A sad day for democracy
Keith Parkins | 10.12.2010 04:59 | Education | Repression | Social Struggles
When Parliament is surrounded by barricades to keep the people out. When Parliament is guarded by riot police to keep the people out. When this happens we know that those inside no longer represent the people.
Parliament Square
Shameful massive vandalism in Westminster today: the Tories and Lib Dems voted to smash up our universities and chance of poor kids getting on. – Johann Hari
When Parliament is surrounded by barricades to keep the people out. When Parliament is guarded by riot police to keep the people out. When this happens we know that those inside no longer represent the people.
And so it proved to be on Wednesday 9 December 2010 when Parliament voted to triple student fees.
We knew there was going to be trouble when the police tried to stop people reaching Parliament, when they tried to kettle people.
But people were posting locations of police on twitter and google, the protesters slipped around the police blockades by slipping down side streets and playing cat and mouse with the police.
Parliament Square was reached, but not before police had charged protesters with horses, beaten and attacked protesters. One report from @pennyred had a man in a wheelchair attacked by the police
Early afternoon Mark Thomas commented on twitter:
'There are a small minority causing trouble in Parliament Square but they are dressed with blue helmets and visors so easy to spot.'
What was it all about?
There was a vote to triple students fees. The Universities were not gaining anything from this as their teaching grants were to be slashed by a massive 80%. The hike in student fees was merely to make up the shortfall. Humanities, social sciences, the arts, were to receive no teaching grant at all. What we were seeing was the privatisation of the universities and students to be saddled with massive debts to pay for it.
At the moment, middle class students get through university because their obliging parents help them to pay their bills. Many for example get their accommodation paid for by parents. This is unlikely to happen for the next generation of student as their middle class parents will still be paying off their student debts.
The increase in student fees to £9,000 a year is neither fair nor affordable. It is not even likely the taxpayer will get their money back as the underlying assumption is that these future graduates will be earning in real terms the equivalent of £100,000 a year today.
The media and the political elite all went to the same universities. In England, the politicians all went to the same elite universities, all studied the same subjects - politics, philosophy and economics. Subjects which future students will have to be rich to study as there will be no teaching grants to the universities for these subjects and the politicians today voted to triple student fees.
When the final House of Commons vote was taken to hike student fees it was Yes 323, No 302, with a majority of 21.
Shame on those LibDem MPs who failed to vote against. For those LibDems in government it was all about clinging on to power.
Nick Clegg even called the students 'dreamers' Well if young people cannot have dreams, who can. Maybe he should read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
http://www.heureka.clara.net/books/the-alchemist.htm
It was then that the trouble started. First the Treasury was attacked, and contrary to the false report by chief political reporter Nick Robinson (a Tory) protesters did not get into the Treasury. The Treasury was attacked to chants of 'we want our money back'.
Next it was the turn of the Supreme Court.
A fringe broke away and trashed Topshop in Oxford Street. Why Topshop? Because billionaire owner of Topshop Sir Philip Green is a tax dodger. If the government forced all tax dodgers to pay their unpaid taxes, there would be no budget deficit. Tweets from the streets said shoppers and public joining in. All pushing forward to take pictures.
£7 billion was cut from welfare. Vodafone owe £6 billion in tax. And yet, we can find £7 billion to bail out Ireland. Why because Ireland owes money to our banks. Were the British people asked? No! Why are we bailing out ailing economies?
The money is there for these bailouts. It is held by the rich. The same people who avoid their taxes.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard in the evening criticised violence, but only violence against police officers. No mention of police violence. No mention of police charge with horses.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said police expected peaceful protest outside Parliament. Police blocked from getting near Parliament.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said police are tired and want to go home, will protesters please calm down and go home. Protesters tried to go home home, the police would not let them.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said containment did not happen until violence broke out. And that was why they used containment. Kettling was taking place early afternoon to stop student approaching Parliament.
This was in the evening. Speaking earlier she complained protesters did not follow agreed route. Protesters went down side streets to avoid police blockades.
A former police public order intelligence officer speaking live on Sky News at 2020 GMT said he had never seen this level of violence
Students on Sky news did not say what was expected. This is what happens in Europe, it was bound to happen here. What did they expect, us to just lie down? What do you expect? The police are badly organised and do not know what is going on. If the students could have got into Parliament they would have as politicians not listening
A bit unfair to attack Prince Charles on his way to a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium (that in itself punishment enough). After all he did not vote for student fees hikes.
In Oxford Street a member of the public talking on Sky News said people were joining in on their way home from work. It was all ages. People joined in to support the students.
Will Met Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson admit charge with horses? He did not at the last protest.
