London Scenes

Two items lifted from the comments: 

When the public have to do what the police apparently won’t.

Our betters at large.

Imagine being so self-absorbed and self-flattering, so untroubled by normal boundaries, that you don’t anticipate how your own disruptive behaviour will tend to be viewed by the wider public - the people on whom your behaviour is being inflicted. A wider public that for the most part can’t afford to spend days on end indulging in Student Union theatrics.

Update: 

In the comments over at Samizdata, Mike Solent adds, 

This is an interesting example of public order being served by the absence of the police rather than its presence.

Well, yes. Quite. 

Update 2:

Know your place.

Comments

[David]

If Extinction Rebellion think “physical action” is allowed for them, why the hell shouldn’t physical action also be permitted to ordinary people?

Natalie Solent, over at Samizdata.

[Burnsie]

Ya gotta admit, "Extinction Rebellion" sounds a whole lot cooler than "Cluster B Collective."

[David]

Or, “Ludicrous doomsday cult finds proletariat not entirely sympathetic.”

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Surely they'd come off at the first tunnel?

Harsh, harsh, but fair.

Christian Blake
‏
@MrChrisBlake
3h3 hours ago

Unbelievable. Truly horrible... Someone shouted “Get *him* down!” without first checking his Pronouns. I’m surprised the Police weren’t immediately on the scene.

Mr. Blake does have a point.

[pst314]

This is an interesting example of public order being served by the absence of the police rather than its presence.

Would I be excessively cynical if I were to speculate that we are in general more likely to see public order being promptly served by the absence than the presence of police? I suspect that if the commuters waited for the police to deal with the extinction crazies they would wait a long time while the police (1) took a long time to arrive and (2) spent a long time engaging in Negotiation Theater.

[Angus]

The police were probably too busy monitoring Twitter for wrong thought to do anything about these protesters.

[Yet another lurker]

OK, let me put it this way, I'm considerably further to the left than most people here (i.e. I'm a pretty centrist, vaguely social-democratic type), I think human activity can and does have an impact on climate and I think this is fucking hilarious.

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Imagine thinking it's a good idea to stop Millwall fans from going to work.
I mean. Well. You know.

[David]

I’m considerably further to the left than most people here…

[ Summons henchlesbians. ]

[Sam]

I dunno.

I hate to piss in the Cheerios but are we really that tickled by people reacting...normally? Come to think of it: yes. In the Stupid Timeline, one takes what one gets I suppose.

[Sam]

"Cluster B Collective"

Makes a cracking space jazz band name though.

[Darleen]

I'm considerably further to the left than most people here (i.e. I'm a pretty centrist, vaguely social-democratic type)

Interesting.

[Boatswain's Mate]

Reading the comments over at Samizdata, I too am curious about the origin of "Tarquin" being used as an epithet against these middle-class, overly educated, insufferably hipster, woke metrosexual dandies. (Yes, I am well familiar with MP's "Election Night Special" sketch, the first time I'd ever heard the word "Tarquin," saying "that's not a real name," and assuming they'd just made it up.)

I'd love to be able to use that over here, but folk would just give me that slightly confused, "what-the-hell" look (that I get everyday already).

[Kevin]

Let me know when someone cuts the water, electricity, LP gas, and chains the gates shut at Nancy Pelosi's 5000 acre estate in Shit-Fransisco (not HER street though...).
When, if she wants groceries, no one will drive her to get them, or get them for her. Maybe for $15,000 an hour, but otherwise no. Let me know.

Let me know when Killadelphia stops reelecting any of the people who made it that way.
Let me know when a Democrat fails to get elected in Chi-raq/Murder City.
Let me know when Bodymore/Murdaland gives Cummings the boot.

They have the Holy Officers of the Woke Inquisition, the Church of Woke, antifa, the press, CIA, FBI, NSA, Google, Facebook, CNN, NYT, armed security that you pay for, private jets that you pay for, police that you pay for. They command the construction of billion and trillion dollar palaces for their personal use, that you pay for (what did you think Parliament Hill in Canada was? are marble and limestone REALLY necessary for government to function?).

