Following is a short video of Tom from Occupy Sheffield speaking at the rally:

Northern Rock (minus all the dodgy mortgages that caused the bank to crash, the taxpayer keeps all that) will become another high street bank chain. Sold in the middle of an economic crisis at a loss of around £500 million – money that could have created twenty thousand jobs – George Osbourne has handed it over to Richard Branson and US billionaire Wilbur Ross, who will decide how much cash we can have back in the long run.

With the cream of the business, Virgin Money are likely to build Northern Rock up before selling on to one of the big players at a massive profit. Or it will become another big bank that does little for the people who need it.

Big banks are no longer set up to lend to small businesses and families trapped in debt. All the decisions are made by software, not local managers who know their customers. France, Germany and the USA all have community banks paid for by the big banks. Banks that are for people, not for profit. The Government could have supported Northern Rock becoming a lead in a new community banking sector and taken a step forward, not given it away.

Flyer for printing – File:NorthernRock.pdf

As someone who has been homeless and then done a degree, while being a visually impaired single-parent, I know all too well what it is not to have your voice heard and be permanently marginalised.

I am personally fed up, with the union and trade’s council domination of the whole anti-cuts and challenging of the austerity measures.

Time and again, the same union representatives, executives, key note speakers or prominent figures are given the same platform, to reiterate the same message…

Their message of course is crucial in mobilising a contingency of bureaucratised union culture, which is pitted against some of the toughest anti-union laws in the west.

However, the complaint of myself and others, is the hardest hit, poorest and disadvantaged never, ever get a platform to tell their stories of how this rogue, capitalist blanket regime has affected us.

David writes: “The unions shouldn’t be allowed to hijack a movement that has sprung up from grass roots across all sections of our society without their instigation.”

Who is representing the volunteer sector as it faces slash after slash? Who speaks up for ethnic minorities, the homeless, the unemployed, people with additional needs or tenant’s associations?

With these questions in mind, I went to the Occupy Sheffield camp and sought the opinion of others:

Lesley stressed: “I would like to see, more people from the communities coming forward — especially ethnic minorities, this is a very white camp.”

Gerry said what was so great about Uncut, is real people were taking charge in directly challenging the rich and powerful, like when they turned a bank into a library.

Adam felt strongly that, the homeless or jobless weren’t being acknowledged, as he pointed out people can’t be expected to live on £100 per fortnight.

As I spoke to several people and listened to what people wanted at the general assembly, it was unanimous: people are there and passionate about giving a collective voice to those who are never given the opportunity.

The widespread occupation movement, is a coming together of communities who have no representation or platform to be heard — we are the majority, with no executives to rally our plight; we are the 99% silenced no more! (Challenging the bankers, politicians, rich and influential, who are the 1% leading us toward self-destruction).

Thankfully, there is now the ambition to have a rally, where people from the most marginalised in society can make their voices heard.

In human terms, as Chris stated:

“We are given the gift of a voice — but what good is it if we can’t speak?”

How right he is, so lets have a rally with speakers from the above mentioned communities; a rally from the bottom — our rally, THE RALLY OF THE 99%!

As a final yet crucial thought, I strongly feel, as Occupy London Stock Exchange are now having a rally; they must be localised and widespread, to raise the awareness that — the movement is everywhere…

Contributions from:

Lesley, Gerry, Adam, Chris and David K