Morse is Dead, and so is Democracy
Billy not so Silly after all | 16.11.2000 16:13
Insp. Morse has died, the last decent, intellectual copper. He was of course, ficticious, but so was the democracy that died in Hyde Park on tuesday.
On tuesday, harangued, humiliated by the BBC, beset with summonses and court orders, and facing the combined ranks of the police and trades unions, the fuel tax lobby reached Hyde Park Speakers Corner. Whilst everyone seemed to be crowing at thier "defeat", (as yet not certain) Something un noticed and epochal appears to have happened.
Grenpeace and Freinds of the earth had accompanied the truck convoy all the way from Scotland, carrying a message that was not particularly agreeable to the gathering. however, it seems that they were perfectly willing to allow Greenpeace to take the platform and explain further what they wished from the matter. Simultaneously, Friends of the Earth had their own demonstration broken up by the police. Could it be that these truckers and farmers WERE OUR LAST AND BEST ALLIES ? No ? So who will now save us from Blair and the police in future ? The TUC ? The SWP ? No, the oft predicted disaster has occurred, and the independent left is isolated. Inspector Morse died in a ficticious Oxford, and so did democracy itself, in a ficticious Hyde park.
Grenpeace and Freinds of the earth had accompanied the truck convoy all the way from Scotland, carrying a message that was not particularly agreeable to the gathering. however, it seems that they were perfectly willing to allow Greenpeace to take the platform and explain further what they wished from the matter. Simultaneously, Friends of the Earth had their own demonstration broken up by the police. Could it be that these truckers and farmers WERE OUR LAST AND BEST ALLIES ? No ? So who will now save us from Blair and the police in future ? The TUC ? The SWP ? No, the oft predicted disaster has occurred, and the independent left is isolated. Inspector Morse died in a ficticious Oxford, and so did democracy itself, in a ficticious Hyde park.
Billy not so Silly after all
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Postscript
17.11.2000 16:17
In 1999, to our horror, the Labour left, led by Ken Livingstone, gave their support to NATO. Even though Blair was following an imperialist policy, he might be right on this occasion, doing good even inadvertently, they demurred.
Perhaps the failure of the NON- Labour left to support the fuel tax protest is another stage in the decomposition of radical thought in Britain. I put it to you that these three things are linked:
1: The FTx protesters are beaten down, if not quite out
2: They undertake to support the rights of free speech, even to the Green groups in opposition
3: The authorities, secure in having isolated the FTx campaigners, make an immediate move against the Greens
It follows that:
1: The Greens had an ally in the FTx protest
2: Conventions of Free Speech as in Hyde Park are useless against Straw's Police Trades Union cabinet.
3: Greens and other leftists may be completely isolated from now on
Billy S