May Day Protests?

Author
Discussion

nmlowe

Original Poster:

1,666 posts

274 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
What are they protesting for?
They are anti-capitalists (i.e They don't agree with commerce making money, and people being able to work hard to create wealth for themselves and surrounding themselves in nice things).

Yet why do they live in this country?, Why do they not emmigrate to China, Russia or Iraq and see just how nice Communists are?

They seem to be partly protesting about the fact that australia locks up asylum seekers. BUT why are they protesting???
Asylum seekers are a burdon on any countries resources, they cause tension within society and are often involved in crime (take the Romanian pick-pocket problem in the UK for instance), and offer little or no benefits to the well-being of the state.
Other countries have fought for their pollitical rights in the past, UK included.

So what are these hippies protesting about?

(Get the fire brigade over there and cover them in soapy water)

adamb

418 posts

291 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
I always thought they should put permanent Dye in the water cannon tanks and then turn that on the rioters. How easy would it be to nick anyone over the next 7 days who was completely purple (head to foot, hair skin etc). Would also make it quite difficult to convince Mummy and Daddy that you weren't there.

steve harrison

461 posts

274 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
I'd like to think that they're just a bunch of angry, pi**ed off people who want to vent their rage and find this the only way to do it (didn't you ever feel SOOO angry with the world)

In fact, it's more likely that most of them are a bunch of brainless f**kwits who like the sound of breaking glass and can use this as an excuse to go on the rampage with minimal chance of getting caught and maybe loot themselves a decent DVD player or camcorder while they're at it.

I'm with nmlowe - hose the f**kers.

JohnLow

1,763 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
I just don't connect to this anti-capitalist stuff. What do they think is the alternative?

Most things, I try to understand the other person's point of view. But these are generally people in well off countries, with the benefits of capitalism - do they want to have communist standards of living? Do they think they'd be doing the world a favour by making everyone poor?

Life expectancy, infant mortality, general standard of living - all suck wherever a system other than capitalism is in place.

I'm not advocating unbridled capitalism, everyone out to screw everyone else. A little regulation is called for - and generally it's there.

But if they want to try to help disadvantaged people, seems to me the best thing would be to push for capitalism to be more effectively implemented everywhere that it currently isn't. So instead of making rich people poor, you're making poor people rich(er).

The effects can be quick - look at SE Asia over the last 10 years or so, even with the recent problems.

Also consider: in a totalitarian society they wouldn't have the right to demonstrate at all. Humans ... gee.

J.

JohnLow

1,763 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
quote:

... a bunch of brainless f**kwits ...




You're right, I'm giving them credit for having brains.

Dye: good idea.

zippy500

1,883 posts

276 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Nuke the bastards from orbit, its the only way to be sure.

:Tank:

Roadrunner

2,690 posts

274 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
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Good call Ripley!

DavidP

371 posts

279 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
My window is open and I can hear the sweet music of the plod choppers. Can't wait for the water cannon to start

littlemisshavoc

38 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
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After 2 years ago, any suggestion of damage to property or person should be answered by water cannon, tear gas, and plastic bullets. (shame not real ones). These people are scum and should be treated as such.

M@H

11,298 posts

279 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
They only protest because they are all failiures themselves in a Capitalist society... 'couldn't make money myself so I'll whine about it to other people'

Sod the hoses, why not use some alternative politic and let the pro-hunting bunch chase them on horseback across open moorland with a pack of hounds in toe... that would teach them not to complain.

Cheers
Matt.

plotloss

67,280 posts

277 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
I hate the fact that they have hijacked May Day.

Its a day of spring, of sillyness. Morris dancers, dancing round the maypole, too much scrumpy its a day to celebrate that spring has sprung not that some do-on-string type can go and turn over cars on the Duke Of Westminsters land.

We shouldnt be sending police, its just not effective, they should send representatives from Job Club and the Dole Fraud squad, that would put it right up 'em, and they dont like that (do they Mr Mainwaring).

Matt.

Jonc

151 posts

271 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Those who protest for the asylum seekers should reconsider as often the asylum seekers receive more state benefit than those really need it, be it themselves, the elderly, those who are willing to contribute positively to the economy for example. I do not see them give up their benefits for them.

How may of those anti capitalist protester will be taking up the offer of free veggie burgers from McDonalds? How many used private and public oil buring polluting transport to get in to London for the protest?

