Bit of a hoo-haa down in london

[flammableBen]

As long as nobody gets hurt smashing up stuff is a legitimate form of protest.

[Langers]

Yes, i'm very well aware of that.

The point i'm trying to make that it is a minority and that they will get all the publicity yet the majority who have gone to peacefully protest will have their message lost due to the publicity that has been created by the minority.

[Ardiles]

I don't think it's quite that simple.  If 10,000 students turn up and protest peacefully against budget cuts, they will get a picture and a ¼ page article on page 4 of tomorrow's papers.  If 500 of those students also smash up a few branches of McDonald's (for example), the article becomes a full page article and moves to the front page.  The disorder is actually quite a clever way of getting the issue in the news.  Winds a lot of people up in the process, I'll grant you, but raises the profile of the protest no end.  Not condoning it...just an observation.

[Langers]

Whilst I agree with you Ardiles, it will give the cause some publicity however the government are less likley to act on the protests if they are violent and will stop future protests from hapening if they believe it will turn violent again, so it gets us nowhere in the end.

[pauld]

Recent history suggests otherwise: compare and contrast the effect of the hugely well attended but peaceful anti-war demos vs the smaller but much more violent anti-Poll Tax riots. Not condoning the violence then or now, but it would appear it does work sometimes whereas peaceful protest increasingly seems to get just brushed aside and ignored

[Bogus Dave]

[url width=303 height=436]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1150.snc4/149272_456575151138_538891138_5639255_7361367_n.jpg[/url]

[herthab]

It's amazing how the usually apathetic modern-day students can get worked up when policies directly affect them.

[Bogus Dave]

Is that not the same for near enough most of the population?

[leefer]

If someome offered me the chance to improve my career...and pay the training fee back at £7 a week at £21,000 a year i wouldn,t grumble...chance would be a fine thing.
Untill that situation arrives i will continue driving lorries....being offered a place at University is a privelidge i would have dreamed off....paying the fees after the course and when i am earning good money would have been a dream to far.

[herthab]

Is that not the same for near enough most of the population?

Students in the past protested about everything, not just when something was gonna cost them a few quid.

Grasping cunts.

[leefer]

Now why didnt i say that.

[woolster]

If someome offered me the chance to improve my career...and pay the training fee back at £7 a week at £21,000 a year i wouldn,t grumble...chance would be a fine thing.
Untill that situation arrives i will continue driving lorries....being offered a place at University is a privelidge i would have dreamed off....paying the fees after the course and when i am earning good money would have been a dream to far.

spot on leefer

[ghanimah]

Recent history suggests otherwise: compare and contrast the effect of the hugely well attended but peaceful anti-war demos vs the smaller but much more violent anti-Poll Tax riots. Not condoning the violence then or now, but it would appear it does work sometimes whereas peaceful protest increasingly seems to get just brushed aside and ignored

That's assuming the poll tax riots actually achieved anything - which they didn't. No they didn't bring down Thatcher - the Europe issue did, and it was the disastrous poll ratings in Tory safe seats that ended the poll tax not the riots.

[Ardiles]

That's assuming the poll tax riots actually achieved anything - which they didn't. No they didn't bring down Thatcher - the Europe issue did, and it was the disastrous poll ratings in Tory safe seats that ended the poll tax not the riots.

It's not that black & white though.  Most commentators agree that the poll tax riots were a certainly a contributing factor to her downfall (as was Europe).  The beginning of the end, maybe.

[bassett boy]

It's not that black & white though.  Most commentators agree that the poll tax riots were a certainly a contributing factor to her downfall (as was Europe).  The beginning of the end, maybe.

I totally agree