Paul Stephenson said he wanted peaceful demo not violence. Why then the police tactics at the beginning of the day? Police tactics that served to raise tension.
Strong basis for university funding - Vince Cable Nick Clegg and David Cameron then walked out. They may have won the vote, they did not win the debate
By late night, been very cold since sun went down, people without food or water, still being held in Westminster Bridge kettle, people collapsing and falling ill. Police refusing to send in medics.
Winston Churchill tonight overlooked a scene of desolation. It was a very sad day for democracy.
Michael Portillo on BBC One This Week said for the Coalition what happened on the streets was a bad day. He knows from when he was in government in the 1980s and the Poll Tax.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 News The World Tonight the LibDem chief whip showed the utter contempt the LibDems have for the electoral when he said by the next election all will be forgotten. The discussion that followed also showed the same contempt, the focus being on were the LibDems in disarray, had they been harmed? Not a word on the harm to students who will be forced to pay the higher fees.
A college lecturer speaking on BBC One Question Time said students were returning speaking of being roughed up by the police. And whilst the focus has been on student fees, we should not forget college students from poorer backgrounds who get an Education Maintenance Grant to encourage them to stay on is education. This will be scrapped.
I do not blame the police or the protesters for the violence. I blame Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, they have blood on their hands. They may have won the vote but they have totally lost public support. The last Tory government won the Poll Tax vote. Look what then happened.
Think if the vote went the other way. Instead of anger and violence on the streets there would have been partying and rejoicing.
Also see
Protest over tuition fees
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11962415
Police on horseback charge at protesters
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11962905
Government wins student tuition fees vote
http://www.channel4.com/news/government-wins-student-tuition-fees-vote
Tuition fees: all the votes all the MPs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/09/tuition-fees-higher-education?CMP=twt_gu
http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/fashion/sir-philip-green-and-his-topshop-billions-get-the-uk-uncut-treatment/2010/12/09/
Student protests: today is our 1968 moment
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/09/student-protest-tuition-fees-vote?CMP=twt_gu
When Parliament is surrounded by barricades to keep the people out. When Parliament is guarded by riot police to keep the people out. When this happens we know that those inside no longer represent the people.
And so it proved to be on Wednesday 9 December 2010 when Parliament voted to triple student fees.
We knew there was going to be trouble when the police tried to stop people reaching Parliament, when they tried to kettle people.
But people were posting locations of police on twitter and google, the protesters slipped around the police blockades by slipping down side streets and playing cat and mouse with the police.
Parliament Square was reached, but not before police had charged protesters with horses, beaten and attacked protesters. One report from @pennyred had a man in a wheelchair attacked by the police
Early afternoon Mark Thomas commented on twitter:
'There are a small minority causing trouble in Parliament Square but they are dressed with blue helmets and visors so easy to spot.'
What was it all about?
There was a vote to triple students fees. The Universities were not gaining anything from this as their teaching grants were to be slashed by a massive 80%. The hike in student fees was merely to make up the shortfall. Humanities, social sciences, the arts, were to receive no teaching grant at all. What we were seeing was the privatisation of the universities and students to be saddled with massive debts to pay for it.
At the moment, middle class students get through university because their obliging parents help them to pay their bills. Many for example get their accommodation paid for by parents. This is unlikely to happen for the next generation of student as their middle class parents will still be paying off their student debts.
The increase in student fees to £9,000 a year is neither fair nor affordable. It is not even likely the taxpayer will get their money back as the underlying assumption is that these future graduates will be earning in real terms the equivalent of £100,000 a year today.
The media and the political elite all went to the same universities. In England, the politicians all went to the same elite universities, all studied the same subjects - politics, philosophy and economics. Subjects which future students will have to be rich to study as there will be no teaching grants to the universities for these subjects and the politicians today voted to triple student fees.
When the final House of Commons vote was taken to hike student fees it was Yes 323, No 302, with a majority of 21.
Shame on those LibDem MPs who failed to vote against. For those LibDems in government it was all about clinging on to power.
Nick Clegg even called the students 'dreamers' Well if young people cannot have dreams, who can. Maybe he should read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
http://www.heureka.clara.net/books/the-alchemist.htm It was then that the trouble started. First the Treasury was attacked, and contrary to the false report by chief political reporter Nick Robinson (a Tory) protesters did not get into the Treasury. The Treasury was attacked to chants of 'we want our money back'.
Next it was the turn of the Supreme Court.
A fringe broke away and trashed Topshop in Oxford Street. Why Topshop? Because billionaire owner of Topshop Sir Philip Green is a tax dodger. If the government forced all tax dodgers to pay their unpaid taxes, there would be no budget deficit. Tweets from the streets said shoppers and public joining in. All pushing forward to take pictures.
