Sunday, 20 February 2011
Middle East in Revolt (Video clips of meeting: SOAS 17/2/2011)
Adam Hanieh (SOAS)
Farid Bakht (Green Left)
John Rees (Counterfire)
Roland Rance (Socialist Resistance)
Questions and discussion
Summing up
Friday, 18 February 2011
BMA London vote against the health bill
Exclusive: The momentum in favour of a vote of outright opposition against the
Government NHS reforms gathered pace last night after a fractious meeting
called by BMA London voted to stop the health bill in its tracks.
An overwhelming majority of the estimated 250 people at the meeting backed a
motion calling for the BMA to scrap its policy of critical engagement and
instead introduce a policy of total opposition to the bill.
Up to 100 protestors carried out a noisy demonstration against the reforms
outside the regional meeting and inside the hall at BMA House, health minister
Simon Burns faced catcalls from some of the audience and saw the Government’s
plans come under fire from BMA leader, Dr Hamish Meldrum.
The BMA London move is the latest in a series of motions by BMA divisions and
council members calling for a policy change, which looks set to be debated at a
BMA Special Representative Meeting next month.
Dr Meldrum, who has come under increasing pressure to drop the BMA’s engagement
policy, set out the association's strong objections to the bill at the meeting,
especially plans to ramp up competition from the private sector.
Also speaking at the meeting, shadow health minister Diane Abbott attacked the
Government’s plans and afterwards declared the meeting was a sign of ‘all-out
opposition to Tory health reforms.’
Mr Burns faced a string of questions from angry members of the audience, who
demanded to know why the Government had not trialed its plans and also why many
of the key elements of the health bill were not included in the coalition’s
manifesto.
Outside the meeting, Dr Ron Singer, president of the Medical Practitioners’
Union and one of its GPC members, explained why they were protesting.
‘We think the changes proposed in the bill are so massive that nothing but
outright opposition to, so that it never sees the light of day, it is the only
course. A lot of people turning up tonight will tell the London division of the
BMA that they must take a stronger line.
‘What is being offered to GPs – to run the NHS and have control over the budget
– is just simply not true.’
acknowledgements to Andy Hewett
Government NHS reforms gathered pace last night after a fractious meeting
called by BMA London voted to stop the health bill in its tracks.
An overwhelming majority of the estimated 250 people at the meeting backed a
motion calling for the BMA to scrap its policy of critical engagement and
instead introduce a policy of total opposition to the bill.
Up to 100 protestors carried out a noisy demonstration against the reforms
outside the regional meeting and inside the hall at BMA House, health minister
Simon Burns faced catcalls from some of the audience and saw the Government’s
plans come under fire from BMA leader, Dr Hamish Meldrum.
The BMA London move is the latest in a series of motions by BMA divisions and
council members calling for a policy change, which looks set to be debated at a
BMA Special Representative Meeting next month.
Dr Meldrum, who has come under increasing pressure to drop the BMA’s engagement
policy, set out the association's strong objections to the bill at the meeting,
especially plans to ramp up competition from the private sector.
Also speaking at the meeting, shadow health minister Diane Abbott attacked the
Government’s plans and afterwards declared the meeting was a sign of ‘all-out
opposition to Tory health reforms.’
Mr Burns faced a string of questions from angry members of the audience, who
demanded to know why the Government had not trialed its plans and also why many
of the key elements of the health bill were not included in the coalition’s
manifesto.
Outside the meeting, Dr Ron Singer, president of the Medical Practitioners’
Union and one of its GPC members, explained why they were protesting.
‘We think the changes proposed in the bill are so massive that nothing but
outright opposition to, so that it never sees the light of day, it is the only
course. A lot of people turning up tonight will tell the London division of the
BMA that they must take a stronger line.
‘What is being offered to GPs – to run the NHS and have control over the budget
– is just simply not true.’
acknowledgements to Andy Hewett
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL
DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL
Organised by Keep Our NHS Public and Coalition of Resistance
Wednesday 16th February, 7,30pm,
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1, Holborn tube
Speakers:
Dr Jacky Davis
Frank Dobson MP
Wendy Savage, Keep Our NHS Public
John Lister, Health Emergency
Teresa Delaney, Coalition of Resistance
Dot Gibson, National Pensioners Convention
Meeting organised by Coalition of Resistance and Keep Our NHS Public
TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE THE NHS BILL
1. Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill will encourage “any willing provider” to cherry pick profitable slices of NHS services. It’s the biggest-ever privatisation of health care anywhere in the world,
2. The Bill will turn the NHS into a free market, cost billions to implement, and be far more unequal in its provision of services than the current system.
