A day at the races

I'm very pleased to say that despite the lack of action in my own home town of Swindon, I was able to make it to the UK Uncut Pay Day protest in Oxford instead. Though why Swindon doesn't have one when the Vodafone and Topshop shops are actually within feet of each other is a mystery. I digress however, and there seems to have been some good coverage of the day, particularly from the Daily Mail (My thanks to UK Uncut for highlighting this on Twitter)- I suppose that ultimately paying one's fair share of tax is something most people find an unobjectionable position to hold.

Alas there are no pictures to share, but there were a good handful of us down, particularly those who have been involved in the Occupied Oxford campaign. Taking rather a different tack from those who have been occupying the shops or gluing themselves to windows, we held the 'Monaco tax dodgers' grand prix' armed with cardboard racers, each sponsored by a various companies associated with tax avoidance, including Vodaphone, BHS, Barclays (my own noble steed), Boots and a few others. We then spent the next hour and a half and more perhaps racing around the high streets outside the different shops (and very occasionally into the shops s well!) chanting, handing out leaflets, and having a rather good time whilst we were at it.

It was a good day out, and was I think, only enhanced by the fact that we had to run through the snow, and contra Toby Young the onlookers (thankfully!) seemed mostly amused by our antics and interested in what we were saying- we got our message out and hopefully some people took it on board. Whilst I'm looking at that article in fact, I have to ask if some trashy consumer item is really going to advantage the poorest in our society over public services that are being cut. ("Even if this method of protest was successful and Vodafone and Top Shop ended up paying more tax, it wouldn’t be ordinary people that would benefit. On the contrary, the higher taxes would immediately be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. How, precisely, is that going to help “the poorest and most vulnerable”?) Cut, I hasten to add, because we're told the money must come from somewhere, but for some reason not from those most able to afford it.

The fundamental discrepancy of this of course, along with the accompanying hypocrisy of the 'we're all in this together' rhetoric of a certain coalition governemnt, is what UK Uncut is trying to highlight, and even if it does cause minor inconvenience (as any protest inevitable must) I think it is a worthwhile hue and cry to raise, and I certainly hope to join in yet more and perhaps, perhaps the message will catch on and then who knows? Maybe some of that avoided tax may find its way back to the government and channeled back to where it could really benefit the UK public most.