Five years on
In 2003, me and two angry friends went to London to protest at George Bush’s state visit to the UK. With 100,000 others we marched through the capital- the atmosphere was sensational, and the queue of protesters took almost two hours to leave Malet Street. Bush had been in power two years and we didn’t want him wellcomed on our soil. We hadn’t been able to get to the anti war protests, so watching the giant effigy of him being toppled, just like the one of Saddam Hussein had been months earlier, was magical.
Contrast this with last week, as Bush made his farewell stop-off at number ten. The crowd was diminished to two thousand. I wasn’t there, but the anger still was. Why so few, after he’d had another five years to accumulate crimes? I suppose before it was a protest not just against what he had done, but what he might still go on to do. This time round, he was on the way out- there is little left for him to taint, his work is almost done. A protest against what has already happened, long after the event and without hope of changing it, is a lot less passionate than one about what might be. Guantanamo 
is still full. Iraq is still a mess. Aid agencies still suffer from the funds he cut them; Americans still go without health care and gay and lesbian couples still face a president who doesn’t want them to have equal rights.
But his presidency has dragged on and on. The shock of the new is gone, the contrast between him and his predecessor fading into memory. And hence, gone is the passion of those people who waved placards and shouted, took days off work, school and college to take to the streets. He is old news, and it’s too late to change anything. People are looking forward now, to his successor. He is old news.
Still, I would have liked to be in the crowd…
Birmingham University Labour Students
John Ritchie
Brigidjones
daveborland
dorameredith
bensemens
chrisblewitt
oliverjackson
maxattacks
joshualt
suzannahrobinson
kohalloran
jakelambertonline
smurphy2010
labourluke
bulsonline
Guardian Unlimited
Obama will get a much warmer reception, i look forward to it
Our vealus should always to be the voice of those that cannot speak for themselves and fairness must be at the heart. We should never overlook that if we have greater respect for our animals and wildlife then we have a greater respect for human rights and social justice.Animal issues may seem separate when talking of politics but that is just not the case. The way Labour gained respect for bringing in the hunting ban is a fine example of the need to care. By protecting hunted animals we were standing up for what people see as decency and how they want society to be respected. Labour has a good record on animal welfare but it could have done more.To those who do not care for animals will not understand any talk of vealus for them. This message will go over their heads. Yet for those that do, they will know there is a direct link to how we treat people. For if we can’t treat our animals well then what hope do we have for people. David Cameron will show just how nasty he can be because he disrespects animals. Our leaders always have to be better than any man who supports animal cruelty returning. Our vealus are strong but we need to let the public know we still have them. They need to know that the vealus of social justice and of decency are the keys that motivate us.
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