Cartoon 27/2/08 (Oh, and a bit of a post)
Given the bizarre coalition of eco-warriors, NIMBY conservatives and students who form the bulk of the opposition to the expansion, it’s an odd pose for them to strike…
Still, serious kudos for actually doing it. The Tories are whinging that this illegal protest got much more coverage than their completely legal lobbying of MPs today. Are they really surprised? Theirs was a dull, dry affair of pleading with MPs who have probably already been converted. This was a daring move by a small team of activists against one of the toughest security complexes in London - and targetted at everyone.
Theirs was over an issue which the public are quite possibly sick to death of - and not even a particularly enthralling one. They’re not protesting against Europe. That might well gain much attention, if loud enough. They’re protesting against the government very possibly, if debatabley, going back on something it said in its manifesto. They’re quibbling over petty party points, not the real issue at stake - which is, of course, European integration.
This was over a deeply emotive issue which, the campaigners argue, could blight many people’s lives - and affect them in a physical way which people can picture.
In short, theirs was a dull affair of talking quietly with MPs inside over an issue so removed from the actual assue as to be buttock-acheingly dull. This was an emotive protest over an emotive issue, shouting out to everyone as loud as it gets.
It’s not a media conspiracy that the Referendum lobby didn’t get coverage. It’s their own fault for being so completely dusty. If they’d climbed Parliament and, say, stuck a massive Union Jack on the top, claiming that since Labour had sold out it was necessary, or some such, you could guarantee they’d get attention.
Actually, if they even began by campaigning against the Treaty rather than for a referendum, they’d probably get more attention.
So, are they really surprised?
Posted in: Cartoons, Domestic Politics, Parliament
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