Many EACA supporters travelled to London on Saturday to take part in the TUC-organised, March for the Alternative. A significant group from Edinburgh was at the front of the march – given that they needed to catch the specially-chartered train back home at a reasonable hour, having set out so early. Others were dispersed along its length, supporting various unions and groups. (Thanks to Des for the photos from – what I think – is near the march’s front).

Speaking personally, a few things about the march stand out. Firstly, the scale of it! I’d gone down to London under my own steam, and met up with former colleagues who formed part of the PCS bloc – my former union before I was made redundant earlier this year. We were only the 6^th bloc back from the front, but were easily a good half mile or more from the start. Behind us were people stretching back along the Embankment as far as the eye could see, with thousands more queuing on the South Bank and Waterloo Bridge to take their place. I know even the police agree with the official TUC estimate of around half a million people, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t more, possibly many more. I understand the end of the march didn’t reach Hyde Park until hours after the speeches at the rally there had actually finished, that’s how big an event it was.

Secondly, the diversity of those marching was really apparent. Yes there were a lot of trade unionists – the March was organised by the TUC after all. But mixed amongst these was a whole range of people who weren’t connected to unions, but were angry and disgusted by the Con-Dem cuts. On talking to people as we moved – very slowly – along, it was clear many of our fellow marchers had never been on a demonstration in their lives before. Some even indicated they had voted Lib-Dem last May – but never again! It was fantastic to see a large group of former Ghurkha soldiers and their families too. I’m sure many people on the march must have supported their fight for the right to settle in Britain. They left no one in any doubt that the Britain they wished to reside in was not one where public services were being slashed to the bone!

Finally, the thing that was most apparent was the anger of all those taking part. Yes the march was good natured with what the media loves to call a “carnival atmosphere”. But the utter disdain and disgust for what the government is doing to our public services was plainly apparent by the response of protesters as they passed the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street. I’ve never experienced quite such ferocity of jeering, whistling and instrument banging on a demo before. I actually began to feel sorry for any public servants who might have been inside, enduring this for hour after hour – after all, their jobs are probably under threat too…

But I think the most important thing to take away from Saturday is that this wasn’t the end of something – a last gasp protest by a few trade unionists - but most certainly the beginning of something. After nearly 12 months of Con-Dem lies, deceit and double-speak, hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are taking action. They will not tolerate the fabric of our society being slashed to shreds, they know there is an alternative to the cuts – in the form of fairer taxes for the mega-rich and tax-avoiding big business – and most importantly of all they are angry as hell. If I were David Cameron, Nick Clegg (or possibly even Ed Miliband) I would be very worried. Very worried indeed!