London protest twice the size expected

Stop The War said numbers on the demonstration topped 200,000 by late afternoon, with protesters arriving to join the march three hours after it left. article

Well, gee, considering the late news about U.S. snatching jobs, and the latest bombing of British targets in Istanbul, His Slowliness the Dope perhaps should be grateful the protest size didn't triple.

(Police estimates start at 30,000, then 70,000, and later upped to 110,000 people. I'm sure they're being conservative, so it may well be that there are 200,000 people protesting in the streets of London.)

Haven't found anything more on that decision to pull companies out of the UK. Doesn't seem to be making any U.S. news, imagine that. But here's a discussion thread going on it - opening post:

US-based multinationals have been told they will receive compensation from American trade authorities if they cancel contracts in Britain.

"The US government's stance on steel tariffs is not only illegal it is damaging business on both sides of the Atlantic. The tariffs may have saved a few steel jobs in Ohio but they have destroyed car worker jobs in Detroit.

"Nice visiting with y'all, mind if I take these jobs back with me?"

And The Green Man comments:

American companies employ over 1 million Britains and a major pull out could cause a massive slump in the economy. Unilever chairman Niall FitzGerald agrees

There is a mid-Atlantic trade storm whipping up. There will be retaliation and then retaliation to that retaliation, which could lead us to a 1930s decline.

One thing is for sure. With a presidential election in the USA next year, President Bush will be completely focused on domestic survival, bugger his trading partners.

See my previous post for some more on the latest in the trade disputes.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.