Police showed "enormous restraint" for not shooting protesters

Rabid Badger wrote:

(if I had a dollar for every time I've had someone growl at me because I parked in a handicapped parking spot-even though I have the card that allows me to do so)-I could've bought myself a decent car. And my handicap isn't even that visible-just the inability to walk long distances and the need to use an electric cart or wheelchair in stores.

Oh wow, this. The exact same thing happens to my dad when he parks in a disabled spot despite having the card for it. His disability is the result of about 30 years of roof tiling (including falling through many roofs). He doesn't exactly look disabled either, but I've seen how bad he can get and there's no way we could expect him to walk from a space on the other side of the car park.

Unfortunately, many of the populace do tend to believe that unless you're a senior citizen or mentally handicapped in a wheelchair, you must be scamming the government. You can blame the small amount of people who do scam and ruin it for everyone else who is legitimate.

It's a terrible situation when people accuse you of faking something you've had to suffer through for years.

Rabid Badger wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

And I know who's gonna win the next election. It'll probably be another landslide like the last time people got sick of being told that the needy are irrellevant and the only people who matter are the fantastically rich.

The same people who caused the problem in the first place?

Oh, wait. That's America.

Actually, I think it's a world-wide thing now. Probably a sign that the end is nigh.

I've been following the thread, and the treatment of Jody McIntyre is enough to make me gnash my teeth. Unfortunately, the idea that disabled people are just PRETENDING something's wrong with them to bilk the government is very prevelent in the U.S. (if I had a dollar for every time I've had someone growl at me because I parked in a handicapped parking spot-even though I have the card that allows me to do so)-I could've bought myself a decent car. And my handicap isn't even that visible-just the inability to walk long distances and the need to use an electric cart or wheelchair in stores. Thankfully, I can still walk around my house and am not confined to a wheelchair, which I can only imagine is frustrating as hell, because even with federal laws, a lot of places aren't built to accommodate someone who can't walk on their own or stand for long periods of time.

We won't even get into multi-story buildings that don't provide elevators.

What angers me the most is them trying to somehow suggest that since the young man's confined to a wheelchair, that must mean he's mentally handicapped as well. These are, I suspect, the same people who don't believe that depression or schzophrenia are real, and miss the good old days when you could just lock anyone who was 'different' in the attic and treat them like shit.

Because, of course, the poor dears were too stupid to know what was going on, bless them.

Even people who work with the mentally ill sometimes think the people they're working with are stupid. I suffer from clinical depression, and at one point, when making my next appointment to see my psychiatrist, the receptionist decided to treat me like I was stupid. Boy, was she surprised when I informed her of the rules regarding proper treatment of patients (I had worked in another branch of the same clinic for a while), and then waved her supervisor (who I also knew) over to complain.

I have epilepsy - completely uncontrolled I might add, with seizures about once a week - which means I can't even get a driver's license, let alone park in a handicapped space. Fortunately, apart from all the jobs I can't get - anything involving manual labour, the police, the hospital, the fire department, and a buttload of other things - and the fact that I can't drive so I couldn't get a job unless it was accessible by bus or I could have a taxi to work or it was in walking distance...

...My life is completely unaffected.

Hell, I can't even work in Burger King in case I have a fit and fall in the hot oil. Yeah, the only jobs I can get are either till jobs with the promotion prospects of a half-brick, or a solidly desk job. Or self-employment, but we're not exactly in a situation where businesses are setting up well right now.

People are always giving me funny looks when I tell them I can't work. Even my dad does it, like I'm using Epilepsy as an excuse to be lazy. I'd give almost anything to not have it. My mum is a senior now, so nobody in this house can work. Yes, we're leeches on society but we don't have a lot of choice right now.

This is seriously freaking me out now.

The Mail stil in support of UKUncut

While the Sun Is heavily critical of the 'anti-capitalist movement'

IIRC, the Sun and Vodaphone are bosom buddies, so this angle isn't surprising, (Admittedly, V-pone isn't mentioned too heavily in the article, but they're UKUC's most prominent target.
however, some of the commentators missing the point by as far as it is possible, BTW

Quote :

These upper class waxxxrs do make me laugh,they have never had to go without and need to get in the real world!!!!

if they are so worried about capitalism then why go to uni,i thought to goto uni was so that you earn far more money than the average joe bloggs on the street!!!

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There must be something more behind the Mail Campaign. This article seems more to do with exploiting an opportunity to badmouth Philip Green than come out in support of UKUC. (that and an opportunity to print a paparazzi pic of his daughter apparently topless. You know the sort of paparazzi shot.. The sort they promised never to purchase again in the wake of Diana's death)

Ugh. Agree there's definitely an ulterior motive there.

I was in Oxford Street yesterday, and I'd just like to say something about the policing of the protest.

It was good.

It was really good. There was communication between us and the Inspector for the whole day. He talked to us like we were people. He made sure the security guys didn't drag anyone out. I think he actually helped us out slightly, suggesting to the shops we occupied to shut down completely whenever we appeared. We sang "For he's a jolly good fellow" and shook his hand as we left.

While marching along Oxford Street, I said to him, "I like you, you don't terrify me". He replied "I wouldn't want to. I believe in policing by consent."

I hope more guys like him end up higher up in police command. It's a small thing, communicating and policing by consent. All police should be doing it. There wasn't a hint of trouble on our protest yesterday.

I hope you were bundled up warm with a big flask of hot chocolate, Zo, it was bloody freezing yesterday!

For my part, well, I was stuck on the A34 for 11 hours while trying to make the 2 hour trip from Southampton to Stratford. So I'm only catching up on the reporting of the event now. But it looks like reporting on stuff like the experience I had has kinda overshadowed the whole thing.

I like to think of it as God/Mother Nature/The Weather coming down and cocking up the biggest shopping day of the year in support of UK Uncut!

ETA - Did you get that officers name or reg.number? You could send him a Christmas card!

WD40 wrote:

I hope you were bundled up warm with a big flask of hot chocolate, Zo, it was bloody freezing yesterday!

For my part, well, I was stuck on the A34 for 11 hours while trying to make the 2 hour trip from Southampton to Stratford. So I'm only catching up on the reporting of the event now. But it looks like reporting on stuff like the experience I had has kinda overshadowed the whole thing.

I like to think of it as God/Mother Nature/The Weather coming down and cocking up the biggest shopping day of the year in support of UK Uncut!

ETA - Did you get that officers name or reg.number? You could send him a Christmas card!

Because of the inclement weather, we spent much of the day occupying shops. It's a lovely, warm way of protesting.

Did you see the #godspicketline hashtag on Twitter yesterday? The snow did a better job of fucking the Tubes than the strike :D

As for the officer, we got his name. At one point his supervisor came in. We chanted "promote him!". She replied "I did."