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gloria1 and I went to the March for the Alternative yesterday.
We arrived very early – there were a handful of disabled people at the short march starting point when we arrived but as there was nowhere to sit down and we had a long wait until the group was supposed to move off, we made our way to St James's Park and sat on a bench there. We had tea (we brought flasks) and her excellent cake. We watched the birds in the park flitting to and fro, as they do. Neither of us are well informed enough about birds to be able to identify them all, but we spotted a moorhen, and some pelicans and there were lots of pigeons. Also lots of squirrels. We also saw a lot of tourists, most of whom seemed to be Italian, and a few demonstrators with flags, most of whom seemed to be lost.
They'd told those of us starting at the short march point to be there by 12:45, so when we judged time we strolled off to meet them there...to find that they'd gone. So we joined the march at the point which was passing at that time, which was a large (a very large) number of marchers from Unison. I think this must have been fairly close to the beginning as Unison were the second lot to leave the form up point at the Embankment.
I have to say, though, for the leaders to leave the Embankment at 11:30 and to get to where we joined them for the time we got there, they must have just about run. They didn't seem to be running, but even so... I suspect they started the march a bit early to let stragglers into the back of the form up point. To give an idea of the length of time people were marching, my union's online blog gives the Woodcraft Folk (a children's organisation, a bit like a left wing version of the Scouts) passing PCS's blogging point at Westminster at 16:20, which is after I'd got home!
We got to Hyde Park at about 1pm (I think) and strolled about until we found somewhere to sit down, which we had to do because my feet hurt. I don't know aboutgloria1's. She didn't complain, but then she doesn't; of the two of us, I'm the whinger. We could hear the speeches starting up and I have enough 'fraternal greetings' and 'comrades' in my everyday life to last me, gloria1 doesn't care for them, and it began to spit down with rain so when I could stand to so some more walking we moved off past the rally towards Oxford Street.
Earlier, while we'd been sitting down, a group of six or seven anarchists had passed us. We could tell they were anarchists by the fact that they had a black flag with them – actually, less a flag and more a handkerchief on a toothpick. I got the impression that their anarchism had prevented them from preparing properly - whereas I hadn't prepared properly and hadn't brought PCS flags, but that was more my uselessness than my politics.
The rally was well on by this point, and there was a speaker giving his all – but his speech seemed to consist of bits of other left wing speeches thrown up into the air, picked up and strung together randomly. I don't know who it was, but he wasn't that impressive. It wasn't the leader of my union; I'd have recognised him as he has a Welsh accent and is a much better speaker than that bloke was.
Just as we had decided to go to Evans (the fat girl clothes shop beloved by all) a group of about twelve anarchists passed us at the top of Oxford Street. We watched them go disapprovingly: they looked like anarchists on a mission that we would disapprove of if we knew what it was, which we didn't.gloria1 guessed they might head for a clothes shop and Evans was a possibility, but my guess was Vodafone. She was right, as it turned out. Odd choice, I'd still have gone for Vodafone after their non-payment of taxes debacle, for which I have not forgiven them.
I bought some clothes from Evans – the first I've bought from an actual shop for about a year and a half – and we headed for the underground at Marble Arch. It was closed due to overcrowding. So we made for a bus stop, which was crowded but manageable.
Eventually a number 23 bus came along, which we got on. From that point on, random bus was random – it was re-routed behind Oxford Street along past Baker Street and Euston to come down Upper Woburn Place and Kingsway. We got off at Holborn (the driver stopped at random stops if enough people rang the bell) and got home from there.
I got in at about 15:30, and immediately drank a beer which had been calling my name and went to sleep to let my feet recover. I'm a bit stiff today, but pretty much OK.
So that was the March for the Alternative. Turnout was between 300,000 and 500,000. Let's hope the government are Warned.
What I learned: there are nearly as many squirrels in London as there are anarchists.
gloria1 and I went to the March for the Alternative yesterday. We arrived very early – there were a handful of disabled people at the short march starting point when we arrived but as there was nowhere to sit down and we had a long wait until the group was supposed to move off, we made our way to St James's Park and sat on a bench there. We had tea (we brought flasks) and her excellent cake. We watched the birds in the park flitting to and fro, as they do. Neither of us are well informed enough about birds to be able to identify them all, but we spotted a moorhen, and some pelicans and there were lots of pigeons. Also lots of squirrels. We also saw a lot of tourists, most of whom seemed to be Italian, and a few demonstrators with flags, most of whom seemed to be lost.
They'd told those of us starting at the short march point to be there by 12:45, so when we judged time we strolled off to meet them there...to find that they'd gone. So we joined the march at the point which was passing at that time, which was a large (a very large) number of marchers from Unison. I think this must have been fairly close to the beginning as Unison were the second lot to leave the form up point at the Embankment.
I have to say, though, for the leaders to leave the Embankment at 11:30 and to get to where we joined them for the time we got there, they must have just about run. They didn't seem to be running, but even so... I suspect they started the march a bit early to let stragglers into the back of the form up point. To give an idea of the length of time people were marching, my union's online blog gives the Woodcraft Folk (a children's organisation, a bit like a left wing version of the Scouts) passing PCS's blogging point at Westminster at 16:20, which is after I'd got home!
We got to Hyde Park at about 1pm (I think) and strolled about until we found somewhere to sit down, which we had to do because my feet hurt. I don't know about
gloria1's. She didn't complain, but then she doesn't; of the two of us, I'm the whinger. We could hear the speeches starting up and I have enough 'fraternal greetings' and 'comrades' in my everyday life to last me, gloria1 doesn't care for them, and it began to spit down with rain so when I could stand to so some more walking we moved off past the rally towards Oxford Street. Earlier, while we'd been sitting down, a group of six or seven anarchists had passed us. We could tell they were anarchists by the fact that they had a black flag with them – actually, less a flag and more a handkerchief on a toothpick. I got the impression that their anarchism had prevented them from preparing properly - whereas I hadn't prepared properly and hadn't brought PCS flags, but that was more my uselessness than my politics.
The rally was well on by this point, and there was a speaker giving his all – but his speech seemed to consist of bits of other left wing speeches thrown up into the air, picked up and strung together randomly. I don't know who it was, but he wasn't that impressive. It wasn't the leader of my union; I'd have recognised him as he has a Welsh accent and is a much better speaker than that bloke was.
Just as we had decided to go to Evans (the fat girl clothes shop beloved by all) a group of about twelve anarchists passed us at the top of Oxford Street. We watched them go disapprovingly: they looked like anarchists on a mission that we would disapprove of if we knew what it was, which we didn't.
gloria1 guessed they might head for a clothes shop and Evans was a possibility, but my guess was Vodafone. She was right, as it turned out. Odd choice, I'd still have gone for Vodafone after their non-payment of taxes debacle, for which I have not forgiven them.I bought some clothes from Evans – the first I've bought from an actual shop for about a year and a half – and we headed for the underground at Marble Arch. It was closed due to overcrowding. So we made for a bus stop, which was crowded but manageable.
Eventually a number 23 bus came along, which we got on. From that point on, random bus was random – it was re-routed behind Oxford Street along past Baker Street and Euston to come down Upper Woburn Place and Kingsway. We got off at Holborn (the driver stopped at random stops if enough people rang the bell) and got home from there.
I got in at about 15:30, and immediately drank a beer which had been calling my name and went to sleep to let my feet recover. I'm a bit stiff today, but pretty much OK.
So that was the March for the Alternative. Turnout was between 300,000 and 500,000. Let's hope the government are Warned.
What I learned: there are nearly as many squirrels in London as there are anarchists.