Yesterday a protest took place outside the Dail. Staged under the catchy slogan Book The Bankers it was an expression of disgust prompted by the kleptocracy that the bankers of Anglo Irish have come to personify as a result of the public having heard their Deutschland über alles taped conversation in which robbing the nation blind was pretty much boasted about. The banksters at Anglo Irish very much subscribed to the philosophy of the kleptomaniac: never worry about the condition, you can always take something for it.

My wife helped organise the protest, along with her friend, Sarah. A former trade union organiser in the US and the driving force behind the campaign to thwart the British police raid on the Boston College research archives, her organisational acumen comes as no surprise to me. But it is not because of her that I find the protest as having much to recommend it. It is strictly down to the potential impact that it has had. Much like a rumble strip at the end of a motorway, it reminds people of the type of road they are on while serving notice to the banksters’ friends in high places that the favours the mob are used to receiving are going to be severely means tested by an alert angry society.

In terms of form the protest was fashioned from a template that had its origins in Turkey. A solitary individual literally made a ‘stand’ against the Turkish state. Harassed by cops he persisted in silent protest and was soon joined by others. Until I watched it I was iffy about standing doing nothing. But doing nothing was the last thing he was doing. That resulted from my own lack of imagination. His 'stand' was suffused with powerful symbolism. Primarily rights belong to individuals and here was an individual mounting a symbolically potent defence of them.



Yesterday’s protestors turned up with a book of their choice, something that for each of them expressed their own peculiar sense of outrage and anger on the day.  It was a silent event. Consequently, those there did not have to listen to political salesmen hawking their own agenda. There was no would-be central planner or aspiring dictator of the proletariat hectoring the masses to wage revolution; just people pulled together by a sense of their own outrage.


Close by there was another man on protest of a much more arduous nature than standing reading a book. He has been on hunger strike in protest against the property tax. Tomorrow will be his 20th day on this most demanding of protests. To my shame or chagrin – which, I am not quite sure – I only found out about Tony Rochford’s solitary stance as a result of yesterday’s protest, a sign that a rising tide lifts more than one boat.

A man, Tim Howard, standing in solidarity with Mr Rochford took inspiration from Book The Bankers. He posted the following on the internet, along with a short video of the protest:

Stood outside the Dail today with Tony Rochford and as we sat there a beautiful little movement started. Two people came along and stood facing the Dail with a book in their hands and simply read. One by one they came just like it started in Turkey this very same idea. Soon there were about 20 people when I left and hopefully more afterwards. There were no leaders, no groups, no speeches, just plain silent solidarity. It was so, so beautiful to see and I pray to god it’s the start of something huge. So go along to the Dail during your lunch break or day off and read a book outside. Do it every time you can. We don’t need to be herded around like sheep under god knows what motives. Let's grow this.


There have been countless protests in recent years over one thing or another. Some we never hear of. Two years ago, on the same night each week, along with a small number of others I stood on a bridge over the Boyne in Drogheda trying to bring the treatment of Brendan Lillis in Maghaberry Prison to public attention. We got some attention from motorists, closer interest from the Garda and nothing from the media. I had to blog about it myself to see it mentioned in print. This is what gives Thursday’s protest the edge. Cometh the hour, cometh the idea. A simple thought that captured considerably more public attention than many other demos.

Book The Bankers made the broadcast media throughout the day while the protest was on. People were phoning up radio stations saying what books they would bring. Its success lies not in the numbers that turned out, less than 50, but in its ability to turn the spotlight on the crooks who Nero-like could be heard harping while the economy burned.











Booking the Bankers

Yesterday a protest took place outside the Dail. Staged under the catchy slogan Book The Bankers it was an expression of disgust prompted by the kleptocracy that the bankers of Anglo Irish have come to personify as a result of the public having heard their Deutschland über alles taped conversation in which robbing the nation blind was pretty much boasted about. The banksters at Anglo Irish very much subscribed to the philosophy of the kleptomaniac: never worry about the condition, you can always take something for it.

My wife helped organise the protest, along with her friend, Sarah. A former trade union organiser in the US and the driving force behind the campaign to thwart the British police raid on the Boston College research archives, her organisational acumen comes as no surprise to me. But it is not because of her that I find the protest as having much to recommend it. It is strictly down to the potential impact that it has had. Much like a rumble strip at the end of a motorway, it reminds people of the type of road they are on while serving notice to the banksters’ friends in high places that the favours the mob are used to receiving are going to be severely means tested by an alert angry society.

In terms of form the protest was fashioned from a template that had its origins in Turkey. A solitary individual literally made a ‘stand’ against the Turkish state. Harassed by cops he persisted in silent protest and was soon joined by others. Until I watched it I was iffy about standing doing nothing. But doing nothing was the last thing he was doing. That resulted from my own lack of imagination. His 'stand' was suffused with powerful symbolism. Primarily rights belong to individuals and here was an individual mounting a symbolically potent defence of them.



