My Tent For Your Bonus

In early January, black-on-white A4 prints displaying a bold and simple message began to appear amongst the tents in St Paul’s Churchyard. My Tent for your Bonus, the posters declared. The first day just a couple of tents were on offer. “I could only afford to print a few copies,” explained the brain behind this campaign. The next day he brandished a sheaf of fresh prints. “Some passers-by liked it so much they paid for me to make more!”

Daily, the number of tents available to be exchanged for bonuses grew. By January 29th practically every tent sported the offer. Was it pure coincidence that the very next day Stephen Hester hit the headlines for turning down a £1 million Royal Bank of Scotland bonus? Perhaps he felt he was missing out on the zeitgeist and fancied a spot of winter camping. Honest Occupiers from the St Paul’s camp felt it was important to keep their side of the bargain, even though it meant losing a precious tent just when the camp was at capacity due to eviction at the Bank of Ideas.

Four stalwarts of OLSX carried the erect sacrificial tent through the streets of London and with due ceremony presented it outside RBS headquarters. Despite the presence of mainstream journalists keen to record Hester’s reaction to this gift, the RBS boss chose not to accept it in person.

Will Bob Diamond of Barclay’s also win himself a tent this bonus season?

By Emma Fordham