It was loud, it was tribal, but above all, it was sincere. November 20's anti-Bush demonstration in London attracted several hundred protesters from Oxfordshire.

Many felt strongly enough to take time off work to have a pop at the man dubbed "the greatest threat to life on the planet" by the capital's mayor, Ken Livingstone.

The Oxford Mail sent an embedded journalist with the county's anti-war foot-soldiers to report from the front line.

His hearing may never recover from the din of protesters' whistles, but he did glean an important fact for all our communities crying out to get more bobbies on the beat -- there's actually no shortage of policemen in this country. Tight security was expected, particularly after the morning's terrorist attack in Turkey. But seriously, London was awash with bobbies.

Sensibly Buckingham Palace and Parliament were surrounded by officers, but hundreds more were waiting in reserve in side streets.

The Met wasn't taking any chances and it meant the over-riding impression was one of surveillance, as the march skirted round the so-called 'security bubble' of the visiting US President.

Circling above, police helicopters monitored everything that moved, including everyone's phone calls.

The agreed marching route took the 150,000 protesters past a deserted building site in Waterloo. So when they reached Whitehall and Downing Street, they made the most of being at the heart of things at last.

Up went the volume in the hope that 'Dubya' might be within earshot at Number 10. As night fell, the clans gathered in Trafalgar Square for the showdown.

Amid fireworks, chants of 'George Bush! Terrorist!', and the spirit of revolution, they toppled an effigy of the President that made him appear a false idol.

For all the carnival excess, the Oxfordshire contingent -- which set off in two double-deckers and a coach from St Giles, Oxford, at 11.30am -- remained clear why it had come.

Oxford University student Claire Atkinson, 18, reading biochemistry at Exeter College, said she thought US foreign policy was immoral and breached international law.

"I don't think the march will achieve anything, but you have got to try," she said. "You can't complain if you don't try to change things."

American Darwin Peltan, 24, of Dovehouse Close, Eynsham, who took the day off work as a web developer, said Mr Bush claimed to stand for truth and democracy, but dealt only in hypocrisy.

The sound of dissent might even have pierced Mr Bush's bubble and given him earache too.

Tell us what you think.