The annual Handel’s Messiah concert at St Paul’s Cathedral had a somewhat more edgy vibe this year. Tent City turned out to be a much shabbier type of encampment than I’d envisaged from the press. In the twenty minutes that I waited outside the cathedral, being blasted by the icy wind, I saw only one bonafide tent resident. He was visiting a portaloo, next to which a rather cool easy rider style motorcycle was illegally parked. The protester had spiky black hair – it looked like a wig.
I also saw what appeared to be a moving tent, though that turned out to be a disheveled tramp lady, shuffling slowly through the midst of the makeshift settlement, her body bent at ninety degrees to her legs. The info tent, into which I briefly poked my head, had the feel of a tarot reading stall at a mind, body and spirit fair. There were posters taped haphazardly to neighbouring posts and pillars, workmen’s cones strewn across the pavement – in fact the whole place was generally in a mess.
St Paul’s Mission Statement says:
In the 21st century we present a place of refreshment and encounter in which Church, City and nation meet to celebrate a common history and discern the kingdom of God within the new horizons of an International metropolis… Using our diverse skills we cherish for future generations the inheritance of worship, scholarship, teaching, music making, art and architectural craft… We welcome all who visit this House of God.
I’m of the opinion that everyone should be able to express their views, beliefs and natural talents, but whatever happened to grace, gravitas and good manners? Why are we allowing (and indeed paying for) people to deface our national monuments, public spaces and commercial property in this anarchic and unsightly way?
Thanks for the roving report susan! poor old Church of England, tying itself up in ever tighter knots trying to appease everybody
I passed by for the first time on Thursday. Encampment is too strong a word for what struck me as a pretty disconsolate affair and by now a whiffy one too. I noticed a tent offering a new universal theory to replace capitalism and Marxism called Prout. A solitary Proutist sat inside while a freezing wind blew his tent around. Not much fun at all. I did meet one chap who was trying to interest passers-by in tricks with sticks but his juggling act was not appreciated. He said he’d come up from Cornwall for the protest but was now so disillusioned with Londoners that he intended to return to Cornwall as soon as funds allowed, which clearly might be some way off as there was about 30p in the hat. It’s hardly the Lords of Misrule on top form one might have been hoping for. Thanks for all your pictures. I wish I’d taken some.
While the tent city might not exactly be spotless, I for one would rather see some temporary physical untidiness if it goes some way to stemming the moral rot which encompasses the City. What happened to grace, gravitas and good manners? Ask the bankers who have warped our economy, democracy and national discourse, and try to think a little wider than a few tents in a forecourt.
Yes Mark, the protest does seem a little half hearted now, but James, I can’t see how any protest (or untidiness) is going to to help ‘stem the moral rot.’ The problem is one we’re all now in – and it’s mainly down to straightforward incompetence and, I suppose, a fair amount of greed. The Labour Party borrowed too much and allowed a relaxation of regulatory requirements, credit agencies overlooked the level of borrowing, investors also over-extended themselves and bankers made huge bonuses on the back of deals, which in the past simply wouldn’t have been permissible. It’s a case of systemic financial failure, for which we must all now make amends. If the bankers don’t already know this, they soon will… with or without the protesters.
There are Occupy copycats outside Bristol Cathedral and also in Queen’s Square in Bath. I’ve no idea what the campers think these places have to do with bankers, nor when it was that ‘protesting’ turned into ruining green public spaces. Bunch of self-important selfish fools, I’ve lost patience with them.
Watching the infuriating tale of the rise and fall of Fred Goodwin’s RBS on TV the other night left me wondering why more bankers aren’t in prison – or at least why some former ones are still receiving pensions running luxuriantly into six figures.
However, appropriating public space in the way Susan describes seems a strange way to highlight the unfairness of bankers appropriating public money. Who is being most affected by this occupation? Traders at global investment banks or tourists, churchgoers and local workers? I suppose one could argue it’s raising awareness amongst the latter. But, quite apart from it being another form of appropriation, I don’t see how this spectacle is going to persuade the vast majority of citizens of the need to elect politicians who will reform the financial system (for legislation and regulation are really the only ways this will happen).
