Regional anti-cuts organising

[revlon]

This started with a poster promoting some national 'direct action' at the Tory party conference in which it was argued that if some kids want to kick it off with the old bill then that's alright maan as they are fighting the cuts sort of gibberish. My argument was that this sort of stunt was no substitute for local action where the cuts were taking place, it then drifted into the issue of national lobbies of conferences.

All I was doing was to advocate that the key to success is action ie strikes, occupations at a local level rather than national lobbies or opportunities for ' kids to kick off with the old bill'. Obviously the relationship between local action and national action and the trade union leadership and rank and file are well documented.

you may think it happened that way, but it really didn't.

That said i'd much rather hear about organised local groups, how they're getting on and what they're up to. Anybody got more updates about their area?

 

[frogwoman]

We've got our next meeting on 27th September Part of the problem is that our SOS group doesn't have *that* much TU involvement, at the moment it's mostly service users' groups and the like (and middle class liberals, not that there's anything wrong with that of course!) Hopefully this will change though ...

 

[Streathamite]

Just a reminder; Haringey Alliance For Public Services meeting TONIGHT, Wednesday 22nd September, North London Community House, Moorefield Rd, London N17 6PY. Nearest overland is Bruce Grove, it's just off Tottenham High St so loads of buses can get you there.

 

[Streathamite]

not saying your wrong, but this can be a very dangerous strategy whereby you end up completely alienating established core support and the wider working class whilst chasing a pat on the head from a middle england that doesn't really exist

agreed you need to strike a balance. trial and error, I guess. still don't think a few yelping teenagers kicking up a fuss will be that much of an asset.

 

[The39thStep]

leave those kids alone

 

[rioted]

Just back from a local Trades Council meeting "to fight the cuts". What's with this love affair between the SWP and Labour Party? 150+ people there. Platform included 2 Labour MPs who were given a hard time by many, perhaps most EXCEPT the SWP and it's fronts who kept wittering on about a broad campaign including the Labour Party.

 

[frogwoman]

Im not much of a fan of the swappies or the labour party, but we do need to get a mass campaign, involving not just the usual lefties ranting at each other but people who have never been involved in this type of campaign before. Something which to be fair we've (and by "we" i meant the anti cuts campaign as a whole) had some success in doing, especially in oxford

(where were the IWCA in the anti cuts meeting btw?? Dont think I saw/met any of their members?)

 

[frogwoman]

Oh and Btw:

Oxford Save Our Services is an open group of Oxford residents defending our public services. We are concerned that the unprecedented cuts to public services, as proposed by the coalition government, will cause irreversible damage to our community and disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable.

Join us for a public meeting

The next meeting is on 27 September at 7pm-9pm. Venue is now confirmed as Restore, Manzil Way, Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1YH


And in Bucks (Dont think ill make it to that one tho tbh unfortunatley) Tomorrow night:

23 September, Union Baptist Church Hub, Easton Street, HP11 1NJ

 

[wtfftw]

Islington. Resisting Cuts to Public Services Public Meeting –All welcome
When? Tuesday 5th October 2010
Time? 7.30pm
Where? Methodist Hall, Archway Road, London, N19 3TD –opposite Archway Station
Speakers Jeremy Corbyn MP, Dot Gibson (National Pensioners’ Convention), Islington NUT President, Cllr Catherine West (Leader Islington Council) Shirley Franklin (Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition).


Edit: Just seen it's been mentioned in post 96.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Dot Gibson? She's been around for years, former WRP leader now in some obscure grouping that entered The United Socialist Party...

 

[Streathamite]

Dot Gibson? She's been around for years, former WRP leader now in some obscure grouping that entered The United Socialist Party...

wonderful woman and a terrific campaigner. she's got the heart of a lion and it's always good to have her on your campaign.

 

[Streathamite]

HARINGEY BULLETIN:
Haringey Alliance For Public Services will hold a march up Wood Green High RD to the Civic CEntre (c. 50 yeards up the hill from Wood Green tube, ending with a lobby of the full council meeting on 18th October 2010. I Will put u[p time/date for start in a later post.
There is a planning meeting for this/HAPS publicity working group meeting, 7pm 28th september, North London Community House, Moorefield Rd, London N17 6PY. Nearest overland is Bruce Grove, it's just off Tottenham High St so loads of buses can get you there.

