"You say CUT BACK, we say FIGHT BACK!"  "No ifs, not buts, no education cuts!!" "Education for the masses, not just for the ruling classes!" "Fuck fees, education should be free!!"

 

Wednesday, November 10 was the student march and protest against the proposed cuts to education. The Tory/Lib Dem coalition government has proposed cutting education funding by 40%, significantly raising tuition fees for UK students. This is after deputy prime minister Nick Clegg ran on a platform to eliminate university tuition fees all together.

 

 

An estimated 52,000 people showed up in London to protest! This was by far the biggest demonstration I have ever been part of, and I have to ask, would the same kind or resistance ever happen in the U.S.? Do we still believe in the power of our right to assemble? I'm not sure. The feeling of marching through the usually traffic-packed streets with a crowd so big even the double decker red buses and giant delivery trucks stop and wait (and sometimes even honk and cheer in solidarity) was obviously empowering. The chants, marching bands and banners created such an atmosphere of energy and conviction ; it felt like we were part of something real and powerful, and that we could actually mobilize to create a voice to be reckoned with. But then, let's get back to reality: demonstrations rarely have even the slightest bit of influence unless they're accompanied by money or weapons.

This protest did make international headlines, but the violence that occurred at the Conservative HQs was the main focus of all the articles I read. Surely a demonstration of 52,000 people is news worthy on its own; much more news worthy than the 200 or so students who decided to smash some windows. I'm disappointed that such a small fraction of the demonstrators were given so much media attention, as they clearly don't represent that general sentiment of the crowd. I was at 30 Millbank, the Conservative Party's headquarters, when students started gathering outside. At first there was some torch burning and angry chants directed at the Tory Scum, but then the angry chants turned into angry punching of the windows and I decided that violence was not the message I wanted to send and so I left. But part of me wonders if the protests would have gotten much less media coverage if they had been completely peaceful. Maybe some injuries, some thrown eggs, some windows smashed, some arrests are what it takes to get attention. That's a depressing thought.


All of the political experiences I've had in England so far have made me much more hopeful. I think I left the U.S. with a general disenchantment with government. I viewed it as a block to progress rather than a means through which to accomplish progress. This could just be because Northfield isn't the most politically inspiring place. But it could also be due to the fact that, in the midst of economic collapse, it's the tea party that emerges rather than the socialist party. The fact that the only people in the U.S. who are motivated enough to insight revolution seem to be middle aged conservatives who have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Everyone else is just too comfortable to bother. Where are the huge student movements? What happened to the inspired masses who campaigned for Obama a year ago? The November election results were embarrassing to read from London. The number of times I've had to shake my head and agree with my English friends that Americans 'just don't know what they're voting for' is ridiculous. After all, if they did, how could we possibly be voting for less government regulation after the mortgage crisis? How could Sarah Palin possibly have a career in politics? Et cetera, et cetera. But on Wednesday, students from all the major universities in the England were at the protest, some even came from Scotland. That's what democracy looks like.