I popped along. The turn out was a little more than I expected (perhaps would have had a lot more if the protests in the city were not taking place today)
I am all for the cause, and I think they've made great strides very quickly in terms of getting their message across and attracting attention. Something just puts me off. Maybe it's the demographic thing, maybe it's all the peacenik rhetoric, the face painting and building shit (let's carve whistles and create a wood wind protest), Maybe it's the drumming (I fucking hate the drumming!), maybe it's that I just can't relate to academics and students, hippies and old cat ladies who dress weird. Does anyone else notice that all their big events and activities tend to occur at the same time as Universities are on breaks?
I had a nice chat with a lady at the Stand Against Racism stall (she'd been at some of anti-nazi league marches I'd attended back in the late 80s/early 90s), and that was good, and the young woman who stood up and said some words on stage as part of Stand Against Racism was nervous, but she gave off a real strength of character and made her point.
Mark Rylance made me laugh though. He was stood up their all wispy and theatrical, poetically talking about the valleys and the rivers of the London, and reading passages from manifestos, and academic papers. I couldn't take him serious. It was like he was performing a really shit Shakespeare play.
They had free tea and cake, and the Hare Krishna were giving out free veggie grub, big old portions too. Looked good. I didn't have any though because I was going along as an observer to see if could connect with this movement beyond their written message/manifesto. I didn't want to take food from the mouths of true believers.
Some of my class prejudices were at play too. I can't lie about that.
I also didn't hear a lot of how this huge world threat is going to be tackled. They talked about one of the essential elements being the demilitarisation of the whole world. Ok. HOW? That's a fucking huge thing. Which force of nature is going oversee that and make it happen?
They are making a noise and the noise can't be argued with too much, so I guess it's a good thing.
The Earth might spit humankind out, but the Earth will keep spinning. Do I care if people disappear off the planet. If we become extinct. The dinosaurs had to put up with it, and it wasn't even their fault....
I am bit confused by it all, to be honest.
...and the I shout 'Extinction' you shout 'Rebellion' call and response thing can fuck right off...
Here's some pics anyway....
