h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I wanted to pop around and thank you for several excellent posts on various politics threads. I think while I'm probably considered a bit of a loony leftist, you're the voice of reason!

I have to say I'm quite shocked and rather angry at the way the debate about the cuts is going, the framing of the protests and the reactions to it. It seems we're heading towards rather unpleasantly right wing and authoritarian times.

On the other hand, I'm very pleasantly surprised by the depth of feeling and idealism shown by many of the protestors, and the sense that there will be more resistance to this government's programme to come.

All in all though, my current plan to move back to the UK around August doesn't seem particularly well advised.

Thanks Dogster, that's very kind of you to say so.

It's hard to be optimistic at the moment. Any debate about tuition fees or the cuts in general gets drowned out by different debates about the right to protest, law and order, and who hit who with what when. The media reports only violence and counter violence, and not the issues. Charlie Brooker summed this up wonderfully in a piece about the the May day 'riot'.

I'm not too optimistic about opposition and resistance - at least not effective opposition. Everything about the policing and the media coverage of the protests seems designed to put people off joining in - whether that's by accident or design is hard to say. Protests need new protesters, not just the usual suspects, and I can't see that happening.

Meanwhile.... the media continues to demonise benefit claimants, there's no effective opposition, and even the allegedly neutral media are playing the government's tune. What really worries me is that the LibDem collapse (however funny that would be) could end up benefiting the Tories....

Still, mustn't grumble, eh?

Well, not living in the UK at the moment your sense of what's likely to come is probably closer to mine. One thing is that for the ordinary people involved in these protests, this will probably be quite a radicalising (in the good sense) experience for them, which I think bodes well for this sort of protest.

It's true though that many people are certainly being put off by the talk of violence and the fear of being caught in a kettle or police charge.

About the Lib Dems, is not possible that if enough pressure is put on those lib dem MPs of good conscience that they might refuse to cooperate with the tories, then the coalition might fall apart? I'm not really sure.