On Friday, 19 December, three people, with tickets for an audio tour, rushed the sovereign throne in the House of Lords. I was one of those people, and this is the first action I have taken part in.
I can hear the protestations already. ‘It’s immature, there are official and practical routes to take if you want to push for political change, stop attention seeking.’
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. And I call bullshit.
It’s so easy to diminish others for taking an action that is, by design, clearly inconvenient, disruptive and often a bit confusing. But I would argue that, too, is by design courtesy of the establishment and the super-rich that lord over us in all their pompous superiority and privilege.
I have already tried and tested the official routes; I first stood as a Green Party candidate, followed by a swift change to being Independent. I did this with the firm belief that we need to root and embed politics back into our communities, and I saw first-hand the difference it can make.
I’ve organised peoples assemblies and public meetings for Your Party. We have seen people talking to each other again, and actually listening to each other, rather than shutting each other down. Progress in our communities is being made; but now we need to go big or go home.
They stopped caring about us ages ago
It’s no wonder society is neglected and crumbling into the abyss when ordinary people have become disenfranchised from the system that is there supposedly to work for them. Time and time again we see policy decisions made which target the vulnerable, and protect the profits of the richest. Profits made from our pockets and decreasing living standards.
This is proven by stagnating wages, costs ever-surging, whilst the wealthiest ‘coincidentally’ see a 1000% increase in the same period.
Eat the Rich (and the House of Lords)
We have to face facts. Our democratic system, along with the client media and billionaire press, are not there to give us an equal chance. We don’t have an official, legitimate and recognised means of having a say in the way our country operates.
Again, by design, because it is not built for us; it’s built for us to put privileged, connected, often parachuted, candidates into Parliament for a continuation of the strangle-hold on ordinary, hard working families across our country.
“They must be really good at what they do”, chime those whipped by the far-right. No, mate. We are all really good at what we each do. We are just massively exploited for the profits of the rich in every aspect of our lives. Whether its wages, greed-inflation, degradation of the health of our nation, our rivers, our communities – we have all had to tighten our belts and plough on.
All except one small minority in the UK.
That is why I chose to take part in the action. It wasn’t violent, it caused no damage and it disrupted nothing, other than a few tour groups. We simply planned to sit in the sovereign chair, hold a banner saying ‘Replace the Lords’ and ‘The Peoples Charter’, whilst announcing the demands set by the first delegates of the House of the People convened earlier this year.
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Horrific, right?
Frankly, given they sell Suffragette themed souvenirs in their giftshop, surely seeing some non-violent direct action first-hand should have been quite an educational experience.
Pomp and pageantry isn’t our tradition; its theirs.
The true tradition of the people is to protest and disrupt the powers that be, demanding to be afforded the rights we deserve. It is also one of the strongest ways to make wider society start to think about other alternatives, whilst exposing the absolute ridiculousness of the obscene wealth inequality in the Lord’s chamber.
The fact that it is so offensive, and potentially criminal, for an ordinary person to step out of bounds in this chamber and dare to approach the sovereign chair should disgust us all.
The time is now – and it starts with the House of Lords
This is how progress begins, by changing the rules, not waiting for permission to speak.
By introducing new ideas and concepts, we can get the nation thinking about what could be, so we can actually achieve greater things together. The establishment doesn’t want cohesion, hence it is sowing division. So by getting our communities back together, we can defeat the real enemies we all face. Pretty win-win, if you ask me.
As Rayal, one of the protesters, aptly put it:
I acted today to ensure that I am able to show my peers that the people are the true power, and that its up to us to take action against the false powers that attempt to control us.
Just like the protesters of today’s age, the angry and impassioned Suffragettes weren’t favourites in the eyes of the majority of people in their time, who just wanted a quiet life and to get on with it.
But imagine where would we be, today, if those brave women hadn’t bloody well just got on with it, regardless.
Join the call with Assemble and the House of the People, and kick the lords out, to put the people in.
Featured image via the Canary
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