Tax the rich.

Corporate tax evasion/ avoidance, I don’t pretend to remember which is legal and what loopholes make it so, is costing us our services. Last week The Browne report detailed billions of pounds worth of suggested cuts to the front line of public services affecting, for example; doctors, nurses, cleaning staff and specialists, special educational needs departments and classroom assistants. Right here in Norfolk meals on wheels schemes were scrapped today plus there is the ongoing battle to save the day-care centres for the elderly and now the centres for the deaf, blind, deaf-blind and disabled are in the firing line. Also facing cuts are rural bus and train services, many people’s only transport link to the wider world. And we are angry.
Vodafone have managed to swindle 6bn in unpaid taxes this year, which George Osbourne has happily written off. So today a bizarre assortment of students, subcultural-stereotypes, community activists and revolutionaries stood outside Vodafone on St. Stephens St. and let the public know exactly what was causing them their considerable grievances. They were met with a healthy mix of sarcasm, anger, apathy, confusion, virulent support, back-slapping, knowing nods as well a series of follow up questions and a few pledges of solidarity. Within half an hour over 500 leaflets had been distributed and the shop effectively closed as staff locked the doors and released their small amount of customers back onto the high street in dribs and drabs. We stayed and continued to spread the word, asking shoppers “Why should we be expected to pay our taxes when they won’t pay theirs?”
After another short while the police inevitably turned up and claimed they had reports of harassment from the public only seconds after having told us it was driving past us that had alerted them to our presence. When asked if they knew what cuts the Norfolk Constabulary was facing they said they would not be drawn into political arguments then proceeded to debate the finer points of free speech with us. The cops assured us that free speech only applied if in-audible to anyone over round four feet away from the speaker, ignoring the rights of street preachers and buskers to pollute our ears with whatever drivel they like at nearly any volume. We assured them we’d be back tomorrow with more leaflets so we wouldn’t need to shout anymore. See you on St. Stephens.