Monday, 30 June 2014
New Queer social centre 432 Cold Harbour lane brixton needs DIY help
Friday, 27 June 2014
Occupy London general Assembly sat July 5th St. Paul's and more occupy upcoming info
Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/07/2014
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Location
Legal update - High Court judgment date still to be fixed
Category(ies)
On the first Saturday of every month – Occupy London invites everyone to join us on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral (sometimes we have Roving G.A.’s and move elsewhere i.e. Occupy Wonga after the Mayday Parade ) to discuss issues of democracy, economics, the environment, communication, positive alternatives, how we organise to bring about a better future… and more.
There’ll be feedback from Occupy London working groups, events and allied groups at the beginning of the assembly; there’ll probably be an open mic session at the end; and in the middle we’ll hear proposals and debate and discuss them. Decisions, if we take any, will be made by consensus – everyone’s voice will be heard and be considered as important as the next voice.
Economics Working Group
International Working Group
Energy, Equity and Environment WG – LSX Occupy: Energy, Equity and Environment Group
Democracy Action WG – Occupy Democracy
Real Democray WG – New Putney Debates
How Occupy Works in London.
Future of Occupy Meetings.
No TTIP Action July 12th 2014. – #NoTTIP Action | Central London
A proposal could be something you’d like Occupy London to do; a statement you’d like OL to contribute to or sign; or a topic you’d like to discuss at the assembly.
The proposals will be collected and put onto an agenda for the assembly. If it looks like there are too many to fit into two hours, the people at the assembly will be asked to indicate which they think are the most important, and these will be prioritised.
There’s more info on how Occupy London General Assemblies work, here: http://occupylondon.org.uk/how-a-general-assembly-works/
At 12.30 on the 7th, there’ll be a GA-planning meeting in Apostrophe Cafe just across the road from St Paul’s. Anyone is welcome to attend. This is where the proposals are clarified and a provisional agenda is worked out. It’s also where anyone willing to help with the facilitation, or to take minutes, can volunteer.
After the GA there are often informal discussions and working group meetings to which all are welcome.
LINKS:
Previous minutes and livestream of the June General Assembly.
G.A. Saturday 7th June 2014. 3GA Model and the TTIP.
Monday, 23 June 2014
National demo against austerity short films #mymsgtothegov
The films are asking for people to share their individual message to the government using #mymsgtothegov
peace and love,
1. "Stop Cuts Against Vulnerable Disabled People"
Saturday, 21 June 2014
You Will Not Believe What David Cameron is Selling Off Now -everything www.scriptonitedaily.com
You Will Not Believe What David Cameron is Selling Off Now
Imagine you awoke one morning to find David Cameron stood in your garden banging a For Sale sign into your flowerbed…Well, that morning has arrived.
The government’s new Infrastructure Bill removes control for decisions to sell or develop publicly owned land from the public sector. In short, before long, a private company will have the power to sell publicly owned land for Fracking, new nuclear, or whatever else it likes – and the public say in the development of its own land will be a thing of the past.
What’s this about an Infrastructure Bill?
The Bill contains a clause that will end local decision making over use of publicly owned land. As Schnews puts it, this ends the rights of Council’s:
in granting or denying planning consent, cancels any rights of way or any need to ask the people of England and Wales if they mind losing their parks, playing fields, allotments, woodlands, public facilities or village greens to housing developers, fracking companies, road- or railway-builders. It’s the land grab to end all land grabs.
With much of the say over land development moving to the Land Registry, we come to the next issue. The government is selling off the Land Registry to private, profit making interests.
The government has also ordered local authorities to transfer up to 90% of brown field sites (previously developed sites that have become vacant, contaminated but could be reused) into the hands of the Homes and Communities Agency (the latest quango) where Eric Pickles (and his successors) and just two inspectors will control the planning decisions.
The Infrastructure Bill contains a clause which will allow ALL public land to be privatised. There’s no need to reference the Forestry Act 1967, the Countryside Rights of Way Act or any other protective law, because Schedule 3 of the Bill- states that “the property, rights and liabilities that may be transferred by a scheme include… property, rights and liabilities that would not otherwise be capable of being transferred or assigned.”
