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Regional anti-cuts organising

Streathamite said:
tbf, there ARE quite a few trots in the Haringey Alliance for Public services - but then there's a fair few who aren't (like the McLibel 2 and the rest of the HSG mob)
e2a: Just realised this is a daft post of me. Whilst I'm sure anti-cuts people joined this protest, this was overwhelmingly one of parents and teachers, livid at how they're being railroaded into academy status. And of course, Gove wil cheerfully smear them all day long, as the Tories have practically no votes left to lose in that area.
Wanker.
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From speaking to friends still around the area it sounds like HAPS and the wider campaigns it works in have successfully united the left, anarchists, unions, and residents groups for various mobilisations and while it is probably not without faults - is probably a testament to the years of long hard community organising in the borough by HSG and others.
 
Spanky Longhorn said:
From speaking to friends still around the area it sounds like HAPS and the wider campaigns it works in have successfully united the left, anarchists, unions, and residents groups for various mobilisations and while it is probably not without faults - is probably a testament to the years of long hard community organising in the borough by HSG and others.
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yes, I'll grant you all that. A lot of heavy lifting by a lot of seriously committed people. I have nowt but respect for them
 
butchersapron said:
1,000 march against Forced Academies in Haringey

Let's get this rolling again...
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If anyone could point me in the direction of useful websites etc regarding this issue then I'd be very grateful as they are going to do the exact same thing to my kids' 'under-performing' school (i.e. a school on the biggest, poorest estate in the city) any day now and I want to do something about it. If anyone wants to help that'd be even better!
 
krink said:
If anyone could point me in the direction of useful websites etc regarding this issue then I'd be very grateful as they are going to do the exact same thing to my kids' 'under-performing' school (i.e. a school on the biggest, poorest estate in the city) any day now and I want to do something about it. If anyone wants to help that'd be even better!
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it would help to know what city that is, then people in your area could PM you
 
krink said:
If anyone could point me in the direction of useful websites etc regarding this issue then I'd be very grateful as they are going to do the exact same thing to my kids' 'under-performing' school (i.e. a school on the biggest, poorest estate in the city) any day now and I want to do something about it. If anyone wants to help that'd be even better!
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http://handsoffourschool.wordpress.com/build-a-campaign/

Website for Hands Off Bournville School which successfully campaigned to prevent the school becoming an academy, has some advice and resources
 
for all those campaigning against academies; there is mileage in making the linkage with the cuts; this is ALL about the alll-out onslaught on democratically run public services, which have always been one of the great levellers. the same ideological lunacy powers both the drive for academies and the cuts
 
Also put this on the Brixton Forum:

Lobby of Lambeth Council – 29 February 6pm at Lambeth Town Hall

http://lambethsaveourservices.org/2012/01/31/f29-why-lobby-the-cop-out-councils/#comments

While Lambeth SOS has remained a great anti-cuts group (and is probably even stronger than a year ago), I have to say that generally the anti-cuts groups around London and the country seem quieter than last year, what do others think?

Personally I think the role the far left has played is criminal. Three national anti-cuts groups dividing the movement (with a hairs breadth political difference between them) and in local groups they have often played a totally divisive and off putting role. Experienced and left-wing activists should be a real plus to campaigns, sadly, given the state and methods of the far left groups in this country the opposite is often the case.

Also think that it's a real shame the All London Anti Cuts Alliance (which brought most of the London anti-cuts groups together) decided against being able to take actions and against voting on stuff. As such, as I thought it would be, it has become little more than a talking shop. I know most people in Lewisham and Lambeth now can't be bothered to go.
 
One_Stop_Shop said:
Also put this on the Brixton Forum:

Lobby of Lambeth Council – 29 February 6pm at Lambeth Town Hall

http://lambethsaveourservices.org/2012/01/31/f29-why-lobby-the-cop-out-councils/#comments

While Lambeth SOS has remained a great anti-cuts group (and is probably even stronger than a year ago), I have to say that generally the anti-cuts groups around London and the country seem quieter than last year, what do others think?

Personally I think the role the far left has played is criminal. Three national anti-cuts groups dividing the movement (with a hairs breadth political difference between them) and in local groups they have often played a totally divisive and off putting role. Experienced and left-wing activists should be a real plus to campaigns, sadly, given the state and methods of the far left groups in this country the opposite is often the case.

