George ran an excellent campaign, and other people in other places for other things are also running excellent campaigns. Sadly we live in a world where 'right' is squashed (or just ignored) by big business and powerful individuals because they hold the cards.

But do they? In my humble opinion the only tactic that has any chance of succeeding in today's power-obsessed, greed-ridden society is civil disobedience - that's something big business and the authorities run scared of. I can think of countless demonstrations, marches, petitions and meetings over the last ten years by right-minded people trying to get something done for a just cause but only two that had the big and powerful sitting up and taking notice. One was the outrage felt by the public over the insensitive aloofness of the Windsors at the time of Diana's death; that was not even civil disobedience but there was a tangible sense of it - it was certainly enough to bring EW down from her Scottish retreat and appear on television in what, I suppose, is the nearest she will ever get to bowing to the will of the people. The second was the fuel blockade by truck drivers a few years ago.*

We're not very good at civil disobedience in this country, generally playing by the rules; I used to think that was a facet of our society that was one of its strengths - but not any more. There are too many powerful people not playing by the rules - perhaps it's time to play them at their own game.

* Oh, and another one more recently - the commuter demonstrations on Great Western trains. The company firstly threatened to fine any commuter using a 'fake' ticket. When so many commuters did use fake tickets the company ended up apologizing to them on TV!

Direct Action Works! :-)