Doth we protest too much?

The right to protest is under threat as never before. Which makes me want to protest more than ever. But in the melée about means are we losing a discussion on ends?

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In my life, I have spent a great deal of time on demonstrations. From before I could walk properly I was pushed in my buggy on CND demos. My Mum took me to Greenham Common to protest the presence of US nuclear missiles there. I marched in support of the miners. Every Christmas Eve, my Dad would take us kids to the West End to give my Mum some space to cook and cry at the carols. A very important part of this was us spending time at the permanent vigil outside of the South African embassy calling for the release of Nelson Mandela. I was on the march against the Iraq war which saw well over a million people stand up and be counted. I was on the TUC organised demonstrations against austerity in the coalition years. I marched for a People’s Vote.

Protest is in my blood. It’s a huge part of my identity. But what I don’t know, in the long dark nights of the soul, is what I have achieved. Britain still has nuclear weapons and even a few US bases remain. The UK went to war in Iraq anyway, with the continuing disastrous consequences of doing so well documented ever since. The Miners lost. Austerity wrecked our economy. Brexit happened.

For all my passionate marching, the only successful cause above was the release of Mandela. It’s not a stunning track record. So why is it still a part of my life I feel proud of and attached to? And what does any of that say about the moment we find ourselves in where protest is frequent and increasingly controversial?