On the way to the shops I spotted my third demonstration of the week. The TUC public service unions pre-emptive rally of parliament against the cuts. I got off the bus. I wasn’t sure what was happening, where to stand, who I was listening to. A refreshing change. Different voices, different accents. I wandered back stage and on to the platform. The large audience cheered. A man in a suit walked past me to speak. The usual rhetoric.
Outside groups of prison workers were chatting. Coach drivers from Wales were having a ciggie. Al Jazeera were interviewing a postman. Two pink cartoon bunnies, deficit deniers said their banner, tried to grab the limelight. A man from Canning Town with a white van was busy collecting up used, surplus placards. Worked for a printer. They could supply the artwork, print the posters, put them on sticks or poles (he showed me two examples), deliver and collect. He was eager to recycle the battening. The wood was where the expense lay. He gave me his card.
Other groups formed up, delayed on the motorway. Short stumpy little placards, very practical, stapled to dowelling rods. Came from Leeds apparently. The NUT group, mostly from Midland towns, had left the meeting early so as to be sure to get into parliament. Their banners seemed labour intensive, large amounts of parcel tape, a DIY feel. As I left the teachers were trying to figure out what to do with their placards as they weren’t to be allowed to take them into The Building and there were no litter bins, Security.
