Billy Bragg's Bank Protest INTERVIEW With Brave New Conversations (VIDEO)

 Singer and activist Billy Bragg was interviewed recently by 'Brave New Conversations' about why he is threatening to not pay his taxes in protest of the big bank bonuses to the Royal Bank of Scottland. Bragg explains that he has written to the Chancellor to inform him that he is "no longer prepared to fund the excessive bonuses of RBS investment bankers. Unless he acts to limit [bonuses] to £25,000, I shall be withholding my tax payment on 31st January."

Read Reuters' write up of Bragg's protest movement here and check out Bragg's protest Facebook page here.

WATCH

Read more about the story on the Brave New Conversations Facebook Page

Comments

[MrFurry]

03:26 PM on 02/01/2010

More info on Billy Bragg's action to shrink bankers' bonuses here: http://bit.ly/bXReuc.

[ChangeurMind]

12:06 PM on 01/31/2010

We should ALL not pay taxes and boycott.

[spacetime]

12:03 PM on 01/31/2010

THIS SAYS IT ALL!!!!!!!!!

Especially interview re: taxes with Fred Harrison (renegadeeconomist.com)

Keiser Report №12: Markets! Finance! Scandal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpVgkRuq2mc

[plages]

11:59 AM on 01/31/2010

Mr Bragg , we're on our way out the door to purchase more of your CD's, as this should help you, but wait, unless, this is just another scam?

[seagullking]

11:52 AM on 01/31/2010

I see the Teabag crowd has attempted to weigh in by trying to delegitimize Billy Bragg as an 'immature leftist'. VERY typical of that crowd of abundant ignorance to at_tack those with ideals they should align with! That movement has morphed into a parade of corporate apologists!

Teabaggers attempting to frame themselves as the adults in the room is a joke! Billy has been politically active for his entire career, while the Teabag movement in its original intent had some merit, it's been hijacked by the same old political forces of corporate donations, and their members have been blind to that all the while.... sad.

Taxpayer money in the form of bonuses going to the very bankers who drove their firms, and their customers accounts into the ground should be a cause SHARED by ALL taxpayers.

[Blixa]

04:10 PM on 01/31/2010

Billy is actually a quite mature leftist. 'Bout 52, I think. Never count out lefty rock stars. Look at Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil. He's an Australian MP now.

Hey, I heard Billy likes unions (gasp!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bCVs5pPNQ0

[sailor422]

11:02 AM on 01/31/2010

Better ask Willie how that worked out for him Billy!

[Okieborn]

10:33 AM on 01/31/2010

This bad singer is singing a bad song !!

[blacktea]

09:34 AM on 01/31/2010

pinko

[RSKaz]

09:26 AM on 01/31/2010

No Income. No impact. Nice try, Billy.

[deluk]

09:16 AM on 01/31/2010

forget those posers, Sting and Bono, Billy Bragg's the real thing, writes great music too.

[IronMikeHouston]

07:59 AM on 01/31/2010

Typical immature leftist. He will do nothing but get himself into tax problems. I'm against a $T deficit but you don't see me not paying my taxes to protest.

I just googled the LOSER and he don't even have a wikipedia page! He is just trying to get some attention so that some leftists KooKs will buy some of his crap!

[Ian Matthews]

08:13 AM on 01/31/2010

Try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bragg

[IronMikeHouston]

08:46 AM on 01/31/2010

Thanks, I just checked my google search and I had addition search items that must have prevented the wikipedia page to pop up. Anyway my point is still the same. Billy isn't doing anything but promoting Billy. Bankers have money and political candidates like money and you can bet the farm that neither party will do a damn thing to the bankers other than beat them with a stick during speeches but behind closed doors, nothing will happen except a check leaving the banker's hands to the politicians.

[wndrwrthg]

08:14 AM on 01/31/2010

You are one to speak of immaturity.

[Okieborn]

07:18 AM on 01/31/2010

Not an intelligent protest !!
This will do nothing more than get you in big trouble , we are stuck in two things we as human beings have to do, Die and Pay Taxes !!

[ectoendomezo]

12:26 PM on 01/31/2010

Maybe YOU "Have To Pay"?..Maybe you're too afraid..maybe you're in denial about your own responsibility in financing a Government that ITSELF is breaking the LAW!

You may HAVE to do all that...but I..Do NOT!

5th Amendment Concerns ASIDE...I have NOT paid 'Federal'..since "Retroactive immunity"! For ME..was the FINAL STRAW!

"TARP"? NO! War in Afghanistan? NO! Copenhagen Break Down? NO!

(("Copenhagen Break Down" wicked killer name for a Rock Band))

I REFUSE to PAY for ILLEGAL..frankly..EVIL "Policies"..Nope!

Oh yeah..and I'm ALSO a Recovering Obama Voter AND "progressive"!

Just as I accept the RESPONSIBILITY to Recycle..to Vote..to Support Causes...to be a "Card Carrying member" of the ACLU..I ALSO..accept the reposnibility to make DECISIONS about what MY MONEY..is USED FOR!

Its SCARY...REAL...and EFFECTIVE!

At this point..ANY American that does not realize that MONEY..is ALL our current "Government" is interested in..is sadly...naive! TARP should have proven THAT!

Most agree with "Move Your Money" as "Direct Action"..so..it MUSt just be..FEAR!..Sad!

To PAY..is to Participate in the biggest "RICO" case in History...after all...everyone involved is party to whatever Criminal Conspiracy is ongoing....TORTURE..Death Squads..Private Mercenaries...what more does one REQUIRE to accept the reality? What?So..in REALITY..there's NO excuse! Its'a FACT...You PAY? You PLAY!

"Let them MARCH all they want as long as they continue to PAY their TAXES!"--Alexander Haig

[Jack Reynard]

05:40 AM on 01/31/2010

GO BILLY GO...give those bankers hell!

[DKLabRat]

05:01 AM on 01/31/2010

I applaud Bragg's motivations, but I honestly can't see the point of this protest. He can't expect many members of the public to follow his plan - they can't risk their jobs and going to jail to make a point. And Bragg's protest - as he's admitted himself - is likely to end with him eventually paying up.

I'd suggest he launches a campaign to move cash from the big banks to small community ones - like the campaign here in the US. With him behind such a campaign it could very well take off and is something the public could really get behind.

[naeldwyck]

05:24 AM on 01/31/2010

We have no "small community banks" here in the UK.

[Earl]

07:56 AM on 01/31/2010

They could put their money in PayPal, then.

[simplify]

08:01 AM on 01/31/2010

....thats the kind of apathy that has crippled any meaningful change in this country.

[naeldwyck]

05:00 AM on 01/31/2010

If this is indeed about bankers' bonuses, I hope Mr Bragg has the decency and moral integrity to write individual cheques totaling his taxes due to the departments of health, education, and others which are hurting hard enough from the crisis and HMG's misallocation of resources under Brown without also losing out further on tax revenue because of vanity exercises like this one.