Return of the students

Yes, they're back in London - and at a number of other places around England as well (Birmingham and Leeds confirmed so far, though apparently not very many turned up at the latter location).

Although the nasty side of the event has been less severe this time, at least so far, this is probably down to increased policing levels, lessons having been learnt after the first such event a couple of weeks ago. As Guido writes: "There are a lot more coppers this time".

A police van "has been attacked", according to news sources, but that seems to be the extent of the bad stuff at this early stage. There are several hours to go yet...

Of  course, the message is the same as last time, an nothing has changed materially on either side of the dispute over tuition fees. As always, the protesters are in reality merely pawns in the political game that their leaders and organisers are playing - but I've covered this before and it's obvious enough to anyone with a fully functioning brain anyway.

Although I was still fairly young and inexperienced when we saw the same sort of activity a couple of decades ago, my brain worked almost as well back then as it does now and I was never fooled by any of it, not once! It remains a poor advertisement for the university students of this country that they behave in the manner they did at 30 Millbank only recently, and they are so gullible as to protest now, but didn't when the previous government created the situation the nation is in today that necessitates these changes?

Were/are they simply too dim to realise where the problem originates and are so easily led by the nose now that they can't see these protests for what they really are? If that is so (and it looks very much like it) then it doesn't bode well for the future of our country if these are supposed to be the brightest young people we have! The Man in a Shed has it well sussed out as usual.

Meanwhile, the fire extinguisher thrower from last time faces the possibility of being jailed for five years, after pleading guilty to the charge of throwing the extinguisher at police from the roof of 30 Millbank. His sentencing will follow within the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Fifteen of the protesters have been arrested, though as yet I have no details of who or for what specific reasons/charges. It appears that a fire was started near the Cenotaph in Whitehall, and a bus stop near the Strand has also been set on fire (though it could be the same one, as the Cenotaph isn't far from the Strand), so this activity could be at least one of the reasons for the arrests.