3. GP consortia, with their budgets squeezed to create £20 billion of savings will have to restrict access to hospital care.
4. GP consortia will have to employ private management consultants, who are the only people to have welcomed Lansley’s plans.
5. Patients will be even less informed as existing public bodies are replaced by local GP consortia, that function in secret sessions, and a remote national NHS Commissioning Board.
6. Health care services are to be privatised, with EU competition laws forcing GPs to put any service out to tender.
7. All limits on the money Foundation Trusts hospitals can earn from private medicine are to be scrapped. Hospitals will then prioritise attracting wealthy private patients
8. Price competition is to be introduced in clinical services, despite warnings that this will undermine the quality of care.
9. The limited “scrutiny” proposals are a fraud: GP consortia and the Commissioning Board will take their decisions in secret, and are not even obliged to go through the motions of consultation.
10. The Bill is opposed by the health unions and the TUC, the majority of GPs, and virtually every organisation of health professionals, including the Royal College of GPs and the BMA.
That’s why Lansley must be stopped. It’s time for urgent political action to Kill Lansley’s Bill.
Organised by Keep Our NHS Public and Coalition of Resistance
Wednesday 16th February, 7,30pm,
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1, Holborn tube
Speakers:
Dr Jacky Davis
Frank Dobson MP
Wendy Savage, Keep Our NHS Public
John Lister, Health Emergency
Teresa Delaney, Coalition of Resistance
Dot Gibson, National Pensioners Convention
Meeting organised by Coalition of Resistance and Keep Our NHS Public
TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE THE NHS BILL
1. Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill will encourage “any willing provider” to cherry pick profitable slices of NHS services. It’s the biggest-ever privatisation of health care anywhere in the world,
2. The Bill will turn the NHS into a free market, cost billions to implement, and be far more unequal in its provision of services than the current system.
3. GP consortia, with their budgets squeezed to create £20 billion of savings will have to restrict access to hospital care.
4. GP consortia will have to employ private management consultants, who are the only people to have welcomed Lansley’s plans.
5. Patients will be even less informed as existing public bodies are replaced by local GP consortia, that function in secret sessions, and a remote national NHS Commissioning Board.
6. Health care services are to be privatised, with EU competition laws forcing GPs to put any service out to tender.
7. All limits on the money Foundation Trusts hospitals can earn from private medicine are to be scrapped. Hospitals will then prioritise attracting wealthy private patients
8. Price competition is to be introduced in clinical services, despite warnings that this will undermine the quality of care.
9. The limited “scrutiny” proposals are a fraud: GP consortia and the Commissioning Board will take their decisions in secret, and are not even obliged to go through the motions of consultation.
10. The Bill is opposed by the health unions and the TUC, the majority of GPs, and virtually every organisation of health professionals, including the Royal College of GPs and the BMA.
That’s why Lansley must be stopped. It’s time for urgent political action to Kill Lansley’s Bill.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
UNISON United Left (UUL)
Message from Sue Tibbles
Dear GL , thought you might like to see that UNISON United Left (UUL) has had a re-launch of its website.
http://unisonunitedleft.blogspot.com/
I am a member of UUL and was hoping to promote any public GL meetings we might be holding at the same time as UNISON National Delegate Conference in Manchester in June.
Dear GL , thought you might like to see that UNISON United Left (UUL) has had a re-launch of its website.
http://unisonunitedleft.blogspot.com/
I am a member of UUL and was hoping to promote any public GL meetings we might be holding at the same time as UNISON National Delegate Conference in Manchester in June.
Egypt:Message from Reem Kelani, Palestinian singer and story teller direct from the action
In her excitement Reem made a mistake. Should be 11th of February of course.
Martin
On 13/02/2011 11:00, Martin Francis wrote:
Message from Reem Kelani, Palestinian singer and story teller direct from the action
Martin
I woke up on the morning of Friday 11th of January, feeling depressed and hopeful at the same time.
Yesterday, I had been talking to Fergus Nicoll from BBC World Service about the demonstrators wanting to reclaim for the Egyptian masses Sayyid Darwish’s ’Biladi, Biladi’, which has been the official Egyptian national anthem since 1979. They resented the fact that a great anthem such as this had been exploited by the regime. Sayyid Darwish wrote the song against the background of the 1919 Egyptian Revolt against the British, and it was in this vein that the demonstrators had been singing it aloud.
>>
>> As I did the daily hand washing, I listened, incredulous, to the State radio. I kept thinking that if this were any other Arab country not at ’peace’ with Israel, the US government would have been up in arms and would have rushed to condemn the Egyptian regime loudly for its behaviour towards the demonstrators.