At our meeting last night, the above was decided, plus we have a new website at http://www.hapsnews.net.
We also have plans to picket Lynne Featherstone MP, and also David Lammy MP. Plus on the 23rd October there is an RMT Demo in central London - more news to follow.
A good meeting, and good to see the RAs And TUs fully on board. WE can now be sure that the quivering jellyfish that call themselves Haringey council, are not noway nohow gonna set an illegal rate. So, the demand at the march and rally is simple; "vote the cuts down - or resign!"
As a matter of interest, were any other U75ers there last night? C'mon, let's walk the walk. We NEED your involvement, simple as. Pretty sure HSG were there tho'.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Pretty sure HSG were there tho'.

I would be very surprised if they weren't.

 

[rioted]

Im not much of a fan of the swappies or the labour party, but we do need to get a mass campaign, involving not just the usual lefties ranting at each other but people who have never been involved in this type of campaign before.

This is true, but the only campaign the Labour Party are interested in is to get themselves re-elected. They've spent the last 13 years attacking us and "this type of campaign". I've nothing against Labour Party members getting involved, just as I've got nothing against other believers in Fairy tales such as christians and muslims being involved. But Labour politicians? Those same politicians who bailed out the bankers, scrapped the 10p tax, failed to repeal ANY of the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws, introduced the PRIVATE health company ATOS to force people off incapacity benefit, who privatised large chunks of the health service, who introduced 10 times as many Academies and closed down schools to enable them, who support the continuation of the multi-billion Trident project and the costly (in terms of money AND lives) war in Afghanistan, who are comfortable with the filthy rich, who encouraged people to scab over the SATs boycott, who refused to send Education ministers to the conferences of the biggest teaching union? They can fuck right off.

 

[Streathamite]

This is true, but the only campaign the Labour Party are interested in is to get themselves re-elected. They've spent the last 13 years attacking us and "this type of campaign". I've nothing against Labour Party members getting involved, just as I've got nothing against other believers in Fairy tales such as christians and muslims being involved. But Labour politicians? Those same politicians who bailed out the bankers, scrapped the 10p tax, failed to repeal ANY of the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws, introduced the PRIVATE health company ATOS to force people off incapacity benefit, who privatised large chunks of the health service, who introduced 10 times as many Academies and closed down schools to enable them, who support the continuation of the multi-billion Trident project and the costly (in terms of money AND lives) war in Afghanistan, who are comfortable with the filthy rich, who encouraged people to scab over the SATs boycott, who refused to send Education ministers to the conferences of the biggest teaching union? They can fuck right off.

In the main I'd agree, but
this lot, substituting Cohen for John Cryer, plus Jon Cruddas and The LRC, are worth keeping good relations with.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Hmmm, not sure about Cruddas myself. In fact, I am sure - he's a liberal guardianista wet end.

 

[The39thStep]

Hmmm, not sure about Cruddas myself. In fact, I am sure - he's a liberal guardianista wet end.

Cruddas sees himself as the the brains/intellect in trying to keep Labours working class vote whilst accepting that they also have to chase middle England. Exactly the sort of Guardian pin up both the Guardian and the Labour party need.The Labour Party was full of them at one time but the tides gone out leaving him looking like a lefty.If there was a left he would be in the soft centre. Kinnock appealed to the Labour past and to its connection with the working class when it suited him as well.

 

[Streathamite]

agree with both of you, but there is the possibility of using each other cynically but productively; he gets the figleaf of grassroots credibility, we get some, albeit quite small, leverage.
And - needless to say - I wouldn't piss on any other member of the PLP if they were on fire.

 

[The39thStep]

agree with both of you, but there is the possibility of using each other cynically but productively; he gets the figleaf of grassroots credibility, we get some, albeit quite small, leverage.
And - needless to say - I wouldn't piss on any other member of the PLP if they were on fire.

This isn't a special united front is it?

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

Just had a report of a Lambeth SOS planning meeting from last night. The SWP acting like sectarian idiots, and still insisting on having their front organisation along side Save our Services. Luckily they no longer have the numbers to dominate meetings so lost the votes and had to take notice of what the majority wanted. An SWP member also took all the Coalition of the Resistance leaflets off the table at one point and threw them in the bin, thinking no-one had noticed. You couldn't make it up. SOS has already decided to sign up to the Coalition of the Resistance.

Other than that it went well with a demonstration planned in Brixton for 30 October and a local assembly a couple of weeks later which will hopefully involve community groups, TRAs and union activists. Given the cuts in Lambeth are already hitting home hard the campaign needs to get going fast.

