Author Archives: Andrew May

Opinion: Power2010 gives a unique form of democracy a chance to blossom

By Andrew May | 15th January 2010 - 11:50 am

Statutory instruments. A Bill of Rights. Freedom of Information. Proportional Representation.

Such ideas are not ones you hear bandied about by your average man or women on the street. Yet they were among those chosen by members of the public to try and mend the lack of trust in Britain’s political system.

For those of you who’ve not yet heard of Power2010 it’s a campaign which launched in the wake of the expenses scandal, with public trust in politics at an all time low. It’s a campaign for political and democratic reform, but with …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged bill of rights, freedom of information, power2010, proportional representation and statutory instruments | 5 Comments

Opinion: The G20 protests – two months on, what lessons have been learned?

By Andrew May | 30th May 2009 - 10:30 am

Two months have passed since the G20 and the brutal police operation against protesters in the City of London. Yesterday the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) met for the second time since the operation to question Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson.

At the first meeting the Met showed no signs of having taken on board the serious and widespread criticism of their actions and at times actively mis-represented what had taken place in an attempt to spin themselves out of trouble. So it was with a fair deal of scepticism that myself and Anna Bragga of Defend Peaceful Protest went down to …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged g20, ian tomlinson and policing | 1 Comment

Opinion: We need a proper public debate on the future of protest policing in our country

By Andrew May | 30th April 2009 - 6:53 pm

Force is a physical power, and I fail to see what moral effect it can have. To yield to force is an act of necessity, not of will — at the most, an act of prudence. In what sense can it be a duty?’
J Jacques Rousseau

I don’t think I am the only one to have quoted the social contract over the G20 protests earlier this month. 350 years on from its writing, Rousseau’s work is still strikingly relevant. It is clear from the outcry following G20 that many are now questioning the role of …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged climate camp, g20, ian tomlinson and policing | 3 Comments

Opinion: Dangerous and intimidatory police tactics made G20 violence inevitable

By Andrew May | 2nd April 2009 - 1:21 pm

First let me put this in context, I was not involved with any group demonstrating in the city for the G20 protests. I am not an anticapitalist (I’m a Lib Dem) I work in marketing, for a charity and have never taken part in direct action.

However, I am concerned about climate change, one of the issues on the G20 agenda. I wanted to see exactly what the climate camp contingent were about, and what kind of message they wanted world leaders to hear. Considering the vast majority of scientific opinion believes we are in severe danger from climate change …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged climate camp and g20 | 24 Comments