A Country At War

Its sometimes easy to forget we live in a country at War... in fact a country fighting at least two wars; in Afghanistan and Libya, not to mention Iraq - but then no one ever talks about that anymore.

While walking around the centre of British power at Westminster and Whitehall yesterday I was struck by the barriers and Police and general feeling of a country at war, despite the usual throngs of tourists and Londoners going about their daily business.

Opposite the Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square is now closed and surrounded by high fences and security guards. Winston Churchill still walks there and his imposing statue stands just a few feet away from the signs, shacks and tents of the anti-war protestors who have been relegated to the pavement between the closed off park in the square and one of the busiest roads in London. It was hard to get across to them as all the traffic lights to get across to Parliament Square had been removed

The tourists walk past on the other side of the road like the proverbial Levite in the Bible story. I guess they have closed off the square and removed the ability to cross to it to discourage the protestors; make it so hard for them they will just want to go home.

But do we notice the protesters gathered in the square closest to our centre of power? Do we notice their suppression? No, but we do notice the Egyptians gathered in Tahrir Square, the Bahrainis at the Pearl Roundabout, the Syrians, the Libyans.

So just why did we attack Libya but not Bahrain or Syria for surely there are innocent civilians dieing there at the hands of their government.

It was just such a interesting juxtaposition. Churchill striding high across the Square the ubiquitous surveillance camera high on the building behind him and right next door the shacks and tents of the anti-war protesters; cowed and quiet amidst all the noise of the city and the click of tourist cameras pointing the other way.

To Stop War The People Must Stop

But they didn't they just kept walking blindly by