A few weeks ago, I was standing on Park Lane with the knight in muddy armour, waiting for a bus. Suddenly, a police convoy zoomed into view, surrounding a very swanky Bentley. The sirens were blazing and everyone who was assembled at our bus stop turned to look. Suddenly, the knight raised his right hand, made a downward thumb, and loudly shouted 'Boooo!' in the general direction of the vehicles. I giggled. 'Who are you booing at?' I asked. 'Whoever's in that car,' he replied.
I had heard of this general distrust of officials, and could argue it logically, but I hadn't witnessed it in a peer before, and it struck me. Today, there's a general sense of anarchy in London due, of course, to the forthcoming G20 talks. Obama has landed in Air Force 1, his $300,000 Cadillac is here, containing sachets of his own blood should there be an emergency; he has an entourage of 500 including a team of medics and chefs from the White House. Boots in Moorgate will be closed tomorrow, as well as who knows how many other distracting emporia. There are demonstrations aplenty afoot, against the war, against the handling of the financial crisis, against the situation with rights for foreign workers vs. British nationals and against the handling of climate change, among other issues. And here's me, working at a bank, for god's sake, being told to come to work in casual clothes so as not to look like a target. And all I want to do is stick my right hand out, make a downward thumb, and shout 'Boooo!' at myself.
It will all be over before long. But I hope the anarchist in myself won't be latent forever.
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