The evil eye

It got a bit feisty in Whitehall today. A small group of unpleasant people deliberately got in amongst the crowd demonstrating peacefully for democracy, and had to be controlled by very large numbers of police.

This picture could come straight out of the Thatcher era playbook, although to be honest things feel worse today than they did then. The number of MPs who have talked about getting death threats and the unprecedented attack on parliamentary democracy through prorogration and punitive expulsions from the Tory party smack more of 1930s Germany than 21st century Britain.

It was a smaller demo than last week but if things go badly this week I think people will take to the streets in larger numbers again. The world is incredibly unpredictable and there are many underlying tensions.

This was my fourth trip to Westminster in ten days since The Johnson Coup was announced. I remain angry and worried. No not just angry; pissed off. I was a member of the Anti Nazi League back in the 70s and this feels worse. I was never a determined leftie but I do believe in fighting fascism. The lessons of history are very obvious to me. Give the forces of darkness an inch and the next thing you know they are kicking in your door at dawn.

Rant over.

Had a great samosa and a peanut butter blondie at the south bank market behind the festival hall afterwards. And a very, very good cup of coffee. Otherwise a domestic day but on the back of a very long sleep. Eleven hours. Unusual for me but I think I needed it.

The extra is a collection of discarded placards from the demo. Mine is the one with Boris Johnson holding a hypodermic and getting ready to euthanise democracy ...