Barriers to understanding
- 7 Jun 07, 01:13 PM
From Newsnight's Economics Editor , somewhere near the G8 summit in Heiligendamm.
Today is supposed to be the big day for protests in the temporary police state that is the G8 venue. Thousands of demonstrators will spend the day trying to breach the 12 km perimeter fence around the hotel where the leaders are meeting - and block the roads going in and out. Here's my question - or questions. What, exactly are they demonstrating about? And why don't I know?
I'm not speaking rhetorically here. I'm genuinely confused about what these demonstrators are about, because the mood today seems so different than when these protests really got started, at the meetings in Seattle in 1999. Back then, you had your equivalents and your downright crazies, but most of the protestors were there to protest concrete injustices - the plight of Mozambican cashew farmers, for example - and could recite chapter and verse of which IMF program and/or international trade rule was to blame. Journalists quickly discovered that the activists were often better informed than the delegates. So, even when the demonstrations turned nasty (the infamous ""), the activists still got a hearing from the likes of President Clinton. "I disagree with a lot of what they say, but I'm still glad they're here", he told the disgruntled trade ministers besieged in the conference hall.
Hard to imagine Angela Merkel or George Bush saying that today - and not just because they are cut from more conservative cloth than Mr Clinton. Since then the system has changed - and so have the protestors. The "system" has changed by co-opting the demonstrators' agenda to a remarkable extent. For the next WTO meeting the ministers had learned their lesson - they held it in the highly inaccessible city of Doha. But they also co-opted much of the demonstrators' agenda by dedicating the Millennium round of trade talks to developing countries. There's been a similar change in the agenda of the G8.
Now I'll admit, delivery on that agenda has been mixed, at best. As I explained yesterday, delivery is not the g8's strong suit. (And it's been non-existent in the case of the Doha trade round - though how much that round could really have achieved for developing countries is a subject I'll leave to another day). But you can't say that the issues of poverty, unfair trade rules, or climate change aren't being discussed. That's pretty much all that is discussed at these meetings. And many of the people who used to be on the streets protesting are now working for NGOs who lobby and engage with the G8 governments and the and the on an almost daily basis.
Are the protestors here to complain about delivery on aid promises? Some are, for sure: Oxfam has had some nice theatrics here, as usual. Greenpeace have put to sea here to call for more on climate change. I like to think a few want to prevent the meetings to protest the waste of taxpayers' money. But the fence-chargers? I am at a loss. When I look at the protestors crossing the fields here or blocking the roads, I don't see any signs about aid, or debt, or evil multi-national corporations. Nor are there any t shirts saying "value for money for G8 taxpayers" (I would have bought one). Maybe we journalists should spend a little less time feverishly reporting the twists and turns of the Battle of the Fence, and a little more asking the protagonists why they're here.
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I suspect that what Stephanie is watching is a crowd of animals, confused by a culture that detaches us ever more from the imperatives of animal life and compounds the error with complex thought. The irony is that this progression has been going down the wrong road since the ice retreated, and will end (I guess) when we are again faced with the stark pressures of survival - brought on by climate change, about which our carbon-obsessed Canutes can do nothing. Whatever school of warming we subscribe to, a delicate balance (or was it just apparent balance, due to the geologically short span of scientific data) has been disturbed. Chaos Theory says "wait and see". In the meantime we would do better to calm the animals than tell the tide of CO2 to "go back".
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raging against the riot police is hardly a rational strategy of change when money works so much better? For a few million you can effectively buy the uk political system?
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"When I look at the protestors crossing the fields here or blocking the roads, I don't see any signs about aid, or debt, or evil multi-national corporations."
For the exact same reason that UK troops in Iraq or the German police do not carry placards with the government policy written on them. These people are WORKING, they don't need a slogan, their action says it all. Consider this quote, as it applies to the G8 politicians:
"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. … But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary."
The Wealth of Nations,, Book I, Chapter X
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Fence pushers are just frustrated.