Also think that it's a real shame the All London Anti Cuts Alliance (which brought most of the London anti-cuts groups together) decided against being able to take actions and against voting on stuff. As such, as I thought it would be, it has become little more than a talking shop. I know most people in Lewisham and Lambeth now can't be bothered to go.
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I think 'the left' has, again, been hugely variable in quality, some great, some tossers, but I agree about ALACA - what a total waste of time!
 
One_Stop_Shop said:
While Lambeth SOS has remained a great anti-cuts group (and is probably even stronger than a year ago), I have to say that generally the anti-cuts groups around London and the country seem quieter than last year, what do others think?
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Birmingham against the cuts is still alive and well, but at this point last year we were organising a demo (which ended about at around 1,000 people iirc) against the council cuts.. this time we're holding a static demo outside the council house and having people in the public gallery, probably do well to get 100 people out. (though the comparable demo last year only had 30 or 40 people there).
Main differences are that the council workers contracts have been forced through (I'm not actually sure where that is at right now), so the council unions/workers are not in the same position they were last year, and that those same unions are engaged over pensions. Also, we've focused more on identifying specific cuts and seeking to stop them, rather than having a big demo against all cuts (though the rhetoric of no cuts is still there and it's a core part of our belief). This has borne some fruit, with Charles House & Cambourne house being saved from closure, and now we hope to get some library hour reductions & deskilling reversed, reduce redundancies at Connexions and save Shelforce from closure.

There's still £100m odd getting cut from the council budget this year though, and lots of things that aren't going to get any attention. But we actually achieved fuck all last year, the only thing I can think was an adult day care centre got funding for a further 12 months (waiting to see if its funding is continued in this years budget). This year, we've already achieved a lot more, but probably made less noise about it.

I don't really think there is the need for a big demo around council cuts this year,

Having said that, I do think that some kind of large demo about austerity would be good for this summer. Perhaps a national day of demonstrations sometime in June when the weather is likely to be decent, marches in major towns and cities around the UK.
I don't know if enough anti-cuts groups could pull that off to make it worthwhile. I think we'd have to assume that the TUC will still be caught up in pensions stuff, and would not do anything to organise it, which given how they behaved to the Lib Dem conference in Birmingham last September would not be a bad thing I don't think.
 
'Worry about shut libraries? Then this should make your hair stand on end: only 6% of public service cuts have happened yet. Another 94% are still to come, with cascades more public servants sacked. In benefits, 88% of cuts are still to come. But Tory and Lib Dem MPs voted through an £18bn benefit cut for the "squeezed" bottom half with few qualms, taking £1,400 from disabled children and £94 a week from the sick who don't die or recover within a year.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/02/welfare-reform-bill-cameron-frightening

it looks like it is going to get worse, maybe the Unite community branches will be a positive thing..
 
TONIGHT
Date: Monday 6 February 2012
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: The Council House, College Green, Bristol

Bristol & District anti-cuts alliance meeting

Continuing the momentum from last year's mass walk-out of public sector employees on November 30 the Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance have launched a local campaign to protect pensions and call for further co-ordinated strike action.

The group, formed of local trade unionists from a variety of public sector unions, are hosting an open meeting to discuss the way forward for the campaign to protect jobs, pensions and public services.

Guest speakers will include Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary and Jayne Taylor of Unite the Union, amongst others.
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Birmingham - Workfare Activity

Two meetings, one in Kings Heath on Wed 7th March, 7pm-8pm, at the All Saints Centre on the high street, one in the city centre on Thursday 29th March, 7pm-9pm at the council house.
Hope to use these meetings to launch actions in April/May at Poundland shops around Birmingham. Will do some kind of picket/demo in March but not sure when yet, possibly no the 3rd to coincide with actions in Liverpool, London and Brighton or later in the month if we can't do it on the 3rd.
 
http://brentfightback.blogspot.com/2012/02/brent-executive-approves-cuts-budget.html

Nobody on the Brent Council Executive wanted to ask questions about the budget at last night's meeting. All 28 recommendations, along with the cuts tucked away in Appendix D, were approved unanimously after a brief introduction from Cllr Muhammed Butt.

The budget now goes to the full Council Meeting on February 27th where Labour councillors are expected to follow the party line and vote it through.

Cllr Ann John remarked last night, regarding Coalition cuts, that soon the poor people of Brent will be a whole lot poorer. After Council cuts to adult social care and children's services and increased charges and rents, they will be also be poorer and less supported.

