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Cambridge Marches Against Further Cuts

Cameraboy | 13.02.2011 13:36 | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles | Cambridge

Yesterday (Saturday February 12th 2011), the good people of Cambridge City came out in force, fired up and angry about the ongoing gutting of the public sector that is happening under the Tory government (what HAVE the Lib Dems done?), in the form of funding cuts.

Clowning is a serious business!
Clowning is a serious business!

Big Society..? Wassat?
Big Society..? Wassat?

Walking like an Egyptian...
Walking like an Egyptian...

East Road progress.
East Road progress.

Burleigh Street progress.
Burleigh Street progress.

A momentary pause in front of The Grafton Centre.
A momentary pause in front of The Grafton Centre.

Motivational Music!
Motivational Music!

Pulling no punches.
Pulling no punches.

Another brief pause...
Another brief pause...

Well red!
Well red!

It sure does.
It sure does.

...And toilets, schools etc.
...And toilets, schools etc.

The flip side of the baby placard - erm, no further comment.
The flip side of the baby placard - erm, no further comment.

I believe in Dog!
I believe in Dog!

No Umbrella bans here...
No Umbrella bans here...

Speaker's corner...
Speaker's corner...

Artwork being made in situ...
Artwork being made in situ...

Is Huppert a Muppet?
Is Huppert a Muppet?

Even the happy couple themselves showed up... in spirit.
Even the happy couple themselves showed up... in spirit.

Geurilla installation!
Geurilla installation!


There was plenty of creativity on display, with percussionsists providing a backline to everyone's chanting, the instruments mostly mined out from an old drumkit, along with a small portable amplifier mounted on someone's backpack.

As well as the usual mass produced placards, there was plenty of home made artwork in evidence too, from portable sculptures to painted Umbrellas, along with many placards, some of which were stencilled in situ.

I've tried to represent the full spectrum of this artwork in my pictures here.

There was also an anarchic but mute Clown present, whose antics all the children seemed to appreciate.

The Police presence was very low key, with only about half a dozen officers present, who were mostly redirecting traffic en route during the march around town.

The march started on Parkers Piece right in the middle of town (no proposals to privatise this Common Land yet, but there's still time...), progressing up East Road, turning into Burleigh Street, up King Street, and and ending at The Market Square, in front of The Guildhall, where a few speakers commented upon the cuts.

After a week of grim, grey rainy days here in East Anglia, fortunately the weather held out for the march and nobody got wet!

This march is in the context of announcements during week of further cuts to public funds, the most bizarre being an announcement by Manchester City Council to close down all but one of their public toilets in an attempt to save money.

I geuss they don't mind hiring extra street cleaners then, do they?

A parting message was left on the doors of The Guildhall itself, in the form of a placard that said "What Parlaiment does the streets can undo".

Yep, in the light of events in Egypt this week, it's fair to say that people power does work.

Change is possible!

Cameraboy
- Homepage: http://www.cambridgeshireagainstthecuts.org.uk/

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  1. Nice one — AR