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Riots Students David Cameron

Students are revolting

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By David Milligan-Croft, Creative Director / Strategist / Writer

November 11, 2010 | 4 min read

I have a computer game called Civilization.

The purpose of the game is to build a society from scratch. The game begins at year zero and time elapses after each turn. So if your army is still using bow and arrows in the 20th century, you’re doing it wrong.

You can’t just go out and destroy your neighbours willy nilly. You have to build things in your cities to finance your army, such as: infrastructure, markets, granaries, farms, hospitals, schools, etc otherwise the ‘people’ get very unhappy.

You have to learn things such as arithmetic to enable navigation. Handy for sailing abroad and destroying your neighbours.

You need to be able to write so you can make maps. Great for routing out your enemies and destroying them.

You have to learn masonry so you can build stuff. And use it against your neighbours to, well, you get the picture.

If you’re not as hell bent on world domination as I am, you can trade with your neighbours. You can send diplomats into their cities. (And spy on them.) God forbid, you can even be friends with them!

Problems occur when you concentrate all your wealth on your army and not enough on the people. The workers in your cities become unhappy. They want things like theatres, universities, and food! I ask you. Next they’ll be asking for therapy for obesity.

If you don’t accommodate them they revolt.

The cities you have taken centuries to forge begin to burn. Production breaks down. Society breaks down.

Now, to my point.

Yesterday, students demonstrated against the government’s increase in university tuition fees. And quite rightly so. Tripling fees will only result in people still paying off their student loans in their 90s. Which means they won’t be able to retire until they’re… oh, I get it!

Herr Cameron predictably came out in support of our brave outnumbered police officers who had to withstand the onslaught of angry intellectuals throwing cutting remarks at them.

The cynic I am suspects the numbers of police officers were kept deliberately low so that scenes of them laying into the students with tear gas and batons wouldn’t be witnessed in China where he was recently pontificating about human rights. Or maybe there aren’t enough police on the streets – there certainly won’t be in the near future.

The point is – when people are unhappy they tell you. If you don’t listen to them they become angry. They become desperate. They feel like they have no other choice but to revolt.

Now, contrary to how I play my computer game, I don’t advocate violence, (whether it be by the demos, or by state against state), but I do advocate the people’s right to express their revulsion at being treated unfairly.

Herr Cameron remarked that it was like a scene from the ’80s when Frau Thatcher was in charge. Well, yes, it was. And if you don’t listen to the people, those scenes will happen with more and more frequency.

The people won’t stand for being down trodden. Especially when they see bankers getting richer by the minute.

The people are unhappy, Herr Cameron. Society is unhappy. You need to listen to them before things get out of control.

And how, oh how, is this related to our industry?

Civilization 5 only $99.99 while stocks last.

Right then, I’m off to play on my computer, this revolution won’t suppress itself y’know

Riots Students David Cameron

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