In plain English, this means all preceding regulations, legislation and other protections for this site are null and void – fill your boots.
If this Bill passes, we will have the private sector deciding the sale price, planning requirements and development plans for publicly owned land. The government is taking our land – our communally owned parks, rivers, beaches, moors, mountains and fields – handing the lot over to the control of one private company, and removing any democratic mandate for decision making whatsoever.
And they’re doing the same to the roads.
Those long sounded warnings about toll roads being re-established across the UK (such as the M6 - which has been a complete disaster) are also gaining relevance with the next element of this Bill. The Highways Agency is also becoming a government owned company, rather than an executive agency of the Department of Transport. This means strategy for road-building, funding and yes, tariffs will be handed to the private sector aswell.
The bottom line, is whether its schools, hospitals or choosing what to do with our own land – this government promised a ‘localism agenda’ and delivered the greatest shift of power from local to central government since the days Thatcher.
Why are they Doing This?
Ever since, such powers have been perpetually watered down. This however, not only removed them from local government, but government altogether.
The reason for such pressure is simple: the landed classes would rather new things be built on our land than theirs.
If you want confirmation of this: guess who is exempt from the Bill? The Queen. Despite being the largest landowner in the world, let alone the country, the Crown is exempt from the land grab. As will be the aristoracy who still own a third of Britain’s land.
Where will they put the drought-inducing, toxic fracking wells? The potentially catastrophic new nuclear power stations? Just as they put a £600m detour into the HS2 planned route to avoid the wealthy estates of Cheshire – all the pressure to build for industry, transport or housing will fall on the small amounts of public land left.
So What Can I Do About it?
The changes in this Bill once made, will be enormously difficult to unmake.
This is not one of those moments to get all upset and resigned to the situation – concerted, swift and effective opposition is required. Now.
You can start by joining the almost 100,000 who’ve signed the 38 degrees petition opposing the sale of the Land Registry.
Then sign the other 38 degrees campaign the focuses on opposing the Infrastructure Bill itself.
There, that took all of 30 seconds.
The Public Consultation is closed, but here is the document – provide feedback to your local MP. Be the biggest pain the ass you are capable of being.
More widely, get involved with Occupy London, UK Uncut, the People’s Assembly, The Green Party and other political and community organisations who challenge the whole system that permits such enormous transfers of power from the public to the private – without any democratic mandate whatsoever.
Do anything, but for all our sakes, do something.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Stop TTIP secret trade agreement that would allow Corporations to sue Governments over laws they don't like. Network it 38 degrees campaign
Dave, a 38 Degrees member from Minehead in Somerset says “it’s absolutely essential that we campaign on this”. And tens of thousands of other 38 Degrees members agree - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is disastrous and together we have to do all that we can to stop it going through as it is. [1]
TTIP is a hugely influential trade deal between the US and the EU. 38 Degrees members recently voted to prioritise stopping the part of the deal which lets businesses sue governments that introduce new laws that could damage their profits. [2] This is already happening in other countries. Right now the Australian government is being sued by a tobacco company after introducing laws banning branding on cigarette packets. [3]
Sounds sinister right? It really is. And, unsurprisingly, negotiations over TTIP are shrouded in secrecy. The deal’s being thrashed out right now by politicians and corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.
So if we’re going to beat this thing together, first thing’s first - we need to bring TTIP into the open. Let’s get TTIP out of secret negotiations, and into public conversation. We need to cause a massive public outcry to stop this trade deal from sliding under the radar.
Let’s create hard-hitting ads and splash them all over the country. From full page spreads in newspapers, to bus stops and billboards. The 38 Degrees staff team will work with an agency to come up with a brilliant design, and we’ll make sure it’s seen everywhere.
