III

 

 Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
                                  ~ Marx, a Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right

Groups of protestors shuffle through the streets holding signs and chanting slogans.
There are protests taking place all over the country.
People on splatter are asking, "why is there no media coverage?"
"It looks like the government is on the ropes, the media has been hammering the chancellors recent decision to pay out to the richest members of society."
"If they start showing thousands of people protesting it may have serious repercussions" suggests a government advisor.

In Scotland, Wales and Ireland there are parallel independence rally's, drawing tens of thousands onto the streets. The mood is dissatisfaction.

In Newcastle a celebrity known as "the Beardy Baker" is giving a speech to thousands of people.

“The change is coming, but that change is up to us.

“We, the people, have the power, the compassion, the love, the kindness and the understanding and intellect to design and live in a world that cares about people rather than money and wealth. 

“Those with a different world view will undermine, lie, scheme and deceive, so go with caution, with open arms and open hearts and in the knowledge that you’re not alone. Because we, the people, walk every step of the way with you.

“Enough is enough.”*

Striking postal, rail and dock workers were central to the events. Rick Branch, RMT union general secretary and leading figure in the campaign, addressed the crowd in London to huge applause.

“What this movement is about is giving a voice to workers and let’s be clear about what we mean. All of the workers. What we’ve been very careful about in these campaigns of People’s Assembly and Enough is Enough is the whole working class community. 

We refuse to be divided. We refuse to pitch rail workers against nurses. We refuse to pitch care workers against private sector workers. We refuse to pitch Black versus White, Muslim versus Hindu. Whatever it is, we will take this campaign into every town and village.

So what do we do? Other speakers have touched on it, it’s no good just coming to these rallies on a nice day. We have to keep working at this every day. It starts in your workplace, every single one of you. If you’re not in a union, join a union today. When you’re in the union get everyone in your workplace in that union. Bring all of those workers into activity, bring that activity into campaigning, and bring that campaigning into industrial action if we need it right across our society in every nation and every sector of our industries. Let’s bring it on and show them that we’re here. We are the working class and we’re back as a force in this society.

 A young man steps off the bus and thanks the driver. The air is thick with exhaust fumes. the pavements are filled with people carrying plastic bags, and looking at shop windows. It's a nice sunny day. Suddenly he hears a commotion, two men in all black clothes and balaclavas are running up the street, he sees one of them has a blade in his hand. "MOVE CUNT!!!"
he runs to the side of the street covering his head with his arm and falling to rest cowered with his back against a wall. The two men keep running. Up the road there is a group of people assembling around something on the floor. He stands up and straightens himself. 

"whats happening." he thinks as walks towards the group, sirens are getting closer. As he gets closer to the group he sees a young man in a hoody and jeans with a baseball cap. His white hoody is slouched on the floor into somebodies arms, they are covered in blood. People are trying to hold pressure on his wounds. "Stop him from bleeding". His eyes are wide, his breathing is shallow and panicked. snot, spit and blood are around his mouth. His slender frame is completely tensed and vibrating. his fists are clenched as his hand grips the hand of one of the people who came to his assistance.

"What is the meaning of this?" people think. They make assumptions. "Terrorists, gang violence, violent robbery, drug crime", the sirens draw closer, "there's the lights, clear a space now".
The ambulance speeds up to the group and turns around.

We are part of a progressive movement. Whatever we had in the past our differences, whether it’s based on an ideology or where we’re from, we have to put that to one side. We have to tell any politician, any of them, whether they are a national politician in the nations. We are going to put you under manners. We will not accept cuts. We will not accept austerity, no matter who’s delivering it whether it’s in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff, all the cities, and all the parish councils for that matter.

So let’s take heart from each other. Hold hands together, put your arms around each other. We are workers. We refuse to be divided. And let’s say it and cheer it: we refuse to be poor anymore. We are going to fight for our class. We’re going to lift up our hearts, we’re going to apply our brain. We’re going to create a mass movement of working people, and we’re going to change this country, and we’re going to win for our people. This is the RMT, this is the CWU, victory for the workers!”**

The crowd cheers enthusiastically.
The mood is exhilaration.

The follow up speech by a younger union official is just as good.

"we're not gonna lettem do it anymore...we're gonna stand together and we're gonna make the changes that we need. and we're gonna bring everyone in this country together.
And i don't care what colour your skin is, I don't care what religion you are, I don't care what your job is. As working class people in this country, we have got to look after each other and support each other. And I believe in this moment there's a change coming!"

*RAPTUROUS APPLAUSE*

"I don't think there's clever arguments that have got to be made, and I know there's a lot of analysis and it's important to do that, and we say "This is how much the profits are, and this ceo this is how much his wages are and all of that. I've heard all of that and it's important, it's important to expose that, but I don't think you've got to make clever arguments to a single mother, who can't afford her electric. I don't think you've got to make clever arguments for the old people you know, in your communities, who are worried about this winter coming and what they're going to do. I don't think you've got to make arguments for people who face the chop, at work time and time again. And everytime they put their head up they get slapped back down. I think people in this country know it's wrong. They know whats wrong. We just have to get them to act on it. We've got to take action together!"***

"WOOOOOOHHOOOOO" "YEEEEAHAAHAAHAAAA" "WIOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter. But, for man, the root is man himself. The evident proof of the radicalism of German theory, and hence of its practical energy, is that is proceeds from a resolute positive abolition of religion. The criticism of religion ends with the teaching that man is the highest essence for man – hence, with the categoric imperative to overthrow all relations in which man is a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence.     ibid

Nobody in the audience wishes they could hold the microphone.
Nobody in the audience knows what they would say.
Everybody there wants something to change, but it's nothing very drastic.
Everybody there wants cheap oil, energy, technology and food.
Everybody there wants things to be fairer.

In a small room in London a man is watching live streams of the protests and scrolling through splatter.
"The workers are protesting to have more job security, better pay, better rights, cheaper rents and all of that. They don't realise they have the power to reshape the entire world."
"If only they dared to risk the limited freedom their economic servitude allows them"
He goes to the bathroom to get his syringe.
He holds a spoon of liquid over a candle and tightens a belt around his arm to expose a vein.
He pricks the skin of his upper forearm, blood enters the vessel and he pushes the plunger.
He relaxes into a heap in his ergonomically designed office chair.

Overall the movement is building a nice sense of unity at a time when the Liber party is under attack from the Right and Left.

"Hopefully the Government will call an election"
"why the fuck would they do that?"
"They wouldn't but we have to make them"
"how the fuck do we do that"
"I don't know, by uniting, joining unions, supporting each others causes. By uniting the working classes."

The speakers depart the crowds, shaking hands and posing for selfies as they go. They enter darkened Mercedes Saloons.
"Great speech!" "Well done" "Good job"
Their driver sets off to a predetermined location.

 

_____
* Speech by Si King 1st Oct
** Speech by Mick Lynch 1st Oct
*** Speech by Eddie Dempsey 1st Oct