The sun shone as the bus loads flowed in from around the country, and the London townspeople streamed into speakers corner for a pleasant but subversive stroll around town. The Sambatistas raised the temperature by degrees. They were burning and simmering all day in the warm sun; powerfully claiming space for the carnival of dissent that flowed passed the US embassy on its way to Trafalgar Square - dancing and drumming, moving the rivers and rhythms of resistance.

Thanks to the coppers for again providing them with a protective escort against their more out-of-control adoring fans. But hey, lets see a bit of samba in your marching step next time - loosen up. OK the Met don't train you in dance, but I hear Charlie Clarke wants to train you to do the goose step- that would be a laugh!

Those who could find the time to drag themselves away from their busy lives and political activity: elections, building for G8 and one thousand and one other campaigns and activities - even George Galloway cancelled his appointment at the beauticians, but he still looked gorgeous.

Organizing for national public workers strike action for next Wednesday was one activity that kept some away - although it may be called off now because the government are promising to withdrawer their Robert Maxwell-like robbery on public workers' pensions. If they do, its a timely victory for union power which should boost Trade Unions for battles to come. Inevitably, Newish Labour will come back after their general election victory and try the “Maxwell“ again, because they have squandered vast collective wealth on the rich, private commercial and industrial policy, and a plethora of unnecessary projects.

Gordon Brown has blown mountains of cash on: illegal wars; bogus wars on mythical terrorists; policing demos and dissenters; subsidising the arms trade; making a mess of Africa, Columbia, the Middle East and other countries, in league with the USA; GCHQ Cheltenham the global eavesdropper; the Eurofighter and other needless military procurements; locking up asylum seekers and refugees; privatising the NHS; PFI; cuts in corporation tax for big business; cuts in tax for the rich,; subsidising the big agro-industrial to the detriment of small farmers; trebling MI5 and MI6's budget; MP's salaries and pensions; subsiding the bloated pensions of the fat cats; huge salaries for local government chief and NHS executives and their acolytes; unnecessary roads; spending 1 billion on a Dome for Tony Bullshiter Blair‘s new years eve party; 2 million last week in Derby to police some street theatre; many billions on management consultants to advice the government on privatizing everything; many billions to the private sector to manage the London Underground and the railways; many billions to the private sector to develop useless computer systems; huge sums on propaganda for Newish Labours re-election campaign which has been ongoing since 1996 known as the "permanent election" led by Alistair Campbell... and so on

And making it personal - because it is as well - the large sums wasted on: barking mad Alistair Campbell; right Charlie Clarke’s huge Lunch expenses and inflating his big pompous head; Tony Bullshiter Blair’s and Alan Milburn’s hairdressers, Prescott’s several homes; Blunket’s huge power-crazed ego and mistresses; Jack Straw’s travel expenses and his doll and toy soldier collection. What a shower of pathetic individuals. They are just Tories without the hundred years experience of hiding their pathetic personalities behind front, bluff and a stiff upper lip - nouveaux Tories. T

The economy is heading for the skids, and guess who will have to pay: the poor in reduced pensions, wages benefits, and poorer working condition through the planned completion of the neo-liberal privatisation project. Yet, the rich will further benefit. Look at the sums again Gordon, the economy is going down the tubes, unless you can get the poor to pay for it. As teacher and union officer from Coventry, Jane Nellist, said on the demo: "Don't say we didn't warn you Gordon." And neither would the Tories or Liberals do anything different to overt the very probably coming disaster.

This is the battle in the mainstream, and its a battle against Newish Labour, the Tories, and the Liberals, because the only thing that differentiates them are the nuances of their rhetoric and spin. So if the likes of Cllr. Dave Nellist in Coventry (too busy fighting the cuts in Coventry and trying to get his general election campaign moving to attend the march), and George Galloway in London, get a good result it would be a blow against Newish Labour, and to an extent the Liberals and Tories.

And new boy on the block ex-MI5 dissenter David Shayler (who was on the march) deserves a mention because he is looking for support to stand in his homelands, against Tony Bullshit Liar in his Sedgefield constituency, he‘s doing a sort to do a Martin Bell in a white suite caper, and fair play - the Big Bullshiter might lose a few more of his dyed hairs.. If all three of them were to win the revolution would inevitably follow: down the Social Centre, social club, pub, cafe, church, temple, mosque or synagogue for a celebration of the beginning collective history., not self-aggrandising psychotic emperors, kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, playing perversely evil power games.


Back to more prosaic matters: In Coventry - a traditional test bed for new ideas and measure - we have to fight the imposed huge reduction in Council wages for which industrial action is being immanently balloted. This will be rolled out nationally if they get away with it. It's part of cutting costs in local authorities nationally, before all local services are privatized and the financially less well off are further ripped off and abused. If the Chief executive of Coventry Council does not back down, we could do with some support from further a field to support our defense against the attacks of these neo-liberal stooges. Details to follow sometime.

So, all the creative displays of dissent and protest, the tanks, the coffins, the music, the inventive banners - not to mention all the material that was passed around and out to the on lookers. I only heard two speeches: one from an older but no less highly potent unrelenting firebrand Tariq Ali, and the passionate words of Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty.

The G8 meeting in July should make this a hot summer of dissent, and the biggest festival of dissent this country has ever witnessed. Lets hope as many as possible can all find time to get up there. The London anti-war demo has been a good warm up for what’s ahead.

Fight for peace, equality freedom and true justice.


(Thanks to Dean and Chris for making my day so pleasant. Hi to Ms daffodils)