Brixton news, rumours and general chat: Summer - Autumn 2018

[editor]

And here as well: Brixton Ritzy strike, day two – photos from Windrush Square

The strikes have had plenty of coverage from the start, both local and London-wide (as well as some national press).

 

[alcopop]

Are Amazon workers actively in dispute and calling for a boycott? That’s the difference, the Rutzy staff are in an official dispute, and have requested a boycott. That’s by they should be bocotted, and if Amazon workers organise and put out the same call we should do the same. I personally feel they lacked experienced union support to better publicise the boycott, but thinking of the big historic trade union backed disputes of the past - grunwick, garners even the miners strike, which were defeated by the resilience of the bosses and the eventual lack of wider movement support for the long haul battle, I’m not sure even if there had been more persistent activity it would have made much difference. Solidarity is difficult to generate these days. to be fair to the people breaking the boycott, I’m sure many were doing so unwittingly as they’re not crossing a picket line or being handed leaflets as they approach the cinema. That is how the local supporters of the staff could have helped to reduce income to the company. Long duration disputes need a pool of committed activists that maintain consistent pressure. Chatting on line in forums and sharing photos of the occasional pickets isn’t what wins disputes. There’s nothing to stop supporters organising flash pickets , or managing a rota of supporters to ensure that no one enters that cinema without knowing they’re breaking a boycott. They had some success with the dispute but I think it’s simply run out of steam.

Amazon Boycott Unites Workers, Gamers, Shoppers For Prime Day Protest

 

[alcopop]

Are Amazon workers actively calling for a boycott? If not, your post is ignorant, ridiculous gibberish.

Amazon Boycott Unites Workers, Gamers, Shoppers For Prime Day Protest

And if they are then presumably you are a ridiculously ignorant gibberer?

 

[editor]

Amazon Boycott Unites Workers, Gamers, Shoppers For Prime Day Protest

And if they are then presumably you are a ridiculously ignorant gibberer?

Have you even read the words in the article? It was a ONE DAY boycott earlier this year.

Instead of pursuing this ridiculous line of ad hominems and red herrings, why don't you just do the right thing and support the boycott of the Ritzy?

 

[editor]

Coming to the ground floor of (barf) 'Crib 5'

This September sees the opening of a brand new F45 Fitness Studio in Brixton. The studio was conceived of, organised and funded on the other side of the world by one of the most up and coming Girl Bosses of Australia, Yemi Penn. Born and bred in London's Brixton, Yemi has taught over a thousand fitness classes in the UK, Japan and even to the US Military, however when she recently visited London she knew she had to come back to support the local health and fitness movement on her home turf.

Already a huge success in Australia, F45 is the world’s fastest growing fitness franchise concepts with over 1,150 studios across 36 countries. The F45 Brixton studio will be the cornerstone of the community and Yemi is currently seeking government funding to help her run a community outreach programme which will start by offering a number of community classes during non-peak hours every day.

A signature session at F45 will include the Brixton workout, which is the sister workout of Brooklyn, designed to showcase combat simulation with high intensity cardio moves structured to mimic the training of a fighter. Elements of boxing, MMA, comat and self-defense will be on display.

F45 Brixton is located at 230 Brixton Road, London, SW9 6AH and opens on Saturday 8 September 2018.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Strike action has been ongoing since April 2014 and has had plenty of publicity from the start. This is just a few headline from 2014:

Irvine Welsh adds support to Brixton Ritzy workers ahead of Friday’s strike
Mayor Boris Johnson urged to intervene in Ritzy cinema pay row
Will Self urges Londoners to boycott the Brixton Ritzy and all Picturehouse cinemas

Yes, yes yes - you are preaching to the choir again here. I know all about the strike/boycott but no, it doesn't hurt to remind /tell other people here repeatedly.

To refer back to my original point - I'm not sure that hiring the sign board is breaking the boycott - that is what I have repeatedly said I want to check, that is what I want to ask the Ritzy workers. I'll report back.

 

[Gramsci]

Was that a request from the BECTU staff? or just locals?

Your complaining people need education on unions and you ask this?

Actually it was a vocal minority of locals who aren't representative of all the hard working people who haven't time to support dusputes like this who requested boycott.

Of course it was Ritzy workers. They told me themselves.

 

[Gramsci]

Edit

 

[Gramsci]

To refer back to my original point - I'm not sure that hiring the sign board is breaking the boycott - that is what I have repeatedly said I want to check, that is what I want to ask the Ritzy workers. I'll report back.

Imo thats not quite the point. Repost :



The article in question

" The Ladies From 2017’s Romantic Brixton Proposal Finally Got Married, And Here’s What Happened"

Was written a few weeks ago. By editor in chief of the secret London website. I would have assumed that this person would have known about Ritzy dispute by now. (Them working in journalism / media.) But still puts ad for Ritzy at the of article.