Brent Fightback is organising a demonstration outside the Town Hall on February 27th from 6.30pm. Bring placards, banners and whistles.
 
Southwark
174671_372534729426319_916214235_n.jpg
 
bump - this is tonight
articul8 said:
http://brentfightback.blogspot.com/2012/02/brent-executive-approves-cuts-budget.html

Nobody on the Brent Council Executive wanted to ask questions about the budget at last night's meeting. All 28 recommendations, along with the cuts tucked away in Appendix D, were approved unanimously after a brief introduction from Cllr Muhammed Butt.

The budget now goes to the full Council Meeting on February 27th where Labour councillors are expected to follow the party line and vote it through.

Cllr Ann John remarked last night, regarding Coalition cuts, that soon the poor people of Brent will be a whole lot poorer. After Council cuts to adult social care and children's services and increased charges and rents, they will be also be poorer and less supported.

Brent Fightback is organising a demonstration outside the Town Hall on February 27th from 6.30pm. Bring placards, banners and whistles.
Click to expand...
 
Today, Birmingham City Council will vote through £100m of cuts. Here is some of what we've won and lost
http://wp.me/p1gnAv-19f

No demo, did it last month when it was under discussion, today is just an exercise in people pretending they might have different agendas. Tories leaving loads of stuff still to be consulted, and a budget that doesn't balance, forcing Labour to make the decsisions about what the budget cuts actaully mean in terms of jobs/services, not that Labour will have much of an issue with that.

Most stupid thing happening here is that they are going to close some childrens' homes (ie: ones for children in care - we've already stopped them closing 2 respite homes for disabled children). They claim that the kids will be rehoused through fostering, but are also cutting the adoption and fostering budget.. and last time they closed homes, it ended up costing 41% more - in 4 months, they spent nearly as much as they did in the previous year: http://www.birminghammail.net/news/...mes-and-the-41million-scandal-97319-28658205/
 
Shit, forgot to put this up earlier, cheers for reminding me Tom. Last year this went on till well gone midnight if i remember right with only two of us left.

Today
Demonstration Against Council Cuts
Council House, College Green

1pm (for start of meeting) 5pm onwards (larger demo as people get off of work) Tuesday 28th Feb.

The council is planning to vote through £28million worth of cuts, plans include cutting 40% of the funding for the Malcolm X Centre, reducing the budget to house vulnerable people by £1.36M, closing care homes and privitising the cities ENTIRE youth service.Its time the council realised how angry people are getting, and time we demonstrated we're not taking their cuts!

If you want to heckle councilers as they arrive or attened the meeting in the public gallery it starts at 2pm. Last year atleast one person in the public gallery was arrested for 'disrupting a public meeting' (a law brought in to stop sufferegettes!).
 
Red Cat said:
What can I do specifically around that Tom?
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THe childrens homes? Don't know yet, there's a consultation to come, two homes are mentioned in the budget, but I don't know where they are (I'm sure I could find out using google but I haven't been bothered to yet).
Birmingham Against the Cuts will definitely be campaigning on this to stop any homes being closed and try to restore the budget. I would expect the Charles House campaign to be heavily involved, and they are local to you.

I'll let you know what is happening, and if batc have it as an agenda item at a planning meeting if you want to be involved to that extent.
 
Difficult for me to do evenings as baby is still young and breastfeeding, but anything else if you could let me know that would be great.

Actually, maybe I'll just pop her in sling and hope that she sleeps, if not she's a very noisy and active baby not best suited to political meetings.
 
Red Cat said:
Difficult for me to do evenings as baby is still young and breastfeeding, but anything else if you could let me know that would be great.

Actually, maybe I'll just pop her in sling and hope that she sleeps, if not she's a very noisy and active baby not best suited to political meetings.
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http://birminghamagainstthecuts.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/save-millmead-road-childrens-home/

Millmead Road is one of the two homes mentioned, and not far from you in Bartley Green.. close enough that Stirchley and Cotteridge against the Cuts are starting a campaign, with Unison, to stop its closure..

There is some ward committee meeting on the 7th March they are going to, mentioned in this post, and there are plans on Saturday 17th to hold a demonstration somewhere.. I'll let you know the details of that when I get told them, or you may hear directly from Stirchley and Cotteridge Against the Cuts - I'm assuming you and/or Blagsta are on their mailing list.
 
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