Regional anti-cuts organising

[treelover]

'Chair: Martin Mayer (UNITE busworkers branch and Sheffield TUC Treasurer)

Vice Chairs: Ben Morris (NUT and Right to Work) and Marion Lloyd (PCS).

Treasurer; Maxine Bowler (UNITE)

Membership Secretary; Robbie Faulds (PCS)'


I know its an interim measure, but I hope the steering comittee becomes a bit more representative, they are all Trots except for Martin

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Around 800 to a 1000 at a Unison rally in Newcastle this evening, quite a militant mood all things considered.

 

[dynamicbaddog]

''The SE Region of the TUC have called for Saturday Jan 15 as a day of action against the cuts. We hope you can join us in Lewisham High Street between 11am and 1pm to support a street stall. The South London Press will be sending a photographer – so bring colleagues, union banners etc.
We will meet outside the threatened Opening Doors centre at 121 Lewisham High Street. As well as leafleting for the Feb 19 and March 26 events, we plan to have a board showing where the cuts will hit services in the borough and invite members of the public to add their own stories too.''

 

[BigTom]

White T-shirts and marker pen?

like it We'll work something out I'm sure, can't let the council budget meeting go without a whimper on the day, in the council house and outside it.

 

[butchersapron]

Cameron agrees to consider anti-strike law reform

Sort of wake up time any lazy bastards left - they're coming for you. They're coming for you right now. Contact your local anti-cuts group or you union rep - contact someone. Because they're coming.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

How dare those dastardly union oiks challenge us?

Spitting basically, fucking nasty party and no-one even seems to notice.....

 

[Fisher_Gate]

PUBLIC RALLY
Preston Against Cuts
15/01/2011
12 noon
Flag Market,
Preston

Meetings sponsored by Preston & South Ribble Trade Union Council
prestonagainstcuts@gmail.com
Facebook - search “Preston Against Cuts”
RESISTING ALL CUTS
DEFENDING COMMUNITIES
Proposed cuts will destroy lives, and the poorest, most
vulnerable will be hit the hardest. “Take Responsibility” is what
the government is telling us - what a shame that doesn’t apply to
the banks that were bailed out and the big businesses who
avoid paying tax...
Find out more: www.falseeconomy.org.uk
We are opposed to all cuts to public
sector, public services and welfare.
www.prestonagainstcuts.org.uk

 

[butchersapron]

Swindon anti-cuts group up and running

*Sat Jan 22nd and sat Jan 29th, both at 11pm, by the water feature where Canal walk meets Bridge street - Leafleting to advertise demos/the campaign

*Weds 26th Jan, 7.30pm, Alexander House, Fleming Way, Swindon - Next organising meeting for Swindon Anti-Cuts Campaign

*Early Feb, date TBC, - Council buildings, Euclid Street, Swindon - Evening demo to protest the next full council meeting. The last one got 75 people out, which ain't bad for Swindon, but we want to make the next one bigger, noisier and angrier!

*March 5th (Sat), midday, Wharf Green, Swindon - Protest against the cuts.

*March 8th (provisional date) - Pilgrim Centre, Swindon - Public meeting against the cuts.

We will also be running transport from Swindon to the big March 26th demo in London.

To get involved in the campaign, drop us an email at swindonagainstcuts @ yahoo.co.uk

 

[butchersapron]

Anyone help?

British Sea Power want to do some gigs in libraries to help the anti-cuts stuff.

 

[past caring]

You'd cut your fucking throat though, after a night listening to that wibble.

 

[butchersapron]

They're great - our first musical difference i think!

 

[past caring]

It probably is, at that...tbf I've only seen them live a couple of times and not properly sat down to listen to any of their albums at all, so I might be doing an injustice. It was a good line though, too good to miss.

Will stop derail....

 

[butchersapron]

Interesting:

Library emptied in bid to fight closure

A town has emptied its library in a bid to fight plans to close it down.

People in Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, have spent the week withdrawing their maximum allowance of books in protest against council plans to close it as part of budget cuts.

And today they said the plan had been a success, with all 16,000 books withdrawn from the library.

 

[frogwoman]

 

[BigTom]

yeah, that sounds like a cool idea for a protest, I hope it gets replicated elsewhere

 

[radio_atomica]

Anyone help?

British Sea Power want to do some gigs in libraries to help the anti-cuts stuff.

oh, Lancaster library puts on indie gigs every so often - they could contact them....

 

[Urbanblues]

...they are all Trots except for Martin

Yeh, Martin just gives us all the trots!

 

[love detective]

small but significant victory in lewisham re academy schools

Looks like the governors of Tidemill Primary are to withdraw their application to become an Academy after analysis of their application by campaigners revealed serious flaws in the financials put forward by the Head Mark Elms (this is the guy who was in the news last year as being the highest paid primary school head in the world).

 

[Captain Hurrah]

oh, Lancaster library puts on indie gigs every so often - they could contact them....

Aye, they do.

 

[redsquirrel]

They're great - our first musical difference i think!

You heard their latest album yet? Not as good as their first two IMO.

 

[butchersapron]

I have, it's pretty much the same album as the previous one again!

I shall send on the lancaster library info ta RA.

 

[Streathamite]

DEFEND PUBLIC SERVICES
SAY NO TO CUTS - Unfair, Unacceptable, Unnecessary

JOIN THE PROTEST MARCH AND THE RALLY AT THE CIVIC CENTRE
MONDAY 17th JANUARY

5.30pm - March from Ducketts Common, Turnpike Lane tube. Called by Haringey Council Trades Unions. All welcome. Please bring banners!

6.30pm - General Rally outside the full Council meeting, Civic Centre, N22
Bring friends, workmates and neighbours - and your own placards and banners. Please try to ensure your local group or organisation is
there. Organised by HAPS - and backed by the Save Haringey's Youth Centres campaign.