Together we can stop global corporations running our government and ruining our planet. Can you chip in a few pounds now to help fund a massive, people-powered ad campaign across the country?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-Ad-Fundraiser
TTIP would put the profits of big business ahead of everything else. It would weaken the rules which protect consumers, our environment, our welfare and health services, to much weaker levels seen in the USA. And it would stop future governments from rolling back privatisation of our public services, such as the NHS, energy companies, or the Royal Mail. [4]
There are a lot of things 38 Degrees members could do to stop this. A no-holds-barred nationwide ad campaign will shine a spotlight on these dangerous proposals. And it’ll be a first step towards making sure TTIP becomes too toxic for any of our MPs or MEPs to back.
We know how much of a stir massive ad campaigns like this can cause in Westminster. During the gagging law campaign, after a key vote in the House of Lords, one peer cited newspaper ads funded by 38 Degrees members as an important reason why he voted the right way. [5]
If nobody is talking about the issue, then it’s easy for the government to go ahead and agree to this dangerous deal. Will you chip in now so these ads can be designed, printed and put up across the country as soon as possible?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-Ad-Fundraiser
Thanks so much for being involved,
Megan, Bryony, Blanche & the 38 Degrees team
PS: TTIP is a pretty complicated issue. But there are lots of helpful resources out there to understand it more clearly.
This report by John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, is good place to start. It looks at the many problems with TTIP, and deals that allow businesses to sue governments, in a clear, but thorough way.
http://rosalux.gr/sites/default/files/publications/ttip_web.pdf
Monday, 16 June 2014
As US prepares to bomb, what we're not being told about ISIS and the Iraq crisis - Stop the War Coalition
Very interesting article that gives a few more perspectives.Especially the info about the Iraqi spring which was a non violent protest movement that was violently suppressed by the Maliki government.
Sunday, 15 June 2014
How spies listen when your phone is off - IOL SciTech | IOL.co.za
We knew this back in 2001 in the activist scene. When we had a meeting about street actions in Prague at the IMF World bank protests, we all put our phones in a metal cake tin and left it in the other room.
This shows how far the surveillance state has progressed to be able to drop in on anyone who has a smart phone, anytime they choose.
Without the need for judicial oversight.Activists out there remember to be aware of security.
Some things are on a need to know basis.
Minimise your risks and be aware of your governments capabilities to monitor your communications.Especially face book which we nickname CIA book, all Comms are monitored and key word searched, be conscious on what you post.
Stay safe out there and keep networking for a better sustainable more democratic future.
How spies listen when your phone is off - IOL SciTech | IOL.co.za
We knew this back in 2001 in the activist scene. When we had a meeting about street actions in Prague at the IMF World bank protests, we all put our phones in a metal cake tin and left it in the other room.
This shows how far the surveillance state has progressed to be able to drop in on anyone who has a smart phone, anytime they choose.
Without the need for judicial oversight.Activists out there remember to be aware of security.
Some things are on a need to know basis.
Minimise your risks and be aware of your governments capabilities to monitor your communications.Especially face book which we nickname CIA book, all Comms are monitored and key word searched, be conscious on what you post.
Stay safe out there and keep networking for a better sustainable more democratic future.
Saturday, 14 June 2014
Press Release: 999 People's March to Save NHS joins with People's Assembly http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/press_release_999_call_to_save_nhs_people_s_march_joins_with_people_s_assembly
Press Release: 999 People's March to Save NHS joins with People's Assembly
The People's March has joined with the People's Assembly Against Austerity. Read all about it here...
JARROW-STYLE MARCH ORGANISED BY MUMS TO SAVE THE NHS
A Jarrow-style march organised by mothers has united with the People's Assembly Against Austerity and many others in the fight to save the NHS from destruction by privatisation.
With a week to go before the People's Assembly holds its own giant march in London on 21 June, a group of mum’s from Darlington are planning a long march this summer to save the best free health service in the world. The mum's will also be joining the demonstration next Saturday as part of the NHS themed bloc.
Labelled the ‘People’s March for the NHS’, it leaves from Jarrow and ends 300 miles later at Parliament, the same finish point for the People's Assembly demonstration on June 21, the first since it was launched just last year.
