Dead Men Left

Sunday, March 20, 2005

"Fused group" is a flashy name for this sort of thing

Lenin has a report on yesterday's shennanigans, which I'm linking to mostly because he's being flattering about my Nostradamus-like forecating skills[*].

As he says, it was indeed a splendid day out for all concerned, despite (in my case) being hauled down to Hyde Park Corner at some unholy hour to help out on a stall. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, Pizza Hut was doing an undeservedly roaring trade, etc. I'd only add to Lenin's report the slightly bewildered air hanging over much of the crowd: no-one could quite believe everyone else had turned up, even if they were always going to march themselves. Len ends with his only criticism, a plea for more imagination on these events; that'll come when we start to recognise our own strength again. Sitting and watching the carefully-managed TV news is an extraordinarily good way to become - yes, quite angry - but also demobilised. It takes events like yesterday's demo to assemble all the fragments of the anti-war movement and drum home the realisation that this is actually a movement. (Sartre, by the way of explanation, is reviewed here.)

[*]Making predictions so vague as to fit any remotely plausible outcome.