First off, I am not the most articulate, so bear with me, and I hope this reads ok.

Something felt different on Saturday to the student protest in which the Milbank building was occupied, I tried to put my finger on it, then twigged this morning - spontaneity.
No one really expected the outpouring of anger that resulted in the trashing and occupation of Milbank, especially not the police. In contrast it was fully expected on M26, I was up at Oxford circus before the black bloc arrived, and saw police talking to the public about it. The bloc were organised to some degree, and I don't think it unfair of me to say the actions were loosely planned. The same with UK uncut, their occupations and targets were planned.

Something the black bloc, as (mostly) experienced activists do better than first-time or less experienced ragers is to not get caught. The tactic of concealing identity and looking like everyone else in the bloc is effective in this. Incidentally, even though experienced activists try to pass on the tactic of concealment, or 'masking up', it is a sign that anger has gone beyond 'activists' when people don't follow this tactic - unfortunately this is followed by witch-hunts, and the targets of dealt harsh sentences (Milbank, and the poll tax demos).

So the spontaneity (as I have defined it) didn't really manifest, why is that?

Compared to the whole of the poll tax campaign, I feel that with then people felt more empowered, in communities there was resistance to bailiffs, mass burning of bills, and a strategy of dragging court cases out, so they could not get through them all. Are these smaller victories what gave people the confidence to 'stick it to the man' on the streets?

Likewise with the student protest, and occupation of Milbank had they not already had a taste of feeling like thy had the power with university occupations, and walkouts?

It feels like we leave a whole area of resistance to the unions, who at a stretch would call a one-day strike, and who get Ed Milibank to address a Rally.