The 999 Call for NHS campaigner are planning to serve notice to every MP who voted for the Health & Social Care Act and to every MP who has played a part in the destruction of the NHS.
They will also lobby Opposition Leader Ed Miliband to use his opportunity to flag up the plight of the marchers in the PMQ that takes place earlier in the week and ask that Cameron is put on the spot on his record in office on the NHS.
The march will also remind MPs and others of the now historic world famous Jarrow March by over 200 people angry at the blight of unemployment in the austerity of the 1930s. As the Jarrow marchers did, the people's march will call through 23 towns and cities as they make their way down the spine of Britain. 999 Call for NHS campaigners and organisers Rehana & Joanna said
"What was clear from the first few days of launching the Jarrow Crusade on the NHS was that NHS campaigners are in the thousands and now with over 1000 registered and growing the march has turned into a real people's march. All we ask is people join us walk a mile, ten or the full 300 miles, just do your bit The NHS is owned by us, used by us, loved by us and it can only be saved by us.
Cameron's austerity isn't working, our NHS is being sold off and it's going to take the might of people everywhere to rescue the NHS. We are overwhelmed with the response and support being offered by NHS campaigners, trade unions and now the People's Assembly"
Sam Fairbairn, national secretary of the People's Assembly said:
"We are calling on all people's assemblies which are close to the march to come out and support this protest, to walk alongside these mums and to tell the Government, we will not let you wreck our free NHS which has served generations of our people since 1945. "We salute their courage and determination and we will be using our own demonstration on June 21 to highlight this march from the North East to London".
Social media including a special facebook page is buzzing with interest in the march, with thousands of likes and many supporters from across the country promising to walk the walk as it makes its way to the capital.
Notes to Editors For more information and for interviews, please contact David Peel on 07738 215458, or call Rehana Azam on07841 181656
Best Wishes
999 Call for NHS
Are you joining the people's march? Please visit our website and register
Website www.999callfornhs.org.ukFacebook:https://m.facebook.com/999CallForTheNhs
Twitter: @999CallforNHS #darlomums #marchfortheNHS
Friday, 13 June 2014
Cat Hill protest call out open letter - network it get down there and save a space supposed to be left for education not profit in its covenant.
Open Letter To The People of Barnet
Donnie Vortex | 11.06.2014 16:12 | Ecology | London
Now we’re campaigning against a development that no-one wants in Cat Hill. The local residents are firmly saying ‘No’ to a massive housing complex by everybody’s favourite landlord, London and Quadrant, and are rallying to the protection of the woodland’s endangered species, whose homes are being bulldozed. It’s just one part of an extensive network of struggling ecosystems, we’re fighting for ten acres here but we’re also struggling for Barnet, setting an example for community led social change and environmental action.
‘That’s just over my garden fence,’ Say the residents. ‘This is our home, we’re the people who live here, and L&Q are just a bunch of barmy bully-boy developers with a tenants' complaints list that runs into the hundreds of pages, ruining the environment and making our lives hell.’ (See it here online www.lqgrouptenantsrights.blogspot.co.uk)
So, now we’re here too. We’re Occupy Barnet, and so are the people who come out to support. We have two whole camps, one at the front where people can see us and one at the back where we can physically defend (non-violently of course) and show people exactly what it is we’re trying to save. When someone squeezes through the eye-of-the-needle for the first time they exclaim that it’s like going into Narnia. We show them the pond of Domesday book fame, where the Great Crested Newt goes to breed -that’s endangered by the way- and the hollow oak where the Pipestrelle bat roosts, that’s also on the protected species list.
Dull moments are about as rare as a politician’s spine around here, as I write we had just spent the morning demanding that the Tree Protection Fence be put back after a part was taken down by L&Q and an area of the camp cordoned off. The residents turned out in full force and drove the workmen out, crying 'This is our Forest! Get out!'. Later, after the police arrived and explained to L&Q that what they had done was illegal, they, tails between legs, replaced the metal barrier that separates the machines and churned mud from the forest and the camp.