This whole piece of "journalism* is an advertising piece in practice.

Plus they appear to have had open website asking people to turn up at Pop for wedding plus begging section for presents.

I'm not up to date with weddings but didn't think they were for Joe public.

The whole thing comes across as media event to me. Orchestrated by them and secret London website.

Your company on our special day is more than enough. We are however in the process of purchasing our marital home and it needs a little TLC. So if you wanted to contribute towards making it wonderful we would be very grateful, you can do this by going to the registry tab above

The Ladies From 2017’s Romantic Brixton Proposal Finally Got Married, And Here’s What Happened


Katy Le Lion and Hannah Shanks's Wedding Website

 

[Gramsci]

Thanks a lot for this post and digging around old posts. I don't the energy anymore to explain the obvious. Your post #430 is spot on. I'd forgotten I'd asked Ritzy workers.

ricbake

 

[editor]

To refer back to my original point - I'm not sure that hiring the sign board is breaking the boycott - that is what I have repeatedly said I want to check, that is what I want to ask the Ritzy workers. I'll report back.

Regardless of that, that article actively promotes the Ritzy while making no reference at all to the dispute or the boycott which has been going on - and widely advertised - for years and years.

I wouldn't want my name up there while the boycott was going on, but if you think that's fine, then we'll just have to disagree.

No need to keep this discussion going on really.

 

[Gramsci]

Are Amazon workers actively in dispute and calling for a boycott? That’s the difference, the Rutzy staff are in an official dispute, and have requested a boycott. That’s by they should be bocotted, and if Amazon workers organise and put out the same call we should do the same. I personally feel they lacked experienced union support to better publicise the boycott, but thinking of the big historic trade union backed disputes of the past - grunwick, garners even the miners strike, which were defeated by the resilience of the bosses and the eventual lack of wider movement support for the long haul battle, I’m not sure even if there had been more persistent activity it would have made much difference. Solidarity is difficult to generate these days. to be fair to the people breaking the boycott, I’m sure many were doing so unwittingly as they’re not crossing a picket line or being handed leaflets as they approach the cinema. That is how the local supporters of the staff could have helped to reduce income to the company. Long duration disputes need a pool of committed activists that maintain consistent pressure. Chatting on line in forums and sharing photos of the occasional pickets isn’t what wins disputes. There’s nothing to stop supporters organising flash pickets , or managing a rota of supporters to ensure that no one enters that cinema without knowing they’re breaking a boycott. They had some success with the dispute but I think it’s simply run out of steam.

The Ritzy workers are handicapped by laws. If they go on strike pickets are strictly limited. The sackings were over advocating cyber pickets. Which are illegal. Unfortunately. As reading outcome of the tribunal Cineworld were genuinely worried about that.

I agree up to a point with posters who say people have lot of other things to deal with. I do. I follow boycott but don't have time for much else.

Seems to me that laws against use of internet in disputes have already been put in place. It might have been good way to fuck up Cineworld and force them to negotiate.

I also expressed reservations about boycott when it started. The Ritzy workers had done a colourful inventive campaign but feel they should have had better advice.

Boycott really means there most sympathetic supporters ( long standing users) stop going. Lose contact with cinema and broader range of users.

Imo boycott was mistake.

It also leads to a lot of "whataboutery" from people who were lukewarm about dispute.

Apart from that campaign has been very good.

 

[editor]

Good to hear so much reggae and ska reverberating around Brixton recently. On Sunday there was a hefty rig blasting our in the gap between the Barrier Block and there's been a smaller sound system playing from the car park. They're still going strong now, so I dare say there's some people complaining about Brixton being too Brixton, or whatever.

 

[billythefish]

Good to hear so much reggae and ska reverberating around Brixton recently. On Sunday there was a hefty rig blasting our in the gap between the Barrier Block and there's been a smaller sound system playing from the car park. They're still going strong now, so I dare say there's some people complaining about Brixton being too Brixton, or whatever.

I miss the guy who used to drive around in an old BMW 7 series with the number plate FAT 7, and who had a monster sound system blasting out Reggae and Dub. He always made me smile.

 

[David Clapson]

What does the future hold for Acrelane Builders Merchants? I was expecting it to have been demolished by now

 

[trabuquera]

AFAIK the developer's greedy space-cramming plans were rejected so they're still drawing up the third version of what sort of "luxury flats" are to be permitted. Engagingly odd hippy pop-up shop in the space currently selling a load of textiles/crafts from Rajasthan.

 

[David Clapson]

But the builders merchant is still trading isn't it? Is the hippy shop next door?

 

[trabuquera]

Shit, sorry - obviously I was talking about the defunct plumber's merchant. Acre Lane Timber is still trading and shows no signs of closing down that I've seen - been in there and to the lighting annex in the last few months, asked them about the future, got no hint of redevelopment or 'they're pushing us out' etc.

