You’ll have had your riot.

As recently as last Thursday Edinburgh hadn't realised what's about to hit us. I casually asked the head of an organisation in the centre of town whether any plans had been made to protect their building. "No, why should we?" I gently pointed out that the occupants of certain nearby buildings made it highly likely that the mob would be outside the front door, not once, not twice but possibly three or four times. As well as the "Make Poverty History" march on 2nd July, a "Stop the War" march on the 3rd, a march against city centre financial institutions and businesses on the 4th, we now have Bob Geldof's Million Moron March on the 6th.

At lunchtime on Thursday the landlord of a city centre pub thought that businesses wouldn't be affected by the demonstrators because they would "probably bring their own sandwiches." Ha! I fear it'll be a case of "Ye ken noo." At least the Deputy Lord Provost on the pub's TV had the decency to look distinctly worried.

Now we're learning a bit more about what to expect, including:

the likelihood of "protesters in every city in Scotland"

"Islamist extremists are considering sending "thousands" of activists to Edinburgh for the demonstrations

that the Queen had cancelled her traditional July holiday in Edinburgh

hospital chiefs in Edinburgh are understood to be in talks to postpone non-emergency operations at hospitals in order to free up wards for those who could be injured if violent clashes erupt.

Needless to say, the politically correct and economically ignorant idiots in local government support all of this:

City council leaders across Scotland said yesterday that they were keen to support the aims of the campaign

and:

First Minister Jack McConnell is aware of the plans and is believed to have given his tentative support.

"Tentative." Is Jack beginning to get just a wee bit nervous? As Gerald Warner puts it:

If this farce turns into a catastrophe (the G8 riots in Genoa claimed human life), then it must be a resigning issue for this clown.

But we've got a veritable circus of clowns "supporting" this nonsense from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Assistant Chief Constable. Good grief: the local police can't even sort out the ZaNuLab-educated ferals who wantonly destroy property within a hundred yards of their own cop shop. Incidentally, is the ACC going to do the decent thing and invite any of our visitors to camp in his garden? I note that Gordon Brown said "No comment" when asked that very pertinent question.

So, Britain's most attractive city may be about to enjoy the equivalent of what would be 17 million additional people arriving in central London. And for what? To demonstrate in favour of "Fair Trade" and against "Free Trade". That's to say against the only system that could alleviate poverty in Africa and in favour of a naive feelgoodery.

I suppose that some good may come out of this. If there is, God forbid, a disaster on the streets of Edinburgh (or elsewhere) the Scottish people might, at last, turn on the Labour party with a vengeance. Perhaps a few may even realise the benefits of privatised streets.