I caught the bus to Waterloo this evening, and then walked along the station concourse to get to the South Bank. I came out and was about to cross over the zebra crossing near where all the bikes are chained up, when a policeman on a bike with a flashing light hollered "Stand there, wait, don't cross.." There were two or three on my side, dozens on the other side, all heading for their trains. In the distance, I could see more flashing blue lights, and deduced they were motorcycle outriders. Probably a VIP, I thought, and sure enough, the convoy passed, about four outriders and two official looking cars. The lead car was a silver Jag, and the registration began BK. I couldn't see who was in it. Probably some VIP just stepped off the Eurostar.
What struck me was how everybody stood there docile, waiting. It made no odds to me, I was running early, but I bet there were people on the last minute for their train. Which shows that most people obey crowd-control orders from the Old Bill. Which perhaps demonstrates that society isn't, after all, going to the dogs.
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