The Met are warning that the upcoming G20 summit will stretch them to the limit as anti-globalists line up to vent their anger at world leaders.
Given that I'm always banging on about globalisation being a bad thing you may be forgiven for thinking I'm on their side - I'm not.
For starters, they are not just anti-globalist - they are usually anti-capitalist as well. I'm not and never have been. For me the capitalist economic model is still the simplest and the best - but within a national context so that you, as a nation, can manage that capitalism for the benefit of your nation. Not that I think it requires that much management - I'm in favour of keeping regulation to a minimum, but I do accept that regulation is necessary and also that capitalism has a natural cycle which includes booms followed by regular, if small, downturns. The management capitalism requires is restricting imports that can distort the local markets and lead to the inevitable spending boom which leads to the inevitable credit boom, followed by the inevitable huge market crash.
Most of the people who will be protesting at the G20 summit will be radical socialists and new age hippys, though. They all moan about "globalisation", but you can bet your ass that there will be plenty of protesters dressed in cheap t-shirts made by 8 year olds in Indonesia, expensive trainers that cost £5 to make in China and bellies filled with booze from Germany and burgers from Brazil. A good number of them will be smoking spliffs which they believe to be filled with the best Thailand has to offer, but was actually grown in a maisonette in Catford. A delicious irony.
I don't like their attitude. I believe the best way to protest against globalisation is to do as much as you can to avoid having anything to do with it. Buy local goods from local producers in local shops. I know that the vast majority of people who go to these demonstrations don't do that - they voice their anger at these events and chuck bricks through the windows of McDonald's then go back to their own little hovels filled with cheap junk from all over the world to binge on a Big Mac, fries and chocolate shake.
They want to be seen as "radical" - but when they get home they're as globalist as the next person - and stinking hypocrites.
1 comment:
We had a 'reclaim the roads' demo not so long ago. It consisted of various scruffs sitting in the road drinking Special Brew. Precictably, after they had become really hammered, it kicked off against the police.
On the train I also noticed that the ticket inspectors were very busy that day. It seems the protesters desire to reclaim the road did not extend as far as paying for the alternatives to cars.
Having typed all that, I do hope this G20 Summit is remembered chiefly for the civil disturbance rather than footage of Gordon saving the world.
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