I for one choose to make a living to provide me with as comfortable living as possible and in turn contribute to the state welfare that some if not most claim off. They however, seem to choose live off the state benefit system and make life for those who provide those benefits for them as difficult as possible.

It is the mere fact as a by product of this country's commerce and industry it affords them to live in the comfort of a safe and secure country (relatively!), giving them the feedom of speech and the right to protest. What is the alternative and what would they do to achive that alternavtive that would be mutually beneficial to the rest of the population that would not be in the slightest capitalistic?

castex

4,979 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
I feel that such protesting is a valid attempt to bring the world's attention to some of the injustices that are carried out in the name of profit.

sweatshops
shell in nigeria, etc, etc
deforestation
wanton pollution and degradation of the environment
...

This is about some of the most powerful institutions in the world acting as if they own the place, with governments bending over backwards to accomodate their whims.

If many of the protesters don't know why they're there, and if some of the means of protest employed are less than convincing (storming McDo to hand out the very burgers that ate the rainforest, wanton vandalism, violence) then that in no way invalidates the point that is supposed to be being made.

Somebody should be monitoring and dealing with some of capitalism's worst excesses. Power corrupts, and it's not capitalism that's to blame, just those in power getting overexcited.

littlemisshavoc

38 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
See those goodfornothing layabouts ? - every single one of them who eats food bought from a shop, travels in a motorised vehicle, avails themselves of modern healthcare, lives in a house, uses the water supply, or has a mobile phone, are protesting about the very society that has enabled them to do these things. Capitalism and private venture is responsible for every single advance and comfort we have in our world, as much as they may dislike the fact. Only through wealth creation by capitalists can we even afford as a nation to have a welfare state, to support this lot in their delusional world view. Remember what they did to Churchill and the Cenotaph 2 years ago. These people deserve the contempt and hatred of all of us.

nmlowe

Original Poster:

1,666 posts

274 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Yup, I'll bet they're all unemployed.
Maybe they are all on strike from work... Except nobody noticed..
Send in the drug squad too, I bet most of them use some sort of 'erbal remedy'.

They are not going to get their ideas considered whilst protesting. Its a one sided arguement, not a debate.

Saw this thing on the news where the police had to escort a bloke in a BMW away because they feared that any symbol of wealth might trigger violence.

DIGGA

41,289 posts

290 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Lets just suppose the UK was as near to perfect anarchy as possible. Do they really think we'd all be better off?

Take any area in the world, where there is little social structure, and you can see the very worst of humanity in existence. Drug barons and tin-pot dictators, armed to the teeth, bribing and paying their way, roughshod over peasants whose quality of life is barely better than stone-age man.

The world was never a fair place - nobody said it was - and as far as I can see, spending your life scabbing off the dole, attending rock festivals, and harvesting magic mushrooms, so you're always certain of being free to annoy the working majority on May day, does bollox all to help.

rthierry

684 posts

288 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
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Followed a ling from the Guardian website this morning to find out more about those sandals wearers who think they are contributing something... Ended on this site http://ourmayday.org.uk/ and followed the link to Intro to Capitalism.... I just couldn't believe it. The section "What we want" seems like an extract from Harry Potter. What sort of world do these ers live into? After all these wars, all these deads, some people still don't understand. Dangerous lot me think !

DanLingard

6,436 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
quote:

From their website:

We want a society without money or profit, where people use resources according to their needs and give according to their abilities.


... which is fine, but why bother being a brain surgeon when McDonalds or a dustman are much easier jobs?

The "each according to their need" line is a nice idea (as with much of the communism), but fails totally in the real world. The welfare state is a much better take on it (where the poorest get help, but everyone else works and benefits form their jobs). The only people who really like the idea are those with nothing to loose in the first place (IMHO).

Dan

mr_tony

6,339 posts

276 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Agreed Dan... Communism only seems to work reliably in very small commuities. On a large scale the 'why should i bother' ethic seems to win out. I'm no great fan of some of the things capitalism does, but at least it works, kind of...

CarZee

13,382 posts

274 months

Wednesday 1st May 2002
quotequote all
Well I've had a look at their website and I think they're right. So, let's give them what they want - create a walled pricipality somewhere.. (we could call it something like.. oh I dunno.. how about 'Gaza'? ) and let them get on with it..