Countryside Alliance March, London, September 2002
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PANIC ON THE STREETS OF LONDON
Date: 22nd September
Place: Hyde Park, London
Reason: Countryside Alliance March Mission: Show the snotty nosed pansies who supposedly run this ‘democratic’ country that they can take their bollocks crushing of personal freedoms and shove them up their arse!!

I felt like I’d been run over, Alex still smelt like a keg of country ale and both of us could hardly speak as the remnants of Saturday nights revelry cursed through our veins, spurred on by the rhythmic trundling of the train and adding meaning to our tortured mantra of ‘why the buggery did I drink that vodka/cider/liquid nitrogen?’ So, to say we were prepared to take on the world and add our forceful views to those of 400,000 other revolutionaries would be a slight overstatement.
But the countryside needed us and we forced ourselves onwards. By the time we reached Hyde Park – and polished off three packets of Squares - we were beginning to get our strength and inspiration back (despite my increasing alcohol sweat problem.) The amount of people who cared enough about the governments intrusion into the countryside way of life was amazing – official attendance numbers were around 407,000 – and the atmosphere was great. Alex was getting into ‘civil disobedience’ mode and was blatantly itching to destroy something or cover something in ‘aerosol art.’ He never got a chance though as everyone was so well behaved and respectful, determined to make a peaceful protest. Yeah well peaceful protest may have got Ghandi so far (but not that far lets face it – even he copped a bullet in the end) but sometimes people only listen if it gets a bit messy. You’d have thought with all the recent problems with terrorism, governments would’ve started listening more to peaceful protests before violence is resorted to. The IRA weren’t a violent organisation to start with but they quickly realised no one would take them seriously until they felt pain. I’m not saying the Countryside Alliance needs to start killing politically correct townies but if this march fails in its objectives then mindless destruction should definitely be next on the agenda. Get them emotions out! We can’t all be as anal as Shoreditch twats.

But before I digress into a raging tirade against this governments attitude towards terrorism I should perhaps mention for those who don’t know or care, what the march was all about. On a very basic level it was against the proposed ban of foxhunting. I love the way people get so riled over foxhunting. Yeah ok so chasing an animal until its exhausted and then ripping it to shreds may not be everyones cup of tea but it amazes me that people a) care so much about an animal and b) that the same people who care so much about an animal won’t donate money to AIDS research or Cancer research which leaves you to deduce that they care more about animals than humans and if that’s the case how can you possibly regard them as sane human beings??? As far as I’m concerned 407,000 people marched to save foxhunting but about 200 people march against foxhunting. Hmmmmmm perhaps therefore the best idea would be to ignore the soap dodgers and leave foxhunting in the countryside where it belongs and where it gives thousands of people a livelihood? It appears the government would rather override the Lords with a law created to use in incidents of national emergency (foxhunting a national emergency?) I’ve got a plan, why don’t we just give up pretending to be a democracy and give Tony Blair the fascist empire he so blatantly craves. Yeah what a plan – then he can round up all the Tory voters, Oxbridge graduates, car drivers, anti-war supporters et all and send them off to be gassed thus allowing him to populate Britain with the mindless sheep who he can brainwash into thinking he actually cares about Britain and isn’t really after power for powers sake.

Phew. It’s getting a bit heated here. Thing is on the march people were so passionate about it and about their countryside life it was difficult not to get swept up in it. It was a huge demonstration and it was wicked to be a part of something so positive. So often stuff in politics and the media aggravates me but there is rarely an outlet that can make such a bold collective statement. I’ve said this before but our youth are turning politically apathetic, getting swept up in Reebok tracksuits and UK Garage. No the march might not change anything but it was so inspiring to once again in Britain see people challenging the government rather than just accepting that they know best. We cannot lose our ability to question the laws that those governing us create in our name, or the actions they take across the world for our sake. The biggest political upheavals in history have been created by the people reacting to intolerable situations – if we fail to query we become nothing more than pawns, interacting with the world on terms set by someone else. Not exactly a great way to live out your existence.
So on Sunday 22nd September the Peasants were revolting – and my god it was brilliant!

Words By Susan Greenwood
Step-On Magazine