The Price Of Freedom. But Is There A Limit?

The whole of the quotation in the title is "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance" and the many demonstrations that have been mounted recently have been by groups claiming their right to exercise "eternal vigilance" about events and attitudes that they see as threats to freedoms of one kind or another. Not allowing the marches would be against the policy of allowing peaceful demonstrations and free speech.

There may be a case, though, for keeping main thoroughfares open to prevent the marches from completely paralysing the lives of the rest of the community - that does tend to lose them public sympathy anyway.

On the other hand - would that inspire the demonstrators to break the rules and take the banned routes, hoping to prove the validity of their protest by the amount of disruption they can cause?

I loathe some of the behaviour on the protests. However I support the right to protest and that has to extend to those I may not agree with. My concerns about the Met police are wide ranging.

I would just console yourself, Anniel, with the fact that all the extra money spent on policing protests is being spent into the economy, contributing to business profits and getting back to the government by way of taxation.

Oh dear Anniel you wont get closer to a dictatorship than how the Tories are "governing" now scrapping laws .using public funds for themselves and their mates,filling the HofL with tory "lords" .Open your eyes .....I believe theres yet ANOTHER change of PM imminent...is this what you see as a democracy?

I think the Counties outside London use their own funds and Sadiq Khan also has ample resources for London. The quandary is about how much money can be spent in such a downturn in the economy. We do believe in freedom to protest but how can we fund these marches every week? If we oppose them we will be seen as “far right” by those who I regard as being left of the Labour Party and being a dictatorship. So what do others think and where should the required funds come from?

Or they may all run the same way. I’m not actually sure but you could argue that forces that have to deal with more matches or other issues also need more money from central government

I thought the met had its own budget outside of other forces which are run by central government and local authorities money?