Sunday, December 12, 2010

Panic on the Streets of London

Chaos should never be the answer, however it is an answer - and if you take away every other answer a person has given, if you belittle and berate those answers, if you ignore those answers, if you manipulate, take and lie about those answers, there will come a time when chaos is the only answer a person feels they have left. 

So... Our country has some fight left, huh? I was under the impression that we just sat back and took whatever was given to us, both good and bad?



So, this is a blog about fantasy and fiction, right? But every now and then I might give my comments on the news. If no one is interested, that's fine, but I feel strongly about this particular issue. 

If you do not know what I am talking about then please check here.

On the 9th December, 2010, some students, teenagers and other people protested in London. They were protesting on the raise in tuition fees that may mean more people won't be able to afford to go to University. I'm sure any mind can work out that the chain reaction caused there will leave Britain crippled as well as ruining individual lives. Now, there is the argument that students can't afford the fees already, will be able to take loans, and do not have to pay back until they become successful. I honestly wouldn't know the truth. My own personal opinion is that it is a cheap, cop-out way to get people lending and kick start the economy. But, what will having a generation of 20-somethings in debt do? 

I dropped out of university, myself, because the course was not for me. The teachers spoke of daring strikes, but were not willing to practise what they preached. I wasn't going to get in debt for something I didn't believe in. So, no, not going to university does not automatically make your life worthless - in fact, some of the best and more influential minds, as well as authors, did not attend.

Honestly, this is all irrelevant to me. I'm a bit of a rebel detached from her cause at the moment. 

What I dislike is the fact that the people were lied too. Now, I don't agree whole ywith democracy because it does not work, unless you are willing to have a referendum every week. But don't make me get onto Plato and his Ship and Beast. However, for the sake of not being a hypocrite, if you want your country to be a democracy and say that it is, at least follow through. Half of our Government was elected in on the premise of keeping student fees down - they have gone against the people they were chosen to represent. 

So, if you had a foreign official who was briefed before going to another country, but when he got there he ignored the brief, insulted the people, their culture, demanded money and resources from them and generally behaved in a way that misrepresented Britain - and to TOP IT OFF, he would not explain himself to you - would he not be sacked? Would you not want to go to that country and explain that you had been mis-represented?

The Governments job in a democracy is to represent it's people - if they are so blatantly not doing this, they are obsolete. 

I just think there is something so condescending of a Prime Minister who lies and cheats his people and then comes out to 'condem' their protests. Every single official was condemning, none of them were asking how it happened, asking what they did not listen too, what they did not represent. No one was there to hurt anybody else, the only violence was between police who tried to hold people back and people who wanted to get through, for a start.

You can condom these people all you want, but you must remember that all they see before them is a lieing cheat, and they will likely never respect the Government again. A whole generation of rebels - and yes, I'm happy. Not happy for the violence, but happy for the fight. The moment you take away the ability to protest peacefully from someone - to kettle them and rile them like an animal - they will turn into an animal. What has happened with these students so far, I personally think, is a direct violation of human rights. You can argue 'What is a human right?' all you want, yet they have been defined in law depending on morality and that is the closest we are going to get to physical truth. 

Oh, and just to add, six policeman and twenty-two protesters were injured - yet, all the media can think of is a can of paint thrown at someones car? I am anti-monarchy, so I am biased, but honestly... Sometimes, you should look at yourselves.  Whatever happened to us being born equal?

One last thing - Anarchism is a political ideology, not a group of violent thugs. Please respect people's differences and, if you are going to use them as scape-goats, at least get your facts right. 

I'll leave you with a comment from V. 'People should not fear their Governments, Governments should fear their people.'

2 comments:

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  2. The V quote was actually taken from Thomas Jefferson who said: "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty"

    It always makes me chuckle when the right wing tea bagers start saying silly shit like America is a christian country and prattle on about the founding fathers. Because the reality is the majority of the founding fathers were deists! If Jefferson was alive today he would most certainly have been a Libertarian.

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