This entry was posted on
Monday, December 10th, 2007 at
5:42 pm and is filed
under The War on Stupid.
I had a *very* interesting day last Tuesday.
I was standing outside Parliament umming and ahhing about doing another carol service this year, as the point (about what may or may not be considered a demonstration… and who decides that) had already been made. Twice.
Then an idea occured as I waited in line to be fondled frisked.
It was a tricky one; religious sensitivities were involved.
A few minutes later, I was sat in The Central Lobby. Waiting. Pondering.
I struck up a conversation with a nice lady who was waiting next to me.
When I found out she was a *priest*… well, that was pretty much it for me.
Call me a nutter if you like, but God wants me to do this and do it right:
It will be the same as previous events in every significant detail, bar the obvious.
And this year I’ve applied for permission.
If permission is granted, the law is an ass. If it is decided that permission is not required, the law is an ass. They can’t win.
Cheers, God. I owe you one.
By Sim-O December 10, 2007 - 8:26 pm
Oh, for fack sake! It's on a thursday!
By D-Notice December 10, 2007 - 8:33 pm
Bah! Got my work's Xmas do on the same day and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out of it…
By Manic December 10, 2007 - 9:05 pm
Oh dear. An unexpected clash with a Christmas party *and* late-night shopping. You'd almost think that God was doing this on purpose.;o)(OK, so maybe He just doesn't like nicknames with dashes.)
By Rachel North London December 11, 2007 - 10:38 am
Oh, but I love Christmas. I am not anti-Christmas at all. I am anti-SOCPA and pro-peace on earth and goodwill to all people. I want to sing proper carols. I don't want to protest Christmas. I want to protest anti-freedom bastard warmongers.Tsk.
By Manic December 11, 2007 - 10:55 am
Hi Rachel.Surely you can at least see the value of the police saying one version is a demonstration and the other isn't… even if you don't approve of the mission to call time on the beast known as Christmas.More via email.
By Paul Linford December 11, 2007 - 11:52 am
Too clever by half Tim. I'm with Rachel on this one.
By Manic December 11, 2007 - 12:00 pm
That's a shame.Well, if you want to protest against it by singing pro-Christmas carols, you know what to do.
By Sim-O December 11, 2007 - 1:33 pm
But surely it could be spun as a protest at the capitalism involved in Christmas which has swallowed up the Christmas message from 'Peace' to 'Spend!!' hmm?
By Manic December 11, 2007 - 2:11 pm
The constant call to consume is certainly an aspect of Christmas that we're demonstrating against.
By Rachel North London December 11, 2007 - 3:15 pm
Are we now allowed to demonstrate on Parliament Sq? I seem to remember Brown saying he was going to sort it out, but as far as I know he hasn't.We didn't have permission for the last two, when we seditiously sang carols but bizarrely we do have permission to protest Christmas, is that right?I am not sure that the intricacy and cleverness of this point will filter through to the masses, I mean, I'm struggling slightly.From a making-a-point point of view, I think us sweetly singing illegal carols makes the point better than us singing grumpy bastard anti Christmas songs, but I may be wrong.
By Manic December 11, 2007 - 3:52 pm
Nothing's been done to change the law yet. A 'consultation' process has begun, but there's some scepticism about how much consulting is actually going on with the public and what the exercise is really meant to achieve:http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386033.htm…We will only have permission to demonstrate against Christmas because I'm applying for it under terms outlined by SOCPA. But during the approval process, the police will have to decide if this does or does not count as a demonstration. That's when/where it gets interesting. I can easily simplify that decision (and what it means) for the masses once the police make the decision.But regardless of that decision, I am fulfilling the prophecy of many a tabloid and declaring war on Christmas. I can live with any details or subtle aspects of this that get missed along the way. It won't be the first time someone has grabbed the wrong end of the stick and started hitting me with it.:o)