£7 billion was cut from welfare. Vodafone owe £6 billion in tax. And yet, we can find £7 billion to bail out Ireland. Why because Ireland owes money to our banks. Were the British people asked? No! Why are we bailing out ailing economies?
The money is there for these bailouts. It is held by the rich. The same people who avoid their taxes.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard in the evening criticised violence, but only violence against police officers. No mention of police violence. No mention of police charge with horses.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said police expected peaceful protest outside Parliament. Police blocked from getting near Parliament.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said police are tired and want to go home, will protesters please calm down and go home. Protesters tried to go home home, the police would not let them.
Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard said containment did not happen until violence broke out. And that was why they used containment. Kettling was taking place early afternoon to stop student approaching Parliament.
This was in the evening. Speaking earlier she complained protesters did not follow agreed route. Protesters went down side streets to avoid police blockades.
A former police public order intelligence officer speaking live on Sky News at 2020 GMT said he had never seen this level of violence
Students on Sky news did not say what was expected. This is what happens in Europe, it was bound to happen here. What did they expect, us to just lie down? What do you expect? The police are badly organised and do not know what is going on. If the students could have got into Parliament they would have as politicians not listening
A bit unfair to attack Prince Charles on his way to a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium (that in itself punishment enough). After all he did not vote for student fees hikes.
In Oxford Street a member of the public talking on Sky News said people were joining in on their way home from work. It was all ages. People joined in to support the students.
Will Met Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson admit charge with horses? He did not at the last protest.
Paul Stephenson said he wanted peaceful demo not violence. Why then the police tactics at the beginning of the day? Police tactics that served to raise tension.
Strong basis for university funding - Vince Cable Nick Clegg and David Cameron then walked out. They may have won the vote, they did not win the debate
By late night, been very cold since sun went down, people without food or water, still being held in Westminster Bridge kettle, people collapsing and falling ill. Police refusing to send in medics.
Winston Churchill tonight overlooked a scene of desolation. It was a very sad day for democracy.
Michael Portillo on BBC One This Week said for the Coalition what happened on the streets was a bad day. He knows from when he was in government in the 1980s and the Poll Tax.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 News The World Tonight the LibDem chief whip showed the utter contempt the LibDems have for the electoral when he said by the next election all will be forgotten. The discussion that followed also showed the same contempt, the focus being on were the LibDems in disarray, had they been harmed? Not a word on the harm to students who will be forced to pay the higher fees.
A college lecturer speaking on BBC One Question Time said students were returning speaking of being roughed up by the police. And whilst the focus has been on student fees, we should not forget college students from poorer backgrounds who get an Education Maintenance Grant to encourage them to stay on is education. This will be scrapped.
I do not blame the police or the protesters for the violence. I blame Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, they have blood on their hands. They may have won the vote but they have totally lost public support. The last Tory government won the Poll Tax vote. Look what then happened.
Think if the vote went the other way. Instead of anger and violence on the streets there would have been partying and rejoicing.
Also see
Protest over tuition fees
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11962415 Police on horseback charge at protesters
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11962905 Government wins student tuition fees vote
http://www.channel4.com/news/government-wins-student-tuition-fees-vote Tuition fees: all the votes all the MPs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/09/tuition-fees-higher-education?CMP=twt_gu http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/fashion/sir-philip-green-and-his-topshop-billions-get-the-uk-uncut-treatment/2010/12/09/ Student protests: today is our 1968 moment
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/09/student-protest-tuition-fees-vote?CMP=twt_gu
Keith Parkins
Homepage:
http://keithpp.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/a-sad-day-for-democracy/
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
Top shop got smashed up and Prince Charles car was attacked!
10.12.2010 09:16
Proud rioter
Commoners not allowed near the House of Commons
10.12.2010 11:27
Why did none of the representatives of the Commons, the people, not go out to speak and join in with the commoners? Because they are part of the elite who are protected from the austerity they are voting for by their wealth.
When the representatives of the commoners act in their own interests instead of those they are elected to represent, then the commoners are right to demand a different order. This has been the case throughout history, and is still true today.
The elite hide in their fortresses using the police to protect them from those they represent, there is surely something wrong with the system of representative democracy,
When letters have been written, representations made, all the machinations of this sham democracy used to have our voices heard,the commoners have only recourse to property damage to make their those in power sit up and listen. For this they are ConDemmed, detained illegally for hours, have their rights to assembly and freedom of movement trampled on, and their right to privacy abused by police who illegally demand their personal details and photograph them.
The commoners are rising!
commoner
Question - what was in those black balast bags in barriers?
