Sent in by ‘Bertrand Russell’:

I was not planning on going to the protest. Notwithstanding the hours spent posting on this and other portals, mostly about the MLP, I felt I had done enough.

I said to myself that I had already been through this 35 years ago, and now it was somebody else’s turn. I was planning on having a leisurely lunch and then settling down to continue to pontificate online while listening to the football.

Then I remembered my Labour supporter colleague who says she is going tomorrow, and the one who says his party makes him want to throw up but cannot bring himself to go.

Then someone who never attended meetings that time told me he was going.

After that I saw a post by Arnold Cassola who feels offended that Simon Busuttil did not consult him and form a coalition before announcing the protest, and so is not going. His tone was different 35 years ago.

Then I began to think back to the days of tear gas and truncheons. I don’t remotely imagine they will make an appearance at the protest. But I have seen this film before. I have seen it in black and white, at normal speed. Now I am watching it in high definition colour on fast forward.

Last time round the violence and the human rights abuse did not start right away (except for the election celebrations). What started straight away was the corruption, albeit on a smaller scale and at a lower speed.

The violence and the human rights abuse came about simply to preserve access to the corruption and protection from prosecution (aided by the statute of limitations; vide Lorry Sant).

So tomorrow I am going so maybe I won’t have to go again, more often, at greater risk, later.

If you like, you can be lazy, like I was going to be. Or you can get upon a horse so high that you will risk breaking your neck when you eventually have to dismount.

Or you can be cynical and claim that allowing things to get worse will further damage the Labour Party and ensure an election loss.

Or you can go to hedge your bets against the future, as I am doing. You can go because you believe it is your duty. You can go, like Marlene Farrugia and my colleague, because you are Labour but you have principles and balls.

#iwasthere

#itisstillrelevant

#itdidnotendin1987

#jobnotoveryet