Organised against a backdrop of calamitous cuts to youth services, the Choose Youth Rally in Solihull surpassed expectation. Certainly that is the consensus of our supporters, who felt privileged to be there. Stranded in a village with no electricity, courtesy of a crazy person in charge of an articulated lorry, I missed the live web cam of the event. However, rescued by a tweet,  I watched with a mixture of emotion yesterday this video of the remarkable event.

OK, it is nearly four hours long, but dip into it to get a feel for the inspiring atmosphere and the moment when a young woman, Alex from Leeds, ends her brilliant speech by asserting, ‘it’s time we walked like Egyptians!’ Cue for the revival of the Bangles ditty from the mid-1980’s, transformed into a song of protest and respect.

More commentary and photos soon