I heard Bush on the radio, committing to environmental change ONLY if the 'developing' nations of India and China signed up. Surely as the so called most progressive nation in the world, Bush could afford to put his signature to saving our environment.
Not so long ago Bush was bragging that the USA was way ahead of anyone in the development of alternative energy. Surely with such a confident statement, the rancher from Texas could be bold enough to lead the world into a new dawn?
Bush has his friends, be they billionaires from the Saudi Arabia Royalty or business gurus fom Wall Street. He has forgotten that we tax payers have no means to shelter from impending doom. He has his bunker.
Regards
S Robertson
Ps. Hope the world tour of after dinner speaking is an absolute disaster. I believed having the right school tie would not matter anymore. Ho hum!
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Being a veteren of a couple of protests there are obviously people (such as me) who clearly enjoy protesting as an experience. I simply heard that a few mates of mine were off to Berlin to protest against the war, "do you wanna come along for the ride", it only costs a fiver to get there but you have to travel for twelve hours to get there and then nine hours back the next day. "sounds great" I said and I began joining in and becoming involved in the culture of protesting almost as a hobby. Going along for the ride and then running with the idea for a while, I daresay a few of them protest simply becuase their mates do and say of course that they are there out of conviction. I just wanted to travel back in time and become a hippie at first but then the power of all those people in that crowd working together, as if they really could stop the Americans going to war was very convincing, you do feel a part of something bigger, at least the common dream of a better world. At the time I asked myself, why am I here? They are not going to do anything and Iraq will probably just be another flash in the pan, the truth being that in five years time we would have a stable freed flowing democracy in Iraq but now we are still in Iraq and conditions are awful. I can say I've done the right thing, now I'm really proud of what I did, even if it happened more or less by chance. If it is just the wisdom of crowds and a common dream, this alone can inspire individuals to do great things even if they can't convince their governments!
At least this crowd are keeping up the pressure on Bush and the others. That is a very very positive outcome. Just becuase they do not appear to be as intellectually versed as before doesn't mean to say they aren't doing a good job! Why they are doing it probably has more to do with the fact that it has become a sub culture and tradition now more than anything else.
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"Maybe we journalists should spend a little less time feverishly reporting the twists and turns of the Battle of the Fence, and a little more asking the protagonists why they're here." I think you may have the right idea there Stephanie. Unfortunately the mainstream media is drawn to the dramatic stories of violence and rioting that has occured due to the relatively small black bloc. The huge majority of protests at the G8 have been peaceful demonstrations raising awareness of many issues from the patenting of seeds to immigration, climate change, nuclear weapons and many others and it is those views that need to be heard just as much, if not more than the opinions of political leaders and aging rock stars.
csharp: Civil disobedience is a natural and essential part of the democratic political landscape; civil disobedience got us the vote, it got us education and it got us the health service, blockading the G8 summit shows the resolution of those involved who want change.
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"Maybe we journalists should spend a little less time feverishly reporting the twists and turns of the Battle of the Fence, and a little more asking the protagonists why they're here."
I was surprised to see that any journalist who even marginally followed the G8 summit protests might feel there is a lack of information on why the protesters "are there". A simple google search would have brought her to only one of many webpages with masses of information (in 12 languages) on the protests and their political background. In the left-hand column you can pick your working group to study: there is one on anti-repression, anti-fascist work, anti-militarism, global agriculture, migration, you name it, and all take much care to analyse and illustrate the links between their respective issue and the disastrous impact the policies of the G8 have on it.
The reason why most protesters these days don't walk around in T-shirts with simplistic slogans targeting one multi-national is that they have a more sophisticated critique of global politics and business (read it online above). If you want to hear it, you can also call the press groups that protesters set up specifically for journalists such as yourselves who want to ask "the protagonists why they're here" (contact details on the same site, only a google search away).
Whatever happened to the 'investigation' in investigative journalism I wonder...
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