Walking through Cambridge the other night I heard a young woman talking on her telephone - "so there's this occupation thing at the Senate House? About the war in Iraq, it's at one thirty on Thursday. But I've got this lecture on Thursday so I have to go to a lecture, so I can't go? Anyway I've got this new mobile."
So what I want to know is a few things, such as (a) is the occupation announced before hand? (b) does this mean it happens with the co-operation of the university authorities? (c) anyhow, what's become of student radicalism when the question whether to go to a lecture rather than occupy the Senate House to protest against a war even occurs for one minute?
Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but I blame the Russians for being all nice the last ten years or so. When I was a student we all expected to be blown up with hydrogen bombs next year, and I think this made us more serious about things one is serious about. When wars you protest about are wars in which you won't ever conceivably suffer so much as a grazed knee, it's easier to take it or leave it alone.