Discussion
2/n
Everyone thinks Kier Starmer is a wanker. Left and right are absolutely aligned on this. Probably for very different reasons, but Labour have a serious leadership problem that they need to acknowledge and address. It will lose them the next election.
3/n
There was a surprising (to me) emphasis on Christianity in the Unite the Kingdom rally. I am aware there is likely to be US money involved here, but I was a little taken aback at the amount of wooden crucifix being carried along, flags proclaiming the word of christ, chants and slogans about England being a christian country.
It's hard to know if these are strongly held beliefs, or that there were just enough believers in the crowd to make it look pervasive. Still, it was a far cry from ‘christian for christmas' that I usually associate with England.
At one point a lad got up on one of the stone lions adorning Westminster bridge and was given a huge cheer when he held aloft a crucifix in one hand and an England flag in the other.
4/n
The Unite the Kingdom rally felt professional. Remember the anti-Brexit protests where there were big screens down Whitehall, a stage, camera crews, sound engineers, people who know how to host an event? Now picture exactly the same set-up but for yesterday. It must have cost quite a bit - I don't know how much it costs to rent a big TV screen mounted on a crane but I am guessing it's not cheap.
Walking further along Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square there was another smaller stage with a few speakers stacked on top of each other. This was the ‘left’s' patch and it looked like something you would find at a village fete.
5/n
Prior to the speeches the mood amongst the 'right' was relatively jovial. I struggle to describe it without resorting to using stereotypes, but something akin to the following might paint a picture:
- Football supporters before a big game
- Lads night out / stag night in a big city between 3pm and 7pm (had some beers, not drunk yet)
- Benidorm in the height of summer
As for the chants:
- Eng-ger-lund, Eng-ger-lund, Eng-ger-lund
- Oh Tommy Tommy, Tommy Tommy Tommy Tommy Robinson
- Kier is a wanker, Kier is a wanker, na na na na
- Stop the boats (although not chanted as much as I was expecting).
There was also echos of the ‘left's chants such as “Whose streets, our streets" although this was the exception not the norm.
The chants are non-committal. With the exception of stopping the boats, they don't commit to any particular demand.
6/n
There were a lot of “normal" people on the ‘right’. Yes there were groups of lads, groups of people looking a little too serious, groups of people wearing lots of baker-boy caps, and groups shouting about ‘Our Tommy’.
But there were also children, families, and “normal" people you might see on any protest. This shouldn’t be underestimated. There is a message here that is appealing to many who might not ordinarily come out and protest.
I think they are dissatisfied after over a decade of Tory austerity and an underwhelming Brexit. Dissatisfied that they still feel worse off under Labour. Dissatisfied that they can't get a GP appointment, or a place for their child in the school they want. Dissatisfied and with little hope for the future. Then along comes Reform with a message of hope, and all that needs to be done is to stop the boats.
7/n
Policing was a shit show. I feel for the officers on the ground because there simply were not enough of them to keep the left and right apart. The following is what I saw in the afternoon while walking around The Strand, Trafalgar Square (and that end of Whitehall), and Northumberland Avenue.
I was standing at the top of Whitehall. Small family/friend groups of flag clad people were making their way to the 'right' rally, having missed the start of their march earlier in the day.
The 'left’ was marching down The Strand towards Whitehall, with the vanguard of the protest arriving at their stage and started giving speeches.
A gap in the 'left' formed at the top of Whitehall and suddenly the ‘right' were there at the top of Northumberland Avenue and outside Charing Cross. Both sides shouting at each other. A razor thin police line formed to keep the two sides apart.
The ‘right' grew in number at the top of Northumberland Ave with police vans used as barricades. The remainder of the ‘left' filed into Whitehall, while people clad in flags shouted at them from either side (with the left shouting back I might add).
A group of Antifa stood around the statue of Charles I and were quickly cut off from the 'left’ in Whitehall.
By this point the crowds were as follows:
- ‘Right' at the top of Northumberland Ave, blocked by police.
- ‘Right' in Trafalgar Square
- ‘Left' in Whitehall
- Antifa around Charles I
- ' Right' down the bottom of Whitehall
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