So far, thank God, the G20 Summit has been without the bloodpath forewarned by the Met Police who, I think, we're just doing a bit of up-front PR and who, more to the point, exist precariously close since the Thatcher era to enforcing the will of the state, rather than defending the rights of the people.
The 'summer of discontent' prophesied by a police spokesman, in response to the crash and credit crunch, chills me. At what point do we find ourselves, the most heavily monitored and watched population in the western world, the subject of all those technologies employed 'against terrorism'? Technologies that, despite every claim from those who know, including two former heads of MI5, that they achieve nothing of any real value?
Am I perhaps getting a bit old and a bit paranoid in thinking that what worries governments the most is their own people who see through their lies and duplicity, and not the enemy-of-the-day?
The media, of course, who have been hinting at carnage all along. Hinting at, or hoping for? I'm waiting for an apology for the lack of mayhem from an on-the-spot reporter, "sorry, we're doing our best, but the people here simply don't want to start a fight."
The police practice of 'corraling' demonstrations into a closed area, the standard technique employed, is technically a form of 'arrest' and as such, no warrant nor reason being evident (demonstrating is not itself illegal) — the police are actually guilty of an illegal act.
That point seems to have been missed by the media pundits.
The breaking of the windows of the RBS Bank is a case in point. If you get the chance to see it again, have a look. Please notice the man trying to prevent the vandalism, "this is a peaceful demonstration!" — but please also count the number of press photographers clicking away. There seem to be more journos than demonstrators, or could it be that the journos have gathered and are inciting the mob to violent and 'photogenic' acts? Certainly, if we argue that this is nothing special, but average, then journalists must form at least 30-40% of the total number present, if not more like 60-70%.
A police spokesman said that when the films of the events are examined, arrests will be made. I do hope journalists and paparazzi are in the first haul.
Certainly, I think we are poorly led by our politicians ... as a comedian said recently, the public sector is well-meaning, and usually wrong, whilst the private sector (beloved of recent governments) is greedy, and usually wrong" — better well-meaning incompetence than self-serving incompetence.
But the media is neither incompetent nor well meaning, and they do serve us, in my book, very badly indeed, and they are part of the reason why governments are as bad as they are, is that the media decides who the next government is, not the people.
Thomas