[David]

And breathe.

[Gerard vanderleun]

MAKES ONE long for the old days when one could shoot skeet in the Tube.

[Sam]

...being used as an epithet against these middle-class...

OT: This has been a bee in my bonnet since following British politics. Since there seems to be a good mix of Anglosphere residents here I'd appreciate some help translating a few British things to their American counterparts (below are my best guesses):

BRITISH : AMERICAN
Liberal : Right-Of-Center
Labor : Democrat
Conservative : Moderate Democrat

The Poor : Poor People
??? : "Average Joe" *Does anyone even say "Low/Lower-Class"?
Middle-Class : Rich Assholes
Upper-Class : Cool Rich People
Posh : Good-Looking Rich Assholes

"Average Joe" : ???
Rich Assholes : Upper-Class
Rich British People : Posh

Welfare State : Social Safety Net
Austerity : Business As Usual
Marmite : Spam

The neverending references to "class" is what throws me the most. In the states "class" either refers to a certain stylish, confident attitude and look or to your household income bracket. Not so much to a certain set of beliefs or, according to the accurately representative Mr. Doolittle, a distinct morality.

[WTP]

Let me know when Bodymore/Murdaland gives Cummings the boot.

Well Murderland didn't, but time apparently has. I'm sure another just like him is prepared to step into the role.

https://www.fox5dc.com/video/615878

[Uma Thurmond's Feet]

"I think human activity can and does have an impact on climate and I think this is fucking hilarious."

I confess that if it was anyone on the right I would still think this is hilarious.

But then, I'm thoroughly bourgeois. All in favor of free speech and protest, but if you have to make your point by making other people miserable, you've lost the argument.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

I too am curious about the origin of "Tarquin" being used as an epithet against these middle-class, overly educated, insufferably hipster, woke metrosexual dandies.

The things that make you go digging through the innerwebs, I too never having heard the term before today, and assumed it was a made up Python name.

Pythons aside, it seems there was a Woeman Epewew with the wisible name of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus from whom all this stems. It appears Laurence Olivier named one of his kids Tarquin, whether he was an upper class twit is unknown. Evidently there is a Tarquin character in a couple of Anne Rice vampire books, and a Brit journalist who was rarely in the UK, so I am thinking they are out. The Hon. Tarquin Cleath-Stuart from the "Shopaholic" things (maybe by the name), a Shakespeare character, and a chamber opera also appear. OTOH, there is a Tarquin St. Maur whose "...pile is in Norfolk, quite near Sandringham..." in a book by some Wallis Simpson person purporting to be a duchess or something, who would likely have fit the bill.

Regardless, who knew there were so many damn Tarquins ?

As far as using it over here goes, no time like the present to introduce it.

Marmite : Spam

No, Spam is edible; Marmite:Bearing grease.

[David]

Marmite:Bearing grease.

You go too far, sir. Prepare my galleon!

[Zombie Dodge]

I feel like there's a direct line from this kind of thing to Brexit.

[Nicholas]

Stunts like the XR folks are pulling depend on being performed around and among civilized people who respond to provocation with restraint and caution. But even over-civilized people have a limit beyond which it isn't safe to push. Between the antics of the remainiacs, the loud and inconsistent demands of the politically correct, the gender war battles, and now the climate "rebels", the veneer of civilization has been sanded down to microscopic thickness and stupidity like XR's latest suite of brainstorms appears to have finally broken through.

I expect a lot more of this unless the protests voluntarily scale well back.

[ns]

You've got a galleon of bear grease? That's what, 3.785L? No, wait, 4.546L, as it would be an imperial galleon? Is this another bar snack?

