Occupy Nottingham: still going strong over Xmas

Published: December 27, 2011 02:11 by neilant

Yes as this aticle says, congratulations to ALL at OCCUPY Nottingham for your fantastic achievment....

Now into the 11th week, this being the 74th day....

Published: December 27, 2011 08:43 by Jose

I look at the pictures of the enclosed camp and wonder what David Cameron et al would think if they were looking at it. I expect they're a bit disgruntled by the Occupiers in London but I doubt anyone in Westminster has given any of the other camps a second (or generally, a first) thought.

Meanwhile the shoppers go crazy for Christmas and the Sales and the press routinely focus upon them. The tents, the protests, the occasional marches; for most people I suspect that they're a bit of a spectacle, a very minor diversion from the general everyday struggle of living (or for some, shopping). Distractions come and go. Meanwhile, it's business as usual for Cameron, the wealthy and the privileged. And why shouldn't it be? I mean if maintaining this social, political and economic system, Mr Speaker, means having to occasionally put up with a few spatterings of tents here & there, a few arrests...etc, why should anything significant have to change?

Cameron clearly hasn't been moved to change anything. Neither it seems has the public.

Published: December 29, 2011 03:30 by neilant

Ive read your comments with interest Jose, & agree with some of what you say.. Such as "shoppers go crazy for Xmas & the sales" & "the press routinely focus on them.... With regard to the Occupy & other protests you also say "distractions come & go, meanwhile its business as usual for Cameron & the wealthy & privelaged etc."....

We dont need to be exact on this, but Im sure the "wealthy & privelaged" have been running our country, plus the US & all of western society for a very long time.. Is it 100s of years or just as far back as living memory?.. No matter, the point is what sort of job have they done?..

Almost 25% of the UK (& a higher % of American) citizens are living on or below the official government poverty line.. 3 billion of the worlds` population live in poverty, 1 billion very severe.. 1 billion people live in slums & squalor.. 10 million a year die of starvation.. & all this while 1% of the people posess 40% of the worlds` wealth.. & are actually gradually increasing their share..

So (in my opinion) protests will continue & grow, thus hopefully in time, making it more difficult for the wealthy & powerful elite to (as you put it) "maintain their social, political, & economic system".... But the drastic changes that are needed, such as less greed & corruption, & more equality & democracy, will take time.. No-one can know how long, but I believe it`s inevitable....

The Occupy movement is only just starting &, along with other types of protest, will hopefully continue to grow as more & more people (in all countries) are affected by the greed of the small minority elite.. They have had long enough of using their wealth & power just to accumulate more for themselves.. During the last 30-40 years their greed has just increased more & more, & any source of statistics prove this to be the case.. Even our very own HMRC website does..

This insatiable greed needs to be stopped, or at least greatly reduced.. For the benefit of future generations, I sincerely hope this happens.. But It Will Take Time..

Published: December 29, 2011 14:04 by Jose

"No matter, the point is what sort of job have they done?.."

Assuming that their objective has been the perpetuation of the socio-economic and political status quo, I think you'd have to say that they've done a great job. Either by the stick or by the more contemporary State propaganda systems, they've kept us in check for centuries. Sure, they've had serious troubles in the (distant) past with unions and such, and occasionally they've had to adapt a few policies here & there because a protest movement actually (and very unusually) succeeded in changing the culture. But the core structure and principles remain.

"This insatiable greed needs to be stopped, or at least greatly reduced.. For the benefit of future generations, I sincerely hope this happens.. But It Will Take Time.. "

I don't think there are many who, when asked, would disagree that the "greed needs to be stopped". I'm just not convinced that the occupy movement, which is so easy to ignore and to marginalise, is going to stop anything except maybe a few dozen police officers from seeing an episode or two of Eastenders, when they are eventually called in to evict the protestors.

I'd say "I hope i'm wrong" but I don't think I am. Besides, I honestly think that hope is useless as a means of motivating change. For the most part it belongs at the bottom of Pandora's box, along with the other evils of the world, from where it originally came. Hope is for victims and victims are those who have already accepted their circumstances.

You deserve what you accept!

Published: January 01, 2012 20:13 by neilant

I meant "what sort of job have they done" for the ordinary people.. When you say they,ve done a "great job",that mainly applies to themselves of course.. They (the 1% or even less) posess 40% (or a bit less) of the worlds` wealth, as I stated, & yes a "great job" for them.... Not quite so good for the rest, especially the 50% poorest....

You say "Im just not convinced that the occupy movement is going to stop anything except etc etc"....
Maybe it will, maybe it wont. But any detrimental effect on the greedy elite is better than nothing.... However, I believe that (in time) the protest movements, in whatever guise(s), will become larger & stronger, as more & more people are affected by the actions of the greedy elite..

Western culture is based on excessive self-interest, & justifies the acquiring of extreme (& often obscene) wealth by any legal means possible.. & by its very nature, it also encourages % instigates many illegal & corrupt practices by some of the wealthy, powerful individuals & organisations.. The culture needs to change to a great extent for the sake of future generations, & I believe this will happen.. If Im wrong, then (in my opinion) the west &/or the world will reach economic & social chaos at some point..

Gradually, more & more ordinary people with less & less to lose, will not accept being victims of the small minority elite, whilst watching them wallow in their wealth.... The less they,ve got to lose the more they,ll protest, & the sooner the required changes will come.... Whether you,re correct or not when you say "you deserve what you accept" doesnt apply to those who already dont accept, like the Occupy Movement.. & it wont apply to all the protesters in the future either, who wont accept..

So Jose, as the title says, I have belief - not hope.. But I also respect your views on the subject, & we definitely agreed on one thing at least.. that "the greed needs to be stopped".... More greed will only cause more inequality..