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

Next Lambeth SOS meeting will be in the Vida Walsh Centre, on Windrush Square at 6.30pm, on Thursday 7 October. They are now on the first and third Thursday of every month, at this venue.

 

[Streathamite]

General round-up of future events, courtesy of HAPS (Apols for any duplication of events already listed elsewhere in this thread).

*****************************************

Thursday 23 September 6.30pm

UNISON lobby of council against redeployment procedures (to facilitate job cuts)

Wood Green Civic Centre





Wednesday 29 September 12.30 – 1pm

UCU protest to mark European TUC day of action against cuts

Outside College of Haringey, Enfield, North East London

High Road, Tottenham N15 4RU



Sunday 3 October 8am

National Protest at Tory Party Conference in Birmingham

Coach Leaves Bernie Grant Centre 8am, Wood Green Civic Centre 8.20amConference: Campaigning to Defend Public Services

Call 07803 167 266 for tickets

www.righttowork.org.uk



Wednesday 13 October 12.30pm

RMT Lobby of Parliament for Workers Rights

Assemble opposite House of Commons



Monday 18 October 5.30pm

HAPS march to lobby full Haringey Council Meeting

From Wood Green Library to Wood Green Civic Centre

www.hapsnews.net



Wednesday 20 October (time TBA)

Camden Trades Council march against cuts and Comprehensive Spending Review

From Lincolns Inn Fields WC2 to Downing Street (provisional)

www.camdentradescouncil.org.uk



Saturday 23 October 11am

RMT march against cuts

from Unity House, 39 Chalton Street NW1 1JD



Saturday 23 October 12pm – 1.45pm

SERTUC Rally against Cuts in Public Services

Congress House Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS

www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/regions_info_southeast



Saturday 23 October 6pm – 9pm

AJAMU event – How will Government Cuts effect African (Black) Families?

Chestnuts Community Centre, St Anns Road N15 5BN

www.panafrica@which.net



Saturday 6 November 10am – 4pm

SERTUC Conference against cuts in public services

Congress House Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS



Wednesday 10 November

UCU / NUS demo against Education Cuts

www.demo2010.org



Saturday 27 November 10am – 5pm

Coalition of Resistance Conference

Camden Centre Bidborough St, London WC1H 9AU 10am-5pm

www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk

 

[grogwilton]

Just went to the SOS meeting in Reading last night. Good turnout, with a lot of good contributions, the only negative was I thought it was to TU heavy would have preferred to see more community groups and service users there, hopefully we can pull some more in.

Frogwoman, I thought Oxford had quite a strong TUC? are they not involved?

To those who oppose Labour MP involvement, what about the involvement of councillors?

 

[frogwoman]

Just went to the SOS meeting in Reading last night. Good turnout, with a lot of good contributions, the only negative was I thought it was to TU heavy would have preferred to see more community groups and service users there, hopefully we can pull some more in.

Frogwoman, I thought Oxford had quite a strong TUC? are they not involved?

To those who oppose Labour MP involvement, what about the involvement of councillors?

they are involved yes but for reasons i dnt fully understand, theyve dended up with two separate campaigns with nt much communication between the 2, this is changing tho.

 

[smokedout]

Lewisham Anti-cuts Alliance Organising meeting

Tuesday, September 28 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Amersham Arms upstairs room
388 New Cross Road

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162334157115440

 

[treelover]

Feels like the 'phoney war' at the moment, but come October, the scale of the cuts will become apparent, will the infrastructure be ready to challenge them?

 

[frogwoman]

at the moment?? Probably not. But I will say that on both meetings, the second one I attended aimed at service users (a couple of users of a day centre for people with learning difficulties were in attendence) I attended the turnout was pretty big, two or three times bigger than what the organises expected. And that is leaving aside the fact that the trade unions are organising through their own channels.

 

[treelover]

I remember when the Housing benefit service was privatised in my home town, it was chaos, people were being evicted due to arrears, etc, yet calls to the union (largely SWP) to organise with service users were rejected, they preffered to use their resources going around the country speaking to other union members, etc. This has happened in other cases, it was another reason why i began to reject the far left, it is good news if users are finally being taken seriously.

 

[frogwoman]

yeah so far by all accts there's been a lack of communication between the two, although the meeting i attended there WERE people who were involved in the trades council and other members of TUs there. We'll see how things go though.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

I'm involved in the Northern Public Services Alliance, which is TU (Unison and PCS) and we are gradually increasing the involvement of community and user groups, although a fair few of the local ones are keeping an open mind about the cuts from what I can see The whole Big Society shite has had a resonance with some.