Nobody gets out.

[alexsarll]

Pubbing to mark a rare London appearance by rentaghost31, I find myself once more randomly in the same pub as Seeing Scarlet, who are clearly my Pub Stalkers. A fun evening, with a special mention for kiss_me_quick who had clearly drunk all the booze in the entire world before she even arrived.

publicansdecoy directed my attention to this petition in support of free speech, inspired by the c*rt**n row. I've signed it, of course, though I doubt it'll do the least bit of good - none of the good guys are making credible threats of violence, after all. And thinking about all the petitions I've signed over the years, I can't remember a single one which has succeeded. Tuition fees, the Arthur Simpson Library, ID cards, Routemasters, Gillespie Road, opposition to various Midlands building projects...lost causes, every one.

The man who raped his drunk underage stepdaughter while she was dying almost sounds like a hypothetical, doesn't it? An example constructed such that even Mail readers would be obliged to admit that, regardless of whether she was wearing a short skirt, his behaviour was definitely wrong. Alas, it was not. The human race there, marvellous.*

A new ad at Victoria claims that 98% of Londoners who move to Milton Keynes prefer it. Well, that's as maybe, but they moved to Milton Keynes, and as such their opinions are of no interest to me. Although that said, I shall myself be deserting the Smoke for the weekend, so do take care of it, won't you?

*This being the internet, it can pay to make sure - that last sentence was uttered with bitter, leaden irony, OK?

Comments

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, The march is more important and more likely to have an effect than the petition.

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yeah, because the anti-war one was such a resounding success, wasn't it?

I've only ever been on one march. I suppose that was better than the petitions in that, while it failed, at least there was ice cream afterwards.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Apathy is a self-fulfilling prophecy. This march isn't going to change the world, but it at least sends a message that there are people who don't accept the Jack "iron balls" Straw type of appeasement.

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but based on recent evidence, nor is action - and apathy's so much less work!

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Action might work, it might not. Apathy never will though. Step away from the red Krytponite.

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

The red can't do much to me, I've lived my whole life suffering from apparent exposure to the gold.

[perfectlyvague.livejournal.com]

Now come on, you cite that 'First they came for the...' poem at least 5 times a year.

I'm fed up of how apathetic I am.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I know, and does it ever gee the world into action? Has the liberal West ever risen? No. I fear that Cassandra realisation from Wednesday night was too true.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

not that i'm assuming this march is being organised by the usual suspects, but:

Let's have fun
This is also a celebration of freedom and free expression, so let's enjoy it. Jugglers, clowns, unicyclists will be very welcome. It's a serious event, but let's make it a party too.

unless it's a trick, round up all the unicyclists, jugglers and clowns at once, put them in a field and REEDUCATE THEM.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

As illiberal policies go, that wouldn't be a bad one.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Huh?

The march is being organised by relative unknowns, as far as I can tell. http://freebornjohn.blogspot.com/ is the blog of one of the organisers. There might be stuff on there you disagree with, but that's precisely the point - disagreement without threats of violence is what the march is about.

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Cor, that Churchill quote was ACE right up until he was nice about christianity - where in fact he should have been saying that christianity used to be as bad until its teeth were pulled.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

>>Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled

He sort of did, I thought.

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, but that's akin to all the mealy-mouthed stuff about how Islam is lovely really and there's only a tiny minority spoiling it for everyone else. It makes out that the problem was temporary, and a thing of the past. Not so.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

oh come on, it's a march in central london. whether it's actually organised by the trots is immaterial, they'll be there and be the most vocal part of the crowd.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Trots do one of two things to marches, they take them over, or they picket them. I'd wager this is one they're going to be picketing, given that they suck jihadi c0ck nowadays.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

What are you counting as a 'trot' and what are you not?

-x-

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

amitrotornot.com

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

great minds there, thinking alike.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

That's not a real website, so you both came up with the same joke?

-x-

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

http://www.amitrotornot.com

trot is a catch-all term for anyone who goes on these kind of marches, obv ;)

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking about SWP-RESPECT.

Admittely the AWL might support that demo, I don't know their position, but they don't have enough people to take over a demo even if all their members turn up. Ditto the Socialist Equality Party (but less likely even to support it). Living Marxism might support it too, but they're Libertarians nowadays. We know Socialist Action are on the side of censorship, as are the Workers Revolutionary Party and the Socialist Party (after some equivocation).

Have I missed anyone?

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

CP, L-M? are they still going? i saw posters for their kurdish wing around mayday...

Socialist Equality Party, wow never heard of them, SPLITTERS though obv.

people's front of judea?

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

it could be quite interesting actually, there seems to be some sort of strange (rightish-wing) libertarianism at the heart of this march, which a sub-section would be against anyway, but different wings will be holding the pastor neimellior line (strangely thats the second time i've mentioned him today in two entirely different contexts).

350 people and a two minute slot on the news, providing nothing interesting happens in sport that day, i'd guess...

providing nothing interesting happens in sport that day

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

To some of us, that's every day and we just wish the media would hurry up and realise it.