[ComputerLabRat]

I thought Marmite was the British version of the Aussie (Oz?) Vegemite, and both are some kind of salty, dark-colored, savory spread, of which you put a thin scraping on toast? But I confess my knowledge of most things British is mainly gleaned from this blog, reading British murder mysteries, and online streaming of old BBC radio shows.

More on topic: I was reading - the Daily Mail? - article on this incident and one of the extinction idiots was saying they chose 7AM to protest at the public transport because they wanted to disrupt business as usual, and not at 5PM when people just want to get home. The out-of-touch assholes completely forgot all the night shift people who would be using the trains at 7AM to just get home. They really have no concept of the world outside their comfy, lefty, bubble, do they.

[Captain Nemo]

You go too far, sir. Prepare my galleon!

That is indeed an outrage. I shall accompany you in the Nautilus. Now where the devil did I leave those torpedoes?

[Lemmi]

Maybe the Alexander the Great solution to the Gordion Knot could have been employed.

[Daniel Ream]

The neverending references to "class" is what throws me the most. In the states "class" either refers to a certain stylish, confident attitude and look or to your household income bracket. Not so much to a certain set of beliefs or, according to the accurately representative Mr. Doolittle, a distinct morality.

class: race.

The American view of race is that it's an immutable biological trait that determines personality traits and morality. The same is true of the British view of social class.

[Daniel Ream]

I see they've started gluing themselves to the trains now, which seems like a good idea - they can't be removed without doing them injury - but I suspect it won't be long before someone looks them in the eye and says "skin grows back" and proceeds to yank.

[Governor Squid]

Would I be excessively cynical if I were to speculate that we are in general more likely to see public order being promptly served by the absence than the presence of police?

I'm truly curious about which path we are going to walk down. If the police make themselves conspicuously absent, allowing us to sort these idiots out on our own terms, I believe it would work out very well for most of us. A bit messy at times, but given how poorly our "professional" police seem to do these days, I'm not sure the level of injustice or unnecessary bodily harm would actually be that much worse.

I don't think it's likely to happen, though, since the authorities get profoundly uncomfortable any time they see people taking care of business on their own terms. Heavens forfend that we should come to the realization that we don't really need them to look after us, non?

So if the police find themselves obligated to show up, what then? Do they perform their duties as the taxpayers understand, and drag away the idiots, or do they perform as their overlords demand, and come down hard on any of us who dare to take matters into our own hands?

If the former, they risk the wrath of the political class, and the potential loss of their livelihood. If the latter, they risk the wrath of ordinary people, and the potential loss of the consent of the governed.

I fear we live in interesting times.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

The American view of race is that it's an immutable biological trait that determines personality traits and morality.

The American left's (and the couple of remaining genuine Klan type's) view of race. Normal people generally don't give a damn.

[Oswald Thake]

"Lars Porsena of Clusium
By the Nine Gods he swore
That the Great House of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.
By the Nine Gods he swore it
And named a Trysting Day
And bade his Messengers ride forth
East and West and South and North
To summon his Array."

Does no one read Macaulay any more?

[Sam]

class: race

Seems reasonable, but why is middle-class a pejorative? I have my own theory (serfs buying into the anti-entrepreneurial rhetoric from the royalty) but its usage surprises me given [current year] egalitarian "everyone is average" thinking.

It's especially strange when compared to the American usage of middle-class, who are constantly being "gutted" and "hollowed out" and on whom tax burdens will disproportionately fall etc etc.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Does no one read Macaulay any more?

Did anyone ever ?

Regardless, that still doesn't explain how the slang meaning came to be.

Scene: A pub in London, some of the types from the video throwing few pints down their necks...

"Oi, these exhibitionist rebellion types really remind me of them old Roman kings."

        "Which ones ?"

"You know, the Tarquins."

        "Right you are, we should call them and all the toffs that."

"Tarquins it is, then."

Fade to black, and cut.

[Pst314]

“Seems reasonable, but why is middle-class a pejorative?”

Marxism.

