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Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is
I realised after yesterday’s post about Corbyn and Brexit that I’ve said similar things before. So today I’ve put talk into action. I’ve cancelled my direct debit for my party membership, and written to my constituency party secretary tendering my resignation.
I also did this:
Perhaps most significantly, at least symbolically: look up there. ⬆️ This blog has been called “A Labourer At the Bitface” more or less since it started, partly as a reference to my political stance, as I explained in this post.1 It’s now called “Tales From The Bitface,” which was the name of my Livejournal version. That’s still there, but it, along with the whole site, pretty much, is moribund.
I still support the principles of the Labour party, and I’m sure I’ll vote for them again. But not until they sort themselves out about Brexit.
- Even then, I note, I was “consider[ing] my future in said party.” ↩
March in October
Numbers
After the Trump thing earlier in the year, another walk through London on Saturday just past. This time with over half a million people — 770,000, by some estimates. That’s a hugely impressive number, and a measure of the strength of feeling in the country against Brexit. Or at least against the idea of the government pushing it through without us having another say on the matter.
You’d imagine it might be enough to make them at least consider enquiring as to the will of the people. But I highly doubt it.
The March
A group of us from Hackney joined at Green Park. There’s an exit from Green Park station that comes out in the park itself, which I don’t think I knew before.Then it took us an age to get out of the park, because of the crush a t the gate. Quite a lot of people were trying to get in at the same time, which didn’t help.
We milled around on Piccadilly for a while. The main march started on Park Lane, so we were ahead of it, and it wasn’t clear to us whether the head of it had already passed us, or if not, then when it actually reached us. It looked like nothing was moving ahead of us. My assumption was that they hadn’t yet closed all the roads between us and Parliament Square, but there was no way to know for sure. Eventually we started moving.
The mood was universally peaceful and cheerful. There were hardly any police to be seen.
I tried to post a couple of photos, but inevitably the network was swamped and nothing would work. I guess even if people weren’t trying to post, just that many phones trying to register with a cell tower would slow things down dramatically.
The Rally
By the time we got to Whitehall Parliament Square was full, and we couldn’t get in. The organisers had set up some big screen-and-speaker systems, so we could hear the speeches (at least when the hovering helicopters weren’t too close).
Conclusion
There isn’t one, really. Like I say, the Mayhemic leadership of the country won’t pay any attention. But if nothing else it helps to keep our spirits up in these dark days.
Chile Trip, Part 2: Santiago, Street Art, and More
As you’ll recall if you’ve been paying attention, I started what appeared to be a series of posts on our trip to Chile. But then stopped. Well, not exactly, because here we are again. It just takes me a long time to sort out all the photographs.
We spent three days in Santiago (and another one at the end, just before we flew back).
You can click on any of the photos or galleries below for a bigger view.
Santiago Street Art
There’s a lot of street art, much of it showing some of the artists, musicians, and writers who have come from Chile or had an impact on it.
There are plenty of other subjects, though.
As well as oddities like this gym which is supporting the most popular Linux distribution:
And there is more formal public art, too.
Up Hill, Down Cable
Santiago is in the foothills of the Andes, at 500m above sea level, so mountains are all around it:
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Though it’s hard to tell the mountains from the clouds in that first one.
But there’s a hill in the city itself, big enough to have both a funicular and a cable car. We went up one and down the other.
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Apart from the ride, you get great views, of course, but the main attraction is the giant statue at the top: Our Lady of the Radio Masts:
Also known as the Ladderback Virgin:
(OK, those are just my names for her.)
This is the kind of thing you really go up for, though:
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Flags and Padlocks
La Moneda is the President’s official residence. Outside it we find the biggest flag I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t windy enough to really get the effect, unfortunately.
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And then there’s this lovely bridge:
Which demonstrates that “love locks” get everywhere (and they didn’t originate in Paris, as I have just learned):
More later.