People's vote march

Along with many thousands of other people, we made our way to London, and strolled from Hyde Park (Norfolk for Europe congregated at the 7th July Memorial) towards Parliament.  There's a collage of other images in extras.

We didn't get there.  After a brief interlude, when we had to find a local pub and a long queue for the toilets (during which time, W was accosted by a man who told him that if he truly believed in what he was marching for, he would be out there marching, not in the pub getting drunk!) we ended up watching the speeches on a large screen at the junction of Pall Mall and Haymarket.  We then dropped out, had a leisurely coffee, and a Thai meal, before walking the rest of the way to Parliament Square long after everyone else had left.  We still had time to kill before our booked train home, so we then walked along the Embankment (the South African in W still has moments of disbelief that one can safely walk through the streets of a large city at night) and up to Liverpool Street.  My final steps tally for the day was nearly 20,000, and I was shattered by the time we got home.

I'm not sure I can say we enjoyed the march.  ArcLight messaged me at one point, and she was saying how inspired she feels when surrounded by like-minded people.  I actually seem to be surrounded by such like minded people all the time - I can only think of 2 people in my circle of friends and acquaintances that are "Leavers".  So going on the march doesn't have that much effect on me.  I feel we had to contribute to the ongoing efforts to prevent Brexit.  I feel so strongly that the economic and social effects will be so terrible.  They probably won't impact much on me nor even on many of the other marchers.  The people they will impact most heavily on are the disadvantaged, who often cannot see this, nor are they in a position to do much about it if they do.  It has sparked a strongly militant mood in me, and we had a wide ranging discussion about what to do next.

If there is the need for a further march, I will attend.  But I also feel I need to get out into the streets and try to change a few people's minds.  I acknowledge that most people who voted Leave are quite fixed in their beliefs - the two in my own circle are not open to any arguments to the contrary.  All around me are saying that it's a waste of time, but even if I only change one mind in 200 (or even 500), that has to be worth doing, doesn't it?  What else can I personally do?