Even the media reckon there were around 700,000 people on yesterday’s march. That may well mean there were more. Certainly the streets were full, the mood good. A feeling of solidarity with people you don’t know about a situation that is all wrong.
I’m not saying we all agreed. I am not convinced yet about a second vote though I am slowly moving in that direction. My outrage is with the first vote where we know the rules were broken by the Leave campaign. In my eyes that is enough to suspend the whole process. Carrying on is a slap in the face for democracy, and democracy around the world has had its face slapped a lot in the past few years.
Trafalgar Square
They say it was the older generation that caused the Brexit débacle. Maybe more older people did vote leave, but no means all older people. Some of the most hardened campaigners, committed protesters are well into their 70s. Which is not say that this was a march dominated by grey tops (of which I am one). There people of all ages; some with children, some with dogs, some with both; there were people who had travelled by coach from all parts of the UK; people of every hue, every ethnicity.
What do we want?
There were some great banners and i really missed my little Olympus. I took the little Nikon, but the battery wasn’t charged so it stopped working after just a couple of photos.
I was relatively close to the front of the march so reached Parliament Square fairly early. Helicopters flew noisily overhead. I leant against a sunny wall by parliament and opened my newspaper.
After an hour or more the speeches began. The helicopters made some of them impossible to hear, and Delia Smith was almost inaudible. Sadiq Khan got a huge cheer. There were videos from people who could not be there; a youth delegation from the four countries of the UK spoke about their regions. I left shortly after hearing them. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested, but i wanted to use the loo and I was going out in the evening.
I’m glad I went. I’m glad I stood up to be counted.
Isobel (and Cat)'s Blog 