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Regional anti-cuts organising

The occupation at birmingham ended this evening after security and police violently removed the occupiers.. I'm not entirely clear on how they gained access to the space, I think they forced their way through the doors - one student is going to be making an official police complaint - and they then forcibly ejected everyone, assualting at least two students in the process..
Cuts and bruises only but they'll be contacting lawyers and at least making internal complaints to the university about how security handled the situation. Have got photos and statements, and other people will be taking pictures of any bruising that appears overnight.

I went down after work, and hung around outside. I was joined by some students who had been let out after one of them had to leave for health reasons, with the promise that they would be allowed back in (which obviously wasn't going to happen but they had to get that person home)..
I think it was at about 7pm that security and police stormed the room, I was outside and heards shouts and screaming but couldn't get access into the building.

They are a bit shell-shocked but are getting statements down tonight or tomorrow morning. They knew that the uni wouldn't be happy about them being there, but I don't think they expected this.
 
Reading SOS are organising a save our NHS meeting in the Great Expectations pub on london street. Starts at 730pm, in the library room. This comes after an 60 strong anti cuts demo organised at quite short notice with little publicity, and all my local pubs and shops have taken posters for the nhs meeting. Even some of the tories on the Reading FC forums are opposed to the NHS reforms and these are the type of people who smeared Jody Mcintire and are actual tory party members.
 
No, but NCAFC have agreed to affiliate with Coalition of Resistance, which isn't a surprise iirc Clare Solomon is counterfire and so is CoR .. haven't heard anything back from NSSN yet either to see whether SP have taken that over.
Didn't know TUC were meeting today as well
 
Oh dear, sounds like SP have split NSSN by flooding the conference with SP ppl and getting NSSN to setup another national anticuts organisation, which I think will be looking to fight parliamentary campaigns..
 
BigTom said:
Oh dear, sounds like SP have split NSSN by flooding the conference with SP ppl and getting NSSN to setup another national anticuts organisation, which I think will be looking to fight parliamentary campaigns..
Click to expand...

The vote was almost 4 to 1 in favour of setting up a national anti-cuts campaign.

As I understand it, only shop stewards and other union activists eligible for NSSN membership could vote on this particular question, as it was a decision of the NSSN. After the decision to set up a campaign was made by the NSSN, anyone could vote on the decisions of the campaign.

I haven't heard of any splits or walkouts. It may be that a few partisans of the CoR or RtW will leave, I suppose. But there really weren't very many of them at the conference.
 
I thought that quite a few of the NSSN activists had said they would walk as there was no need for a third national anti-cuts group to duplicate what RtW and CoR are doing, and that SP were using NSSN to create an organisation which would already have a network of ppl so that SP would have something to rival SWP and counterfire. If i've got that wrong I've misread something somewhere.
I don't really see the point of another national anti-cuts organisation run on trotskyist lines tbh, but there is another thread somewhere about that.
 
BigTom said:
I thought that quite a few of the NSSN activists had said they would walk as there was no need for a third national anti-cuts group to duplicate what RtW and CoR are doing, and that SP were using NSSN to create an organisation which would already have a network of ppl so that SP would have something to rival SWP and counterfire. If i've got that wrong I've misread something somewhere.
Click to expand...

It is possible that some people may leave, and it's certainly true that some people hold the incorrect view you describe above, but there just weren't very many of them. They were outvoted 4 to 1 and, at least as far as I am aware, there was no walkout.

Big Tom said:
I don't really see the point of another national anti-cuts organisation run on trotskyist lines tbh, but there is another thread somewhere about that.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by "Trotskyist lines" in this context, but there are two key distinctions between the NSSN's anti-cuts campaign on the one hand and CoR and RtW on the other:

1) It will be a democratic organisation. The conference today was the only one so far held in the anti-cuts movement which was mostly devoted to speakers from the floor rather than platform speakers, which allowed votes on motions, and which gave speakers from each side equal time.
2) Crucially, it will oppose all cuts - including Labour Council cuts - and it won't present Labour Councillors who vote for cuts as part of the anti-cuts movement. This is the central political distinction between the NSSN's approach and that of the other two bodies.
 