Yesterday’s protestors turned up with a book of their choice, something that for each of them expressed their own peculiar sense of outrage and anger on the day.  It was a silent event. Consequently, those there did not have to listen to political salesmen hawking their own agenda. There was no would-be central planner or aspiring dictator of the proletariat hectoring the masses to wage revolution; just people pulled together by a sense of their own outrage.


Close by there was another man on protest of a much more arduous nature than standing reading a book. He has been on hunger strike in protest against the property tax. Tomorrow will be his 20th day on this most demanding of protests. To my shame or chagrin – which, I am not quite sure – I only found out about Tony Rochford’s solitary stance as a result of yesterday’s protest, a sign that a rising tide lifts more than one boat.

A man, Tim Howard, standing in solidarity with Mr Rochford took inspiration from Book The Bankers. He posted the following on the internet, along with a short video of the protest:

Stood outside the Dail today with Tony Rochford and as we sat there a beautiful little movement started. Two people came along and stood facing the Dail with a book in their hands and simply read. One by one they came just like it started in Turkey this very same idea. Soon there were about 20 people when I left and hopefully more afterwards. There were no leaders, no groups, no speeches, just plain silent solidarity. It was so, so beautiful to see and I pray to god it’s the start of something huge. So go along to the Dail during your lunch break or day off and read a book outside. Do it every time you can. We don’t need to be herded around like sheep under god knows what motives. Let's grow this.


There have been countless protests in recent years over one thing or another. Some we never hear of. Two years ago, on the same night each week, along with a small number of others I stood on a bridge over the Boyne in Drogheda trying to bring the treatment of Brendan Lillis in Maghaberry Prison to public attention. We got some attention from motorists, closer interest from the Garda and nothing from the media. I had to blog about it myself to see it mentioned in print. This is what gives Thursday’s protest the edge. Cometh the hour, cometh the idea. A simple thought that captured considerably more public attention than many other demos.

Book The Bankers made the broadcast media throughout the day while the protest was on. People were phoning up radio stations saying what books they would bring. Its success lies not in the numbers that turned out, less than 50, but in its ability to turn the spotlight on the crooks who Nero-like could be heard harping while the economy burned.











7 comments:

  1. A worthwhile enterprise Anthony, well done all concerned. If we were to try something similar in relation to the British occupation, perhaps say at Belfast City Hall, I'd be interested to know what book you'd bring! And 'Animal Farm' is already spoken for - surely that'd have to be the property of Michael Henry! Given the day that's in it I'd have to bring a printed out version of the complete '55 Hours' series, the 5th of July will forever be associated with 'Blanketmen' saga and all that followed

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sean,

    Cruel Britannia would be suitable

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bankers? look no further than the Dail leadership, the hand shakers. The takers, the liars, the thieves, live of the working class, put the working class on their knees. Its simply called the N.W.O. Enda would be furious if any financial institution was accidentally demolished!. In the London Dockland Bombings the British were crying out at the multi million £ costs, they didn't worry about any loss of life, just "£", Dail Eireann are no different, Greed begets Greed, Do they think the can take it to their graves?. Silent protest works better that violent protest most of the times, You cant be lifted for standing and saying nothing, but I'm 100% positive Enda and his Banker Friends would bring a new law in. I congratulate those silent protesters. MY HONEST OPINION IS, "HIT THEM WERE IT HURTS, their pockets and corrupt bank accounts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wouldn't burn a book. I think that would be an injustice to the author. I'd print off the Constitution and burn that. It's not worth the paper it's printed on. As for the bankers, they should be charged with theft..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anthony if your hoping to change west brit mindset by peaceful protest then may I suggest you bring along War And Peace.but it has to to be said well done to all involved it keeps this massive con job in the public perception,though to be honest after the release of those tapes I,d have thought the people in the republic would have been building gallows by now,the lack of public outrage and revolt says more about how this state has most of the people cowered into submission, which does not augur well for the future, non the less well done Carrie Sarah and those who have the courage to stand up against corruption and criminality something the government hasnt the balls to do,

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well done to all that took part-

    Don't think I could read standing up on my feet-I am more a sitting down with whisky within reach person myself-

    Sean bres-

    I read that wee book with a big message years ago-I am sure Animal Farm is up in the attic some-where-
    The only good pig is the one on my dinner plate-

    ReplyDelete
  7. Michaelhenry,

    more to my own liking. Maybe you and me we could set up a wee table outside the Dail and run Bush Against Bankers while we get sloshed!!

    As you say, fair play to all who did it. They used an imaginative weapon to demand that the bankers be brought to book.

    ReplyDelete