A COMMON theme highlighted in any protest is the inability of those in authority to connect with people.

Watching events unfold in Tunisia and Egypt, with other countries in that area of the world with repressive regimes bracing themselves for rebellion, it is a reminder to all in a supposed democracy that protest can work.

I am not advocating violence, but violent protest occurs when governments fail to listen to or understand what people really want.

It is perhaps more pronounced in dictatorships, but for politics to work it needs to connect and there has been a question for some time now that some political parties and the electorate do not always have the relationship that enables people to feel empowered.

So often it is about government “caring” for the poor or disadvantaged in a patronising manner, instead of giving them status and belief and enabling them to have some dignity and respect.

The image of protest needs to change. The message pedalled by the establishment is that protest is a platform for the perpetrators of violence, but it can be a channel for resolving conflict and I hope those people who have been forced onto the streets in protest achieve something that is better.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham