Thousands marching say: cuts are unjust and unnecessary

I was proud to march alongside Harriet Harman (centre, green jacket, purple scarf), Fiona Mactaggart (right, glasses), Yvette Cooper and other MPs and shadow ministers in the women's bloc, protesting against the coalition's cuts which disporportionately affect women.

As hundreds of women in the 'women's bloc' set off towards Embankment to begin the protest yesterday, I said to Fiona Mactaggart MP that it was my first march.

She told me she’s been marching for a long time. I asked her if she thought this one would make a difference.

In her characteristically determined way, just as she asked us if we were ‘prepared to take the shit’ and recommended we ‘work harder than everybody else’ at the Inspiring Leaders event that I organised in November, she said: "Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. So it’s worth going on as many as possible."

And yesterday, I think many other first-time marchers adopted this contagious persistence. We were marching in our thousands, in a peaceful yet stalwart demonstration of our belief that the coalition’s cuts are neither just nor inevitable.

After I’d finished marching, and enjoying continued solidarity with my fellow marchers and the samba and speeches in Hyde Park, I was surprised to see the Tweets coming through, and the building media coverage of violence, trouble-makers and riots. In a march of half a million people, there was a very small proportion of violent protesters, and yet this was the focus of the right-wing press.

Other bloggers have written about this comprehensively: Latte Labour (who writes: “The digital right, a perpetually angry and almost entirely male phenomenon, motivated by a sub-GCSE understanding of economics married to a vague egotistic outlook on the world, were riled”), Lasophielle and Harpy Marx, for example.

The violence was minimal – don’t let anyone persuade you otherwise. The atmosphere of the march was exuberant and positive. I marched with friends, I made new friends and I felt the solidarity. I already knew the coalition's cuts were unpopular - the march confirmed that people are willing to speak up, join in and not accept what's not wanted.

Labour party: take note and capitalise on this. People are ready to fight.

Thatcher and Cameron join the crowd and cause a laugh

An anti-cuts tank makes its way though the protest, amid cheering and smiles

I'm gonna be an engineer, by Peggy Seeger

"No, you only need to learn to be a lady
The duty isn't yours, for to try to run the world
An engineer could never have a baby
Remember, dear, that you're a girl"

"What price - for a woman
You can buy her for a ring of gold
To love and obey (without any pay)
You get a cook and a nurse, for better or worse"

"You've got one fault, you're a woman
You're not worth the equal pay
A bitch or a tart, you're nothing but heart
Shallow and vain, you got no brain"

Words and music by Peggy Seeger. I think she forgets some of the words in this, so see the Frankie Armstrong version for the rest!

Labour's International Women's Day: Women in men's spaces

The men’s toilets were temporarily women’s yesterday in the Emmanuel centre in Westminster – not intentionally symbolic, I’m sure. But I did smile when I saw the paper sign ‘Ladies’ stuck over the permanent ‘Men’ sign.

(For centuries, women were not allowed in the House of Commons, and so there were no women’s toilets. When women were allowed to be Members of Parliament, there were two sets of toilets: toilets for ‘Members’ and toilets for ‘Women’.)

Yesterday’s event was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day celebrations for the Labour party – an all-day conference which brought together Labour party members, supporters, trade unionists and politicians.

The most inspiring and insightful speeches came from Harriet Harman, who urged women 'to be the engine of their own advance', Frances O’Grady (Deputy General Secretary of the TUC) and Yvette Cooper.

Kate Green MP was also wonderfully coherent, intelligent and memorable, providing the clearest explanation I have yet heard as to why the coalition’s cuts are unfair to women. Nan Sloane, from the Centre for Women and Democracy, also gave an interesting account on how countries compare regarding women in politics.

Ed Miliband was the only man to speak to us. It must have been an odd experience for him, and he seemed a little unnerved.

The only other men in the room were all the photographers and the sound technician – an oversight on behalf of the organisers; they should have tried to find women for those roles.

One thing I did wonder: where did Ed and the photographers go to the toilet?