 

[David Clapson]

Good stuff. For once in my life I need a builders' merchant and I can walk to Acre Lane instead of paying a fortune to have a little bit of fencing delivered.

It's also great that Brixton DIY is still going. Proper tools, seeds...and that hardware shop smell.

 

[Rushy]

Shit, sorry - obviously I was talking about the defunct plumber's merchant. Acre Lane Timber is still trading and shows no signs of closing down that I've seen - been in there and to the lighting annex in the last few months, asked them about the future, got no hint of redevelopment or 'they're pushing us out' etc.

Acre lane chaps own their own site, don't they? As did Fulham Timber. And Moores. And Diamond, for that matter.

Fulham Timber is still around. Trading from estate just off Lyham Road.

 

[organicpanda]

Good to hear so much reggae and ska reverberating around Brixton recently. On Sunday there was a hefty rig blasting our in the gap between the Barrier Block and there's been a smaller sound system playing from the car park. They're still going strong now, so I dare say there's some people complaining about Brixton being too Brixton, or whatever.

wasn't the one on Sunday celebrating Jamaican Independence Day, seem to remember a similar party last year around the same time

 

[organicpanda]

I miss the guy who used to drive around in an old BMW 7 series with the number plate FAT 7, and who had a monster sound system blasting out Reggae and Dub. He always made me smile.

was he the one whose sound system was raised out of the boot looking like a Thunderbird?

 

[billythefish]

was he the one whose sound system was raised out of the boot looking like a Thunderbird?

I don't remember that - he just cruised around with the windows wound down, leaving a trail of car alarms in his wake

 

[discobastard]

So your argument is: don't bother supporting a boycott by local workers because you might be using services by workers elsewhere who have it worse (even though they've not asked people to boycott their services). So don't support any industrial action by anyone, and you just carry on doing as you please.

That's a nice handy argument that leaves you free to enjoy the Ritzy whenever it suits you, isn't it?

I think you, and anybody reading this, knows that what you've written is utter, unmitigated bollocks. If you'd like to read my posts and show your working then I'd be glad to see it.

Two things:
1) That is so far from my argument that I can't understand the thought process that got there;
2) That is in no way remotely representative of my argument. Go back and look again

And your comment about workers not having asked you to boycott their services is frankly insane. So if the vulnerable don't shout loud enough you should ignore them?!?! That's just fucking weird.

Of course if you meant something else then please clarify - I would't want to misrepresent your argument so crassly as you have mine.

And FYI I've been to the Ritzy about twice in the last three years.

 

[Gramsci]

I think you, and anybody reading this, knows that what you've written is utter, unmitigated bollocks. s.

Speak for yourself. You don't speak for me.

 

[discobastard]

You are one of the posters quick to have a go at Ed. Ed has done a lot to publicise the dispute on Brixton Buzz and organised fundraisers through Offline Club.

So through Eds work he has done a lot more than some who come on Brixton boards to publicise and support the campaign.

To add. I have plenty of things going on in my life. I don't know what you mean by vocal minority.

For the record, I think editor does some fantastic things, the gig for Cressingham as well as basically just creating and maintaining this forum for people to discuss here the things that they do. And also for Buzz to give the council a hard time about their shitty and opaque decisions and management. And I agree with much of what gets said here. I'm happy to sincerely and publicly give credit to him for that.

But it isn't going stop me from calling out what I think are distortions, fallacies, contradictions and just plain bollocks. Presumably that's allowed on a discussion forum. Or am I a shit stirrer with nothing better to do as has been suggested?

Vocal minority is fairly common parlance. It means a group of people that have a particular view of something that shout loud about it, in contrast to the majority who may or may not care about it and are not activists for whatever reason (like bringing up a family, having other more pressing concerns in their lives such as financial or health troubles for them or their family, not believing it is that serious an issue or simply not giving a shit).

I hope that clarifies things.

 

[discobastard]

Speak for yourself. You don't speak for me.

Fair enough. But I still believe editor's post *massively* misrepresents mine. If you want to disagree then please show your working.

 

[discobastard]

Not an answer.

Happy to discuss if you want to rephrase the question.

 

[discobastard]

I'm lost for words. Your post was aimed at me. You assumed I did.

I didn't assume you did, have no idea how you do your shopping. But others do I am sure and I wonder about the contradiction.

(ETA: I'm trying not to make the cardinal insult of creating a cross-thread issue here and editor has said elsewhere that Amazon Prime is 'chuffing brilliant' - I can't personally understand why one is a travesty and one is perfectly acceptable. Nobody wants to answer that because I suspect they can't. And if you want to ban me for making that point then fill your boots. I was just trying to be respectful)

Fuck's sake, none of this is personal attacks. They're points for discussion, but all that seems to come back in return is deflection or crass misrepresentation. I struggle to understand why that's not more obvious to everybody.

 

[Gramsci]

Deleted as nightmare quote didn't work again