Longer response to "Sam" in moderation. Suffice to say, it's civil to suppose he's a naive idiot, but equally possible he's an Astroturf plant: either way he's wrong.

Labour needs to learn UKUncut are not the enemy.

I would normally support UK Uncut in carrying out non- violent direct action such as sit ins in the premises of tax avoiding corporations ; and these have been highly successful when carried out as specific protests by UK Uncut supporters .But it was a massive tactical mistake to have tried to do any such thing on Saturday in an environment where UK Uncut could not exercise control over who got involved . Now you`ve just allowed the media to tar you with the same brush as the Black Bloc `anarchists `

It's not left/right Trilling, it's vested interests. The Guardian, The BBC, the right-wing press, all of them out in front, anticipating violence and trotting out the usual self-fulfilling rubbish about how any violence would negate the message of the march, which they were not interested in covering in depth anyway.

The UK armed forces are bombing the crap out of Libya right now, as well as in Iraq/Afghanistan. When they kill civilians/destroy people's property, does *that* negate the validity of their aims? No. So, a few broken windows and some policemen getting sick pay. Call it collateral damage.

Besides, we all know that if the protestors don't get violent, the violence will be supplied by police infiltrators. We've read the Mark Kennedy story and his (at least) 5 chums, these people organised entire protest groups, so the idea that there's no Rent-a-Mob being used to discredit *all* events of this type, in cahoots with the mainstream media, is, frankly, delusional.

It was called march for the alternative but it seems that UK uncut were the only group who had an alternative i.e

* Seriously attempt to close all tax loop holes and make corporations and wealthy individuals pay tax.

*Miliband's alternative was the same cuts only less and slower.

It is becoming evident that Cameron deliberately allowed the anarchist elements to disrupt Saturday's march. He would have us believe that the security services did not know or were unable to single out the black bloc members before they reeked havoc - rubbish. Or are our security services really that incompetent?

He was primed to issue Monday statements decrying the violence and in so doing, discredit the achievement of 500,000 protesters. If we can't see that we deserve a full term of this feckless government.

When UK UNCUT were targeting local tax evaders in Brighton the reaction from the public seemed to be one of general gratitude. There is huge public sympathy for their actions, the corporate media however will eagerly undermine this in any way they can, including sensationalising the actions of a few mindless undercover police officers. Anyway, who is going to lose any sleep if Santander gets a kicking? Really?

UKuncut seem to be aiming at the wrong target - they should be demonstrating outside labour HQ, as these cuts are labours cuts - they are only necessary because of labour - and labour would have had to implement them too much the same degree
UKuncut do not have any significant support other than public sector unionists, such as those on the riot - there would not have been many private sector employees there, except BA cabin staff who are always on strike anyway.
I think between millies appalling speech comparing himself with mandela and the rioters with the suffragets and civil rights movement and his paymasters, the fat cat trade union bosses, inciting riot, the public will realise very clearly how bereft of ideas and backbone the labour movement is.
If there were 500,000 at the march ( and I did not see anywhere near that on the overhead pictures shown, more like 100,000) then it just shows how overmanned the public sector as most of the rioters were public sector or retired public sector or of course professional students.

The Tory trolls are commenting aplenty on all the news sites. Well done anti- cuts protesters for 26th, more power to you (us).

"Violence" against property isn't violence - it's restitution.

"Trespass" onto buildings owned only as a result of tax dodging and exploitation of workers, isn't trespass - it's reclaiming!

This "Coalition government" isn't legal, constitutional or elected (nobody voted for it after all, and the Progressive Left had a majority of votes and indeed of seats) - so it's not democratic, it's oligarchic.

Obeying its dictats isn't obedience to lawful authority, it's being cowed by our own oppressors.

"A peaceful march" isn't the way forward when our voices aren't heard and the rape of country continues. Direct Action is the only route forward, and if that is repressed (as the government tried to do on Saturday) then the only remaining path is Revolution. But since the last change of government was so undemocratic, the restitution of true democracy may have to happen by non-electoral means.

