1989/90 Margaret Thatcher's government attempted to force a "poll tax" on the people of the United Kingdom.

There was then massive opposition throughout the country, ending in mass protests in the streets of London and other cities.

History is now all too likely to repeat, as we see in the recent Bristol demonstrations.

Government has got as far as a second reading of the monster Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Bill.

This is an enormous bill of statutes. Three hundred pages long.

More than 20 sections ranging from protection of police, public order, unauthorised encampments, to management of offenders and terrorism.

Nothing less it would seem than a rebuilding of the entire UK judicial system of law and order.

Entirely stunning when police numbers have been massively reduced over the years, the probation service dismantled and outsourced to private companies for profit.

Could any government be more entirely detached from our real world?

Fixated on volumes of law when resource starved services that are supposed to enact all this are drowing in regulation.

And of course putting through such an enormous body of legislation makes it impossible for opposition parties to even begin to scrutinise all the many sections.

All the more so in Covid lockdown.

And the final bite, Part 3, Public Order and Unauthorised Encapaments.

The general jist, future protests and marches are not to be "too noisy", to cause "unease and alarm".

Public protest criminalised.

So there we have it. UK Goverrnment condemns the Chinese government for seeking to contain Hong Kong protestors, mass protests bringing Hong Kong to a standstill, month after month, whilst in UK we are now to protest "quietly", not cause "disruption or unease", on penalty of jail sentences.

This is not going to end well.

Tony Penning

Bournemouth