I took the metro to Muhammad Naguib in downtown Cairo and then walked to the Square. As I got closer, I saw more and more people making their way to the Square. Along the way, I passed popcorn and sweet potato sellers and teenagers selling Egyptian flags, fuzzy wigs and armbands in the colours of the national flag. It felt like a huge village fete, with parents pulling along smartly dressed children as though they were accompanying them to a traditional ’mawlid’, the traditional celebrations of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth. Some women carried their toddlers on one shoulder, each tiny leg on either side of their shoulders.
I had heard that the wonderful Evelyn Ashamallah was suffering from blood pressure problems. We had been with her the night before, and the three of us stood still as we watched Mubarak’s obstinate, defiant and apology-free speech. Evelyn jumped off her sofa in disbelief, physically shocked by Mubarak’s stand. I felt guilty that we hadn’t stayed the night with her; she was beside herself with shock and concern for the young people in the Square.
The Square was so crowded that I struggled to meet any of my friends. Moreover, the local mobile network was so overloaded that it was almost impossible to co-ordinate with each other.
Amid the mayhem, I bumped into Saber Mekkawi from ’Nadi al-Nuba al-Aam’, the Nubian club in Egypt. I grabbed hold of his jacket, so that we didn’t lose each other. He took me to a funeral procession that was taking place in another part of the Square to honour the four Nubian Egyptians who had been killed over the past fortnight. The funeral was sombre and well organised, and the attendees, mostly Nubian Egyptians, lined up in a circle and sang wedding songs to honour the dead. It was resilience in its purest form, demonstrating love of life and respect for the dead.
All of a sudden, a massive ’sound wave’ rippled across the crowds. People were screaming, shouting, yelling, laughing ecstatically, crying and kneeling on the ground. I was overwhelmed, and for a split second, I couldn’t make sense of it. Swept up by the moment, I mislaid my mobile phone, on which I had recorded so many images of the momentous past two weeks.
Realising I had lost my phone, I started walking aimlessly, wondering what was going on. People were hugging each other and crying in disbelief. At a First Aid point, some people were being treated for shock; others fainted in front of me.
My Nubian friend was lost in the middle of the Nubian singing and dancing that turned into a true celebration, with women ululating in the Egyptian and Nubian styles. I ululated along, and I realised that Mubarak was president no more.
I was frustrated that at the very moment we’d all been waiting for, I couldn’t find my husband or my friends to hug and congratulate.
Chris arrived later, having had to walk most of the 2 miles from our place of stay because all the roads and bridges were jammed with cars, motorbikes and people. He found me, eventually, surrounded by young men of the Youth Committee who had taken on the task of bringing order to Tahrir Square since the demonstrations began. They had foregone their personal celebrations to help me find my phone. I was crying, out of joy and out of frustration at the probable loss of so many remarkable images.
I cried too out of resentment for the fact that Mubarak had denied his people the night before of the news that they all wanted. There was a sense that he had cheated his people even at the final moment of his presidency.
Our walk back to Dukki late on Friday night was especially slow, as almost everyone we passed wanted to show us how happy they were. All I could do was to ululate the Egyptian way, and for many in the street this made sense to them. Simple words seemed somehow inadequate to describe the enormity of the moment.
A young Egyptian stopped me and asked if I was Palestinian. He then pulled out a Palestinian flag and waved it along with the Egyptian one. He insisted on giving it to me as a gift, but I felt that he should keep it on a night like this: better to have a free Egyptian holding my imprisoned Palestinian flag aloft.
If we thought we would go straight in the door, when we got back, Ali the concierge next door who moonlights as a cabbie, decided otherwise. He ’ordered’ us to get in to his cab and gave us a free tour of the impromptu and chaotic street celebrations. From the Ja’afrah community in Aswan, Ali kept demanding that I ululate by saying "Zaghrati!" every time we passed someone.
By the time we finally staggered in to bed, I had no voice, but I was full of hope.
http://www.reemkelani.com/blog.asp
Martin
On 13/02/2011 11:00, Martin Francis wrote:
Message from Reem Kelani, Palestinian singer and story teller direct from the action
Martin
I woke up on the morning of Friday 11th of January, feeling depressed and hopeful at the same time.
Yesterday, I had been talking to Fergus Nicoll from BBC World Service about the demonstrators wanting to reclaim for the Egyptian masses Sayyid Darwish’s ’Biladi, Biladi’, which has been the official Egyptian national anthem since 1979. They resented the fact that a great anthem such as this had been exploited by the regime. Sayyid Darwish wrote the song against the background of the 1919 Egyptian Revolt against the British, and it was in this vein that the demonstrators had been singing it aloud.
