"I thought I was on Mudcat, not some reactionary hippie version of the Daily Mail.... "

Ah, Ian, so you don't think that discussion of one of the major political issues for decades; that affects the livelihoods of millions of people, merits discussion on Mudcat. Well, of course, what would a bunch of hippies know about serious politics?

Once you've removed your head from the sand, it may interest you that one of the major organisers of the rally on 2nd April is Put People First, described by The New Statesmen as:

"The coalition...is a new alliance of unions, non-governmental organisations and religious groups, armed with a manifesto that aims to rewrite the rules of the global economy. Put People First has already created a significant alliance – more than a hundred groups from Greenpeace to the Dalit Solidarity Network via the NUJ and the Muslim Council of Britain have signed up so far."

Like you say, just a bunch of hippies.