Riding Through the Glen

Green tights and bows and arrows? Try masks and petitions...with tights as an optional extra.

The great count-down has begun, and for the next 26 days we are at the mercy of every political agent that can get us to spare five minutes of our time. Your mail will suddenly become colour-coded blue red yellow green, the local newspaper will be full of vying prospective MPs visiting primary schools, and Ian Hislop will continue to use Have I Got News For You as a soap box (I won't begrudge him the opportunity as it's highly entertaining, but don't expect me to concede the political neutrality of the BBC).

Now I'm one of the kids who lost out by a few weeks last election (June babies), but that doesn't mean I'm going to join several million 18-21-year-olds in going in blind. Did you know that voter turnout last time was only 61%? That it was only 59% the time before that? In 2005, more eligible people opted not to vote at all than voted for Labour. Their percentage of votes (36) was the smallest percentage that any government has been elected on in UK history.

My point isn't to question the legitimacy of their government or to propagate my own political views (which, while fixed on some issues, are as much in flux as anyone's in the current climate). But there has to be a reason for the apathy - and to be honest, I think we're all just a bit confused and fed up with spin.

So for the next 26 days, this blog will be dedicated to exploring the issues surrounding May's election, in the hope that a few more people (including myself!) will be able to make an informed decision come May 6th.

All well and good, I hear, but what's with the tights reference? Thank you for your patience, good reader - I will explain. Ever heard of Robin Hood? So have these guys:

http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/

The Idea: tax banks and hedge funds a tiny percentage (0.005-0.05%) on their major transactions, and use the money for work on poverty and climate change in the UK and abroad.


The People Behind The Idea: A group of charities, campaigning groups and other organisations that focus on reducing poverty and tackling climate change - there's a huge list, from Care International and the YWCA to Unicef and Tearfund.


The Proposed Method: Levy a very small tax on transactions over a certain size within banking and other large financial institutions: the tax is not meant to be applied to customer transactions but to share deals, currency exchanges and other such trading that these organisations carry out.

The Money: The scheme can only be implemented on a national level, for obvious reasons, but the funds raised are intended to be used for international work as well as home-front projects. At the moment, no straight answers for who exactly would control the funds are being given on the website, but the 'best practice' standard according to economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs 'will surely engage civil society in very practical, programmatic ways in the use of the funds'. Idealism is rife among the Robin Hoodies (I really wish I'd coined that but sadly it's theirs) - they want to set a global standard for all kinds of funds from healthcare to education.

The Holes: The campaigners have done their best to reassure us that the cost of such a tax wouldn't be passed on to the general public, and based on past evidence and the minute percentage proposed, it doesn't seem likely that the average householder will be affected, unless that householder is a billionaire hedge-funder. BUT - short of very complex statutory regulations if this goes to Parliament, there's no guarantee.

Who's In: If you want to go through the Robin Hoodies' bibliography, you'll find a nice big list of names that I probably can't pronounce, but failing that, some people you might have heard of are Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. You can also go to this page:

http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/homepage/the-robin-hood-tax-campaign-responds-to-the-budget/

to see Alistair Darling photo-edited into a Sheriff-of-Nottingham beard. They didn't bother to doctor his eyebrows.

The Campaign: this is the fun bit, for those of you who are keen - anywhere near London tomorrow? Fancy dressing up as Robin Hood and going to Speaker's Corner? Public demonstration hasn't been this entertaining since Fathers 4 Justice (yes, that's how they spelt it) in their hero outfits. I wonder how many capes there'll be this time. Hopefully anyone turning up with a REAL bow and arrow will be sent packing rapidly - arrests for weapon possession might not help the cause...

For those without the guts, means or legs to pull off the tights 'n' shorts look, facebook may just be the answer - uploading a photo of yourself in a green eye mask is supposed to be helpful. But don't make the mistake I did at my primary school World Book Day - face paint is very uncomfortable when it melts down your face in the sun.

Alternatively, you could take the banks' side and form a Sheriff group, grow a pointy beard and turn up to Speaker's Corner wielding a spoon. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSUGp9Yz1sk)

So, that's my opening gambit done and dusted. My brain awash with informed-ness (I may have done some of my research while writing), I'm off to revise the delightfully lurid comedy of the 1720s and resist the urge to eat an Easter Egg instead. Join me over the weekend for a humorous trip back to school...