>>
>> As I did the daily hand washing, I listened, incredulous, to the State radio. I kept thinking that if this were any other Arab country not at ’peace’ with Israel, the US government would have been up in arms and would have rushed to condemn the Egyptian regime loudly for its behaviour towards the demonstrators.
I took the metro to Muhammad Naguib in downtown Cairo and then walked to the Square. As I got closer, I saw more and more people making their way to the Square. Along the way, I passed popcorn and sweet potato sellers and teenagers selling Egyptian flags, fuzzy wigs and armbands in the colours of the national flag. It felt like a huge village fete, with parents pulling along smartly dressed children as though they were accompanying them to a traditional ’mawlid’, the traditional celebrations of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth. Some women carried their toddlers on one shoulder, each tiny leg on either side of their shoulders.
I had heard that the wonderful Evelyn Ashamallah was suffering from blood pressure problems. We had been with her the night before, and the three of us stood still as we watched Mubarak’s obstinate, defiant and apology-free speech. Evelyn jumped off her sofa in disbelief, physically shocked by Mubarak’s stand. I felt guilty that we hadn’t stayed the night with her; she was beside herself with shock and concern for the young people in the Square.
The Square was so crowded that I struggled to meet any of my friends. Moreover, the local mobile network was so overloaded that it was almost impossible to co-ordinate with each other.
Amid the mayhem, I bumped into Saber Mekkawi from ’Nadi al-Nuba al-Aam’, the Nubian club in Egypt. I grabbed hold of his jacket, so that we didn’t lose each other. He took me to a funeral procession that was taking place in another part of the Square to honour the four Nubian Egyptians who had been killed over the past fortnight. The funeral was sombre and well organised, and the attendees, mostly Nubian Egyptians, lined up in a circle and sang wedding songs to honour the dead. It was resilience in its purest form, demonstrating love of life and respect for the dead.
All of a sudden, a massive ’sound wave’ rippled across the crowds. People were screaming, shouting, yelling, laughing ecstatically, crying and kneeling on the ground. I was overwhelmed, and for a split second, I couldn’t make sense of it. Swept up by the moment, I mislaid my mobile phone, on which I had recorded so many images of the momentous past two weeks.
Realising I had lost my phone, I started walking aimlessly, wondering what was going on. People were hugging each other and crying in disbelief. At a First Aid point, some people were being treated for shock; others fainted in front of me.
My Nubian friend was lost in the middle of the Nubian singing and dancing that turned into a true celebration, with women ululating in the Egyptian and Nubian styles. I ululated along, and I realised that Mubarak was president no more.
I was frustrated that at the very moment we’d all been waiting for, I couldn’t find my husband or my friends to hug and congratulate.
Chris arrived later, having had to walk most of the 2 miles from our place of stay because all the roads and bridges were jammed with cars, motorbikes and people. He found me, eventually, surrounded by young men of the Youth Committee who had taken on the task of bringing order to Tahrir Square since the demonstrations began. They had foregone their personal celebrations to help me find my phone. I was crying, out of joy and out of frustration at the probable loss of so many remarkable images.
I cried too out of resentment for the fact that Mubarak had denied his people the night before of the news that they all wanted. There was a sense that he had cheated his people even at the final moment of his presidency.
Our walk back to Dukki late on Friday night was especially slow, as almost everyone we passed wanted to show us how happy they were. All I could do was to ululate the Egyptian way, and for many in the street this made sense to them. Simple words seemed somehow inadequate to describe the enormity of the moment.
A young Egyptian stopped me and asked if I was Palestinian. He then pulled out a Palestinian flag and waved it along with the Egyptian one. He insisted on giving it to me as a gift, but I felt that he should keep it on a night like this: better to have a free Egyptian holding my imprisoned Palestinian flag aloft.
If we thought we would go straight in the door, when we got back, Ali the concierge next door who moonlights as a cabbie, decided otherwise. He ’ordered’ us to get in to his cab and gave us a free tour of the impromptu and chaotic street celebrations. From the Ja’afrah community in Aswan, Ali kept demanding that I ululate by saying "Zaghrati!" every time we passed someone.
By the time we finally staggered in to bed, I had no voice, but I was full of hope.
http://www.reemkelani.com/blog.asp
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Caroline Lucas MP – in Cambridge February 23rd
Caroline Lucas MP – in Cambridge February 23rd
Caroline Lucas*, Leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion, will be in Cambridge on Wednesday 23rd February. She will be giving a talk at Christ Church, Maids Causeway (just opposite the Burleigh Arms) at 7.30pm. Her talk will be on ‘Alternative to Austerity – The Green case for Cambridge’.
