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about

All my adult life I seem to have been protesting against those in power. When I look back on marches and demos that I took part in as a teenager, I know that there are many others who also took part but who became disillusioned with years of seemingly fruitless struggle and who fell away.
I can’t blame them. There are times when things can become very disheartening. February 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq, was one of those times when I thought that we had such strength in numbers that the authorities just couldn’t ignore it. A coordinated day of protests against a military invasion took place in more than 600 cities across the world. I was at the one in London, which was vast. Conservative estimates were that about a million people were there – the largest march in UK history.
Yet the politicians took no notice, and took us into a war without popular support, and with little realistic planning for the aftermath. More than a decade later we are still dealing with the resulting instability in the region and people are still being killed.
It may be depressing when mass protests like those in 2003 are seemingly ignored, but that doesn’t mean that they have no value. They bring people together in opposition – introduce you to many others who feel the same anger that you do, and make you feel that you’re not alone. It isn’t just the victories that matter – it’s the journey with like-minded people and the knowledge that politicians know that they’re being critically scrutinised by many people who refuse to stay silent.

lyrics

I still remember when we first gathered here - one cold December, in some long forgotten year. Our hearts were on our sleeve. Some said we were naive. The world seemed black and white, and we knew that we were right. It was plain for us to see the common enemy. I still recall the day we marched along. It was one for all - a half a million strong. The city had to stop. We felt we were on top - with so many onboard how could we be ignored? We demanded to be heard, but they didn’t heed a word. And I understand when some people lose heart, but no-one said this would be easy from the start. I understand when some feel let down, betrayed, or even cheated, but just because we’ve lost some battles doesn’t mean we are defeated. I still believe that if we don’t just take, but give, then we can achieve a better world in which to live. Yes, I know that time’s moved on, and opportunities have gone, but new ones still arise if we just open our eyes. I’m not ready to give in and let the cynics win.

credits

from The Storm Before The Calm, released May 3, 2016

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