The G20 fiddled as London burned with passion. People from all over descended on the city. Once more unto the breach Shakespeare said and so they came. CNN, that bastion of unbiased and insightful news, giggled at the foolish simpletons who clashed with police commenting that the protests would have no effect except perhaps on Gordon Brown, the host. His public image moving forward in his career might be tarnished. Oh how sad. Well let the CNN info-tainers chuckle away. The result is just to put these passionate people in some pretty fine company. Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King. All of these icons of past days were laughed at, their ideas considered absurd. Gandhi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win!” So I guess those of us who believe there is something to shout to or at our leaders have reached the second stage. We are making progress 
. And from recent events stage three seems to be warming up in the bull pen.
Inside the imps of imperialism plotted their next move. With illusion worthy of the great Harry Houdini they declared they had pulled a diamond out of the dung. With a trillion dollars to developing economies and a vague promise of greater regulation they announced that they would avert a depression. Translation: they can keep the system they so love, which benefits they and their friends greatly. By so doing they also avert what might be the greatest political upheavals since the Great Depression and the revolutions of 1848. At least they hope they will. The trillion dollars is to be dispensed through the IMF and the other usual suspects. It will come with a heavy dose of liberal laissez-faire political doctrine as is the wont of these agencies of the imperial powers. These institutions all operate on weighted voting so that the major economic powers can control the show. Bye-Bye any concept of justice. States will be told to reduce spending in areas such as education, health care and social services. These things are all under attack in our own societies so it is necessary to keep THOSE people even worse off.
Outside people cried for real change. Shouted to have their voices heard. The were corraled into small areas by police, a procedure called kettling. They were not allowed to leave the area. Parents who had to pick up their children at school were refused. And by extension, frightened children waited, many probably terrified when parents who were always on time were hours late. But the British courts had approved the practice. There were no washrooms. People were forced to find privacy where they could. Ostensibly this was done to prevent property damage. After all property is far more important in our society than people. But even this formal response to the media, when questioned, was a lie. Each individual in each area had to submit to be photographed and give particulars before they could leave at end of day. This violates British law but as we know in Canada the “Law” is above the law.
So why go through this indignity. Millions of others sat at home and did nothing, content that their leaders would look after them. It is simple. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young put it in a song called Ohio, “How can you run when you know?” The people in the streets of London knew and they could find their way there, their voices trumpeting the collapse of the walls of the Bank of England. Others know and they write their politicians. Others write letters to editors or blogs or let their friends know. None of us can change the world by ourselves. But if we all do our part. Whatever it is. The world will change and it must.
Photos retrieved from Guardian UK online (see link in sidebar under News).