Donations, to cover the hire of the room, would be greatly appreciated!* Caroline Lucas is the Britain’s first Green Party MP, and was elected in the May 2010 General Election in Brighton Pavilion. She is also Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Prior to that, she had been the MEP for the South East of England and a County Councillor in Oxfordshire. She is widely published, and is married with two children.
Adam E Pogonowski
Caroline Lucas*, Leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion, will be in Cambridge on Wednesday 23rd February. She will be giving a talk at Christ Church, Maids Causeway (just opposite the Burleigh Arms) at 7.30pm. Her talk will be on ‘Alternative to Austerity – The Green case for Cambridge’.
Donations, to cover the hire of the room, would be greatly appreciated!* Caroline Lucas is the Britain’s first Green Party MP, and was elected in the May 2010 General Election in Brighton Pavilion. She is also Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Prior to that, she had been the MEP for the South East of England and a County Councillor in Oxfordshire. She is widely published, and is married with two children.
Adam E Pogonowski
Friday, 11 February 2011
ACCESS TO ADVICE: MEETING AGAINST THE CUTS IN ADVICE SERVICES IN MANCHESTER
ACCESS TO ADVICE: MEETING AGAINST THE CUTS IN ADVICE SERVICES IN MANCHESTER
Friends Meeting House Booked Wed 16th Feb - 5.45 pm till (not too )late - Room 1 Mount St - behind Central Library
Anyone with concerns about the Advice Services is Welcome. Hope you can make it!
Did you know Manchester City Council have announced they will completely close Manchester Advice in the next few months-they cynically try and say that the voluntary sector advice services can pick up the slack -no way. > We still have to send people to Manchester Advice when we are too busy -plus the council cut almost £half million off our funding for the current year.
We need to let councillors know we want them to vote against the closure WE also want to let the public know about this and get them to lobby their councillors before the decision is made on 9th March
We also need to get MPs, councillors and the public to oppose the government's plan to scrap legal aid for welfare, debt, housing, consumer etc from next year
We have got together letters to councilors and MPs, leaflets, stickers, plans to involve the public -come along to the meeting to learn more about what going on and what you can do to save advice in Manchester
In advance please write to Richard Leese, Council Leader and you local councillors c/o Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, MANCHESTER M60 2LA
If time also write to your MP at House of Commons London SW1 0AA
Friends Meeting House Booked Wed 16th Feb - 5.45 pm till (not too )late - Room 1 Mount St - behind Central Library
Anyone with concerns about the Advice Services is Welcome. Hope you can make it!
Did you know Manchester City Council have announced they will completely close Manchester Advice in the next few months-they cynically try and say that the voluntary sector advice services can pick up the slack -no way. > We still have to send people to Manchester Advice when we are too busy -plus the council cut almost £half million off our funding for the current year.
We need to let councillors know we want them to vote against the closure WE also want to let the public know about this and get them to lobby their councillors before the decision is made on 9th March
We also need to get MPs, councillors and the public to oppose the government's plan to scrap legal aid for welfare, debt, housing, consumer etc from next year
We have got together letters to councilors and MPs, leaflets, stickers, plans to involve the public -come along to the meeting to learn more about what going on and what you can do to save advice in Manchester
In advance please write to Richard Leese, Council Leader and you local councillors c/o Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, MANCHESTER M60 2LA
If time also write to your MP at House of Commons London SW1 0AA
following popular request, we are organising a DEBATE on the response of the left to the proposed alternative vote referendum
following popular request, we are organising a
DEBATE
on the response of the left to the proposed alternative vote referendum
PETER ALLEN, Green Left, recent candidate for the Green Party in Oldham and Saddleworth (following the unlamented demise of woolas), campaigner against cuts in advice services locally (see other emails) is
in favour of AV
CHRIS CHILVERS, Respect National Treasurer, organiser of Egypt solidarity gatherings, campaigner against closure of Levenshulme baths (see other emails) is
against AV
The meeting will, as with all Convention of the Left events, be fully participatory - discussion and debate - and will take place:
at Friends Meeting House, Manchester (behind the library), 7.00pm on Thursday March 17th 2011.
__._,_.___
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Coalition Of Resistance events 12-19 feb
To build for the March 26th protest CoR has called a Week of Resistance.
The following events are planned:
• Saturday 12th February Right to Work People’s Conference
• Sunday 13th February Capitalism: A love story by Michael Moore. London Socialist Film Co-op 10.30 am the Renoir with discussion led by Tony Benn
• Monday 14th February Stop the Valentines Day Massacre of our Public Services. Downing Street 5pm-7pm with Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Steve Hart Unite – sponsored by SERTUC and Unite [ London and Eastern Region]. Download flyer
• Tuesday 15th February Mass Lobby of Parliament Tell MPs: Hands off our homes, our benefits and our rights. Rally in Central Hall Westminster and mass lobby of Parliament. 12-4pm. Called by Defend Council Housing.
