West Country Newswire Archive

Travellers come from many backgrounds. But similarities far outweigh differnces, in peoples expectations on what they want out of life. Recently, politics has come crashing through the door, and trampled their boots, all over the usual suspects of , travellers, asylum seekers, migrants, and the rest .......! Read more >>

Anniversary of the 'Battle of the Beanfield' 1st June 1985
It's 20 years, since the major trashing of my community, travelling on the way the make the "Peoples Free Festival of Albion" at Stonehenge. It was a regular event on the calender. Read more >>

On Friday 14,700 signatures were handed in to Downing Street, part of 5 million signatures worldwide calling for an end to nuclear weapons. The same day the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference ended in New York with no consensus on how to disarm nuclear weapons(i). Read more >>

Warning over illegal forest raves Read more >>

Hi - this is a second callout to people in Bristol/southwest to consider taking on legal support work at the G8 summit protests in Scotland this July.
Read more >>

Here's an update of anti-G8 related events in Bristol for the next few weeks. If you are in bristol (or nearby ie Bath etc) feel free to come along, or organise your own! Read more >>

The Home Office have now ratcheted up the ante by re-introducing slavery through the form of 'voluntary service for people who have failed the Asylum System and needing subsistence and accommodation' with the assistance of the National YMCA Organisation.

Liverpool YMCA is going to be the first voluntary sector agency to collude with the Home Office in the immigration slavery scheme introduced by section 10 of the 2004 legislation.

While Liverpool is parading on its City Of Culture, 2008 Status (more like Culture of Capital, Here & Now), it would be worthwhile stating historical fact - Liverpool was home to the Slave Trade - and now in 2005, Liverpool could and may well become home to the New City Of Slavery.

The YMCA and the Home Office have called for a 'Closed Door' Meeting to be held at Liverpool City Councils Millenium House on Tuesday 24 May 2005 from 12:40 - 14:40hrs.

The aim of this meeting from what I can gather, is to 'embrace community dialogue' - through restricting the meeting to just a few (highly-paid & self-anointed) NGOs (whose own sources of revenue are probably paid for by the Home Office...)

The question is, can real community dialogue be achieved like this?

The meeting was posted on the SmartGroups Liverpool asylum seeker and refugee support group:

 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/viewdiscussion.cfm?gid=1256290&messageid=2609

----Section 4 Support - 'Voluntary Service'

>> There is a consultation meeting with the YMCA and
>> the Home Office about this on 24th May - 12.40 - 2.40
>> at Millenium House in Liverpool.

As you can see this is the only outside knowledge of this meeting.

I contacted the Liverpool YMCA today which people believe to be the site of the Pilot Scheme, and the Office Administrator has denied any knowledge of the meeting, but said that, "if it's not Liverpool then it might be Chester which will do it."

If the meeting is being held within Council premises, can Trade Unionists based within Millenium House please make and take action with regards to this?

UNISON, and other Unions the call-out for you is here.

Individuals with a conscience, please make your views heard on this subject.

The following links are related to this meeting:

YMCA slave labour scheme

Section 4 Support - 'Voluntary Service'

There is a consultation meeting with the YMCA and the Home Office
about this on 24th May - 12.40 - 2.40 at Millenium House in Liverpool.

 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1256290&messageid=2602

IND has announced that YMCA England will be running a pilot exercise for Section 10 of the Asylum & Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act in Liverpool.

Word document:

 http://www.asylumpolicy.info/mayiapnews.doc

YMCA England Statement following meeting with Church Action on Poverty, Boaz Trust and Churches Commission on Racial Justice

Word document:

 http://www.asylumpolicy.info/ymcastatement.doc

It is important that no-one allows this 'Pilot' to get off the ground.

While the YMCA may or could agree to the scheme, it can only be made unworkable if YMCA Staff take a stand on this issue - strike action, refuse on moral grounds, refuse on Health & Safety issues (will the refugees be given proper H&S training?)

