Regarding the media and police hype, the march was totally uneventful, and passed of completely peaceful
Old Bill estimates of 35,000 were quoted by the Guardian under the headline “Ten of thousands of people took to the streets” It looked on the small size to me but I probably joined it somewhere further back than the middle, The illusion was further reinforced as the march split, with its back flank slowing up behind the Brass Band and Samba Crew, crawling up Piccadilly to Hyde Park Twenty minutes behind what I assumed was the vanguard

Still its clear after watching Fourman Films - “Coverage of the Demo” a time lapse video, recording the head and tail of the march as it passed the assembly point that my visual references were wrong and as a consequence so was my conclusion

Link:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9j5ZchuUUg&feature=response_watch

Arriving in Hyde Park, the audience around the stage looked sparse but I guess people took the opportunity, to look around the city, shop, or head for the pub Couldn’t blame them It had turned cold and started raining about 4.00pm and I guess no one was really interested in the speeches from Barber and Prentis! Even with a frosted coating of Celebrities, to try and spice up the platform, people found it a dry biscuit to chew on

As I watched Prentis pause in his labored drone about the evil Bankers, and how he was rightly proud of UNISON’s history of defending workers' rights, some one in the crowd shouted “What about the Labour Party Dave?” a reference to UNISON’s Labour Link and its forlorn hope that UNISON policies will be included within Labour’s programme after the next election. ( now where have I heard that before) But Dave pretended he didn’t hear and continued on his with his uninspired spiel!
But why should he worry too much ninety grand plus, and a nice little pension pot into the bargain
Seems its not only useless bankers who are overpaid

The Guardian correspondent Stephen Moss who was outraged in having to pay “50p to have a piss” at the Embankment says “the speeches on the TUC platform were incredibly dull, devoid of both thought and oratorical power”

Sounds about right Steve! But Oh Dear! You wanna watch that job o’yourn in the Guardian there mate! Fraternizing with those Anarchists earlier, seems to have rubbed off on you a wee bit!

Stephen Moss link

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/28/g20-protest

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