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting Goldsmiths College with Caroline Lucas MP, Tariq Ali and Clare Solomon
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting with Keep Our NHS Public Conway Hall WC1 with Dr Jacky Davis, Wendy Savage and John Lister. More info.
• Saturday 19th February Mass leafleting for March 26th demonstration – stalls throughout the country.
• Saturday 19th February Visit George Osborne at home – a cross between ‘a place in the sun’ and ‘location, location, location’.
The following events are planned:
• Saturday 12th February Right to Work People’s Conference
• Sunday 13th February Capitalism: A love story by Michael Moore. London Socialist Film Co-op 10.30 am the Renoir with discussion led by Tony Benn
• Monday 14th February Stop the Valentines Day Massacre of our Public Services. Downing Street 5pm-7pm with Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Steve Hart Unite – sponsored by SERTUC and Unite [ London and Eastern Region]. Download flyer
• Tuesday 15th February Mass Lobby of Parliament Tell MPs: Hands off our homes, our benefits and our rights. Rally in Central Hall Westminster and mass lobby of Parliament. 12-4pm. Called by Defend Council Housing.
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting Goldsmiths College with Caroline Lucas MP, Tariq Ali and Clare Solomon
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting with Keep Our NHS Public Conway Hall WC1 with Dr Jacky Davis, Wendy Savage and John Lister. More info.
• Saturday 19th February Mass leafleting for March 26th demonstration – stalls throughout the country.
• Saturday 19th February Visit George Osborne at home – a cross between ‘a place in the sun’ and ‘location, location, location’.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Save Our Forests.
The Campaign against Climate Change now has a time and place for our national public meeting to
It will be Bloomsbury Baptist Church, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, at 1 pm on Saturday 12 March. We hope that people from London, but also from campaigns all over the country will come. There is room for 400 people.
The meeting will highlight the importance of forests to climate change, to 3,600 jobs, and to communities. We could say: Save Our Forests, Save Our Jobs, Save Our Planet.
The Climate Alliance has already agreed to sponsor this meeting with us, but we would like to involve other environmental groups, unions and local campaigns.
If you want to sponsor the meeting, or help in any way, please email Jonathan Neale at findjonathan@hotmail.com
Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Dear Colleague
Last opportunity to book-
Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February
I would be grateful if you could distribute this message to colleagues, activists, networks and members. Find out more and book places here
If you have any queries concerning the seminars, please contact me at the details below.
Best wishes
Phelim
(1) Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February
9:30am- 4:30pm
At NUT Hamilton House London WC1H 9BD
with contributions from: Carla Bennett, Thompsons; Sheila Wild, Equalities and Human Rights Commission; Marian Scovell, Prospect; Ben Cooper, Old Square Chambers; Barry Smith, GMB; Amanda Brown, NUT; Anna Bird, Fawcett Society; Alison Humphry, Unison; Caroline Underhill, Thompsons; Sally Brett, TUC
Topics include: Ensuring equal pay isn’t cut by the cuts; Inquiry into Sex Discrimination in the Finance Sector; Length of service as a determinant in pay: Wilson v HSE & Cadman v HSE; When objective justification is required: Gibson v Sheffield Council; Demonstrating disparate impact: Pike v Somerset Council; The road to equal pay: a new approach; TUPE and Equal Pay: Sodexo Ltd v Gutridge; Farewell Equal Pay Act: future prospects for narrowing the gender pay gap
Phelim Mac Cafferty
Projects and Events Officer
Institute of Employment Rights
179 Preston Road
Brighton East Sussex
BN1 6AG
t: 01273 330819
e: phelim@ier.org.uk
www.ier.org.uk
We are proud of our ongoing work but recognise more needs to be done. Show your continued support by taking a subscription and joining our debate. Go to www.ier.org.uk
Last opportunity to book-
Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February
I would be grateful if you could distribute this message to colleagues, activists, networks and members. Find out more and book places here
If you have any queries concerning the seminars, please contact me at the details below.
