“Don’t do a thing! Don’t do a thing!”

I wonder if that was one of the chants at Saturday’s demonstration in London against military intervention in Libya.

I don’t know if establishing a no-fly zone in Libya at this point would help the cause of the brave Libyans fighting to free themselves from the brutal rule of Colonel Gaddafi, or if in fact it’s too late for that.

But I do know that when it appears the rebels are being systematically crushed by Gaddafi’s better-equipped and better-organized forces, there is something particularly depressing and pathetic about a “leftwing” demonstration that focuses not on solidarity with the freedom fighters but rather on trying to prevent anyone outside Libya from helping them.