On Saturday, as with the previous week, many people marched through the streets of London again in an attempt to get David Cameron to resign. Once again, I intended to join them and didn't; I had an emergency at work (I run my own theatre company) which needed my immediate attention and unfortunately that had to take priority. So far, Cameron has obviously not resigned, but the pressure is on, and will continue to be on.
The thing that really concerns me is how little I have seen this demonstration reported in the media. Whilst last week received pretty lukewarm coverage within the mainstream media, the social media aspect was shared around quite a bit (including one rather iconic image of a pig piñata intended to represent our lovely PM). This week, however, I have seen virtually nothing, and this includes from my activism colleagues. The reasons for so little coverage on social media I cannot quite put my finger on - I'm still quite in the dark as to exactly how many people attended the protest compared to the previous week, though if anyone knows please do inform me and my readers.
As for the response from the mainstream media, that was sadly predictable. There was the odd report, but it was never front-page headlines, first item (or even third or fourth) on Radio 4. This is, quite clearly, the oldest trick in the book; when the media reports on something, it becomes a Thing with a capital T. This is fine when you're trying to frame someone like Cliff Richard, but when political activists are claiming the streets back, the state-controlled media wants it to be as low-key as possible. If it was out there, more people would become aware, more people would be inspired to keep it going - and when it's not reported on, it fizzles out.
This is why at this moment, it is as important as ever to keep this pressure on. Not only does the pressure force a reaction from the grand dignitaries, but it proves to the media that the people are passionate enough and committed enough to keep this going regardless of how much we are hindered. And it is working. Iain Duncan Smith is already out - admittedly more as a political move concerning the EU referendum than for the noble reasons he claims, but regardless it is a sign of things changing, of political structures giving way in the face of public pressure. We have continued strikes from junior doctors as a response to the frankly absurd contracts foisted upon them by Jeremy Hunt. The Government has been forced into U-turns on certain legislation, an example being the so-called 'granny flat' tax. The pressure is on, and it is working - not swiftly or securely (yet), but people are reacting to it.
I'm not sure what's happening this Saturday. I think there really needs to be another demonstration. According to social media, people are unsure because this Saturday is the London Marathon, but in my opinion this is precisely why the protest should happen. Much as I have the utmost respect for marathon-runners and would not like any sort of clash to happen between them and the protesters, I think here we have an opportunity to make a point about how important this cause is. When a valued event such as the London Marathon is disrupted because of people's anger about the general state of things, it sends a message stronger than any other that brutal and unfair regimes will not be tolerated. If the demonstration causes issues to something we all love, than that's just tough shit, because the wellbeing of each and every citizen of this country is a priority that outranks sporting events and other traditions, regardless of how many people appreciate them. No doubt the London Marathon will figure heavily in Sunday's newspapers; if its progress is hindered or halted by the demonstrations, this will also force the media to report on the demonstrations. (Admittedly, it will not report on them very favourably, but in this situation negative publicity is better than no publicity at all. It still gets the word out passionately.)
And whilst we're on the subject, I had an interesting conversation on social media today with someone who told me that I'd be better off focussing on the more troublesome options being lined up to replace Cameron. Let me be very clear, I have not forgotten the threats posed by George Osborne, Theresa May, Boris Johnson or any of David Cameron's other lackeys. I am not so naive as to think that just to get rid of David Cameron, things will magically be all right again. They won't, it will take years of hard work - it is now 26 years since Thatcher was deposed, and her legacy has still not been undone. However, I think it is fair to say that the resignation of David Cameron would very much harm the credibility of his cabinet and party generally. Just as Thatcher's successor John Major never did as much damage as her despite belonging to the same party, so too I feel that getting Cameron out would be a step in the right direction. Losing him would motivate people, just as losing Iain Duncan Smith did, despite having his own reasons for leaving. I'm also concerned about the impact for the EU referendum if we lost Cameron - much as I dislike him, he is a supporter of staying, and I worry that the campaign to Remain could be harmed without him. Regardless, the EU campaign is a completely separate issue, and one that people should judge on its merits and not on the personalities of the politicians involved. Perhaps I might do better politically to avoid attempting to depose Cameron until after the referendum, but then I am not a politician and I refuse to think tactically. Right now, I think that Cameron is the biggest and most concerning obstacle, and we may have an opportunity to force his resignation which might not come again until 2020. Whether that happens or whether it doesn't, we will deal with other problems when they come, but here, in this moment, in April 2016, I personally consider that to be the greater good.
If we're talking about who will replace Cameron though, some people may find this link to a Canary article interesting. I found it quite insightful about the whole situation, and actually gave me some optimism. Let's keep the revolution coming. If a demonstration is planned for this weekend, I will write about it. Hope so!
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