News, Terrifying moment Charles and Camilla were surrounded by a baying mob and their car attacked in tuition fees riot (live in, rich)
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Whatever you think of the Royal Family, it was stupid to have our future head of state and one of our highest-profile citizens go down Oxford Street knowing full well there was trouble going on in the area. I think increasing tuition fees is a bad move and places an unfairly high burden on a generation which didn't benefit from the boom years and had no share in causing the budget deficit, but the troublemaking fringe is rapidly removing any sympathy most people had for their cause. Riots and anti-Royal violence are not that unusual in the long view of our history though. I don't remember it myself, but the 80s had widespread violent demonstrations, as did the 1700s/1800s, and there were six assassination attempts on Queen Victoria. Funny how 'news' is never really that new.
Public sympathy can be spun every which way you like and usually translates as 'media sympathy' in my experience. Any form of protest or display of Union activism is villified and stigmitised in the media and I think alot of this bears relation to how bubble wrapped and sheltered the media still are in a circle of privelege where everyone knows each other and everyone goes to the same social events and has sons and daugters attending the same school. Of course they're never really going to empaphise with any form of protest they are so detached from, whether peaceful or not.
The BA Cabin crew were demonised for not allowing themselves to be trampled upon, the Fire Service the same (and there's been an unrelenting tidal wave of anti-fire-brigade propaganda in the press since their peaceful protests) and in another few weeks it'll be nurses, social workers and whoever else is next in the firing line. Either way, the compass of so called 'public sympathy' will be determined by media moguls as far removed from caring about the plight of those in the firing line as you could possibly imagine. Institutions like the BBC also have a very cosy relationship with the status quo of establishment so i am slightly wary of gauging the public mood through the glare of the media.
In my opinion it's also a bit rich for a nation which depends on a political establishment and financial sector willing to sell principles down the river to start giving us sermons on morality. All the while we see them making big profits from sweatshops in China and we have a hypocritical international attitude towards countries where British financial interests lie and we're willing to bend over backwards to appease the likes of Colonel Gaddafi because of vested oil money there. For these people to suddenly start preaching about 'public sympathy' like it actually means something is proposterous. There wasn't alot of 'public sympathy' for the war in Iraq, but it didn't change anything, did it?
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 12-11-2010 at 06:29 AM..
I'm sure they'll both survive very well. Unfortunately, the only way that you can make governments listen nowadays is to get in the news, and the only way to do that is 'violence' (which usually means being beaten up or ridden down by the police). The pictures of the politzei hitting people on the head made real the story of the boy treated for bleeding in the brain, and riding down children on horses is despicable. I was once stuck in my car outside a football match when they did that to the crowd, and terrified people were all over the roof and the bonnet of my car, some screaming. The old demonstration-theory was that you carried a packet of marbles ready to bring 'em down, but I doubt it works. Anyone who's ever taught will have been impressed by just how restrained most of these kids were. You should have tried some of my fourth forms!
I agree, until these student protests made a splash with acts of vandalism and confrontation there was an almost complacent air of condescending disregard for the art of protest in the UK. Student protesters, specifically, were routinely tagged as naive, inoffensive, eager but polite tea and crumpet chompers who were far too cuddly and meek to even dream of doing anything as 'French' as 'rioting' in the street or 'protesting'.
Strange, because British history is full of examples of political upheaval and protest, but for some unknown reason, especially in the run up to the cuts manifesto, the British media were extremely keen to convey an image of protest as something irrelevant whilst bestowing the virtues of dutiful compliance and moral servitude to authority.
To some degree a large section of the British public may have brought into this consensus but the fact remains that alot of young people are getting energised and active in politics again which is a good thing and I don't belive the students protests are as unpopular as is being portrayed in rags like the Sun. No doubt some will swallow whatever slogan they print above an article from the so-called 'White Van Man On The Street' or whoever that's inevitably penned by some Oxbridge journalist with a degree in patronising tosh. But I don't believe that these people form such an overwhelming body of public opinion as they would like to have us believe.
