Wednesday, 19 October 2011

Anti Bank protest at St Pauls & ERUV's in the London Borough of Barnet

If like me you've followed the comments on a recent story on the Hendon Times website about a proposed ERUV in the Borough and like me you've also taken an interest in the peaceful demonstration currently taking place in St Pauls, maybe like me you'll have noticed an odd symmetry.

Listening to some of the comments about the protestors and reading some of the comments about the ERUV, it is pretty clear to me that some people just cannot accept that other people may want to have different values and live their lives in a different way to them. Comments such as "they should go and get a job" about the protestors or "it's cheating" about the ERUV show a complete lack of respect for the rights of other people to live their lives in a different way. Surely the point for many protestors is that maybe they can't get a job, because the economy has been screwed up by the actions of certain members of the banking community. As for the ERUV, when it comes down to it many religions hold beliefs and traditions that people of other traditions find rather odd. The ERUV hurts no one. It interferes with no ones life and if you are a member of another religion poses no threat whatsoever to you. Our house gets the occasional visit from Jehovah's Witnesses. It is usually on a Sunday, just as I've settled down to watch the Sunday Sky football with a cup of tea. I find it intensely annoying, but out of respect for their faith, I am never rude to the people on the doorstep.

I actually would prefer to live in a society where we are tolerant of other people and allow protests and ERUV's. It seems to me that people are getting more in favour of banning things they disagree with. I'd rather people won the argument intellectually than by force of law. It is strange how often the most vocal opponents of anything are the least coherent, isn't it?

1 comment:

ainelivia said...

the current protest camp outside St Pauls is a demonstration of how the majority of people think the bankers got off scot free. as to the Eruv, well some wires strung on poles are only an addition to the existing poles and and wires that we already have. i do find the idea of the Eruv amusing, as in being a Catholic and remembering the indulgences one could get for certain acts in order to limit one's time in Purgatory. it seems that religion is often about have rules and then finding ways to get around the rules. walking up Millway i notice that there is even more street furniture than we used to have most of it parking signs which seem to have sprung up recently.