Yeah 4 to 1 is a very large majority.
By trotskyist lines I mean with a central organising committee deciding on actions etc., organised top-down rather than bottom-up and as a single group rather than a network of activists (I'm not expressing that last bit well, I hope you know what I mean).
From what you ahve said my impressions of what is going to happen are wrong so fair enough.

I've not had any contact with CoR and only with RtW in Brum, which is a tory/lib dem council, I thought RtW did oppose all cuts including those by labour councils (I haven't a clue about CoR, they've no presence in Brum so I've not looked at them).
Sounds like you know more than I do anyway.
 
BigTom said:
Yeah 4 to 1 is a very large majority.
By trotskyist lines I mean with a central organising committee deciding on actions etc., organised top-down rather than bottom-up and as a single group rather than a network of activists
Click to expand...

Well they did elect a committee, so you are at least partially correct - it's not an anarcho style horizontal network. Which in my experience at least is a good thing.

Big Tom said:
I've not had any contact with CoR and only with RtW in Brum, which is a tory/lib dem council, I thought RtW did oppose all cuts including those by labour councils
Click to expand...

RtW (which is to say, the SWP) are of the view that it's "sectarian" to demand Labour councillors don't vote for cuts. It's not that much of an issue in a Tory council, but in places like Lewisham they've been running around setting up rival local anti-cuts groups including councillors who vote for cuts.
 
2) Crucially, it will oppose all cuts - including Labour Council cuts - and it won't present Labour Councillors who vote for cuts as part of the anti-cuts movement. This is the central political distinction between the NSSN's approach and that of the other two bodies.
Click to expand...

The national committee of COR has just voted for a clear no to all cuts policy, as did the anti-cuts workshop at the founding conference. But heh, don't let that get in the way of a good far left argument around semantics.
 
One_Stop_Shop said:
The national committee of COR has just voted for a clear no to all cuts policy, as did the anti-cuts workshop at the founding conference. But heh, don't let that get in the way of a good far left argument around semantics.
Click to expand...

If you actually believe that the CoR leadership will take a hard line on Labour councillors who vote for cuts I have a bridge to sell you. Both Counterfire (the dominant organisation) and Socialist Resistance (retaking their long term position as bootlickers to Rees and German) regard doing so as "sectarian" as "narrowing the movement" etc.
 
Well the national committee just passed a resolution saying they will not work with any councillors who are making cuts. I have many problems with Counterfire and Socialist Resistance but both were at the national committee and both supported the resolution. Why the SP could have got involved in COR, given they are bigger than both Counterfire and Socialist Resistance put together I don't know. But now you have your very own anti-cuts organisation, with a built in majority of the SP.
 
I think we should probably take this to another thread rather than derailing this one which is supposed to be about regional events/actions/groups. I know I started the derail but I reckon we should keep it on the thread about the NSSN conference :)
 
Bristol 25th Council Resources Scrutiny Commission Budget meeting, 5.30pm at The Council House. Need as many people as poss at college green before then.
 
YORK

We had a really positive planning and strategy meeting in York today, plenty of good ideas for the next few months - anyone wanting to come along to our next meeting it's a week on Tuesday (1st Feb) at the Black Swan
 
Defend Haringey’s Health Services (DHHS)

The Better Local Healthcare Campaign call a DHHS meeting to plan action aga
inst
proposals in the Health & Social Care Bill that will break up the NHS and t
he
ongoing cuts to healthcare services.

January 31st 2011
6pm – 8pm
Big Green Bookshop
1 Brampton Park Rd
London N22 6BG
020 8881 6767

All welcome!

Brampton Park Road is off the west side of Wood Green High Road, half way
between Wood Green and Turnpike Lane tube stations, on bus routes 144, 184,
221, 67 & others.

Anger is mounting now the bill has been published (to be found at
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmbills/132/11132.pdf
Our membership and support is growing – we shall be putting out leaflets
to the
public before the above meeting. Anyone can write letters; ask for help if
needed.

Donations needed!

To support us please send your details to the address below.
(cheques made payable to Better Local Healthcare Campaign. Post to Coordina
tor
Janet Shapiro, 30a Connaught Gardens, N10 3LB)
 
Birmingham tonight is planning meeting for Birmingham Against the Cuts to get plans together for the public meeting on (iirc) 17th Feb (thursday evening?) and the demonstration against the council cuts on the 26th Feb. 6pm, Unison offices, 19th Floor, McClaren Tower, Priory Queensway.

