News and Events
Revs up for Robin Hood Tax
December 2nd 2011
On Friday 2nd December Robin Hood led a band of merry trainee vicars and their tutors from the leafy glades of the Queen’s Foundation in Edgbaston to Birmingham’s commercial centre to sing their support for the so-called Robin Hood tax.
The Event
“God cares for the poorest and the weakest in every society. That’s why the Robin Hood Tax is a great idea. It would discourage dangerous gambling in financial markets and support the weakest in society,” said spokesperson Steve Hood (no relation!).
The group of Robin’s merry men (and women) sang Christmas carols with a ‘love more, spend less’ twist, near the Bull Ring on Friday afternoon, 2nd December. They then walked along New Street, visiting a number of banks. On the pavement outside the first bank, Robin Hood proclaimed a declaration to the people of England, proposing that the government should adopt the Robin Hood Tax. Cheered on by the rest of the crowd, Robin, supported by two of his horn-blowers and one or two others, went into the bank lobby and distributed chocolate gold coins and leaflets to waiting bank clients and staff.
View the carol singing here.
Some of the carols they used are contained in the attached carol book. Churches and others are most welcome to copy the pages for their own use, and to change any local references to make them applicable to their locality.
The Scroll
I, hereby dressed as Robin Hood,
Do call upon the government of this land
To act for fairness, stability and the wellbeing of nation,
To seize as tax one two-thousandth part of each Commercial Financial transaction - So small a part as barely to be noticed -
And to use such funds for the good of those in need,
So help me God (who cares for the poor, the marginalised, and the oppressed),
And I call upon your support.
Are you with me?
And the crowd replied
“We’re with you, Robin
