Critical Mass Assembles
A well-equipped bike
On the Road
Whitehall, approaching Downing St
Brian Haw watches the Mass arrive
Brian Haw lectures the Mass
You can see more of them starting at My London Diary
http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2006/06/may.htm (scroll well down the page). Also gone are some of the pictures of the children, demonstrating the literally monstrous effects of the use of depleted uranium weaponry, and much more of the posters and signs shown here and from other occasions. I'm actually very concerned about out national security and its failures. Our security services completely failed to spot the July 7 threat. Why? Largely because they had their eyes on the wrong balls, for example giving serious credence to false information extracted from suspects undergoing torture in Libya and elsewhere, rather than actually finding out what was really happening in the UK.
I'm worried now, that they think that Brian Haw's material on display was a secuity threat. Of course it wasn't, and everyone knows it wasn't. It was removed because it was an embarrasment to our government and our prime minister in particular. By concentrating their attention on such embarrasments - rather than putting their resources into the real threats, it is our security services that are putting national security at risk. Again they have their eyes on the wrong balls. Lying with Blair doesn't make anyone safer.
Perhaps travelling by tube isn't such a good idea any more. Critical Mass do it on bikes, and it was heartening to see a good turnout at the end of May. The Mass rode down to Parliament Square to give its (belated) support to Brian, who wasn't too amused. "Where were you", he asked, "when I needed you?"
It was perhaps a little unfair, because some of us at least had been there, if not when we were actually needed, at least at times when we might have been needed. And when the day came, by the time most of us heard the news it was too late to get on our bikes.
At least Brian is still there for the moment and his protest continues. I hope it will continue to get our support, and Critical Mass was there today to support him. It will help if more people go and visit whenever they can - perhaps on their way to or from work, or on Sundays at noon.
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rude arrogant arsehole
27.05.2006 10:58
helen
Did the tactic work?
27.05.2006 13:43
First you abolish the slave-trade, then the slavery. Same with 'war' - the arms-trade has to go first. Hence, Helen is right - you have to protest against the DSEi and promote the cycling. Forget the war, except on war...
Did you hear about the million people that drove to a protest over an oil war?
The 'anti-war' movement sucks, and always has done. It waives banners at the cameras, drives home for the teatime news and offers only smug hopelessness. The participants are generally utterly indoctrinated with 'al-qaeda-ology' and even believe in 'democracy'. The Iraq 2003 campaign kicked off on the 'anti-war' watch, and that includes Brian. He had a lot of banners to wave about Iraq prior to then, but none of it registered with their majesties in that hideous building opposite what was his pitch. All for what?
Some tactics just do not work, and complaining about the war without putting the thinking in on the arms-trade or 'DSEi' story - 9/11 - is too convenient, too smug and trite - it does not deserve to win. It is all too easy, and enables people to avoid the real issues - the arms-trade, fighting over fossil fuels and climate change. Responsibility can be avoidified. It is glorified circuses and bread - a waste of time, and besides, football is miles better if spectacle is yer thing.
As for Brian's attitude - it takes a special type of character to undertake a solo challenge, a tough skin, a preparedness to be hated. If he get's under the skin of the likes of Helen then that is a good thing too. Why, without Brian's example, someone else might have taken up a similar protest, only to have sat it out for a few years, maybe Helen. On Pennsylania Avenue there are people that have been pitched up since Vietnam - if Brian is to be believed. Presumably they have not had the breakthroughs anticipated at outset. We all have our life avoidance tactics.
Busta Ketone
Bad day
27.05.2006 15:57
I am sorry to hear you found Brian to be that way. I have met him several times and have found him to be very warm some days and others less so. He spends all day chatting to people so perhaps you had caught up at an off time. I would certainly be in a bad mood constantly if I was living in the bad vibes of that masonic temple parliament and surrounded by car fumes. What he has achieved though is incredible and we should all support him as much as we can.
Om
Richard