I’m not going to talk about the Royals, how much they cost and their irrelevance. The Coronation is over, it’ll be a few years before the next royal event. I don’t want to give them any more attention; like toddlers, attention will only encourage them. I want to look at what all this Pomp and Circumstance has exposed.
The UK Government’s slide in to fascism is speeding up. 62 people were arrested for protesting the Coronation. For 6 of them, the charges have been dropped, the records cleared and the police have adjusted their arrest total to 54. Their arrests were an example of the most frightening phrase I’ve ever heard.
Pre-emptive Policing.
This group had told the Police about their protest: Name of the group, number of Protesters, location, purpose etc. The Police said they would engage the group and not interfere. Instead, the group vehicle was searched and they were arrested on charges of Breach of the Peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Police said they had ‘Intelligence’ that the group were planning a ‘lock up’; chaining themselves to a public fixture to interfere with the procession.
The Governments new Anti-Protest laws are as vague as they are draconian, leaving the Police to interpret them as they see fit. This group had followed all the rules regarding their RIGHT to peaceful protest, and yet they were each detained for 16 hours before being released with an “Oops, Sorry, our bad” from the police. Because a few cops “THOUGHT” they “MIGHT” be up to something. I’m also disturbed that being a Nuisance is now a crime. As a little sister, I could have spent my life in prison.
While those policemen were foiling the maybe, potential, could-have-been crime of the century, the rest of the Keystone cops were circulating the crowds, seeking to prevent potential disturbance to the Coronation by… confiscating Rape Alarms and detaining Night Star Volunteers: people who had VOLUNTEERED to spend the night in the cold and wet, for the safety and assistance of the people camped out.
I’m not sure which is worse police behaviour: wasting their time detaining people who are doing a necessary job for no pay, or confiscating PERSONAL SECURITY DEVICES from WOMEN, in a CROWD OF STRANGERS, at NIGHT.
The Met Police’s reputation for misogyny and sexual harassment of women is well earned.
The Tories must now be relying heavily on the Anti-protest laws and the expansion of police powers to keep them in Government as their restrictive Voter-ID laws don’t seem to be helping them. In Local Elections last week the Conservatives lost around 1000 seats, with many council majorities flipping to Labour or LibDem. Greens and Independents also made a strong showing.
The new laws require voters to present a valid, government approved ID when voting. The list of approved IDs skews heavily to seniors. IDs that young people might have are not on the list, so they have to apply for a special voter ID card. It’s free, but requires an application and photo; just enough to be inconvenient. The Stated goal was preventing voter fraud; a terrible crime that barely exists. The few cases that occur are never enough to turn results.
The Actual goal of the Voter ID laws in to supress the younger vote. The list of Valid ID’s include Passport, Drivers licence, and any number of cards available to Seniors or Disabled people. Where an equivalent ID exists for young people (60+ Oyster card vs 18+ Oyster card), the young person version isn’t accepted. Apparently the Government is considering expanding the list. I will believe it when I see it.
Reports say that Rishi Sunak is unlikely to call an election before Autumn 2024: the last possible moment, but he expects to win a shock victory. The delay doesn’t surprise me. Sunak seems perfectly comfortable being an unelected PM, just as he’s comfortable limiting the British Public’s rights to assemble, protest and vote. The last thing he wants to hear is the voice of the public.
What concerns me, worries me, frightens me is how he plans to use the next 16 months. He is not going to change the governments plans and current policies. He’s not going to try and make the Tories more palatable to the public. I think he’s going to try and convince us that the Tories are right. That tax breaks for the rich and wage suppression for the poor are the way forward.
So, right now, we have a shiny new Monarch with, thankfully, no power. Unfortunately, we also have an un-elected government with all the power but no viable ideas to help the people.
16 Months to go. I don’t think this is going to end well.
So That Happened 