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It is no more true to pretend that Saturday's TUC anti-cuts march changes everything than to pretend it changes nothing.Buy nike running shoes online The march through London was a very successful and impressive protest. A quarter of a million is a big turnout by any standards. There is also considerable polling evidence that it spoke, in general terms, for an increasingly large section of public opinion. To exaggerate the strength of the protest would be foolish – the public sector dominated TUC has not overnight become the voice of middle Britain. But it is even more foolish to dismiss the march as an event of no consequence. Opposition to the government's spending cuts and tax increases is rising, and is of growing importance in British politics. This cannot but have an increasing impact, whatever the denials. The real questions, however, are whether the government can keep the growth of opposition within bounds over the next two years and whether Labour can persuade those who are tempted to align themselves with it that the party has a credible alternative. Saturday's march does not answer either question.

The violence of a few hundred rioters on Saturday should be seen in this wider context. That's not to say the violence does not matter. The violence is wrong. It does no good. It should certainly not be romanticised. But it should not become an excuse for framing Saturday's march as a law and order issue rather than an issue of politics and economics. The overwhelming majority of marchers, Ed Miliband and the TUC included, had nothing whatever to do with smashing windows, throwing things at the police or behaving badly. They were there to make afashion 2011 nike running shoes peaceful protest. Most of them only learned about the rioting when they got home. The march was well stewarded and well policed. Unfortunately, there will always be a fringe who prefer to riot. It was ever thus. They irresistibly attract the attention of the police and the television cameras. They should probably have been factored into the planning better; on another occasion, some shops might be more sensible to close in advance. But the public are not stupid. They know the rioters are a minority. They can tell the difference between the grown-ups and the trouble-makers.

In the end, it is this wider public that matters most of all. The TUC campaign was, or should be, a campaign to win their support. At the moment, according to last weekend's Guardian-ICM poll, those who think the cuts go too far – the marchers' cause – have only 35% support, while 57% think the cuts strike the right balance or don't go far enough. Other polls, including yesterday's YouGov-Sunday Times survey, have findings that can be read more favourably to the TUC cause, though based on different questions. But these differences should not obscure the fact that public opinion on the deficit, the cuts, the alternatives and the blame has not yet reached a settled place. The public now sees the coalition and its economic policies negatively. But it still has more trust in the coalition than Labour on the deficit.buy Reebok EasyTone

As the financial year begins, the public faces cuts and higher taxes on a scale not yet directly experienced. Opinion is likely to move around, probably initially against the government. But the anti-coalition anger of 2011 may be no more durable than the pro-coalition honeymoon of 2010. Labour cannot assume that it will be the lasting beneficiary until it is able to spell out a believable alternative that speaks to the undecided at the moment when it matters. But the government cannot simply pretend that there is nothing happening out in the country. It will have to respond. The TUC march was a success. Ed Miliband was right to address it. But the campaign remains rooted in the agenda of the public sector unions. The Labour leader faces a much bigger task now. He needs to reach out to those who think of themselves as much as taxpayers as consumers or producers of public services. A longer march now beckons.