[Baceseras]

I, too, was reading, if you can call it that, the Daily Mail article about the top-of-train guy, and I choked on the bit where a Chief Constable said the protester would be dealt with "robustly" because -- this is the choking part -- disrupting London trains isn't in line with the principles of Extinction Rebellion. The hell's that supposed to mean? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7582765/Extinction-Rebellion-protesters-cause-misery-morning-commuters-converge-Canning-Town.html

[Daniel Ream]

Marxism

No, predates that. Yanks[1] have trouble understanding how far back history goes in other parts of the world; there are farm cottages in Britain older than your entire country.

For most of human history, there have been two social classes: the 1% filthy, stinking rich aristocratic elite, and everyone else being dungfoot peasants. And like I said, outside of the New World class has historically been considered an immutable biological and heritable trait - during the medieval era your social class, your position in the social order was considered ordained by God and attempting to leave it against His will.

Those attitudes die hard. The growth of the middle class comes from the peasantry elevating themselves to it. That's against God's will and threatens the economic control of the aristocracy over society.

[1] And Canucks, too, lest you think I'm being unfair

[LW]

I think if I'd been in the crowd when the female glued herself to the door, I'd start encouraging people to push the crowd *that* way. Then people on *that* side would push back *this* way. After a couple of dozen people tripped and stumbled and fell on the female, she might decide that losing a little skin was preferable.

[JuliaM]

I cheered when I saw this. Best Tweet ever!

[Hal]

Marxism

No, predates that. Yanks[1] have trouble understanding how far back history goes in other parts of the world; there are farm cottages in Britain older than your entire country.

David Cannadine; The Rise And Fall Of Class In Britain.

"How, across a long time span and from a broad geographical perspective, can we recover the ways in which Britons saw and understood the manifestly unequal society in which they lived? For a suggestive answer, we might usefully turn to Montpellier in 1768, when a bourgeois citizen set out to "put his world in order" by describing the social structure of his town.

He concluded that there was no single comprehensive or authoritative way in which this could be done. Instead, he offered three very different yet equally plausible accounts of the same contemporary ,social world. The first was Montpellier as a procession: as a hierarchy on parade, a carefully graded ordering of rank and dignity, in which each layer melded and merged almost imperceptibly into the next. The second was Montpellier divided into three collective categories of modified estates: the nobility, the bourgeoisie, and the common people. And the third was a more basic division: between those who were patricians and those who were plebeians. Clearly, these were very different ways of characterizing and categorizing the same population. The first stressed the prestige ranking of individuals and the integrated nature of Montpellier society. The second placed people in discrete collective groups that owed more to wealth and occupation and gave particular attention to the bourgeoisie. And the third emphasized the adversarial nature of the social order by drawing one great divide on the basis of culture, style of life, and politics.

Thus Montpellier in 1768, and thus Britain during the last three hundred years.

. . . . and, basically everywhere else in some form or another, as that's what humans do.

[Sam]

Does no one read Macaulay any more?

Probably not considering he's not done much since the Home Alone movies.

[Sam]

That's against God's will and threatens the economic control of the aristocracy

My American theory about the British has been confirmed by a Canadian. That's peer-reviewed science now so anyone who disagrees is racist.

[Bill de Haan]

"skin grows back" and proceeds to yank

As any Canadian male child who's lived through a winter in fourth grade can attest, it does.

The favourite recess game was "freeze the other kid's bare skin to the metal street sign/door handle/dumpster before the recess bell rings" may or may not still be played nowadays, but when I was a youngling, it was a right of passage to lose all the skin on the palm of one hand and/or your backside, depending on how popular you were with the other kids.

[[+]]

Canning Town Station. They choose poorly.

[Richard]

The American view of race is that it's an immutable biological trait that determines personality traits and morality.

Prior to Mr. Obama's elevation, hardly anyone in the US cared about skin color. There were two sexes and we mostly didn't care which one you were. "Gender" and "sex" meant the same thing.

