Student protests - Democracy in action?

I think not...

Yesterday, thousands of 'students' descended on London to protest against the coalition Government's decision to allow universities to increase tuition fees. At least ten people have been arrested - including two arrests for assault on police, one on drunk and disorderly charges and six for violent disorder.

Twenty-two 'protesters' and nine officers are believed to have been injured. Six of the injured police required hospital treatment. In addition the Price of Wales' car was attacked, windows were smashed in Oxford Street and the Supreme Court building was vandalised.

And just to put the icing on the cake, in the true spirit of Christmas 'protestors' set fire to the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.

Note that I say 'students' and 'protestors' in inverted commas. They are not necessarily the same thing. I don't dispute that there is genuine bad feeling in the student community about the increase in fees, but at the end of the day these events have been largely orchestrated by left wing activists and anarchists. Anyone who doubts this, frankly, has rocks in their heads. Students exercising their right to lawful protest do not need to wear balaclavas...

Like the strikes of the Thatcher years, this is the first in the long line of 'events' orchestrated by the left to bring down a legally elected government. It's the way the left has always worked. It's the way it's working now. It's the start of another winter of discontent as this blog predicted some time ago.

I might perhaps have been less inclined to this view if the 'protestors' had been chanting "No to fees!" rather then "Tory scum!"

I support the right to peaceful protest and to freedom of speech. These are the cornerstones of democracy. I salute the members of the LibDem and Conservative parties who voted against these changes. They have followed their consciences and the wishes of their electorate. Some have resigned - quite rightly - from ministerial posts because of their beliefs. This is how democracy works and should continue to work.

What is not democratic is the rule of the mob. It should not be tolerated - now or ever.

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93 Men in a Boat (4) : The Champagne Socialist

As my regular reader will confirm, there's nothing I hate more in life than a bloody hypocrite - and the worst sort of hypocrite is the champagne socialist. You know. Bastards like Blair for example....

Anyway, I will not embarrass myself or you by telling you how much this latest trip cost us, but it does not take a genius to work out that 5 weeks in a boat cruising the South Pacific doesn't exactly come cheap! I don't think there were any poor people on board unless, of course, you count the crew and the expedition team.

While we were on a coach trip around Tahiti, we had an English guide who was married to one of the locals. At one point, she asked how things were going back home. One idiot immediately yelled out "We've got a bloody Tory government now that wants to put 490,000 of us out of work." My response was "That's about two million too few, chum."

Turns out that this paragon of the Socialist State works in local government, so might might ask how the fuck he can afford this trip in the first place on the back of the taxpayers' money?

But I digress...

One of our fellow passengers was injured in a fall on the bus. A sort while later, Mrs D was enquiring as to her well being, and commented that on a previous trip the boat seemed to have enough doctors on board to start up our own hospital. This was enough to prompt this twat to launch into a major rant about doctors' pay rates. "Well", she replied looking him straight in the eye. "There aren't any poor passengers on this trip either!"

This was like a red rag to a bull, and off he went again. "Some people can afford these things easier than others!"

Well, matey, this is what I suggest : The next time you are in agony and fearing for your life, after the operation just pay the surgeon half of what you were prepared to give him before he treated you.

But the piece de resistance in respect of this useless, two faced, hypocritical bastard is that his cabin was on the next deck up - so it cost even more than ours! What a prat!

READ MORE » 93 Men in a Boat (4) : The Champagne Socialist