WHAT DO WE WANT?

OK. Playing catch up a bit. Firstly to mention a party in a squatted special school complete with padded room all the way over there in South East London. The venue quite suited the clientelle. Anyway this was all in aid of the Basra Oil Union which if you click over you will find a blog updated by Eva who is this Eva.

WE FIGHT for the public ownership of industries according to the law passed in the 1970s. Until now the oil industry has worked as one national industry and Iraqis had a common knowledge of the country's rich natural resources. Iraqis are aware of that and also of the aims of US imperialism worldwide.

We feel that privatisation is damaging to the Iraqi economy, that it means private companies controlling public resources and wealth for their profit while the Iraqi people see very little of it. Many countries around the world have carried out privatisation but brought no material or social benefit for the ordinary citizen.

OK, on to pwotest Saturday

Got there by bicycle, already slightly frazzled and in the mood for a wind up.

Saw Galloway surounded by clicking cameras.

"A cheating politician? Who'd have thought it?" I shouted but didn't wait for the answer.

Met a fellow Peace Not War who was in the TV studio the other day. The first thing the organisers did was send everyone in a pointless U-turn past Parliament 50 yards out of the square and then fifty yards back in.

"Baa! Baa!" we both shouted gleefully.

"Boring speeches this way!" I instructed.

Someone handed me a leaflet.

"Whats it about?"

"Random Anarchists. Its against protests."

"I'm in favour of that! Lets organise a protest about it!'

Slogans slogans fucking slogans. All this "George Bush TERRORIST! Tony Blair TERRORIST" Blah! blah! FUCKING BLAH!

"There's Tony Benn!" my mate pointed out.

"Where? Is he slapping someones back and calling him "comrade?""

I started shouting "George Bush IS MISUNDERSTOOD! Tony Blair IS A NICE GUY! What do we want? To go round in circles! When do we want it? All the time!"

One old duffer took the bait.

"Are you supporting this demonstration? Are you in favour of this?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

"Well you might be going round in circles. I'm not."

"Yeah. Thats cos you've got gloves on mate. My hands are freezing. WHAT DO WE WANT? I DON'T KNOW!!! When do we want it? Err... In your own time?"

Most people around me were laughing which annoyed me even more.

We jumped the barrier to cut out the pointless U-turn and quickly came across Rob Rub+ Curly Tony and his Soap Box Trike complete with entourage of Peace Not War promoters selling CD's which are very good apparently. FULLeBLUNT performed Guantanamera dressed in an Orange Guantanamo jump suit.

Download FULL QUALITY mp3 here

I was placated and quite happy for the rest of the march. These Peace Not War guys are a whole new generation of non confrontational truth spitters. There is no crossover whatsoever with my generation of Reclaim the Streets style technoheads and rioters who used to cause the Police a genuine problem, party round loud sound sytems and often riot.

Most of them are either fucked up on smack on a site somewhere, too scared to come out due to the meticulous work of the FIT squad over the years or have managed to get the fuck out of here. I'm glad these are different times. I'm sure there are a lot of disapointed riot Police though. Peace Not War is a positive thing in every way. Frustration channeled into creativity.

By the time I got to boo Galloway I was a bit pissed and far away from him enough not to notice. ex-Red Ken said he was inviting the mayor of Caracass over for a fucking tea party or something. Andrew Murray was shouting for everyone to unite.

"Yeah! Unite behind me! and then GO HOME!" I shouted.

"Shut up!" shouted one person.

I met a couple of Muslims and asked them what Islam says about music.

"It doesn't say nothing. If music has a bad message it is bad, if it has a good message it is good. It depends what it is used for."

I told them this wasn't the idea I got from Finsbury park and told them about Socialistwanker.

"If you want to see what actually happened on the street in Finsbury park... They an OK bunch really. I didn't have much luck with them in the end though..."

"Thats probably cos of the name.. Socialistwanker." said one of the helpfully.

"Yeah. You know. I can't help it. I mean well."

Nice bunch. One guy was handing out a leaflet called "Iraq: Is Democracy the Answer?" with no web details. It was an explanation of why Islamic law is best written for those on the protest scene. He was masked up to the eyes and kept making sure his mask was up. I didn't think to speak to him and can't put up everything in the piece here. I'll read it again and maybe make another pdf.

Before we left we were lucky enough to meet some of the School Children against War.

"Don't listen to this rubbish. its all about you guys. What you did on your own on Day-X- amazing. You lot are great." I said, a bit pissed like.

I was fucked after that and missed the afterparty.