Over 20,000 protesters took to the streets of London on Thursday 10th. Despite containing a significant minority of known troublemakers the march was not only allowed to go ahead, but also copped a remarkably hands off approach from the Met.

This ruly mob were moaning about proposed cuts to the policing budget, with onside agitators bussed in by the Police Federation, who claim that 40,000 officers jobs are at risk.

Police are also worried that their pensions and wages will not remain as over inflated as they have been since the Thatcher years, when they were bribed to smash the unions and then the travellers.

It’s not the first time in UK history we’ve seen the thin blue picket line - back in 1919 after two large strikes the police were bought off and in return the Police Federation became the only body allowed to represent rank-n-file officers, as a result ineffectual symbolic marches has become their sole weapon in disputes.

SchNEWS had been hoping for a sizeable blue bloc to split off from the main march and become involved in running battles with their colleagues, in the end we had to make do with re-watching footage from the Countryside Alliance protests to get our fill of scum-on-scum action.

Given that the police have refused to take any direct action in over 90 years, it’s unlikely that this impotent symbolic gesture will have much impact on Tory policy. Welcome to the recession lads (& lasses)...