WHERE YORKSHIRE LEADS DO OTHERS FOLLOW?

Freedom to demonstrate on the streets of this country is a bulwark of our democratic rights.  Unlike many comments on "rights" such freedom has only one duty and that is to be within the law on demonstrations.  Generally that will include that a demonstration will pass peacefully and not be likely to incite law breaking by the activists or any who protest against their actions. It should cause minimum disruption to others going about their normal business.  There might be other conditions considered by police in the interests of public safety but the essential rights remain that is unless a march or similar is being planned in South Yorkshire.  The Police and Crime Commissioner in West Yorkshire supports this view that cost of policing such demonstrations must be fed into the equation to permit or not to permit. 

We are indeed entering very dangerous times where the traditional freedoms of ordinary citizens are being put at risk under the umbrella of cutting costs.  This blogger is a traditional Tory voting right of centre libertarian at heart but the  authoritarian siren voices of the Tory right are leading us up a path to be avoided.  It could be argued that the impending success of a quietly spoken rabble rouser of the Marxist wing of the Labour party has come about from just this authoritarian tendency of the Conservative Party. Such people should recollect Martin Niemöller: "First they came for the Socialists..."