Interamericana

A band of farmers from Veracruz – ‘The Movement of the 400 Villages’ – took to the streets in an on-going protest against the Mexican government. Men stripped off their shirts and danced in the roads, hollering at passing vehicles and swinging their garments with glee. Drummers played out a fierce beat whilst a group of women – stark naked in the morning sun – danced happily on a stage.

The marching drums beat harder and the men stripped off their trousers, flinging them wildly and spilling into the traffic. Soon the entire road was overrun with naked and semi-naked protestors. The British people could learn a thing or two from them. See you at Trafalgar square?

It’s a sad reflection of our society, but in Britain, we rarely protest about anything, especially poor government. We leave all that to the media. Some call this apathy. I call it pure British cynicism. The trouble isn’t apathy, it’s an unshakeable belief that whatever we do, it won’t make a difference. Tories on the right and Labour on the… right. Which public school boy do you want?

The last great British protest was in 2003, when 2 million people poured onto the streets of London in a mass demonstration against plans to invade Iraq. Tony Blair went ahead and did it anyway, to the ultimate shame of himself, his government and our nation. So if two million people can’t make a difference to their sleazy machinations, what can?

Politicians in Latin America are no different to the British, European or North American varieties. They’re mostly sick and bent. The real difference lies in their methods. British politicians conduct their corruption in sophisticated, almost mystical ways – there’s no bribery here, just friends and favours (see the Millennium Dome, Cash for Honours, the Iraq War, MPs expenses, to name a few).

In Latin America, they tend to take what they want without much charade. Consequently, the tradition of public protest has always been very active. Remember: this is a country built on revolution, so we know that the people can make things happen.

Mexico City is a hotbed of political activity. You only have to turn a corner to encounter some kind of protest.

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