On Thursday I went to Occupy London’s protest at St Paul’s Cathedral and was quite unimpressed by what I saw. In the pouring rain around 100 tents swam about under the very impressive edifice of St Paul’s. I’m no campinologist, but I’m pretty sure that camping is strictly a summer pursuit and in the hands of the ‘good old’ British weather.

I watched in amusement as some committed protesters bailed out their tents, plugging holes, leaks, some having the ingenuity to raise them up on wooden pallets to allude the visible stream of rainwater and ‘filth’ meandering its way into London’s sewer system. The background sound of someone strangling a saxophone and a badly beaten drum only exacerbated an already inclement atmosphere.

On closer inspection, a food tent – a large marquis type affair, sheltered those campers who held a more eat now-pay later philosophy, enjoying hot soup and a vegetarian pasta dish cooked by a very enthusiastic professional Italian chef; security guard by night, nourishing the Occupy commitment by day.

Further down, another ten birth’r bore the name ‘Tent University’ where inside an esteemed architect lectured on the concern of ‘Scarcity’. The world’s land and mineral resources held my attention for sometime before the cramp in my legs and back from squatting superseded his pressing concern for land management.

Under the scrutiny of St Paul, it struck me that as I looked around, the camp wasn’t one of unity in its cause. One tent had ‘Free Palestine’ painted on it, another ‘Women’s Rights’. Further down, around to the steps, another held ‘Down with Capitalism’. There was some discord and it became apparent that they were not all singing from the same hymn sheet. Soon after, around 50 Syrian protesters climbed the steps and stood in the doorway of St Paul’s chanting “Down with Assad” and “Murderer” echoing off the great walls, pillars and rain.

Is St Paul’s now at risk of becoming synonymous with random protesting? Has a failed attempt by a few anti-capitalists to occupy the London Stock Exchange inadvertently aroused the Nation’s ‘hard done by’ to seek a more ‘esteemed’ place to protest? Will we see Batman and Robin hanging from the great gallery in protest of ‘Fathers’ rights’ now there is no threat or interference from the Corporation of London? Can I too, bring my soapbox and protestations to the site of one of the greatest historical cathedrals in the world, where royal weddings are set and state funerals are conducted of England’s finest like Nelson, Wellington and the great architect himself, Sir Christopher Wren?

Yes I can! It is my ‘right’ to Freedom of Assembly and Peaceful Protest. If those at St Paul’s feel that strongly about ‘Capitalism’ let them make that protest. If President Assad of Syria threatens to murder anti-government protesters, let them protest here. I think Occupy London resembles more that of Plato’s ‘Ship of Fools’ rather than a coherent and structured protest about the nature of ‘laissez-faire’ capitalism, but that is my opinion. It is a testament to this country’s constitution that I can have that opinion and a ‘right’ that those at the foot of St Paul’s – no matter how futile the cause – are expressing in earnest.