UK Newswire Archive
Labour Party Freepost Address
03-05-2011 01:25
The Labour Party has set up a freepost address for its election campaign. Why not write to them to tell them what a grand job you think they're doing.
The address, included on their propaganda (which looks suspiciously like the anti-ConDem newspaper recently distributed around the city):
Nottingham Labour,
Freepost RSBZ-YKYU-KLCL
John Folman Business Centre,
Hungerhill Road,
NG3 4NB
There's plenty to say. Why not ask them about their recent budget which passed millions of pounds of central government cuts onto the people of Nottingham? Or they're use of publicly funded consultants to get themselves elected? Or their failure to properly investigate the council housing scandal?
Remember, the more stuff they receive and the heavier the items are, the more they have to pay. Those poor souls in the local LibDems had to withdraw their Freepost address after receiving hundreds of empty envelopes.
The LibDems went scurrying off to the police, who had to explain, "By setting up a Freepost address, the parties are inviting people to contact them." It appears that as long as you don't say anything offensive or dangerous, there is no criminal offence. They won't like it, but there's not a lot they can do about it.
Nottingham Mayday 2011
03-05-2011 01:25
On Saturday April 30th, Nottingham celebrated International Worker's Day.
As last year, the march assembled at Victoria Park in Sneinton. While waiting for the march to get started, participants could peruse stalls run by various local campaigns: Anarchist Black Cross, SWP, Unite Against Fascism, Socialist Party, Save Hayward House Daycare, Anarchist Federation (who shared a stall with People's Histreh, the Sparrows' Nest and also ran a beer tent), Notts SOS, CND, Green Party, Revolutionary Praxis, Greenpeace, Nottinghamshire Pride (one of the few new faces), Friends of the Earth, Health in Your Environment and Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Despite the wide range of groups in attendance, the focus of the events, was inevitably the cuts and resistance to them. Before the march began, demonstrators were addressed by speakers including a representative from Notts SOS, the local anti-cuts coordinating campaign. After that and a brief session by the Clarion Choir, marchers made their way into town for a rally at Speaker's Corner (i.e. the Brian Clough statue).
At Speaker's Corner, a lorry served as a stage for various speeches including by the PCS and about the attempted sell-off of woodlands (this delivered by ex-MP and rambler Paddy Tipping) and the situation in Libya. Here there was a much greater number of "ordinary" people passing by than in Victoria Park. The march also found itself joined by a number of pro-AV campaigners, met by the indifference they have no doubt become so familiar with,
Once the speeches were over, the march made its way back to Victoria Park, through Hockley. This took us past the local Tory Party HQ, but without incident.
Once back at the park there were more speeches including a candidate in the upcoming local elections standing for the Trade Unions and Socialist Coalition, UK Uncut and Unite Against Fascism. There was also music from Ngomo, Wholesome Fish, another band whose name I forget and the annual speech from Pat at Veggies about the interconnections between different campaigns.
Later on, a number of people drifted off to visit a few local tax dodging corporations. I didn't join them, but heard afterwards that this all went very well and Vodafone was forced to close. Again.
All in all, it was a pleasant enough day. There were perhaps 3-400 people on the march itself. This isn't an entirely awful turnout, certainly by normal Nottingham standards, but is probably less than have been on Mayday events in recent years. It is particularly disappointing given everything that has happened over the last year with the wave of university occupations, March 26th, UK Uncut and everything else.
The turnout at Chesterfield Mayday, which I attended the following Monday (report to follow), was also disappointing and reports indicate that the same was true of the annual GLATUC-organised event in London. This is not necessarily a bad sign. Numbers are not everything. Perhaps it just means that those newly radicalised by the anti-cuts movement aren't interested in the rituals of the old left. Nevertheless, people will inevitably use numbers on demonstrations (inevitably filtered by bizarre arithmetics of either the police or the left) as a crude proxy for the health of our movement. It is likely that the two long weekends had an impact on turnout with many people taking the opportunity for an extended holiday, but whatever the reason, I think it is important that we take time to think seriously about the the implications.
It was particularly notable how thin on the ground the trade unions were. There were few union banners on the march and the NUT even had to make a request from the platform for somebody to help carry theirs as they were unable to find two people. A few trade unionists made speeches, but there were no trade unions stalls (although I understand that a number of unions had requested one and failed to turn up). This does not bode well for the trade union movement's ability to turn out its members (of whom there are millions), even with several of them preparing for large scale industrial action at the end of June in defence of pensions.
On a more positive note, it was striking that the largest contingent on the march was anarchists. This was helped in no small part by the fact that the Anarchist Federation had produced a range of placards offering an alternative to the usual. This is a change from past years where the anarchos, although present, have tended to fade into the background. Possibly this has been helped by sudden surge in interest in anarchism with the anti-cuts movement and royal wedding hysteria. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come locally.
Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group Punk Benefit Gig Wed. 4 May
03-05-2011 00:43
Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group Punk Benefit GigWednesday 4th May
8 pm
Bannermans
212 Cowgate
Edinburgh EH1 1NQ
£4
Repression, Impunity and Resistance in Oaxaca: One Year After the Copala Caravan Ambush
02-05-2011 23:55
April 30, 2011April 27, 2011 march marking one year since the paramilitary
attack on the humanitarian caravan en route to San Juan Copala.
Unemployed Action in Cardiff
02-05-2011 22:35
CARDIFF DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BENEFIT CUTS/DISABILITY CUTS*AND*
CARDIFF UNEMPLOYED DAYTIME DISCO
Obama's “big lie”: White House propaganda and the “death” of Osama bin Laden
02-05-2011 22:01
Osama bin Laden has been a CIA asset in reality, and a propaganda boogeyman in official fiction. The official Osama bin Laden narrative, along with “Islamic terrorism” and Al-Qaeda, is a CIA military-intelligence fabrication designed to provide a pretext for an eternal global war agenda, and to provide an ongoing propaganda pretext for the “war on terrorism”. The “Militant Islamic Network”, including bin Laden himself, has been, since the Cold War a intelligence network that has been “run” on behalf of Anglo-American interests.
The attack of 9/11 was a false flag operation, planned and carried out by Anglo-American intelligence assets, blamed on “Al-Qaeda”, despite no credible supporting evidence.
86 year old EDO Protester to sue police over secret database
02-05-2011 22:00
from tomorrows GuardianAdvice for Anyone in the March 26 Black Bloc
02-05-2011 20:39
Having recently been nicked by the Met and witnessed several squats being raided in a mass fishing expedition. A quick bit of information for those who think their name or photo may be on their list seemed in order
Update on situation of Rote Flora in Hamburg and squatting actions
02-05-2011 16:41
The media attention was high, as there had been lots of discussions in the last weeks about the Rote Flora squat and also about gentrification in generell.
Another bigger event was taking place last weekend, as several people squatted a house in the district altona, demanding a social centre "autonomes centrum altona bahnhof (acab)" and staying inside the former building of the fiscal authorities.
Demo this Friday in London: Support the Iranian Hunger Strikers
02-05-2011 15:51
Six Iranian refugees are now reaching their fifth week of a hunger strike to demand asylum in the UK and protest against mistreatment by the Home Office. This Friday we will march to the Home Office in Westminster to join our voices with their courage in demanding fair treatment for refugees.Cambridge Uncut stages two successful actions.
02-05-2011 15:36
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1 May Demo in Russia - Photo
02-05-2011 15:12
The RCG attack against the Libyan revolutionaries.
02-05-2011 14:46
Rank hyprocracy