MAG,s day of action.

[Scotty]

Causing a nuisance is precisely the point of making a protest otherwise it'd slip by completely unnoticed - look at the French for example with their blockades of Channel Ferry Ports and Autoroutes and so on every time something upsets them. If the FFMC (their equivalent of MAG) get pissed off about something they'll bring city centres to a complete standstill to convey their message.
If action affects nobody, then nobody will notice it and the message won't get heard, and nothing will ever be done about it...

It's up to us folks, if we ever want to change tyres, brake pads, brake lines, chain & sprockets, air filters, exhausts and the like for anything of our choice rather than original equipment, it's time to take a stance on it rather than be terribly British, do nothing and then whine about the lack of choice afterwards...

[Dan505]

so how about doing just that like the French and all converge on the city centres and bring them to standstill?

just to be clear i am NOT saying any protest should not be done and may even consider taking part if work permits.

[Snowy]

The problem I have with these protests is that my perception is that a lot of proposals people are protesting about aren't actually being proposed in the first place. People get all emotive about "personal rights" and don't bother to actually find out what they are protesting about. You then get the Chinese Whisper effect as the rumours get spread out across the country and suddenly we're complaining about things that are'nt being proposed.

I would have a lot more time to engage in a protest if I felt it was being organised as such and not as an emotional attack on our perceived historical right to do whatever we want. I believe the protests lose all of their power as soon as the opposition can prove that its not based on fact. If the biking community really wants to achieve something it needs to be clear and transparent about it, as the only way to succeed will be to win over the hearts and minds of those that are'nt bikers.

[Gerry]

Causing a nuisance is precisely the point of making a protest otherwise it'd slip by completely unnoticed - look at the French for example with their blockades of Channel Ferry Ports and Autoroutes and so on every time something upsets them. If the FFMC (their equivalent of MAG) get pissed off about something they'll bring city centres to a complete standstill to convey their message.
If action affects nobody, then nobody will notice it and the message won't get heard, and nothing will ever be done about it...

It's up to us folks, if we ever want to change tyres, brake pads, brake lines, chain & sprockets, air filters, exhausts and the like for anything of our choice rather than original equipment, it's time to take a stance on it rather than be terribly British, do nothing and then whine about the lack of choice afterwards...

Agreed.
Take two simple examples:
450,000 people marched through London against (mainly) the Hunting with Dogs act. It was HUGE, well behaved and at the weekend as we were asked to do so by police - very little TV coverage and didn't change a single thing !

A few hundred anti pole tax protesters (the ones that caused the main problems) closed bits of central London, caused damage to buildings etc, but managed to get massive TV coverage and eventually the end of the pole tax as it was then.

If the Countryside Alliance had put 450,000 people into Central London on a weekday and said they would do it again the following week and the week after, they would have got what they wanted very quickly I'm sure.

I'm not for doing riot, but mildly inconveniencing a few people on the motorway for fifteen minutes won't change anything IMO.

G

Will save the merits of going out witha couple of good lurchers for a hare or two or a nice Goshawk & pointer for a pheasant for another thread :-)

[Gerry]

The problem I have with these protests is that my perception is that a lot of proposals people are protesting about aren't actually being proposed in the first place. People get all emotive about "personal rights" and don't bother to actually find out what they are protesting about. You then get the Chinese Whisper effect as the rumours get spread out across the country and suddenly we're complaining about things that are'nt being proposed.

I would have a lot more time to engage in a protest if I felt it was being organised as such and not as an emotional attack on our perceived historical right to do whatever we want. I believe the protests lose all of their power as soon as the opposition can prove that its not based on fact. If the biking community really wants to achieve something it needs to be clear and transparent about it, as the only way to succeed will be to win over the hearts and minds of those that are'nt bikers.

Agreed also, especially about the "Chinese whispers". Although I think you may well be able to get things done that aren't popular with the majority if you are smart & forceful enough.

[wiltsdan]

Well I'm up for it ;D
Hav'nt heard any news about it though?

[Jon_W]

so how about doing just that like the French and all converge on the city centres and bring them to standstill?

Agreed. The problem with the MAG protest is that it didn't raise awareness. A co-ordinated ride through London would do far more.

[Jon_W]

The problem I have with these protests is that my perception is that a lot of proposals people are protesting about aren't actually being proposed in the first place. People get all emotive about "personal rights" and don't bother to actually find out what they are protesting about. You then get the Chinese Whisper effect as the rumours get spread out across the country and suddenly we're complaining about things that are'nt being proposed.

I would have a lot more time to engage in a protest if I felt it was being organised as such and not as an emotional attack on our perceived historical right to do whatever we want. I believe the protests lose all of their power as soon as the opposition can prove that its not based on fact. If the biking community really wants to achieve something it needs to be clear and transparent about it, as the only way to succeed will be to win over the hearts and minds of those that are'nt bikers.

+1. Could not agree more. There needs to be clarity and facts surrounding this and not opinion.

[Dan505]

i for one would support a (peaceful) protest if it was aimed in the right direction, couple of thousand bikes parked in the centres by the right depts would certainly do more for awareness then out the way on the motorway would it not?

[goz1960]

Me too im well up for it, who knows what next lets not get walked all over.