Americans are tolerant. After all, we let Bill be president, you can't get much more tolerant than that. We will elect a woman to be president, but not that woman. We elected a non-white guy to be president and we will do so again. Hell! we elected Trump and that turned out better than we had any right to expect.

Although you would never know it from reading our media, most of us still don't care about "race" but the schism between the "liberal" and "conservative" political positions is becoming important. In the 60s, Jack and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated. In the '70s there were regular bombings. Protests were huge and very violent - think about Chicago in '68 and many others. During that time, one side was really upset but the other side was mostly keeping their cool. It is difficult to remain calm in the face of the attacks and insults and disrespect.

[Mel]

Canning Town Station. They choose poorly.

From the the Samizdata comments, a similar story.

“We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs,” one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”

[David]

They choose poorly.

I believe the phrase is not reading the room.

[Megaera]

So, would it be an inappropriate response to XR's tactics to simply give them a bit more of what they apparently want? IF they want superglue, then start dumping industrial quantities of superglue on them while they're self-immobilized -- glue them good and proper to the ground, to their own clothes and accouterments, to each other, and to their own extremities. Sort of the Tarbaby approach. Then let them deal with the consequences.

Just sayin'.

[Mark]

And one more reason to never visit the capital.

[Adam]

Hyacinth Bucket’s (pronounced “boo-kay”) son, Sheridan, has a roommate at University named Tarquin.

[pst314]

“I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”

Hilarious.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

More people getting fed up with their horsecrap, evidently in Canada, though not Edmonton where, despite a good start by a normal pitching some of their junk off a bridge, they were protected by the police.

"We don't want to be here either". Bullshit, you are loving the attention and screwing people over.

[lotocoti]

Marmite: Vegemite for girls.

[bilbaoboy]

Marmite’s role in medicine

For all you heathens
https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=2132

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Marmite’s role in medicine

Nonsense, she was a bought and paid for shill of Big Yeast™, everyone knows that.

[pst314]

Marmite’s role in medicine

Euthanasia?

[WTP]

they were protected by the police.

Seriously Canada, WTLF? Why didn't someone AT THE VERY LEAST grab that stupid pink canoe and toss it out of the way? Not to mention that these stupid clowns look like they were all linked together thru those stupid air ducts or wtf are on their arms, thus two or three people could have grabbed two stupid protesters each by their stupid hoodies and dragged their stupid asses out of the way. Y'all deserve what you're gonna get IMNSHO.

Stupid, stupid Canada.

[Aus Autarch]

On the Tarquin issue, maybe not closely related but certainly adjacent, There was a cartoon strip, The Modern Parents by Viz. TMP included a Tarquin who was the beleaguered offspring of what would today be recognised as the wokest of the woke set.

David, have at it: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1kns9vgea/

[Henry]

The police were urgently educating us about "pronouns day", so had to give up their subsidiary task of keeping order

https://twitter.com/DouglasKMurray/status/1184767820028141570

[WTP]

From Henry's Twitter link...

As an English teacher, I never expected my use of pronouns to be policed. When will will they come for the adjectives? And the verbs?

First they came for the pronouns, but I did not speak up because I was not a pronoun...No, wait a minute...

[Tom]

I see they've started gluing themselves to the trains now, which seems like a good idea - they can't be removed without doing them injury - but I suspect it won't be long before someone looks them in the eye and says "skin grows back" and proceeds to yank.

If only they'd glue themselves to helicopters it would make it so much easier.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[MC]

they were protected by the police

I don't know how generally it is the case in Canadia, but in the UK Plod has made it abundantly clear whose side he's on and it is not the poor sods who can't get to work because of the Marxist eco-loons. As Henry's link demonstrates...

For anyone confused by matters of class in the UK, middle-class can be both descriptive and pejorative. I certainly qualify as middle-class but have berated the XR enviro-mentalists for indulging their (probably upper) middle-class, consequence-free psychodrama.

[Warren Klaus]

Their extinction is a laudable goal !