Protesting
 

Protesting.
What are you views on public protesting?
Have you ever protested?
Is there anything that would make you take to the streets!
Does protesting achieve anything?

I am in the GMB union and work in a school so recently we protested about the changes to pensions... there was a protest in central London and also a local protest at the town hall on two separate days. I feel in the main protesting doesn't achieve as much as striking, but if you feel strongly about something peaceful protest is better than apathy I guess.

Never protested.

I dont think it acheives anything.

Despite that...I was tempted to join the newcastle protest about the bedroom tax mind, because it affects so many people that I know.

If you feel strongly about it you should, if it doesn't achieve anything then at the very least you went out and showed your support, just leave your baseball bat at home.

I know protesting gets a bad name, but actually it is quite a good day out.

Yeah I probably should have just sucked it up and gone :laugh:

Not many showed up at the newcastle one though apparently, so I would have felt a bit of a plum. Was thousands at the one in glasgow.

I'm generally a too apathetic and lazy person to bother protesting

Yeah I'd expect that from a Marshall :tongue:

am I the only protester on here then?

I hate it.

I support protesting in general as a principle (although that sight of thousands of French people protesting AGAINST gay marriage a few weeks ago was upsetting)....

It doesn't seem to accomplish much though.

I think when you live in a democracy there are so many more productive avenues to affect change that protesting doesn't really make much sense. It's much more important to talk to your community and get them to vote for candidates that support your cause instead of trying to intimidate people with a MOB. unfortunately when people get together to protest, it ends up just being a MOB. or sometimes even worse, a riot.

If you are happy to accept everything the government dishes out to you without question then that's your perogative of course.

seeing as it does pretty much nothing, yep, that's exactly the case

[QUOTE=lostalex;5936398]I support protesting in general as a principle (although that sight of thousands of French people protesting AGAINST gay marriage a few weeks ago was upsetting)....

It doesn't seem to accomplish much though.

I think when you live in a democracy there are so many more productive avenues to affect change that protesting doesn't really make much sense. It's much more important to talk to your community and get them to vote for candidates that support your cause instead of trying to intimidate people with a MOB. unfortunately when people get together to protest, it ends up just being a MOB. or sometimes even worse, a riot.[/QUOTE]

Not always Alex there are many many peaceful demonstrations held every week which go off with no trouble at all.

We are the only bulwark against the country descending into anarchy I'll have you know

It might work though at some point, as protesting has helped change laws in the past, and governments have been known to do U turns when faced with a public backlash.

:laugh2:

I just think it's very unprofessional.

Just say I protested, I work with children. If I protested, (and say more members of staff did too), then we would lose the ratio of having 1 member of staff with 4 children. If they lost me, it would then become 1 member of staff for every 6 children. with my age group this is difficult. Now saying that it's not only me protesting, we could loose another 3/4 staff. Then we would have a 1:15 staff/children ratio.

i wouldn't do that the my manager/the staff I work with. it would be incredibly selfish, not to mention potentially dangerous for the kids.

hell, with this new government scheme where we have a higher ratio of children with less staff, I want to protest. Instead, i'll probably sign a petition, write a letter or let people know how i feel. I'm not going to act selfishly, take a day off work and hope that standing in a crowd will help.

it gets its point across, at least

that is a form of protest, you don't need to stand on a picket line to protest. Most protests are held on a Saturday when most people are off work. Going on Strike is a different matter.

i thought the OP meant protesting in the streets...

anyway, yeah i'd do that if it's a form of protesting.

but yeah, once people take time off work to protest, i think it's too far.

I got myself new Nikes and a hd tv during the riots :pipe:

were you protesting against capitalism GG, May day is around the corner.:joker:

I have, and to be fair the British people are reasonably tolerant, all they want is a fair crack of the whip.
Are they getting that now...How else are we meant to get our feelings across when a strongly worded letter just won't cut it?

and my bra you thieving slut

The Union organised the pension protest on a Saturday so there was no time taken off. When I was in my 20s I worked in the Civil Service and they went on Strike I went in as i couldn't afford to strike and lose a days pay, it was simple econmics so I get where you are coming from in taking time off.