Protesting to be made illegal

Just had an email containing a link to this article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1274831,00.html

apologies if it has already been posted elsewhere

 

Excellent and accurate article. Everyone should read it.

 

did reading that make anyone else have the urge to start a revolution?

 

And this is supposed to make the 'establishment' feel more secure?

Disenfranchisement eventually leed's to rebellion and revolution, always has and always will.:sunglasse

Bring it on you f*****s!

 

Yeah, time to go throw Marmite on them methinks!

 

Hell yeah. If we had the Tories in office, you'd have the same shit you have now under Labour, with a whole load more shit heaped on top for good measure. Although I think the term I'd use is 'least worst', to be pedantic about it.

 

I always have the urge to start a revolution.

 

Oh for fuck's sake, haven't we been over the voting issue enough times already? While I don't care if you want to bring it up for discussion again, it does piss me off when you judge those of us who choose to vote as 'not doing something constructive'. Have a bit of respect for other people's point of view. And it's a little bit facile to describe sitting on your arse and doing nothing as 'doing something constructive'.

You might be a sheep, but I vote for very well considered reasons. I've thought long and hard about whether voting is a worthwhile before participating. The act of voting is an informed, intelligent decision. You're quite welcome to disagree with the reasoning behind it and hold to an alternate point of view, but it'd be nice if you could manage to do so without being insulting.

 

i dont want to vote... because i see as we get a choice of people we can vote for if we want.. if someone there doesnt beleive what i do then they wont get my vote... if no one sounds right... none of them will. Im not going to put my name to someone who i dont trust to do somthing right.



I wish there could be a section of the world which was just for people who wanted to live in peace, woithourt rule or government. then the greedy lot can fight over the rest untill they see that its far more constructive to talk things out and live in harmony.

 

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” - JFK

 

Ummm... yes. You were calling me a sheep, remember?

That's a remarkably shallow and arrogant opinion. Just because the system isn't working, it doesn't make voting wrong. I imagine you claim some form of state benefits? Isn't that also participating in the system that allegedly isn't working?

In order for not voting to be a positive political act, you need to believe that it will actually change anything - which I don't. If you don't believe that, then voting becomes a better option than not voting. It's not as though voting precludes all other forms of action. In order to be a sheep, I'd need to be following the flock - acting without thinking - which clearly I'm not. By all means feel free to argue that voting is worse than the alternative of not voting, but don't be so fucking rude as to accuse the rest of us of being sheep just because we have a different opinion to your own.

 

It doesn't really make very much difference who's in power, although as Dok says the current set are, by a little way, the least worst in terms of economic and social policy. All that changes are slight shifts in funding priorities while the ship steams unstoppably ahead in always the same direction. When the Tories get back in power in 2009/10 at least we will see the true face of the "organ-grinder" again and have something to rail against. There's a danger when a nominally social-liberal party like New Labour are in power we are hoodwinked into thinking that all is right with the world. Would you rather have a political elite which unapologetically screws the country over or one that does so while pretending to be a party of the people?

That said, this government has been the cause of the biggest popular protest and rebellion this country has seen in centuries, although on an issue of international imperialism rather than the rot at home...

 

Pay attention. I never said your opinion was any less well informed, intellectual or intelligent than my own. I was pointint out that if my opinion is well informed, intellectual and intelligent, then I can hardly be a sheep, because I'm using my intelect and intuition to decide on what I believe to be the right course of action - not following the pack.

Yet again, you surpass yourself with your own arrogance. 'End of'. Yeah, nice argument you have there. I presume 'end of' precludes any further debate, and is shorthand for you stating that you're right and everyone else is wrong? Very well-informed and rational.

Try respecting opinions with which you don't agree. You might just end up learning something.

 

I sympathise with much of your argument, but this last statement is factually incorrect. I think you'll find the poll tax was the cause of the greatest popular protest this country has seen in living memory.

 

Cheap, shallow shite. I respect Fleassy's opinion, but that doesn't make it an act of 'courage and dignity' any more than the act of voting.

 

I was referring to the anti war march last year, something like a million? All reports at the time said that was the biggest single demonstration the country has ever seen. How big were the poll tax demonstrations?

 

Exactly. Not giving a fuck about other peoples' opinions is precisely what makes you arrogant.

I never said you weren't. That's the whole point. I disagree with your reasons for being opposed to voting, but I'm able to respect your point of view. What I don't respect is your insulting people who don't agree with you.

No, we're sheep if we believe in it.

Are you paying the slightest bit of attention to what I'm saying? I've never said that I believe that voting will change the world. I said right back at the start of this thread that Labour are the 'least worst' option.

 

Dunno about the demonstrations, but an estimated 20% of those eligible refused to pay. That's well over a million. Sadly though, it just shows that nothing motivates people more than money.

 

Rightio, I should've made clear that I was referring to a single event demonstration. How have we managed to cope without your startlingly vociferous pedantry keeping us all in check?! Welcome back Dok!

 

I think I have the courage and conviction to vote despite it being perceived as an unpopular option amongst my peer group.

Ummm... she just did justify herself.

It's cheap because it attempts to manipulate the argument by personalising the debate. By praising Fleassy, you deflect attention from the real argument. It's shallow because your praise is entirely subjective. The adjectives you used could be applied equally to voters or non-voters depending on your persuasion. It's shite because it's not rational - nothing Fleassy has said makes her anymore courageous or dignified than anyone else (nothing personal Fleassy mate!).

That's an opinion to which you're perfectly entitled. It doesn's insult me for having a contrary opinion, so I have no problem with it.

Which is arrogant. You insult someone, and then you don't give a fuck what they think about it.

That's a matter of opinion. I disagree with you, but I'm not accusing you of being a sheep for holding a different opinion to my own.