My guess is that well-told documentaries on the likes of Fred Goodwin are worth an awful lot more than setting up encampments to monopolise bits of the inner city. There’s also no danger of them stopping you eating your sandwiches in your usual lunchtime patch of green space.
Spies tell me that there are plans for Occupy camps in Portsmouth and Tunbridge Wells. Come again? Yes, Tunbridge Wells.
As the home of that well-known firebrand ‘Disgusted’, Tunbridge Wells has a strong history of sedition. Wonder if disgusted will show up to lend their support?
One can only hope that Disgusted takes his or her responsibilities seriously on this occasion.
Brit- There is no such thing as ‘occupation copycats’ since the Occupy movement is global movement, not a site specific one. We know day that long protest marches generally don’t work. Sociologists and political analysts have pointed to the need for long-term, stationary and more creative forms of protest.
As for using public space- unfortunately there aren’t really any truly public spaces in London (at least not that I know of) since most of London’s seemingly publice spaces are ovwned by the City of London (a non-transparent, non-accountable, profit-making company) or Moore London (ditto). I am happy to see people using public squares (which were traditionally places for the towns peopls to assemble and discuss/debate in the first place) in creative, meaningful ways. Whether a political movement looks tidy or untidy is far down the list of importance for me (although the appearance of Tent City at St. Paul’s does not offend me anyway). Sometimes like the author of the article I’ve been to the camp and its seemed to be desolate, lonely, lifeless. But on many more occasions I have been and witnessed lively seemingly endless general assemblies taking place with between one and two hundred people before the speaker’s stand engrossed or itching to have their turn. I’ve been to packed talks and workshops on all kinds of sujects from alternative sorts of economy to dealing with forms of economic corruption, to environmental issues, restructuring society and the poetry of William Blake (I look forward to a discussion on William Morris tomorrow).
People assembling and discussing, sharing and connecting openly on Britian’s streets (as oppose to within the space of an institutional, souless room with a pale grey carpet, having paid a couple of hundred pounds for this privilege) fills me with hope and I look forward more and more out in the open, non-instutionalised, free and organic ongoing assemblage of Britain’s people (as well as the world’s) in the times ahead. Perhaps its not such a bad time to inhabit this earth after all.
What about the rights of people who want to enjoy St Pauls, Bristol Cathedral and Queen’s Square without having to negotiate campsites or listen to political rants?
Agree. Let’s not pretend that the tent city at St. Paul’s is something it isn’t. I walked through there and was harassed by a drunk, bull terrier owning low life who insisted on reciting ‘poetry’ to me and then – with a hint of menace – asked me to give him some money. It was neither creative or meaningful. I’m also livid about the behaviour of the banks but this is an irrelevant, distracting side show.
We – the non-Occupiers – are, after all, the 99%.
I think the occupations are marvellous, anything that gets up the noses of so many fuddy duddys is to be applauded!
Nice to see ‘fuddy duddy’ still in use!
I’m not pretending its something it isn’t- the things I mentioned are genuinely happening. Have you even looked at the Tent University timetable? There’s been fantastic things on, please note that there is much less on this week’s timetable than usual due to christmas coming up. And of course there will be a few people there who you don’t consider to be of your own calibre but that’s just the world we live in- a very diverse one! The more time I spent *actually* talking to people who may at first appear strange or wayward the more I learn about what these people have experienced and the journeys that they have been on. I don’t like people who are in your face either, not being like that myself but I wouldn’t judge someone for this without knowing what they’ve come through.
Few object to like-minded people gathering to protest, discuss, debate or pontificate leftishly. Nor indeed to cook large vegan curries in tureens and write earnest manifestos. There are community centres and colleges and church halls and pubs all over the place for that sort of thing. My objection is very specific: the selfish occupation of a public space.