UKUncut - State of the Arts Flash Conference

Thank you very much everybody, erm
I'm going to throw away the script for what I was going to say because an important announcement has been made today
can you hear me ok? [yep] OK [erm, just shout] I'm going to present to you today in answer to the question, 'a shape, a number, an idea, a word
[just, just Shout]. Yeah? [yeah.] OK. (shouts) The shape is a square; a theatre, a gallery, a library, a leisure centre, a forest.
A square in Egypt, a square outside parliament, the four walls of this conference, the room that we are all in, #weareallinthistogether.
A number, 6 billion.
6 billion in tax avoided by vodafone, 1.2 trillion committed by the public sector in support of the banking, banking sector.
9 million, Bob Diamond, the chief executive of Barclay's expected bonus due to be announced on 15.02.2011.
A very important number for you: the number 19.
An idea:
The cuts are not necessary, they are a political choice, there is something we can do about it.
A word: confidence.
An action: participation.
In response to the question 'How can art of all kinds play a more meaningful role in mass protest and popular resistance?'
Participation.
Here's details of the action, and you need to come with me on this.
If you'd like to come 'round.
On the 19th of February UKuncut have just announced that they are going to target the banking industry.
1.2 trillion pounds committed in public sector money to the banking sector.
On the 19th of February Barclay's is the new target, on the 26th the Royal Bank of Scotland.
This is a creative and well-informed protest. We are calling for the Big Society Bail-IN to the banks.
People will go inside bank branches and transform them into libraries, into forests, into leisure centres, into theatres
[cheers, applause]
We need your art, we need your plays, we need your scripts, we need your graphic designs to download from the website and make replicable all over the country.
This is direct action, and you're very much invited to take part.
So, I'd like to invite you, using your confidence and your sense of participation, to make a stand by sitting down. [the speaker sits]
Sit down, if you disagree with the cuts, sit down if you want to save the libraries,
sit down if you want to save the forests, sit down if you stand in solidarity with the NHS, sit down in solidarity with the people in Egypt,
sit down.
[the video ran out at this point, but everyone did sit down]
[the speaker looks up]
Thank you very much
[very loud applause]