This was one day of action across the nation. It wasn’t action that prevented people using banks, nor was it forcibly stopping banks from opening. Instead it was education delivered to those using services that are assisting a questionable action.

Therefore if the bank shuts that is the banks decision, not the protestors.

To add to earlier comments,it is a logical and targeted ‘next step’ or two as people are forced to face the consequences of corporate tax strategies. I would rather that UK Uncut continued to promote discussion and challenge practices rather than the usual ‘shout at the telly’ or print a pamphlet response which is really all that occurred until now.

People are fearful for their incomes and its time to challenge the spaces in which those who don’t contribute their worth are challenged. Else it’ll be those with least money and least voice who suffer the most. Last centuries lie was ‘it is a great and glorious thing to die for ones country’. This centuries lie is to be ‘we’re all in this together’.

(why do I comment so badly on your blog…?)

Yes, you’re absolutely right about balance, but I think a day of action where lots of people target lots of branches actually does start to make a difference to the banks. They rely on their reputations and social capital for their real capital.

As for super-fun times: well, actually it’s quite good if protest is fun. Not for the die-hard activists: they’ll keep coming out whatever the flag-wrenching awfulness is. But for all those people you’re trying to get on board (those who aren’t revelling in the ability to find the liberated moment of the strike), it’s quite good if everything isn’t (a) in London and (b) isn’t more boring than work itself.

I agree that there is some incoherency in the actions, but no more so than ‘tax dodgers go to hell’ a couple of months ago. For anti-capitalists like you and me, it all seems a bit naff, but a lot of people (and, before you say it, they’re not all middle class blah blah) understand that it’s not the perfect but that it’s better than sitting and doing nothing.

Come up with something more coherent that people can do which doesn’t involve them being all in one place or going on strike, and let’s go do it. Until then, #ukuncut me up.

Occupying a bank, for however long, will cause business to stop – it’s naive to suggest otherwise really, with UK Uncut saying these are ‘transformations’ or whatever – in effect they’ll be shut downs as management withdraw workers while the disruption is ongoing. You might judge that doesn’t matter given the importance of the action, but there are numerous other ways to make the point about banks & bonuses, better and less incoherent ways I think.

I don’t think the argument that all protest is disruptive and all areas of life are stressful really cuts it. As activists we all know, consciously or not, that there’s a balance to be struck between hitting your target and alienating your potential allies. There’s a reason we don’t routinely occupy libraries during exam time, but do support lecturers striking over this period where they’ve decided to. Similarly, the balance argument dominated the UCL Occupation at times, when students wanted to use the space we’d taken over for society activities.

UK Uncut has played a really useful educative, propagandistic role in the past, with the tax avoidance stuff showing really clearly how we’re not all in this together. I’d rather see a day of action that focused on developing that into analysis of the banks, and getting anti-cuts arguments out to the public, than one that appears to be more about super-fun times for activists.

Yes, dealing with money is stressful, but surely that goes for everywhere: there are always unprivileged people dealing with the shit of capitalism wherever you go. That goes for workplaces, HQs, roads, estates, anywhere. Some people are having a stressful time of it wherever you go. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t protest.