The police in the UK are indeed a joke. The mistake is in thinking that they're there for your protection. They're not, they are mere tools that are there to oppress you.

I'm quite sure that if you'd decided to stage a demonstration about it the following week with a good few supporters in tow, that the police would certainly not only turn up but, in force. That's where their priorities lie.

Unfortunately it wasn't any better under the Tory party. Labour have simply continued along the same route, which is why much of the critique of Labour policies by the Tories has been purely political, with the latter never offering any real ideas as to how they would do it differently. I agree though, it's about time that the Blair/Brown dynasty was booted out, but who replaces them?