That was the riot that was...

[caddyman]

Well, apart from the ring of Peelers around the Palace, resplendent in their fluorescent jackets, you'd never know anything was happening.

I was looking forward to the swarms of US Secret Service blokes talking into their lapels; the helicopter gun ships and such.

Seen nowt, and I'm what, 250 yards from the Palace?

The office tannoy said there may or may not be a peaceful demo at Victoria Station at 3pm.

It's now 4.10.

Heard nowt.

I don't know what's happening in Trafalgar Square (if anything) but certainly round here, there's nothing. And our live news feed from The Mall shows hundreds of bored looking coppers hanging around with a couple of hundred curious spectators.

If there are any demonstrators, they're heavily outnumbered and quite quiet.

I Tell you, civil disobedience isn't what it was...

Update

Victoria is clear.

A colleague has just phoned en route for home to say that the anti-war protesters have failed to congregate at Victoria Station.

Knowing the rail network they're all probably stuck on a train beyond Bexley Heath following a signal failure...

Comments

[kneeshooter]

I'm down today - and apart from it being very quiet, and the lack of armed coppers wandering around New Scotland Yard (I normally get to admire their glocks at lunchtime while popping out for a sarnie), you'd never know anything.

I've heard a couple of helicopters and a couple of sirens - but that's it. Mind you I've been hiding out with my iPod and "Dead Can Dance" for the last hour or so.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

According to the Stop the War website the main (only?) demo is tomorrow.

[littleonions.livejournal.com]

two fun games you can play;

Put on your best suit, put a mobile earpiece in and wear sunglasses (irrespective of the light levels) then go and stand outside Buck house and frisk japanese tourists for their expensive cameras.

Or; for those who like extreme sports;

Put on a PLO scarf grab a back pack and run at Buck house gates, see how close you get...

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

FWIW, when my school was taken to see President Reagan give a speech, I discovered that you can unnerve a Secret Service agent just by staring fixedly at him for about 3 hours (where "unnerved" is defined as "glancing at you every 2 or 3 minutes").

Hours of fun for the whole family! Though I don't think they had "shoot to kill" orders for schoolgirls in Omaha, so YMMV.