Because I Had to Attend Some Protests

There were two moments this semester where I wanted to be back in the United States. The first was when Gabrielle Giffords was shot, and I suddenly longed for fast-paced American television coverage again. The second was when protesters surrounded the Wisconsin Capitol building for weeks to argue against Governor Scott Walker's Budget Bill which ended collective bargaining rights.

So partly just for missing out on those protests, I had to attend the protests going on here in London at the end of March. Depending on which estimates you followed, turnout throughout the day ranged from 500,000 to 800,000 people. Either way, they were the biggest protests in London since the one in 2003 against the Iraq War which drew about 500,000 people.

Similar to the movements back in Wisconsin, the protests were predominantly organized by a union: the Trades Union Congress. However, the protest drew crowds of people protesting any and all of the Government's multitude of cuts to public services, particularly the NHS, education and disability allowances.

The protests also became the biggest example to me of just how more biased the media in Britain is than in the States. Tweets throughout the day either called the protesters "violent anarchists" or simply focused on the high turnout and Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband's speech in Hyde Park.

The Guardian wrote, "Vast majority were ordinary people wanting to make voice heard, but small group of rioters seemed bent on trouble."

Covering the same protests, The Telegraph used the headline "the militants behind the violence" and wrote, "a ragtag army of anarchists, squatters, student militants, environmental activists and radical academics planned the spin-off protests that led to violence during Saturday's march against cuts."

Twitter was fun that Saturday.

Given, there was some violence. A group of protesters broke into a building and pretty much held it hostage for a few hours. Others broke the window of a Topshop and splattered paint on some police officers. This is ridiculously unfortunate, mostly because police officers are also facing job losses and changes to their retirement benefits. Other than that, they blocked traffic. Which is what happens when about 500,000 people protest...




I learned afterward that there was also some damage to the Ritz hotel. I didn't go past this side of the building unfortunately though.

Looks fine, doesn't it?




Police officers keeping a watch over the crowd.

The march ended in Hyde Park,
and a bunch of people crowded
this statue of Achilles.

And now for some of the best signs:

I think this is proof that Britons and Europeans have different views towards socialism than Americans.

I think it's also noteworthy to say that protests attract a variety of more "extreme" views. Did I see a sign supporting communism? Yes. Do I think the majority of protesters were arguing for communism? No.



In case this one is difficult to read, it says: "No American style Health Care here."

...Oops. Sorry GB.





Here's a short video I was able to grab of the protests. Sorry for any poor quality... I tried.


Below: That's a picture of Samantha Cameron. Humour prevails.

Busy Days and Fun Times

I haven't updated this blog in awhile, and that's ridiculous and I'm sorry. I promised to keep everyone updated, but this lack of posting recently is mostly due to how routine some of my days are becoming and how much work has been piling on my desk. The spring semester is always busier than the fall, and this is definitely no exception.

So what has been keeping me busy? Answer: The sudden school work. I'm halfway done with my semester abroad (eek!), which means midterm season galore. I wrote one paper on working and living conditions during the Industrial Revolution, and have a midterm and a paper due in my Political Change in 20th and 21st Century Britain class.

And remember when I said that classes in the UK make students be more self-sufficient? This is definitely true. From the British students and graduates I've talked to, they spend much less time in formal class and much more time in the library doing their own reading and researching on the subject. So basically, the last few weeks have been spent sorting through the piles of books on my desk, taking notes and writing furiously to stay on schedule.

No worries though. I, of course, have found ways to keep life in London exciting, as if every day here isn't already filled with some kind of excitement.

This week was half-term recess in Parliament, meaning no bills or session was to be had. Some MPs worked in their constituencies for the week, while some went on vacation. For me, this basically meant that I went on one more tour of Parliament with my Political Change class and then gave a quasi-tour to one of my friends.

On the forever-loved Saturday afternoon, we traveled to Camden Town Market in North London. A lot of it was like the other Markets we've been to, but it was a little more punk-ish in a way. Probably because it was in North London. And rain aside, it was a pretty fun time.

Lesson learned: When in doubt about a market, buy some food. You can't go wrong.

I also spent Saturday night watching "The King's Speech." After hearing countless glowing reviews of the movie and saying "I'll just wait until I'm home to see it," I just decided to fork over the 7 pounds and go to the theater.

It was so worth it. The movie itself is pretty amazing, and I would definitely recommend it. I don't know if I have ever cheered as much for a character to succeed as a did for Albert throughout that movie. Despite being a movie centered around therapy sessions, the plot development and the writing kept the story moving and I was never bored. And I was on the edge of my seat throughout the King's speech announcing the beginning of World War Two.

Besides that, it was also worth it just to see some of the reactions of the British moviegoers. They sometimes laughed at parts that I wouldn't have, which just shows how much I don't really understand about different British dialects. It was also slightly odd to see the old footage of Hitler knowing that it actually played in London theaters. The shots of planes over London, bomb sirens blaring, and Buckingham Palace probably also struck me more in a London theater than they would have in a stateside theater.

Either way though, the movie is definitely worth seeing. I would recommend it to everyone.

And now it's back to Midterm studying. Sorry again for the lack of pictures. Don't worry though, because I will definitely invest in batteries for my camera before going to Edinburgh, Scotland this weekend! Expect a ton of photos of beautiful architecture and landscapes next weekend, though hopefully I'll have a chance to update before then.

Cheers!

Wednesday, January 19th, 2010

I'm naming this post "Wednesday" because it's the post that I meant to make yesterday.

Did it fool you?

So "today" I sat in the visitor's area on a debate about the Education Maintenance Allowance program. (Programme?) They basically give students up to 30 pounds per week which they can use for educational expenses like books, food or transportation.

Except not anymore, because the Government decided to scrap the plan in an effort to reduce the deficit.

The EMA-cutting, plus the increase in tuition fees lead to these lovely things called student protests. I happened to catch one as I left work yesterday.

Nothing like getting out of work to a student protest.

Sorry it's a little blurry. But all those people in yellow jackets in the front are police officers. And the protesters weren't actually right in front of Parliament, they were closer to Westminster Abbey.

They weren't violent at all either, so don't start worrying about my safety. There were more police officers than usual outside Portcullis House, but no one was even there.

Also, there's nothing like this view when you get out of work.