I was made redundant last year from the private sector (Construction). Get a grip of yourselves a pay freeze!? a 5% percent reduction, you'll just have to do without your moist toilet paper for a while!

until you realise in a competitive world that YOUR jobs and YOUR income and YOUR public services have to be paid for by PRIVATE companies which need to be attracted to YOUR country then you have either learnt nothing from history or are ostriches. Amd why do all people who call for tax increases, only do so until it is them paying more.

Paddy, your argument makes no sense whatsoever. I might as well write (in fact I'm jolly well going to):

"Until you realise that in a competitive world YOUR jobs and YOUR income and YOUR private companies, have to be provided with vital services and infrastructure - an educated and healthy workforce, justice system, transport, a social security system so that consumers can afford to buy your goods rather than starve to death - that has to come from PUBLIC spending".

Which is why the cuts are a lunacy. Why will companies locate jobs and investment here, if we have a second rate education system, failing transport infrastructure, rock-bottom consumer confidence, and so on?

Truth is private and public sectors are highly interdependent (and many tasks done in the private sector could, and should, be in the public sphere e.g. railways and utilities).

Trying to divide private versus public sector, setting them at loggerheads against each other, is PRECISELY what this unelected, unconstitutional government wants us to do - fight each other while they butcher both of us. It's time to stand together and stand up for ourselves, against the "grasping classes" above us. I'm so proud of UK Uncut for doing that.

Ducky - I'm pleased you called me a young man - the crash is entirely due to the state over extending itself as it always does under labour and the labour chancellor, (I think his name was brown but I may need education here, it could be balloon)cosying up to the financial sector because he liked their tax money. Yes the general public were greedy and over borrowed and the banks encouraged that, as did balloon, but the economy was destroyed by the rise in government debt such that when the credit crunch happened the country was not fit enough to carry it through and the debt became unmanageable. I call that bad fiscal management, by labour, under ex chancellor balloon.

UK Uncut mean well and I sympathise with their aims but they were a distraction on Saturday. 250,000 people marching against the cuts was dumped as a story by the media in favour of covering UK uncut's stunts and the thugs looking for a punch up with the police.

A great day reduced to very little by people who are well meaning but politically naive.

I felt that the F&M occupation was a tactical error but also believe that UK Uncut are an intelligent and learning organisation and are likely to get back on track and not repeat this. I fully support them.

Well done UK Uncut.The morality of your actions cannot be questioned.It's good to know there is still a thread of common decency in a land that allows the likes of Philip Green pay himself £1.2bn, the biggest paycheck in British corporate history, without paying a penny in tax while tax paying pensioners die of hypothermia.

Nine pensioners died from cold EVERY HOUR last winter as bill prices soar

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332343/Nine-pensioners-died-col...

Good point but perhaps the billions and billions of people should be protesting at the doorstep of a small country with only modest natural resources but whose average income is £25,000, more than most of the worlds population could hope to earn in a lifetime. Not justifying Philip Green's obscene pay packet but just offering a little perspective on economic fairness from a global point of veiw

The UKUncut alternative is based on a mythical pot of money that companies are hiding from the HMRC. However, they _never_ substantiate any of their accusations with evidence. I asked on various forums (fora?) on how UKUncut came up with the £40m tax avoidance accusation against ABF but no one seems to be quite sure.

This reluctance/inability to substantiate their claims serious undermines the creditability of their alternative

Eddy S - you're too reasonable for the New Statesman and the left in general. They prefer simple platitudes that turn everything into "us and them", with them being evil bastards who should be lynched if at all possible.

Mr. Trilling, you assume the violence and damage would have happened anyway; this is a fairly cynical assumption. In the end it was workers who were left to pick the mess left behind. Stop the apologetics; wanton violence is wanton violence and it gives anarchism a bad name.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but the facts are: Peaceful protesters were lied to and arrested, people who damaged property were allowed to do it in front of the police, all pages I've looked at like UK uncut and Armchair Army have been attacked by trolls.

Gosh, I wish I would have had that ifnormatoin earlier!

Great fun this for small state supporters with UK uncut an open goal - even some more rational lefties accept that public sector cuts are required no matter who is in government, and then you get the rioting supporters who dont want anything but to destroy - their logic matches MilliE's ideas, none!.