This weekend, 29th is CWU demo/rally about keeping the Post Office in public ownership and on sunday 30th is a UKUncut action.

I don't think there's anything else during this week but check on www.birminghamagainstthecuts.wordpress.com - the upcoming actions page
 
Next meeting of Birmingham Against the Cuts will be in 2 weeks - Monday 7th Feb (I think, should check calendar really)..

There are two Save Our NHS meetings this week: Wed, 9pm at Kings Head nr Bearwood and Thursday 7pm at Lamp Tavern, Digbeth

link to 38 degrees page - these are not 38 degrees events but have been organised by ppl in Brum, the one on thursday is being organised by an NHS worker who is in IWW, she doesn't know who setup the event on wednesday unfortunately, she's tried contacting him but hasn't heard back..
anyway I'll be going to the one on thursday
 
UNITE FOR EDUCATION, FIGHT EVERY CUT
– London Demonstration – Saturday 29th January

The demonstration is being led by the student organisations behind many of the protests last term, and is officially backed by UCU and PCS, and Unison HE, and others. When our students march, we will march alongside them.

As with the concurrent demonstration in Manchester, the London demonstration is for everybody, not just staff and students currently in Education, who wishes to stand up against the ConDem cuts. Colleagues are encouraged to promote the demonstration as widely as possible. Please do bring friends, family, neighbours, and circulate this invitation among your London and South East based members.

The demonstration will be starting at ULU, Malet Street at 12 o’clock and heading for Parliament. The closing rally will be taking place outside Victoria Towers Garden next to Parliament. More information at http://educationactivistnetwork.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/29th-january-demonstrations
 
Save Cotteridge Neighbourhood Office!

Join UNISON and Right to Work activists in a visual protest, campaign stall
& leafleting - all welcome

Sunday 30th January, 11am, Cotteridge Island

We will be using cardboard to symbolically "board up" the Neighbourhood
Office, highlighting the council's plans to cut in half the number of
neighbourhood offices and close the Cotteridge office.

In solidarity

Nick Burke
UNISON steward and Right to Work campaign activist
(personal capacity)
nick.r.burke ( at ) gmail.com


p.s. I've already discussed with some (but not yet all) of you the idea of
setting up a local anti-cuts group in the Stirchley area.

The idea is to get together local campaigners, trades unionists, students,
basically anyone who is prepared to get involved in anti-cuts activities in
the area.

Following this action alongside workers at the Neighbourhood Office, I think
it would be good for us all to get together informally for a coffee and to
discuss the next steps in our local campaigning.

Please feel free to pass this email on to any individuals or organisation
you know of, who you think would like to get involved in stopping the cuts
in Stirchley.


-----
Might go down to this before the UKUncut action depending when I get back from London

edit: didn't notice his phone number and broken the email addy
 
Yeah, it'd be good if you can get down there, they are closing a lot of neighbourhood offices and this is the closest one to you afaik. Nick wants to build local groups and I did think of you when he was talking about this.
 
Ah yeah, it could well have been him as well, I'm not sure of the name tbh, I assumed it was nick after that post..

In other news, 10 students from University of Birmingham are facing disciplinary procedures over their occupation: http://bit.ly/gd6sy0

It's a strange thing though - one of the students facing disciplinary procedures wasn't even in the occupation (or outside of it), and they've not taken disciplinary action against all of the students. It's not at all clear why they've chosen the students they have, or why they've levelled the same charges at all of them.
They are either on a fishing expedition (which would make sense if this was a police investigation, but it's not, it's internal university stuff), or they are simply seeking to intimidate some of the group.
It's going to backfire though, especially since they've chosen to discipline someone who wasn't there..

I think the uni are coming off badly in this though, they evicted violently and are now (imo) victimising certain people, who I guess they see as the ringleaders or main trouble makers (which isn't true).

We'll see what happens at the disciplinary hearings.
Anyway, it'd be good if people could sign the petition linked to from that blog, just to add a bit of pressure onto the university when they are deciding what they should do.
 
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