than that all cuts are bad and wrong and, as far as I can see, everything should be free. These protests and demonstrations, inevitably, have attracted entryists from various hard left factions plus what seems to be a pretty good turnout of underclass headbangers and the results have been depressingly uniform - violence, confrontation with the police, vandalism, the usual stuff. Amusingly, much ire has been directed at the Lib Dems, junior coalition partners, for having 'gone back' on individual promises MPs made before the election, to oppose these measures if introduced. Leaving aside the fact that no Lib Dem MP in his right mind expected to be in government after the election, hey, guess what, it's a coalition - compromises on *both* sides - that's democratic politics.
Now. From the students' perspective, this isn't great - the average UK voter doesn't care for seeing, as we did yesterday, hoodies swinging from the Union flag on the Cenotaph or folk pissing on the poppies at its base or on the plinth of the Churchill statue - and still less does the average UK voter care for seeing police attacked with staves, stones and fireworks by hooded folk with masks on. Generally speaking, if said hooded folk get a hiding, Mr and Mrs Average will smile approvingly. Of course, the unwanted corollary to this is that a lot of ordinary middle-class kids, clutching the packed lunches their doting parents gave them before dropping them off for the demo in the Prius, will also get battered, which isn't that great, for either the kids concerned or for their parents.
It's great for the hard left, though, which completely understands the dynamic and actually *loves* this sort of thing, which allows a whole new chapter in the internal mythos of the movement and pushes the organs of state into confrontation with what the hard left still sincerely believes will become a mass revolutionary movement which can be led by a vanguard fraction. Yawn. We've been here before, it didn't work then and it won't work now. Be that as it may, though, at least the hard left understands that it's a big boys' game and hence has big boys' rules. Once folk start getting hurt, the rules change.
So - advice for protestors:
If you feel strongly enough about the government's policies and you honestly believe that a straggle down the main street of middle-class kids with amusing and witty banners will change them, then by all means get out there and protest. Dress warm, bring water and a mobile and a bar of Kendal Mint Cake or something; if you end up getting kettled somewhere, you'll be glad of all three (and you can piss in the bottle afterwards, there won't be any toilet breaks). If you see violence beginning, you have two options - either get the hell away as fast as you can (this being my strongly recommended option), or, if you feel that strongly about it, participate - but do bear in mind that anyone in or around a violent crowd is likely to feel the full coercive power of the state pretty soon afterwards, especially after the Met's been embarrassed twice recently.
Also bear in mind that a chap with a baton and a riot shield, being bombarded with rocks and fireworks and perhaps having seen some of his pals taken down, is highly unlikely to apply a sensitive and caring touch to his work. Get in his way, spit on him, shout unlovely names at him while attempting to poke him in the goolies with a stout, SWP-branded protest sign on a long stake - and he will probably strike you, perhaps several times, with his baton. Get over it, this is what it's about. If you don't want to play the hand, don't get in the game.