Unlike in the 1960s, they despair of conventional political parties to do anything about it. That's what direct action is all about,' Jordan says. Youth movements in the past have always had a focus to their protest, whether it was radical politics in the 60s or punk in the 70s. The protesters' claims that the world's eco-system could collapse by 2030 may be exaggerated, but it is true that the world's leading consumer brands generate annual turnover greater than the poorest 20 countries' total wealth. Walk down any high street in almost any city and the logos are the same - McDonalds, Coke, Starbucks, Levi's.
Capitalism is supposed to give people choice.
We have to go out and participate in an economic system that destroys the Earth to earn money to buy a home we probably can't afford. People confuse freedom and democracy with happiness and justice. They are not the same,' says Jordan. Few protesters offer a clear account of the new world order they seek. They talk vaguely of 'society meeting all its own needs', of 'trading newspapers for root vegetables'.