Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh
Interesting, as in "Tunisia interesting"?
The problem is that it would appear that a small section of the protestors are planning for escalation (and in some cases hoping to provoke it), in the hope that this will gain sympathy for them, and enhance negative feelings towards the police and government.
I strongly support the right to protest, but am strongly against the violence and damage caused by those looking to escalate things (whilst I can sympathise with the frustrations felt, I can have the same frustrations against some of my neighbours regarding their behaviours, but it doesn't give me the right to throw a brick through their windows or key their cars).
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I'd describe the events in Tunisia as more horrifying than interesting. However, water cannon on British streets might serve to garner further sympathy for the cause (possibly the real reason why they haven't yet been used). However, if the public are content with the government and their decisions in recent years, then its a lost cause as far as I'm concerned. The students and the unions can't do it alone.
It amazes me how perceptions can change from one person to the next.
One person can watch footage of the recent protests, and just see reckless vandals that they may associate with local Buckfast wielding riff raff.
The next person will watch the same footage, and think - hey maybe now the government might actually start to take notice ?
I find myself in the latter category.
I see some parallels with the incident which took place at Kent State university during the Vietnam war protests in 1970. For years whilst growing up, I could never understand how the national guardsman could fire live rounds into the crowds of student protesters, killing 4 of them. Afterall, they were children, the next generation, right?
I recall seeing the interviews of the national guardsmen on a documentary, and I was quite sickened by the way they viewed the students, such hate and indignation in their descriptions. I thought "Wow, what a screwed up society it was back then.". I must have assumed that we'd moved on since those days.
However, since the November protests, I see history repeating all over. There seems to be much hate directed towards the students, for one reason or another - and I'm not convinced its strictly to do with the recent violence either.
Noone's been shot yet, but I've read various comments to the effect that the police should just open fire with live rounds. I'd hate to think we've not learned a darned thing in the last 40 years.
When a group of muslims march on our streets shouting death to us all, we do nothing, in fact we can't even deport the Abu-Hamza "hook-cleric". Despite all his hate rhetoric, he's still here. The government can tax us into oblivion and we do nothing. It just goes on and on.
But yet when our younger generation take to the streets to try to make a better future for our country (whether they've got it right or wrong), so many are shouting for their blood.
Sad times
