Not Really News, But............

[NellieMay]

Do protesters and activists really represent the average man in the street who actually has a job to go to and a life to lead. And are we paying out to keep them on benefits so they can protest ...... ?

[NellieMay]

It was a somewhat flippant remark by me and I fully understand that some are on holiday, retired, etc. I am not that thick! However, there are very large proportion of those protestors that spend their life protesting and going from protest to protest whatever the protest.

[davebro]

"They took the day off?
They work night shifts?
They’re on zero hours contracts? "

OR - they are professional agitators AKA Rentamob.

[spathiphyllum]

No because the average man can't go and protest cus he's too busy tryna earn a buck to feed his family.

[zebo]

No they don't, they're the rent-a-mob who would turn up for anything they can shout about.

[retrocop]

//However, there are very large proportion of those protestors that spend their life protesting and going from protest to protest whatever the protest. //

Quite correct NellieMay. Most are identified by the banner they fly. 'The Socialist Workers Party'.
They were at Greenham Common.Grunwick, Grovenor Sq,The Crickelwood 'Crown' Marches.Poll Tax demos.Anti Capitalist.
You name it and the same old faces will be there.

[Old_Geezer]

I've no idea who is on benefits but:

Folk have a right to peacful protest, although they should avoid causing issues to other folk just trying to get on with their day.

But no one should use that right to ignore their responsibility to their nation, nor to democracy and try to disadvantage the former and rude roughshod over the latter simply because they want their own way, so there. Folk need good principles to live by, messing up those things that are important is not compatible with that.

[THECORBYLOON]

"However, there are very large proportion of those protestors that spend their life protesting and going from protest to protest whatever the protest."

How do you know that?

[ichkeria]

One of the anti Brexit people is this guy (Tora’s friend?) - he had his car attached by Tommy Robinson supporters outside parliament a while back. Presumably decent hard working neo-Nazis doing a spot of sight seeing in between their long shifts :-)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bray_(activist)

[Old_Geezer]

RIDE

[NellieMay]

Corbyloon. Read Retro's reply.

[retrocop]

Occupation= activist ??? Must be a well payed occupation if he attaches his car to Westminster Parliament. The parking fees are horrendous around there.
A self employed numismatist. PMSL What's that a coin collector?. More likely a dole collector

[Mamyalynne]

I am surprised given the average age of AB members that all protests are seen in such a negative way.

There have been so many on just about every subject you can think of throughout my life.

Nellie did not specify any one particular protest.

[ichkeria]

I imagine Steve Bray to be one of those Great British Eccentrics. Loud, obsessive, a little embarrassing probably even to his sympathisers and supporters, but part of life’s rich tapestry ...

[THECORBYLOON]

I Googled images for "Brexit Protesters" and I can't say I seen much evidence of the SWP on placards or banners.

[ichkeria]

Lots of UKIP flags ...
And all pretty peaceful if noisy.

[Ken4155]

NellieMay; Women were not allowed to vote until they became protesters and activists.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced to penal transportation to Australia until mass protests brought about their pardon and return to England.
Wonder if anyone questioned the financial situations of those protesters back in the day. Just saying.

[retrocop]

The Tolpuddle Martyrs were all farm workers protesting about low pay.

//Workers met either under the sycamore tree in the village or in the upper room of Thomas Standfield's cottage. Members swore of an oath of secrecy – and it was this act that led to the men's arrest and subsequent sentence of seven years' transportation.//

No one doubted their occupation

https://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/story

[ToraToraTora]

12:09 ich, who's funding this Berk?

[Peter Pedant]

// You pre-empted my question Nellie! Do the shouty idiots outside Westmister think they are achieving anything? //

Yup yes sirree they sure do - in 1760 Edmund Burke (*) said all it takes is for men to keep silent and hey presto the Germans will invent Death Camps

ok he really said - - The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Attributed to Edmund Burke(*), including by John F Kennedy (*)

so - yeah again

(*) who he den or when dat den? as needed

[Peter Pedant]

aaaaaah /12:09 ich, who's funding this Berk?/ I really really thought ( er fort) that TTT was having an attack of being-well-read

this Berk as a play on Edmund Burke see above

no such hope - back to normality - come on, keep up this is AB

Now - you history O levellers are almost right - 1799 Combination Act and this forbad trades unions, 1825 Combination of Workmen Act allowed vay limited trade union activity
and so ..... on advice of the Home Secty, the Tolpuddle men were indicted for unlawfully administering an oath - only certain people ( courts and so on) were allowed to administer an oath
( in pursuit in this case of trades union activity. since there was an oath involved, unlawful activity was suspected)

and off they went to Oz
BUT
there were questions in parliament almost immediately which today would elicit no more than 'so what?' that the Freemasons adminstered oaths and that one of the Kings brothers was head mason, and thus guilty of the same offence

and this led to their return - some years later - - - up to 1839

The magistrate lived at Moreton hall just outside Dorchester