Best wishes
Phelim
(1) Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February
9:30am- 4:30pm
At NUT Hamilton House London WC1H 9BD
with contributions from: Carla Bennett, Thompsons; Sheila Wild, Equalities and Human Rights Commission; Marian Scovell, Prospect; Ben Cooper, Old Square Chambers; Barry Smith, GMB; Amanda Brown, NUT; Anna Bird, Fawcett Society; Alison Humphry, Unison; Caroline Underhill, Thompsons; Sally Brett, TUC
Topics include: Ensuring equal pay isn’t cut by the cuts; Inquiry into Sex Discrimination in the Finance Sector; Length of service as a determinant in pay: Wilson v HSE & Cadman v HSE; When objective justification is required: Gibson v Sheffield Council; Demonstrating disparate impact: Pike v Somerset Council; The road to equal pay: a new approach; TUPE and Equal Pay: Sodexo Ltd v Gutridge; Farewell Equal Pay Act: future prospects for narrowing the gender pay gap
Phelim Mac Cafferty
Projects and Events Officer
Institute of Employment Rights
179 Preston Road
Brighton East Sussex
BN1 6AG
t: 01273 330819
e: phelim@ier.org.uk
www.ier.org.uk
We are proud of our ongoing work but recognise more needs to be done. Show your continued support by taking a subscription and joining our debate. Go to www.ier.org.uk
BRISTOL & DISTRICT ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
BULLETIN - 30 JANUARY 2011
The campaign
We have now reached crunch time. The council budgets are being set, redundancy notices sent out, services stopped or sold off, grants cut and the NHS destroyed. We must make an all-out effort to show that the majority of people in and around Bristol oppose this. A lot of BADACA group meetings have been organised; lots of leafleting will be done in the next two weeks. Please help out.
Demonstration 19 February
Assemble - 11.00am Castle Park
March to College Green for rally at 12.00pm
We need:
Several thousand people on it - bring yourself, your friends, family and neighbours, workmates and members of any organisation you belong to
Leaflets giving out to advertise it - see below
Banners and placards
Trade union branches and community organisations to support. Please make sujre yours does.
60 stewards - if you are willing to do this please reply to this e-mail. It involves traffic management along the route, taking a bucket collection and helping to clear up at the end.
To have an impact and show the strength of opposition to the cuts, this demonstration must be big
Leafleting
Thursday 10 February 8.00am Temple Meads
Friday 11 February 9.30 - 11.30am BRI
Saturday 12 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Mass leafleting and stall in and around Broadmead - we need at least 20 people
Monday 14 February 4.30 - 6.00pm Meet at the bus station for leafleting at bus stops around the city centre
Tuesday 15 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Broadmead - meet in the centre of Broadmead for leafleting at various points
There are others in suburban shopping areas. For information contact Jeremy Clarke - jeremyhclarke@hotmail.com
Events
Monday 7 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Demonstration against cuts in legal aid Queens Square
7.30pm BADACA East Bristol (Fishponds) group Crosskeys pub, Fishponds Road
Tuesday 8 February 6.00pm BADACA health group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.00pm BADACA Communications group Watershed
Wednesday 9 February 7.00pm BADACA Youth Group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.30pm BADACA Voluntary / Community Sector Group Shakespeare, Victoria St.
Thursday 10 February UCU, UWE strike UWE St Matthias and Frenchay
2.00pm BADACA Easton Group Easton Community Centre, Kilburn St, Easton
Friday 11 February 5.30pm BADACA Steering Committee Council House
Saturday 12 February Leafleting
TUC demonstration - March 26th
There will be lots of coaches going from in and around Bristol to this event. Many have been booked by trade unions with priority being given to their members but BADACA will ensure that there is affordable transport to the demonstration available to all. Further details will be sent out when arrangements are clearer.
The South West TUC is co-ordinating transport from this area.
If you are booking coaches please inform Nigel Costley, SW TUC Secretary - NCostley@tuc.org.uk
If you want to find out where coaches are going from, see http://falseeconomy.org.uk/themarch. There is not much on there at the moment but it will presumably build up. Do not leave booking a place until the last minute or try to
Other news
UCU lecturers' strike at UWE
Health Service reforms meeting
Forest of Dean protesters terrfify Tory MP
BADACA East Bristol Group Campaign Pack
Cameron reacts to student protests
Katie Buse
The campaign
We have now reached crunch time. The council budgets are being set, redundancy notices sent out, services stopped or sold off, grants cut and the NHS destroyed. We must make an all-out effort to show that the majority of people in and around Bristol oppose this. A lot of BADACA group meetings have been organised; lots of leafleting will be done in the next two weeks. Please help out.
Demonstration 19 February
Assemble - 11.00am Castle Park
March to College Green for rally at 12.00pm
We need:
Several thousand people on it - bring yourself, your friends, family and neighbours, workmates and members of any organisation you belong to
Leaflets giving out to advertise it - see below
Banners and placards
Trade union branches and community organisations to support. Please make sujre yours does.
