25 October 2011
Having successfully effected the Dale Farm evacuation. we are now faced with another protest this time, according to the placards challenging the status quo With the slogan Capitalism Is Crisis’. As Libby Purvis said in today’s Times “Enough of this Glastonbury of grievance”
Her main irritation “ is with the Occupy protesters themselves and their bombastic announcement that they may well stay beyond Christmas. That’s not Christian, kind or reasonable.” She considered the other protests going on in the US, Germany, Italy and Greece; some of which, as she says “are interesting in focus, particularly on the overweeng ing power of corporations and the kowtowing of governments to big-money. Most are less impressive “. She “especially liked the German lad who arrived without a tent or sleeping bag, because’ there are always spares’ and is relaxed about time because, though he lost his job while ago, is on full pay until the end of November.’ Who, and what system does he think is paying him to sit in someone else’s tent being righteous?” I particularly liked her conclusion that this protest. “Is, basically a, tented tantrum. A nylon –roofed, media-savvy, Twitterati, festival-inspired, Glasto-generation sulk” I am left with the impression that like most of the rest of us, as Queen Victoria said ‘ we are not amuse
The world’s finance ministers, meeting in Geneva (?) have been struggling with the problems over the Euro while the rest of the world waits. with bated breath. There is no doubt that we are still near the precipice of disaster in terms of the global economic situation and it would take very little to push the world over the edge. (I don’t want to appear to be a clever Dick but I did point this out on my blog months before the rest of the world made public their concern) The most urgent matter to resolve is how to deal with Greece if it defaults on its loans. It appears that they are getting to grips with this and more, by looking forward to what would happen if Italy and/or Spain, followed Greece[s default A trillion Euro fund is being set up
(I’m not sure how many noughts that is as the Americans seem to vary from the English over this terminology but nevertheless it is a pretty large fund) to cater for this eventuality but this will not be in place before Christmas. Let us hope that nothing drastic happens in the meantime.
Capitalism in Crisis might well be so, but I can’t help feeling that these protesters who are currently camped on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral are onto a loser this time, particularly the lady who says she will remain there until Capitalism is abolished. The problem was that when these protesters turned up initially, the Canon of the Cathedral – or somebody equally as Christian and well meaning – made the mistake of welcoming them, presumably on the assumption that it was a one-day job and that they would then disappear. Instead of that an entire forest of tents has been erected on and around the steps of the Cathedral to house agitators, although it appears that 80% or so of them return to the comfort of their homes overnight and come back the following morning.
As a result of these agitators, one of our greatest churches has been forced to close its doors against the thousands of tourists who come here every year to visit it. Surely the Cathedral authorities could formally complain now against this occupation and have these people removed before the United Nations Committee for Human Rights l ends then was its support, inexplicably as it did with the Dale Farm squatters.
With the world in woe I finish this rather boring entry with something in which we can all take comfort, that is our magnificent Queen. As I said before she’s on her 18th visit to Australia and click here to see a photograph of a brilliant ambassadorial 85-year-old. (How proud must be the mum of the grinning sailor behind the Queen, I’m sure that this photograph in pride of place in his home)
