North Norfolk Against the Cuts call for Lamb to resign

'There is a small but significant change of mood. We were out leafleting in December in Cromer.

'We had a petition on our stall calling on Norman Lamb (Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk) to resign. We had a placard advertising this petition. In the first few minutes, before we had even finished setting the stall up, people were queuing up to sign. We collected 82 signatures in about 90 minutes.

'People were more argumentative than in previous weeks. They expressed support or opposition much more vociferously. I think the student protests and the police brutality of the last week have begun to polarise society. There were a lot of words about the local MP that I would not want to repeat in respectable company! There were parents extremely angry and worried that their children would never be able to go to university. There were others denouncing students for being hooligans.

'I remember this happened during the events of France '68 as well. When the movement first started many people did not have a strong opinion. But as the revolution in France began to pose more fundamental questions about how society should be run, then people both supporters and opponents started to argue. This is the way people learn. Opinions change.

'Of course in Britain right now we are still at a very early stage. The youth are on the streets but the workers, held back by the union leadership, are still watching. Many are inspired by the students. But many don’t dare step over the Rubicon into industrial action. Not yet anyway...'

- Ed Bober, UNISON and Norfolk Coalition Against the Cuts activist