Meanwhile, next to the front, the last remaining structure is demolished by one of those big toothed machines that look like dragons, accidentally tearing down the front fence and causing a gas leak in front of a crowd of protesting residents; just the latest in a series of mishaps and setbacks befalling the development... two doves, against all ecological probability nest in the great oak above our camp, metres from the building site.
And in recent weeks a major breakthrough has occurred, as a long awaited document thought to be lost, but merely ‘misplaced’, has been found tucked away in the dark recesses of an Oxford archive. This document is the final missing piece of the Covenant that proves that the land was originally gifted for educational purposes for perpetuity. A Covenant is a legally binding document which means that all current development is illegal and based upon a fraudulent agreement. Even now, lawyers are scouring their reference books on both sides of the fence, for if the future court case is a success then this could be the end for the L&Q development, a win for the environment, and a win for the people of Barnet .
What will replace it? It can’t be just left as a pile of rubble. The people here would like to see a primary school, and built by a set of developers less odious than the current lot who will not damn the natural environment as L&Q have done.
And make no mistake, the grievances of the residents are by no means unique- but parallel the experiences of all ordinary folk, suffering for the sins of banking cartels, nailed to the cross abreast this troubled England. Property developers run amok, frackers are tearing up the earth beneath our feet, food banks are overwhelmed and the librarys and schools are sold for a quick buck.
Donning my socio-economic witch-doctors cap I diagnose all this as a symptom of a government so pie-eyed about any big corporation flashing a bit of cash that they are willing to disregard the people they’re supposed to represent, disregard our rights and dreams for a better future, disregard entirely our children and the trashed world they will inherit.
But it’s okay, we’re winning. Hope and solidarity are making a comeback.
So here at Cat Hill we have a constructive response to the land grabs carried out by political hijackers without mandate; with people’s assemblies, workshops and upcoming festivities; direct action, community empowerment and late night songs by the campfire. Come on down, we need you as much as you need us.
Yours in solidarity,
Donnie Vortex,
Occupy Barnet
P.S. Green party personas are at least welcome here and will be met with a hot cup of tea, rather than the hot tar and feathers which are dumped on Lib Dem, Conservative, Labour or UKIP candidates. Thanks for the interest so far and try to make yourselves useful.
Find out more at Cat Hill Protest on Facebook . Join us on camp at the Former Middlesex University Campus, Cat Hill Road, EN4 8HU.
Donnie Vortex
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
National demonstration against austerity cuts. Saturday June 21st. Free festival network it
National demonstration against austerity cuts. Saturday June 21st.
The Peoples Assembly | 09.06.2014 17:46
http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/national_demo_21_june Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/508032622640279/ Twitter:
https://twitter.com/pplsassemblyThe Peoples Assembly
Library in Wales saved by community action.... Occupy all the closed public services
THE LIBRARY IS RE-OPENING!
A phone call from the solicitor late this morning confirmed that the Council will not be contesting the Judicial Review. The Library will reopen in 14 days, or less if the necessary arrangements can be made in time.
Huge thanks are due to everyone who has supported the campaign, and our solicitor and barrister. It shows what can be done when the community pulls together.
The new leader of the Council, Andrew Morgan, has issued a statement. In it he says: “I have instructed officers to re-open the library as soon as practicably possible and that it operate for the same hours as it did prior to 31st May 2014.
“I will now ensure a thorough and frank dialogue is undertaken with local residents and users around the future of this facility and how the revised Library Service may support this community. “
Mr Morgan is new in the job, and deserves good will in these early days. But he should be in no doubt that we will hold him to his word. Never again do we want to see an absolutely dreadful decision foisted on us with no discussion, no consultation, and no consideration of what is good for the people, instead of for the councillors.
As soon as we have more news, including the re-opening date of the library, I’ll be in touch straight away.
Hwyl1
Meurig
Meurig Parri Secretary / Ysgrifennydd Rhydyfelin Library Support Group Grŵp Cefnogi Llyfrgell Rhydfelen |