10.12.2010 12:04
pete
But is it?
10.12.2010 12:24
Don't take this wrong. I am not suggesting you shouldn't be out there protesting. But do you really believe you have the majority behind you? In other words, that these politicians who are introducing cuts/austerity DON'T have more people behind them than we do?
Democracy is NOT about making good, wise, just, etc. etc. decisions. Democracy is NOT about making the decisions which ARE in the "best interests of the people" (if only they agreed with us who "know better" what their interests are).
Democracy is about making the decisions that the people want, that THEY believe to be in their own interests. I was under the impression that there was an election. Are you arguing that the votes weren't counted fairly? That the "left" should have won and that these "right" and "middle" representatives shouldn't have been seated?
ORGANIZE! Get out there and convince "the people" to want the things that you think they should want. But don't call our failure to be successful with that a failure of democracy. IF you believe in democracy then you have to accept that "the people" can decide otherwise than you think they should. It's their right to want the wrong things.
MDN
Not a sad day for democracy but hope for the future.
10.12.2010 14:17
The so-called 'Great' Reform Act of 1832, which was only pushed through after significant rioting in Bristol, was a farce which barely increased who was allowed to vote. Subsequent 'reforms' were crumbs that failed to fundamentally alter who controlled the means of production and politics increasingly became a career path (cf. Aaron Porter). Meanwhile the British imperial power used 'patriotism' to justify mass murder overseas (cf. Armed Forces Day). Even when Atlee's government in 1945 set about forging the welfare state, despite all best intentions, this was an acceptance of a post-war economic consensus that would justify submission to US hegemony and a neocolonialist relationship between the newly independent countries of the southern hemishpere and the parasitic developed countries that sought to minimise disatisfaction by pumping its populations with consumer goods.
The UK maintains an elite of landowners that control most of the land in these isles. Amongst these is the Prince of Wales who, despite vacuous PR at promoting environmentalism, is another parasite who would never in a million years understand the symbiotic nature of a social ecology that rejects both hieracrchy and power.
The UK maintains its servitude to corporate interests that control most of the means of production and generating wealth in these isles. What happened on Thursday was in the best tradition of those who have stood up against these elites. During eighteenth century riots there was a moral economy of the crowd that meant that only those who had offended common decency, such as hoarding grain so that bread prices can go up, were targetted. So Top Shop, owned by the tax avoiding Philip Green, was treated in time honoured fashion.
This was far from a sad day for democracy. This was hope for the future. Many, many young people are being radicalised into understanding the democratic farce that exists in this country. They are waking up to the true nature of the neoliberal economic model that all so-called elected leaders are subservient to ( because it is enforced by US bombs). They are appreciating that real life and existence is there beyond its mere value as a commodity. Learning has always been something that the State has regulated and devloped for its own end (primary education was introduced in 1870 to increase to a permitted level the basic literacy and numeracy of factory workers so Britain could compete with the other European powers who sought to dominate and exploit lands in Africa and Asia).
Despite the oppression these are optimistic times. Even though momentum must be maintained people must also think strategically. The Royal Wedding on April 29 will be used by the British State to reassure its populace and the world that all is as it has been. Instead, people can build to make May Day 2011 something that will shake the political and corporate elite more than ever before, to ensure that the summer of 2011 will burn bright in people's hearts and in the streets. During this time people can show what can be created - genuine change from the bottom up, consensus decision making, working for something meaningful rather than for consumer capitalism's baubles.
Demand the impossible!
1649
Unclear on the concept?
10.12.2010 21:11
DUH -- you have a parliamentary form of government. That means every time you vote you are presumably voting for a coalition government. Have you been deceived by British political opinion over much of its history been divided into just a couple factions so that most of the time a single party has a majority or close enough so as to be able to function as a minority government that can survive a 'vote of confidence".
That is ABNORMAL for this form of democracy. Take a look around the world. There are countries where there has NEVER been a one party government.
"the development of 'representative' forms of democracy in the UK has been motivated by the need of the elite and landed/business interests to control the working classes"
Historically acurate (only the propertied class even had a vote until relatively recently in the history of your parliament) but missing the point. What do you suggest in place of a representative form? Please note that there is a relationship here between the possibility of single party majority governments (small number of political divisions in the society) and whether a more direct form of democracy would be workable. In a truly diverse society, so many separate interests that NOTHING could win a majority as a direct question considered independently from other questions.
Please consider JUST "the left" and how divided we are into a zillion warring factions. You have a way forward EXCEPT "coalition"? Oh, to be sure, we can all agree to come over to YOUR positions on all issues. Like DUH.
MDN