The Conservative Conference

Eloethan, are yourself or your husband ever disrespectful on marches?

I think I have a problem with marches in general. All of them.I just dont like them. I just dont think in general, that that is a way to behave. Maybe that is just me.

I can just about manage the Ghandi, non violent marches. But some of them got out of hand too didnt they.

But you're young, aren't you. soon. Too young to have gone on marches, CND, Miners strikes, etc.

This is another interesting article about the new Junior doctors' contract written by Dan Poulter, a Conservative MP and, as he says "A former junior doctor myself, this time last year I was the health minister overseeing the coalition government’s negotiations over the new contracts."

This paragraph stood out for me:

However, the junior doctor contract that has emerged over the summer – the contract that the Department of Health now wants to impose – is very different from the one being discussed this time last year. Then there was no talk of 90-hour weeks, no talk of large numbers of junior doctors having their pay cut. There was instead a recognition by the Department of Health that now appears to have been lost: that better pay and work-life balance incentives were needed to ensure doctors were attracted to A&E and other gruelling specialities. Now we are seeing junior doctors, for the first time ever, balloting for strike action over their contract of employment.

Remember, this guy is a conservative and has been a conservative minister. He comments on the "political consensus at the general election that the NHS would require an additional £30bn by 2020" but does the maths between this figure and the £8bn promised which leaves £22bn to be found by "efficiency savings".

He points out that most of the low hanging fruit has been picked where savings are concerned. What I find difficult to understand is the logic of a government that says something along the lines of "well we made good savings in the first five years so QED we can now make more".

I would also question how making conditions and hours worse in a service that is already short of doctors and from which they are leaving in their droves would improve it. Alice in Wonderland politics!

Hunt also told the delegates at the conference to ignore what Poulter said as he had an axe to grind. So Poulter must be right, then.

How would you suggest people behave then soon if they feel that something is very unjust?

Did you think that the suffragettes' acts of civil disobedience, the anti-apartheid marches or the huge march against the Iraq war were a bad thing? How else are people to express their opinions and raise awareness of various issues?

Soon, I've been on many marches, the ones that continue to have an emotional resonance for me are the marches in support of the miners/unemployment and the 'not in my name' March against tony blairs plan to invade Iraq. I don't know what you mean by 'disrespectful' behaviour but I can confirm neither i, nor my husband/friends ever behaved abhressively or illegally. My experience has been of good humour between police present and marchers. The only time this was potentially an issue was when the March was blocked near the Liverpool dock, no warning, we were just all hemmed in. Despite this and some anger, it all passed off peacefully.

What do you mean, it's not a good way to behave?

I am too young for CND, miners strike etc.

To me, marches involve large groups of people who are at best disgruntled.

As in, if on a forum, many people pile in on someone occasionally, I think it is sort of aggressive, pack mentality to march?

The TV tends to show the non peaceful parts, so that has probably shaped my view, perhaps or probably not in the way it is sometimes?
Perhaps they dont really show all the peaceful march stuff? Because that would be boring tv.

Jeremy Hunt has also told us that the welfare cuts will make us work harder, like the Chinese. Nothing like a bit of stereotyping.

twitter.com/BenChu_/status/651068997102870528/photo/1

Ben Chu does not agree with him. Not sure if this link will work as it's from twitter. However you can find it if you are on twitter - but only if you want to.

It does!

Actually, soon, I've realised that you are older than my sons, and they were active during the miners strike, and followed the rockets around when they were being moved around Hampshire. So it's not that you were young, more that you could not be bothered.

In 1984, at 23, politics was not what I was interested in!
And what little I did know[Arthur Scargill] would not have enticed me to join!

I think I have a problem with marches in general. All of them.I just dont like them. I just dont think in general, that that is a way to behave. Maybe that is just me

From the Jarrow marchers, through Suffragettes and Votes for Women, CND and Aldermaston, even the Countryside Alliance (!) this country has an honourable historical tradition of marching on matters of principle, so soontobe, please don't go rubbishing people with sincere beliefs who are prepared to stand up for their principles. Actually I could go even further back to the Peasants' Revolt and the Lollards, these people were prepared to die for their beliefs. I find it really prissy to say "I just don't think in general that that is a way to behave"

What would you suggest instead?

You were not interested in politics but you had probably already voted in two general elections. Suffragettes had got you that vote.

Talking Alea.
Sorry, I just dont like marches. All of them. I dont have to like them.

If talking doesnt work, then no you dont get the vote, or whatever.
My opinion may be wrong, but there you are.

soon, not all the Ghandi peace protests were peaceful, do read up on the 1919 Amristsar massacre. A group of nonviolent protesters and Baishakhi Pilgrims were fired on by the British army under orders of a Col Dyer, over 1,000 people were murdered. It was a blood bath

Sorry, soon, but you do not believe that Jeremy Corbyn talking is right. You need to make up your mind. You cannot deny that you have got the right to vote because of women taking direct action. Or maybe you do not know your history sufficiently well.

soon, do you think the same of the protests against S A apartheid ? You would be content if it had remained ?

When you say "talking" soontobe who should have done the talking at the time of the Jarrow hunger marches? Who should have "talked" to represent the thousands against the Bomb? Who should have "talked " in the US about Civil Rights or the Vietnam war?
The freedom to protest in public, and given the numbers, peacefully, is something very precious. Without that, we would not enjoy the political and civil liberties we have today.
It is clear that you are not a political person, but stop and think about how we have got equality, votes for women, trades unions, and all the things which have formed our society, then look at some of the totalitarian regimes and see what happens there.

I will have a think overnight!

soon, this is a wind up, has to be , do you think Mandela spent all those years in jail because he was disgruntled ? Have you no idea how many years we supporters of the anti apartheid movement did protest ? And the calves that use to be packed in stock lorries then into ferries , do you think they should have waited to be given a vote ? And I assure you the threat of losing your job and you home makes you rather more than disgruntled

You lot may be right on this[no idea what the JC comment is about dj]. I was definitely not brought up to march! It remains totally outside of what I would feel comfortable doing. For anything whatsoever. That would include anything christian too.
They never seem peaceful, and very antagonistic. And dare I say it bullyish.
I would rather not have whatever they may bring about.
But I may think differently tomorrow! After you lot have persuaded me

I probably put more store in talking than I should.

I think you forgot that there has to be listening as well as talking and if others will not listen you have to find a way of getting their attention soon.

I should have said will not or cannot of course because sometimes you are attracting the attention of the rest of the citizens not of the government.

That's okay,soon, you go back to the nineteenth century if you'd rather not have anything that marches have brought you.
Go back to slave wages and no vote.