Of course the objective of the Royals is to add an air of pomp and gushing curiosity to proceedings. The fact that Royals tend to be feted by certain sections of the media is emblematic of how giddy eyed people with perceived 'status' become in their presence and how easily people are flattered and elevated by fabricated perceptions of importance. I mean, come on, what relevance an O.B.E in 2010 .
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 12-11-2010 at 08:31 AM..
I once knew a woman who was invited to spend a weekend at Sandringham. She said it was so unutterably boring it felt as long as the rest of her life put together. They do boring ceremonial duties and such, and the media, yes indeed, pretend they are desperately important. It should be a civil service job for someone a bit slow and near retirement. I have a cousin with an OBE: he is boring as well!
I also received a pair of tickets once through a musician friend of mine to some pompous gala of a Charity event in London and it was one of most tedious and most excrutiatingly dull experiences I've ever had.
There was some light amusement though.The music just stopped suddenly halfway through an operatic concerta of some description and as everyone looked up from their stuffy tuxedos at the dining table the P.A announced with triumphant glee "Her Majesty The Countess of Wessex is now in attendance".
At which point everyone the beleaguered crowd clapped awkwardly whilst looking around tentatively as if to say "Who."
And I, being the astute studier of Royal lineage that I am immediately turned to my right and was confident enough (and drunk enough) to put the unease around me at rest by pinpointing the esteemd V.I.P two seats to my right and greeting her Royal eminence with an assured but measured "Good evening Duchess!!"(Countess, whatever)
Wasn't her of course. Nope, not even close.
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 12-11-2010 at 09:15 AM..
I agree, until these student protests made a splash with acts of vandalism and confrontation there was an almost complacent air of condescending disregard for the art of protest in the UK. Student protesters, specifically, were routinely tagged as naive, inoffensive, eager but polite tea and crumpet chompers who were far too cuddly and meek to even dream of doing anything as 'French' as 'rioting' in the street or 'protesting'.
Strange, because British history is full of examples of political upheaval and protest, but for some unknown reason, especially in the run up to the cuts manifesto, the British media were extremely keen to convey an image of protest as something irrelevant whilst bestowing the virtues of dutiful compliance and moral servitude to authority.
To some degree a large section of the British public may have brought into this consensus but the fact remains that alot of young people are getting energised and active in politics again which is a good thing and I don't belive the students protests are as unpopular as is being portrayed in rags like the Sun. No doubt some will swallow whatever slogan they print above an article from the so-called 'White Van Man On The Street' or whoever that's inevitably penned by some Oxbridge journalist with a degree in patronising tosh. But I don't believe that these people form such an overwhelming body of public opinion as they would like to have us believe.
I doubt if Britain has seen this type of demonstration since the Thatcher days when that dreadful woman destroyed the mining communities in the North, since then the unions have taken a back seat, maybe it is a good thing for the youth of Britain to become more politically aware but i don't think violence helps in any way and you may be right in saying that some of the protesters were not even students ,just there for the sport.
I'm sure they'll both survive very well. Unfortunately, the only way that you can make governments listen nowadays is to get in the news, and the only way to do that is 'violence' (which usually means being beaten up or ridden down by the police). The pictures of the politzei hitting people on the head made real the story of the boy treated for bleeding in the brain, and riding down children on horses is despicable. I was once stuck in my car outside a football match when they did that to the crowd, and terrified people were all over the roof and the bonnet of my car, some screaming. The old demonstration-theory was that you carried a packet of marbles ready to bring 'em down, but I doubt it works. Anyone who's ever taught will have been impressed by just how restrained most of these kids were. You should have tried some of my fourth forms!
Indeed. Some things will never change. Have witnessed "over the top "policing on numerous occassions but it is usually/always the demonstrators whom are demonised.
Poll Tax so called "riots" were a classic case of how not to prevent a riot,with the police actions something more in line with a hard core facist state than an accountable police service.
Good luck to the students bit of a shame it took self interest to get them activated,but better late than never.
Just hope a united front can be created that has the ability to influence the thought process that just may assist in the the dismantling of some of the idealogical baggage that has changed the thinking in England over the past two decades.
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