Mark Steel, speaking my language......

Recently I re-read 'Reasons to be Cheerful' by the socialist comedian and
writer Mark Steel. It chronicles his life as a left-wing activist, attending
all the marches and benefit gigs that I used to dream of going to when I was
a young thing in the 80's.

The nearest I got to being an active agitator was standing outside Barclays Bank in Ormskirk in 1986 trying to get people to move their account, as Barclays supported aparteid (we also were mentioning the consumption of Outspan oranges as a side comment!) oh, and I went to see the Red Wedge Tour in Manchester the following year, both of which I feel hardly qualifies me as a full-on threat to Society.

I was really struck by his thoughts and comments at the end of the book, and I am going to quote the last 2 paragraphs verbatim...

My advice is to value yourselves higher. Follow the instinct, don't be
sensible. Massive events are made up of tiny acts. At the next act of injustice,
take a gulp, open your mouth and be the one to run down the muddy bank, to start
the booing, to stand in front of the tank, to refuse to get on the train - to kick out the irritating idiot at the party.

The happy ending is that one of the most popular films of all time is Spartacus Whereas I wonder whether that film would have been as successful if the Romans had come into the field, asked 'Which on is Spartacus?' and received the answer 'It's him over there mate. He's nothing to do with us. You see, we're New Spartacus'