Birmingham Banner Theatre
   Fred Wisdom and Dave Rogers

Last night I attended a benefit gig at our local library gallery that the council said would be closed and have desks in it by June this year, its still open and hosting gigs and still no desks. The County Council wants to close the gallery and have tried every dirty trick in the book to defeat the campaign, we remain one step ahead of them and mobilising to block their latest attempt at civic vandalism when next week they try again to give themselves planning consent for a change of use. We have blocked every attempt so far and will fight the latest ploy. In the meantime our campaign has split the council and even caused a massive rift in the ruling Conservative group, so much so that a well known grandee of the Tory county set attended the concert last night to see Banner Theatre perform their anti-cuts show. This in itself is something of a minor miracle.
This man who can trace his local roots back to wealthy entrpreneurs of the 18th century those who pioneered the industrial revolution in this area, had never (I think it can be guaranteed) seen a show like this before.
I spoke to him as he left he was happy and smiling, whatever his politics he wants to save the gallery as much as we do and is a comrade in the broad democratic alliance the campaign has spawned which is having countywide ramifications in local government. I started that ball rolling back in the Spring.

Banner were as ever brilliant and inspiring. As they say on their website; "Banner Theatre is one of Britain's longest established community theatre companies, with over thirty-five years' experience of working with trade unions and marginalized and disadvantaged communities."  

http://www.bannertheatre.co.uk/ 

Here they perform a song they did last night  'Rise Up' a battlecry to resist the IMF/EU/Con-Dem cuts and where possible cause a little havoc in the name of justice, peace and freedom
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Banner themselves are struggling in Austerity Britain having had the Arts Council funding cut by the philistines in government, but we will support them and save them as a prized social assett and they will accompany the great levelling that is to come!

I have been a  supporter of Banner Theatre since I first came into contact with them more than 30 years ago. They are here to stay and the bankster scum cannot shut them up nor close them down.

So yes, Rise Up show them the steel of English resolve defeat the revolting transatlantic patsies and enemies of our people's culture, fight the evil empire and smash the class enemy........ 

RISE UP NOW!