Saturday 12th February was a normal Saturday, with no major political events planned in Nottingham as far as I know. Nevertheless, Notts SOS, the SWP, the Socialist Party and Occupy Nottingham were all  busy trying to engage with the shoppers and passers-by in Market Square.

Notts SOS were campaigning against the proposed City Council budget which will see jobs and services slashed. Leaflets outlining what was being cut were given out and signatures collected for a petition to be handed in to the council.

The SWP and Socialist Party were both campaigning against the government's plans for the NHS and selling copies of their respective papers.

Occupy Nottingham however were still ensconsed at the top of the Square, explaining to people why they were there. Now approaching their fourth month, they've almost become part of the furniture and I find myself almost forgetting they're there. They must, however, have spoken to thousands of people by now.

Quite what the Nottingham public made of all this wasn't clear. Alongside the politicking, the town was busy with Forest fans making their way to the team's game with Watford and a couple were getting married in the Council House. One or both or neither of these facts may explain why there needed to be 4 CPOs defending the Council House.

The SOS stall didn't seem to be attracting anything like the attention it did when they were focussing on the NHS. Whether this is because people are unaware of the city council's plans or genuinely don't care isn't possible to say. Interest in the two parties seemed to be about normal, but perhaps those running the stalls might have a different opinion.