Size doesn't matter.

Interesting news format in the Mail today. Okay, they like to spin and sensationalise but they must know that they have a lot of readers who just look at the pictures and make up their own story from there.

So it was sneaky to include images of the anti-cuts yobs smashing shop windows in a story about the absolutely non-violent Rally against Debt. The images will connect in simple minds.

Much is made of the 'my mob's bigger than your mob' aspect whereby the Rally only had 350 participants while the scroungers who can't be bothered working for a living but are happy to smash the premises of those who do attracted half a million. The first three comments are however enlightening and provide a shred of hope.

great idea if i'd had known about this i would have gone myself
- kevin quilter, Leicester UKnotOK (probably the highest taxed nation on the planet?), 14/5/2011 17:23

Old Holborn, who looks to be prominent in the photos, did post about this and I had intended to draw attention to it, but Blogger (conveniently?) shut down until it was too late. Oh, it could just be coincidence that the longest Blogger outage I've ever seen just happened to be at that time, but I've never liked 'coincidence', especially when they start piling up.

This seem like a really good idea! At least people are coming to their senses and realising cutting back now will give us a more promising future.
- Alex Waters, london, 14/5/2011 17:23

ONLY 350 WITH COMMON SENSE in England - that's disappointing.
- Mrs VS, Chichester UK, 14/5/2011 17:25

So only 350 were there but many more agree with the principle. Those three comments are already hitting 150 green arrows.

What the Rally didn't have was the full might of the Unions and tons of pre-event publicity. That's why there weren't many people there. Not because only 350 people have common sense but because so few knew about it.

I wasn't there. I'm at the opposite end of the country and can't travel at the drop of a hat. That does not mean I don't support the aims of the rally. I do. When you're out of money, the only sensible option is to cut back to the bone. Only spend what really must be spent. No fripperies, not lavish gifts to others, no waste. Which is, really, why I can't travel too easily. Business is slow so I have to conserve spending until it picks up again. It's common sense.

Unfortunately we haven't had a government with any sense for a long time. We certainly don't have one now. The cuts that the violent ones protested against are not cuts at all. A 'reduction in the rate of increase of spending' is not a cut, even if you twist the logic until it screams. Giving away money we don't have to countries with their own space programmes and nuclear weapons is neither sensible nor logical. Bailing out a currency we don't use is utterly stupid. Giving huge swathes of cash to the EU so they can order us around is bordering on the insane.

None of that is mentioned in the Mail article. Nor do they mention that these protestors did not beat anyone up, smashed nothing, threw nothing, and were at all times peacable and well-behaved.

No, all they can see are the numbers. There aren't enough disgruntled people to make a difference.

That's what the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour thought in Scotland before this month's election. Now they are all looking for new leaders. I sincerely hope Scottish Labour's new leader is chosen by the English Labour party. That will finish them in Scotland for good.

The Westminster elections might not be as far away as the Cleggeron Coagulation imagine. All it will take is a collapse of the coagulation and the cracks are already showing. There isn't an SNP down south but there is a UKIP.

There is an alternative.

My bet is they'll get an awful lot more than 350 votes.