This demonstration was a break from the routine. Instead of the customary milling around at the start, shuffling through the streets and then tuning in and out of the speeches in Trafalgar Square the order was completely reversed. It assembled in the square and there were lots of speeches none of which made a lasting impression in either a good or a bad way. Maybe that’s because the early part of the event had the feel of a day out organised for the benefit of the British far left and one became easily distracted by conversation. Worryingly the square felt a bit empty in parts.
Only when the march began did the event start to look impressive. My guess is that there were about 25 000 people but this is based on nothing at all. The profile was pretty young. There 
were union banners but you could not truthfully pretend that major numbers had been mobilised through the unions. Also missing was the large numbers of local church groups and “Friends of The Puffin Against The War” type organisations that used to add to the colour of the larger demonstrations. Strands of the environmental movement seemed to have a stronger presence than in previous years and so too did the Green Party.
What was noteworthy was that none of the far left has grown significantly as a result of the war. The radicalisation has gone in other directions. The march, to an extent, defied expectations. It was bigger than most people I spoke to had expected it to be and shows that there is still a vibrant anti-war sentiment that can be mobilised.
Liam redux 
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