7.30pm - Support the deputations due to address all the Councillors inside the Civic Centre.


The Government is threatening Haringey with over £87m cuts in the next 3 years (£46m in the coming year alone) to our
libraries, schools, health services, old peoples homes, youth centres, community centres and facilities, green spaces, public
service jobs (1,000 under threat), voluntary projects, welfare benefits, housing rights and much much more... In addition
£17m of money promised from central government has already been axed or frozen. If these cuts are allowed to go ahead they will be the
worst in our borough's history. The Council are currently consulting to find out what local residents think about all this - so now is the time for everyone to speak out and to join the protests.

The Haringey Alliance for Public Services has already held rallies
and a 250-strong demonstration to show that people do not have to
accept these cuts. Together we can defend our vital public services
from cuts, closures and privatisation threats! The full Council will
be meeting on the 17th January to discuss what to do next.
Councillors must demand adequate government funding, reject
privatisation, oppose and refuse to implement cuts - or stand
down in favour of others who will resist cuts.

CUTS: Unfair, unacceptable and unnecessary

Good public services, and a universal welfare system, are central to
what's good about Haringey and our lives. We all need good health
care, schools and nurseries, community centres, well-run parks and
libraries, social services, affordable housing, safe and attractive
neighbourhoods, decent jobs, and an adequate and reliable income for
unwaged people. Previous generations fought hard to win such
improvements.

Devastating - and unjustifiable

The Council estimates it will have to make up to £87m cuts over
the next 3 years, and the NHS faces similar threats. If not countered,
the cuts will be devastating for all our local communities, for those
working in the local public sector and other jobs, for many vital
public, voluntary and community projects, services and facilities
- and for the most vulnerable, including those reliant on
housing and incapacity benefits.

The Government was forced to back down after 5,000 people marched to
save the Whittington Hospital. Students have held a number of massive
demonstrations and occupied many colleges to defend public access to
further education. 1,000 local teenagers have formed a campaign to defend local
youth centres. Local trades unionists are mobilising to defend local jobs under
threat.Together we can reverse the cuts programme if we take action and say
NO. We call on all Haringey's residents, community groups, workers,
and trades unions to link together and stand up for what's right. We call on
Councillors to reject privatisation, oppose all cuts and refuse to implement
them - or make way for others who will join the fightback.

The Haringey Alliance for Public Services (HAPS) is a network of
community and residents groups, trades unions and political
organisations, and many concerned individuals. It is open to all
those living or working in Haringey. We support opposition to the
running down, closure or privatisation of any local public services,
and support campaigning for improvements. We promote communication
and co-ordination, mutual aid and solidarity among all those
affected. Why not get involved?

 

[past caring]

I saw someone post something about a Southwark group, but I cannot bleedin find it now....

 

[belboid]

Southwark Save Our Services?

http://twitter.com/SouthwarkSOS
http://southwarksaveourservices.blogspot.com/

 

[past caring]

Will this be the SWP lot, or the Counterfire lot?

 

[belboid]

If there is a split, I'd guess at that one being Counterfire

 

[past caring]

Nah, I did a bit of googling the other day after being unable to find the post on here (am sure there was a Southwark group posted about, but maybe not on this thread) and "Southwark anti-cuts" only brings up Southwark Save Our Services, so doesn't appear any splits so far. There is a meeting Weds I will try to get along to, but I have also got to pick the missus up from the Eurostar.....

 

[Blagsta]

Birmingham students have occupied the maths-physics bridge to protest against threatened redundancies and department cuts. We have turned this shared space into an open forum for a wider education debate.

We warmly invite you to come along and join in the occupation!

Why are we in occupation?

We are in occupation because the university are placing many jobs under threat, causing unnecessary stress to staff and causing long lasting damage to the development of the university Birmingham.

Staff Job losses are already affecting the student experience, job losses at sociology essentially reduced students degrees to what they could gather out of the library, theology cuts reduced the number of staff departmentally to 20.

Right now research fellows in the School of Education have been formally placed at risk of redundancy after a review that as unfair, inaccurate and rushed, find out more about this case on our blog see http://birminghamstudentsagainstcuts.blogspot.com/

We demand that the university makes a pledge to not make any unnecessary cuts, to run all reviews, with an external advisor, take into account staff/student criticism, give staff fair opportunities for input and take all decisions to democratic bodies like the senate.

For the education staff we believe this entire process must be restarted, this time done fairly and the staff in the education department given an apology, for the needless stress caused them by the manner of the review.

We demand the university does everything in it is power to keep fees down and pledges to make sure that education remains a resource that all can access. We demand that plans to cut scholarship budgets in College of Engineering and Physical Sciences are reversed.

We demand that the university is open with it cuts to Geography, biosciences, environmental sciences, the medical school, European Languages, Ancient and Medieval Studies, Theology and Religion and African Studies International Development Department that it has outlined in the sustainable excellence plan

We demand that the university criticizes the Browne review as a socially regressive plan and that David Eastwood apologises for his role in encouraging cuts and fees.




From birmingham uni students

 

[gawkrodger]

if they're planning to be there still late tonight I'll pop in after training.

Blagsta, I'm sure I must know you!

 

[Blagsta]

The occupation have now been blocked off by the university and security. No one is being allowed in and no one is being allowed out. The students inside have no clean water or sanitation facilities. This is an absoloute disgrace and is in violation of their basic human rights. Call the Vice Chancellor's office on 141 0121 414 4536 to complain and hopefully we can get the occupation open again.
If you can, it would also be helpful to join the group by the Watson Building entrance to the Physics Bridge to put pressure on the university security to respect basic human rights.




Update from students