BR'ER FOX:

Being there (David Carr, September 23, 2002, Samizdata)

Did I say there were so many marchers? That does not even begin to tell the story. It was HUGE. I cannot recall ever seeing any public demonstration in Britain of this magnitude (and I've seen a few). The official figures state over 400,000 marchers but, from where we stood, that would appear to be an underestimate.

It began in from two points in Central London early this morning; two start points being necessary because of the enormous numbers involved. Even so, from our start point at Hyde Park, the throng was so large that it was next to impossible to actually determine where it began or where it ended. Eventually we just melded in where we could.

The atmosphere was one of pure defiance though there was no violence or law-breaking at all. The marchers were loud, proud and spirited, blowing whistles and horns, chanting and waving back to the cheering onlookers. Not once did the palpable grim resolve compromise the joyousness. It felt like a victory parade.

Perhaps it's just a bit too early to stick a fork in the lime. But now they (particularly the Tory Party) have to build on this... Posted by Orrin Judd at September 23, 2002 1:53 PM