Or perhaps I could 'release' the person out, if I saw a refugee doing what I called anything like 'labour'?

Or maybe, the homeless people within the YMCAs will start "getting refugees to do their 'dirty-work'", or cause deep divisions within already dis-enfranchised communities?

If this doesn't happen here, it could happen near YOU.

Maybe meet up at The Egg, Tuesday 24/05, 11:30am?

Anyone into it?

Banners, drums, trumpets, anything to make a party & noise.

Can the 'Outside Media' meaning The Echo/BBC do something on it? Read more >>

On 13 May 12 anti-nuclear weapons protestors from the Plymouth Trident Ploughshares (Tamarians) along with supporters, squatted Drake’s Island in Plymouth Sound. A peace camp has been set up and the island declared a nuclear free state. The protest highlights the UK’s breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is now being reviewed at an important at the UN in New York. The refit of the UK’s nuclear armed and nuclear powered Trident submarines in Devonport Dockyard plays a large part in Britan’s violation of this international treaty. Read more >>

Below is a list of upcoming events organised by Bristol Dissent and friends, plus summit info, along with web links where appropriate. Available at Bristol Dissent meetings are flyers, posters, briefing papers and info. Read more >>

THE FOLLOWING ARE PICTURES TAKEN BY MYSELF AT THE DEMO IN CARTERTON AND AT THE PEACE CAMP. Read more >>

This list has been compiled by Bristol G8 Dissent's crack investigative agents - info for action! There'll be more info on issues such as legal support and transport following soon, once we've cracked the codes. If you want more info, or want to get involved locally (Bristol area), come along to Bristol Dissent's next meetings on 10 & 31 May. Also coming soon is a full list of events Bristol Dissent is putting on over the next month or so. Read more >>

With one of the UK's nuclear armed submarines, HMS Victorious, sitting in the dockyard down here in Plymouth being refitted, we need your blockading skills, your affinity groups and your disarmament energy to BLOCK THE BASE from 6.30 a.m. onwards on the 20 May 2005!!! Read more >>

A call out for training!
From the G8 action trainers group

Gonna take action at the G8, at home or elsewhere? Thought about direct action training in your town? Read more >>

Press Release for Issue 19 of Bristle Magazine

At a loose end on May 5th? Have a cosy lie-in with the latest copy of Bristle, the West Country’s non-profit, independent, radical magazine...and then get out there and kick some politician’s butt.
Read more >>

Hello,

Here's the finished timetable for the Bristol Social Forum Launch on Saturday 30th April. Food + Drinks will be available all day (Pitta Bread + Fillings).

TIME. 1:00pm - 6:00pm. Free Entry (donations welcome). VENUE: St. Werburgh's Community Centre, Horley Rd. (off Mina Rd.) St. Werburgh's, Bristol. BS2 9TJ. MAP:
 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=360342&Y=174535&A=Y&Z=1 Read more >>

Celebrate mayday with the Peacenik Pirates in bath. Activities include info stalls, music, poi lessons and bucaneer antics. DROP ANCHORS NOT BOMBS! Read more >>

“I reasonably believe that it may result in serious disruption to the life of the community or that the purpose of the persons organising the public assembly is intended to intimidate others to do or not to do something they have a right.” - Assistant Chief Constable John Donlon of Thames Valley Police, imposing conditions on the peace march and rally around Brize Norton on 23rd April 2005. Read more >>

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Sunday, 24 April 2005
Cyber Terror: New Privacy Co-op Targeted

Less than a week old, one globally based Counter Surveillance Co-operative is more than aware of the new strategies employed in the effort to bring rampant censorship across the Internet.

Read more >>

Hello,

Preparations for the launch of the Bristol Social Forum are now well advanced. On Saturday 30th April 2005 Bristol will take its place alongside the ever growing number of Social Forums across the UK, and around our world. Read more >>