Antwoord van Rusell Brand ( facebookpagina )

Hello Jo, thanks for your open letter, I do remember you from the melee outside RBS and firstly, Id like to
say sorry for your paella getting cold. Its not nice to suffer because of actions that are nothing to do with
you. I imagine the disabled people of our country who have been hit with 6bn of benefit cuts during the
period that RBS received 46bn of public bail-out money feel similarly cheesed off.
I cant apologise for the RBS lockdown though mate because, I dont have the authority to close great big
institutions even ones found guilty of criminal activity.
The locking of the doors and your tarnished lunch came about as the result of orders from the faceless
bosses upstairs after I wandered in on my own while we secretly filmed from across the street - then
security swarmed, all the doors were locked and crowds gathered outside. I must say Jo; it felt like RBS had
something terrible to hide. But more of that in a minute.
Neither was I there for publicity, although you could be forgiven for thinking that; for many years I have
earned my money (and paid my taxes) by showing off. If I needed negative publicity (and, believe me, thats
all talking publicly about inequality can ever get you) I could get it by using the N word on telly, or putting a
cat in a bin, or having a romantic liaison with the lad from TOWIE.
I was there with filmmaker Michael Winterbottom making a documentary about how the economic crises
caused by the banking industry (RBS were found guilty of rigging Libor and the foreign exchange) has led to
an economic attack on the most vulnerable people in society. I dont want to undermine your personal
inconvenience Jo, Id be the first to admit that Im often more vexed by little things; iPhone chargers
continually changing makes me as angry as apartheid - so I cant claim any personal moral high ground, but
a chance to make a film that highlights how 80bn of austerity cuts were made, punishing societys most
vulnerable during the same period that bankers awarded themselves 81bn in bonuses was irresistible.
The mob upstairs at RBS who exiled you with your rapidly deteriorating lunch have had 4bn in bonuses
since the crash. Do they deserve our money more than Britains disabled? Or Britains students who are
now charged to learn? Is that fair?
They were some of the questions I was hoping to ask your boss but we got no joy through the proper
channels so we decided to just show up.
Not just to RBS, but also to Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays. I know that the regular folk on the floor arent guilty
of this trick against ordinary people; theyre like anyone, trying to make ends meet. As you point out though,
its hard to get to the men at the top so we were forced into door-stopping and inadvertent lunch spoiling.
The good news is that this film and even this correspondence will reach hundreds of thousands of people
and theyll learn how theyre being conned by the financial industry and turned against one another - thats
got to be a good thing, even if it makes me look a bit of a twit in the process and the national dish of Spain
is eaten sub-par.
Now Ill be the first to admit your lunch has been an unwitting casualty in this well-intentioned quest but I
couldnt resist the opportunity to ask new RBS boss Ross McEwan if he thinks its right that he got a 3.2m
golden hello when the RBS is sellotaped together with money that comes from everyone elses taxes. I
wonder what he wouldve said? Or whether its right that Fred the shred (he shredded evidence of
impropriety) Goodwin gets to keep his 320k a year pension while disabled people have had their
independent living fund scrapped.
And its not just RBS mate. Lloyds, Barclays, Citibank and HSBC have all been found guilty of market
rigging and not one banker has been jailed.
Trillions of public money lost and stolen and no one prosecuted. Remember in the riots when disaffected
youth nicked the odd bottle of water or a stray pair of trainers? Criminal, I agree. 1800 years worth of
sentences were meted out in special courts, to make an example. Some crime doesnt pay, but some crime
definitely does. My school mate Leigh Pickett, a fireman is being told that he and his colleagues wont be
able to collect their pension until five years later than agreed, five more years of backbreaking, flame

engulfed labour why? Because of austerity.

Put simply Jo, the banks took the money, the people paid the price.
I was there to ask a few questions to the guilty parties, now I know thats not you, youre just a bloke trying
to make a crust and evidently you like that crust warm - but again, it wasnt me who locked the RBS, I just
asked a few difficult questions and the place went nuts. The people that have inconvenienced homeowners,
pensioners, the disabled and ordinary working Brits are the same ones who inconvenienced you that
lunchtime. Theyve got a lot to hide, so they locked the doors. You said my agro demeanor reminded you
of school. Your letter reminded me of school too, when the teacher would say, because Russells been
naughty, the whole class has to stay behind.
Id never knowingly keep a workingman from his dinner, its unacceptable and I do owe you an apology for
being lairy.
So Jo, get in touch, I owe you an apology and Id like to take you for a hot paella to make up for the one that
went cold though you could say that was actually the fault of the shady shysters who nicked the wedge
and locked you out, Id rather err on the side of caution. When I make a mistake I like to apolgise and put it
right. Hopefully your bosses will do the same to the people of Britain.