Protest and Survive

It doesn’t really matter whether someone votes Conservative or Labour because what you get is the same old same no matter which of them wins on election day. They may have some policy differences, but what unites them is much stronger than what divides them.  The supposed left-right polarisation is not polarisation at all. Yes, yes, yes, of course we know,  there re some wonderful campaigners within the Labour Movement but they are marginalised and in the minority of the party. The political system is actually relatively united and working very effectively for the richest of the rich. There has never been a better time for the 1%. The stock market is soaring, profits are high, interest rates are near zero, and taxes are low. If government were turned over to the company directors of the City of London conglomerates there would be very little to change of current policies. The main countervailing force -- the unions have already been been restrained with more management power over workers pending. The richest of the rich pay for the political state  not for society as a whole but to serve their own interests. What policies benefit the plutocrats will prevail.  People may vote for  a politician running on a platform for change, but the politician once elected will then vote for the positions of  Big Business. Political decisions are oriented toward those possessing great wealth rather than to mainstream public opinion.

Many people actually know this, and the proof they know it can be seen in the number of people who either can’t be bothered to vote at all, or who vote for third parties – more as a protest vote than for any realistic expectation they might win.

A new study says the number of Britons living in absolute poverty is now 300,000 higher than previously thought. The study conducted by the New Policy Institute says there is direct connection between poverty and the cost of living in the UK. It says major increases in food and energy prices mean poorer households experience larger increases in their living costs than richer ones.  The report says stakes are high for the British people who are living in poverty especially given that the cost of energy over the past few years rose by 67 percent and the cost of food by 32 percent. Over the same period, the retail price index -- a key measure of the cost of a basket of goods and services -- jumped by 22 percent. 5.2 million British people, or 22 percent of the workforce, receive less than the prescribed living wage (7.65 pounds per hour, while in London, the rate is 8.80 pounds).

Is it surprising that the organisation, Anonymous, when it staged its masked V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes protest against austerity met with a sympathetic response from  thousands. On the eve of the march,
Anonymous in a message to “world bodies of power” said “To oppressive governments, we say this: we do not expect our campaign to be completed in a short time frame. However, you will not prevail against the angry masses,” a part of the message read. Anonymous members said British government officials have “made an enemy of Anonymous,” and “angered them considerably.”