60 stewards - if you are willing to do this please reply to this e-mail. It involves traffic management along the route, taking a bucket collection and helping to clear up at the end.
To have an impact and show the strength of opposition to the cuts, this demonstration must be big
Leafleting
Thursday 10 February 8.00am Temple Meads
Friday 11 February 9.30 - 11.30am BRI
Saturday 12 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Mass leafleting and stall in and around Broadmead - we need at least 20 people
Monday 14 February 4.30 - 6.00pm Meet at the bus station for leafleting at bus stops around the city centre
Tuesday 15 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Broadmead - meet in the centre of Broadmead for leafleting at various points
There are others in suburban shopping areas. For information contact Jeremy Clarke - jeremyhclarke@hotmail.com
Events
Monday 7 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Demonstration against cuts in legal aid Queens Square
7.30pm BADACA East Bristol (Fishponds) group Crosskeys pub, Fishponds Road
Tuesday 8 February 6.00pm BADACA health group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.00pm BADACA Communications group Watershed
Wednesday 9 February 7.00pm BADACA Youth Group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.30pm BADACA Voluntary / Community Sector Group Shakespeare, Victoria St.
Thursday 10 February UCU, UWE strike UWE St Matthias and Frenchay
2.00pm BADACA Easton Group Easton Community Centre, Kilburn St, Easton
Friday 11 February 5.30pm BADACA Steering Committee Council House
Saturday 12 February Leafleting
TUC demonstration - March 26th
There will be lots of coaches going from in and around Bristol to this event. Many have been booked by trade unions with priority being given to their members but BADACA will ensure that there is affordable transport to the demonstration available to all. Further details will be sent out when arrangements are clearer.
The South West TUC is co-ordinating transport from this area.
If you are booking coaches please inform Nigel Costley, SW TUC Secretary - NCostley@tuc.org.uk
If you want to find out where coaches are going from, see http://falseeconomy.org.uk/themarch. There is not much on there at the moment but it will presumably build up. Do not leave booking a place until the last minute or try to
Other news
UCU lecturers' strike at UWE
Health Service reforms meeting
Forest of Dean protesters terrfify Tory MP
BADACA East Bristol Group Campaign Pack
Cameron reacts to student protests
Katie Buse
‘Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of Our Public Services’
LONDON DOWNING STREET TWILIGHT RALLY – 14 FEBRUARY 5-8pm.
Do come along with friends to the ‘Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of Our Public Services’ Rally, opposite Downing Street 5 – 8 pm on Monday 14 February.
This event is organised by the Coalition of Resistance and supported by SERTUC (South East Regional TUC), UNITE (London & Eastern Region), People’s Charter, Right to Work Campaign and many other organisations.
A draft flyer, with Clegg and Cameron depicted as gangsters, is attached or can be downloaded from - http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Week-of-Resistance_A6_web_4b.pdf
There will be short speeches from key figures, including representatives of the Egyptian Uprising. If there is someone you want invited to speak contact us.
This event is part of a Week of Resistance to involve people in building a huge TUC anti-austerity demonstration on March 26th - see http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2011/01/tuc-national-demonstration-against-cuts-26-march-london/ .
The week of resistance includes the following events in London:
- Saturday 12th February Right to Work Campaign’s People’s Convention at Friends Meeting House, Euston.
- Sunday 13th February Capitalism: A love story by Michael Moore. London Socialist Film Co-op 10.30 am the Renoir with discussion led by Tony Benn
- Monday 14th February Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of our Public Services. Downing Street 5pm-7pm with Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Steve Hart Unite – sponsored by SERTUC and Unite [ London and Eastern Region].
- Tuesday 15th February Mass Lobby of Parliament Tell MPs: Hands off our homes, our benefits and our rights. Rally in Central Hall Westminster and mass lobby of Parliament. 12-4pm. Called by Defend Council Housing.
- Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting Goldsmiths College with Caroline Lucas MP, Tariq Ali and Clare Solomon
- Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting with Keep Our NHS Public Conway Hall WC1 with Dr Jacky Davis, Wendy Savage and John Lister. More info.
- Saturday 19th February Mass leafleting for March 26th demonstration – stalls throughout the country.
- Saturday 19th February Visit George Osborne at home – a cross between ‘a place in the sun’ and ‘location, location, location’.
For other local Week of Resistance events see www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk .
Just the way to start your Valentine’s Day evening!
Please forgive cross-posting.
~paul~
Paul Mackney
(former General Secretary NATFHE- now in UCU)
Coalition of Resistance Steering Committee
PO Box 56959 London N10 9AZ
07974 353 709
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