It’s that time of year again, where Ungagged announce our Lefty Of the Year!
In 2016 the Ungagged Lofty Award went to Mhairi Black, for her tireless work for the poor and vulnerable, both in Holyrood and in Westminster.
But you don’t have to be an elected official to make a political difference, to stand up for the vulnerable and to fight for a better world.
With that in mind, our LOFTY award this year had to go to….
(Imagine a drumroll here to build the tension if you like)
Angie Zelter and Brian Quail
Yes, our Lefty Of The Year 2017 is in fact two lefties.
Back in July 2017 Ungagged reported the appalling treatment of pensioners Brian and Angie, who were jailed for obstructing weapons of mass destruction by lying in the road outside the UK Trident nuclear weapon storage facility at Coulport.
Angie Zelter, a founder member of Trident Ploughshares, argued in court that;
“it would be contrary to justice to find us guilty of breach of the peace when we have done all we can to stop the breach of the peace that these nuclear bases and the nuclear convoys represent”,
giving clear, thought provoking arguments as to why the activity in the Coulport base is illegal as her defence.
The Ungagged panel chose Angie Zelter and Brian Quail as our LOFTY 2017 for their hard work, dedication and determination to challenge the wrongs of our world.
Protest can and does make a difference. As Brian himself said;
“We might have a future after all. One thing is for sure: either we have a nuclear free future or we have no future at all.”