No middle ground

Subject: No middle ground

Should we Protest or should we accept what a democratically elected parliament does on our behalf in terms of problems which parts of society feel need improvement.

Countries vary greatly in the way they handle decent, from stoning to death, to rolling out the tanks and firing live bullets on the protesters, the use of tear gas and water cannon to corral the crowd and split them into smaller groups where they can be chucked into the police van to spend time in jail. There has been a great deal of comment in the papers and on the media describing the almost polite way the police have gone about their business of removing people in London, people who simply offer themselves up in a display of inert pacifism to be carefully ushered into the van, a sort of charade, a garden party game, "after you dear chap". The scenes on the bridges which have been blocked by the protesters is one of light hearted chat between the smiling Bobby  and the well spoken, middle class bohemians who sit around glued to the nearest railing. There's even been a little jigging (dancing) between our constabulary as the spring air continues to bring the best out in us.

Of course there is the serious issue of global warming and governments across the worlds apparent inability to rein in the forces who are to blame for the contamination.

The apparent impasse as we recycle rubbish and walk to work to reduce our polluting footprint  whilst nations like China bring into use dozens of coal fired power stations each year.

The smog over Beijing is reminiscent of the air over London in the 40s and 50s. The air quality in Deli is a killer if you live and work there but asking such a chaotic country to consider not choking the air with old broken down cars or buses which would no doubt fail the MOT over here, especially  when their interpersonal relationships through the caste system elevates their contempt for 'the other'.

The claim that the West were first in on the contamination game and have clocked up over a hundred years of unsullied contamination when compared to countries in Asia, Africa and South America is true but the corollary, that they need a fair crack of the whip at the pollution game before being called in is plain stupid.

We live in a crazy disjointed world where differences, which should be applauded and acknowledged, also need common understanding in terms of human values. The vast differences in labour rights which lead globalised business to rush and exploit the low cost labour in what euphemistically is called, 'the third world'. Where entrepreneurial exploitation, billionaires are conceived alongside workers who earn the equivalent of a pound a day.

Protesters are the class response to class. The division in quasi capitalistic societies between the ones who succeed and the ones who fail and feel their voices are not heard. The protesters aim has to be directed at neo liberalistic capitalism, the capitalism which flourished under Reagan  and Thatcher, the Milton Friedman 'deregulated' capitalism which permits only winners and losers and no middle ground.