The police stood firm behind Thatcher and gave the miners a kicking at Orgreave in '84
Speaking at the G20 in South Korea, David Cameron said of yesterday’s student protests: “People long in our history have gone to marches and held banners and made protests and made speeches and that’s part of our democracy. That is right. What is not part of our democracy is that sort of violence and lawbreaking. It’s not right. It’s not acceptable and I hope that the full force of the law will be used.”
Er, a closer look at recent history would suggest otherwise. You don’t have to go too far back to see direct action on the streets of the UK. The last time the Tories were in power should do it: Poll Tax riots – 1990; Battle of Orgreave – 1984; Battle of the Beanfield – 1985; Wapping -1986; Toxteth, Brixton, Broadwater… The list goes on.
Placed in context yesterday’s altercation was obviously small change, and as the cuts bite there’s bound to be protest and civil disobedience. And in any self-respecting democracy rightly so. 
With the unions fractured we may not be facing another winter of discontent, but you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll be people on the streets. Indeed the TUC has already announced plans to stage the “biggest and boldest event in our history”, with a national “mobilisation” that “will culminate in a national demonstration in central London” on Saturday the 26th of March, 2011.
The cuts haven’t even started yet and if Cameron and his ConDem coalition think they’re going to get through Parliament without having to face down some serious grass roots on the streets they’re seriously deluded. Truth is they must know it’s all going to kick off to some degree, and if they had any sense they’d do as Thatcher did in the early eighties and get the boys in blue on side quick-smart. Thatcher looked after the police with increased salaries and masses of overtime to fend off the strikers. Cameron, Osborne and May would do well to follow suit – as it is the police are looking at pay freezes, annual cuts of 4% and the likely loss of up to 20,000 officers.
Interesting times…