Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Rejoice! The Squat Has Ended


Oh dear, I seem to have upset some people on Twitter this morning. Hey ho. I can't see why. What part of what I wrote can be disputed? They have indeed been evicted. And the fact that the whole site stinks of urine and faeces indicates the people who squatted their had issues regarding personal hygiene. And I hardly think the word layabout is going over the top to describe them. What else should I have called them? Fine, upstanding members of society? I think not.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. This is not, as someone said "a sad day for democracy". It is the day when the silent majority fought back and said "enough".

Well done to Boris for carrying through on his promise.

24 comments:

Curbishly said...

And the fact that the whole site stinks of urine and faeces

If I allowed my dog to poo, and to leave it there, on an urban open space I would rightfully be prosecuted.

Are there environmental laws that these layabouts can be prosecuted under?

Plato said...

It smelt of human waste? URGH!!!

My neighbour down the lane has an inadequate cess pit and it smells appalling as it overflows into a field.

For that to be happening in Parliament Sq is revolting.

Good on Boris for removing this clump of protesters - there seems to be random selection of Swampy types plus Mr Hawes.

Dr Johnson said...

I agree with your sentiment, although I would not have used the same language ("The silent majority has spoken". Not many people are brave enough to quote Nixon these days!)

A protest is a noble activity. Spoiling one of the finest squares in Europe, for Londoner and tourist alike, is not.

I'm glad they protested and I'm glad they have gone.

Unsworth said...

Well there are two sources for the smell - one being the Square and the other being the Augean Stables next to it. I wonder if or when Parliament can be rid of its unsavoury incumbents.

Urine and faeces? Fine upstanding members of society? It's sometimes very difficult to distinguish between the two groups.

Still, if Boris has managed to get the place tidied up a bit that is no bad thing. I just hope he can extend this laudable activity to so many other parts of central London. And, on balance, the squatters probably cost rather less than those in the Commons and the Lords.

MikeyP said...

There more people who are upset by the removal of these layabouts, the better. By them doing so, we can see who the real enemy are!

Bob Piper said...

Never mind all this irrelevant claptrap... where is the Fantasy Football League I want to know?

Iain Dale said...

Bob, fear not. I shall be launching it at the end of the month!

Chi said...

From the BBC:

Some protesters have promised a wave of further demonstrations, dubbing the campaign "Operation Rolling Thunder".

They really are incredibly up themselves, aren't they?

PreetsV said...

Am slightly shocked and horrified at the number of ignoramuses upset at your tweet...so it's OK for a bunch of layabouts to damage, deface and destroy our seat of parliament?! Eejats! Well done BoJo

Dioclese said...

Actually, are you not depriving them of the right to peaceful protest? If we got rid of all the filthy scum around Parliament, there would be very few MPs allowed into the house.
Good to see an air of tolerance still pervades in this apparently free country...

Wrinkled Weasel said...

The BBC begs to differ; they consistently refer to these filthy layabouts as "Peace Protesters" (without the parentheses).

As we know, one man's Freedom Fighter is another man's Terrorist, and it is easy to determine which side the BBC is on.

Another reason why the Corporation should have its nadgers crushed in a vice.

It really would not happen in Scotland, they would have been done for Breach of the Peace as soon as their stinky little cruelty free sandals touched the grass at Holyrood. Besides, it's too bloody cold to be at one with the universe up here.

Erskine May said...

"Dioclese said...
Actually, are you not depriving them of the right to peaceful protest?"

Er, no. They can exercise the right to protest the same as any other group. What they cannot do is take up residence on a public site, cause damage and create a health hazard, and prevent other groups from having the right to protest.

Anonymous said...

Nixon has quite rightly undergone a rehabilitation in the US. As befits a Republican president who got the US out of an unwinnable war with dignity.

The comments about these demonstrators are quite right. Unsworth's remarks are facile.
The correct terminology for these people is appeasers not protesters.

Boy on a bike said...

Three words to use on them:

"Sod off swampy"

Dick the Prick said...

Were they actually protesting anything though? Isn't that an active thing rather than just sitting on your arse for years on end whinging? Using that rationale, aren't we all protesting something? On my sofa at the moment I guess i'm protesting against the plight of the Indonesian Marmoset whose habitat is being imperiled by the egregious actions of Mrs Botanweay who has the temerity to hang out her washing in the morning thus preventing the monkeys scanning the lane for discarded yams - how beastley!

Lord Blagger said...

Nope. That's the smell coming out of the palace of Westminister.

Caused by corruption and over drinking on cheap booze, paid for by someone else.

Osama the Nazarene said...

A hearty hear hear from me. Well said Iain.

Mizter T said...

You are such an utter prat Mr Dale.

thespecialone said...

I trust their benefits were stopped the whole time they were there.

Brian said...

I read that some of the anti-capitalist protesters used the loos in a nearby McDonalds because of their squeamishness about the greenies'(or brownies, teehee)straw toilets. Did they have a wind turbine as well?

Victor, NW Kent said...

What would these people live on if their benefits were terminated by reason of not making themselves available for job interviews?

Brian said...

"What would these people live on if their benefits were terminated by reason of not making themselves available for job interviews?"

Their trust funds of course.

Unsworth said...

@ Trevorsden

'Facile' = 'untrue'?

Eddie Strange said...

I thought it was going to be a clean sweep, but the "Peace Man" has been left in place. Why?