SUPERHEROES vs THE BANKS pt1

Thankyou. Apart from the cameramen and reports I reckon I was the oldest at the Portman Square Nat West action by some two decades or so. Edgar was the youngest by two decades. And Buzz? Age indeterminate.

As requested we had brought a superhero with us, Buzz Lightyear. Complete with homemade placard "Buzz says these bankers' bonuses have gone to infinity and beyond." We followed the crowd, the surreal inconvenience of the Nat West announced on the UK Uncut site that we'd be targeting already closed by Nat West without us even turning up wasn't going to stop us. Off to Portman Square then. Where for 40 minutes or so we sat in, sang, got photographed and flmed a lot, explained how the greedy bankers have caused a crisis which they then expect us to pay for.

Crucially, no hostility to the bank staff. None of them get millionaire bonuses. Our civility returned with knowingly sympathetic smiles from the cashiers. And no aggression towards the customers either, thet're simply going about their business, the banks charge penalty fees, costly overdrafts, refuse loans to small businesss in trouble, while the bankers take their million pound bonuses.

So why thankyou? Because UK UNcut restores my faith in the point of political action. I'm fed up with marching from A to B and getting nowhere. I've no patience with a Left more interested in flogging newspapers and recruitment drives than finding the forms of action which can effect change. I've given up listening to politicians who promise us the earth yet all sound the same. Sitting-in at a bank feels like I'm making a difference at last. And anybody who doubts we are making a difference should check out the billions the baks and the big business tax-avoiders spend on advertising, PR, sponsorship and corporate social responsibility programmes to convince how wonderful they are. We are ruining their image, exposing them as the spoivs in suits they really are.

UK Uncut is positioning itself on the side of the people vs the corporate elite. Its not a left vs right thing, tho' many of us might be on the left the enmity towards the tax dodgers has the potential to unite those of all political persuasions, and none. This is crucial, if we want a popular revolt. then the fist step is to become popular.

And three pleas.

One, it was absolutely correct not to be anti ordinary bank staff and customers. Next time lets bake some cakes and hand 'em round. If the banks want to close their branches thats their choice. We are about creating spaces of co-operation and conversation.

Two, I guess resources are short. But we should have on every action brilliantly designed, easy to read, funniny and informative explanations of the scale of tax dodging and what its costing us all. If funds are short then please have an appeal, the unions for one should be pouring money into material support for UK Uncut.

Three, there will be different ideas of what precisely to do about tax avoidance. But lets educate ourselves about the issue and the range of solutions. UK uUcut must avoid like the plague becoming a conventional campaign like the plague. It works precisely because it is so unconventional (actions being pleasurable and easy to take part in being key, as well as militantly peaceful) but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be a space a bit like climate camp where we become armed with the ideas needed to win the arguments. Isn't there a vacant bank building we could occupy somewhere for a fesyival of the alternative?