Off with his head

As a matter of course none of us condone acts of violence or destruction of property, it is the code we all choose to live by. Equally none of us should condone the Police's control, barricading and kettling of the protester's march. In a civilised society you do not attack your citizens with an militarised and organised force nor bludgeon the head of your citizens with a truncheon. Yes it is very irritating, inconvenient and a highly volatile situation when groups of our citizens get together to protest against some perceived miscarriage of justice. What would you rather have? That anyone with a contrary view and opinion is stifled, given no voice, prevented from joining up with like minded people to discuss the grievances as seen? Suppress all non-conforming opinion? No of course not, the majority is not always right and certainly those given power do not as a matter of course exercise it wisely. There has to be a vital, lively vehicles for dissent.

The problem is that when there are no channels for voicing and debating what to one side seems self-evident wrong ideas then frustration build up. Supporters gather around that frustration and when, as is the norm now, they are denied access to the places and the people that count in making those wrong decision, our elected representatives after all, no some magical remote elite, then understandably frustration can well up into violent reaction. The Police have to take responsibility for this outcome. Since that woman used the Police as an armed force to break the Union Movement they have lost touch of their true role. To be our elected force to police conduct between ourselves, not an arm of the government to ensure the establishments will over its populace. So by brandishing its total control, by denying access, dictating terms and limits, by bottling up groups so they can control and retain dominance, all this just adds fuel to the fire of frustration. There is a wrong that is not being addressed. There has to be an outlet, a safety valve to express the passion and quantum of the dissent. A protest march is one of the few vehicles left to the populace but even this the authorities want to control and dictate form to.

Of course in any democratic society there is always dissent, by definition not everyone can be pleased and satisfied. But that never was the objective. The objective remains as always that all opinions are seen by all to have been fairly considered and weighted and a resolution arrived at that acknowledges contrary concerns, puts them into a context and a rationale offered for why the majority have chosen a contradictory position. The common goodsense of the country will then see and understand why the dissidents are nothing more than trouble makers and can be safely ignored. Gagging dissent, railroading perceived minorities and attempting to demonise any group that does not agree with your agenda is only going to exacerbate a grumbling disbelief and lead to ever more and more violent protests to break out of the increasing authoritarian chains trying to contain them. Reasoned discussion, even passionate argument is the only viable answer.

So when the occupants of that stretched chav display vehicle, the Royal car, are picked on, it is only fitting. They of all people represent the affluent, self-indulgent, smug, disproportionately influential members of society indifferent to and remote from the harsh economic realities that everyday citizens actually experience and struggle to cope with on a day by day basis. What a more fitting accolade than to call for, symbolically, his head.


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