UK Newswire Archive
Hereford Heckler 15 now out
14-08-2010 11:22
The August/September issue of the Hereford Heckler is now out...Including:
~Herefordshire sees first cuts - bring on the class war!
~ESG > Hereford Failures - nothing more than a name change!
~Radical History - 1914 Herefordshire Teachers Strikes
~Hereford hosts Blind Football World Championships
and more...
To view it go to http://herefordheckler.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/here...5.pdf
Find the Hereford Heckler on
*Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/hecklertv
*Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hereford-Heckler/
*Twitter - http://twitter.com/herefordheckler
Climate Camp Cymru - how to get here
14-08-2010 08:29
Detailed travel information follows...
Protest the Pope ready to overwhelm the official celebrations.
14-08-2010 05:05
As the PROTEST THE POPE demonstration planned to take place in London on September the 18th gains support from every quarter, the Pope's events are falling flat on their face.EdF to dynamite and bulldoze Hinkley 400 acre greenfield site
13-08-2010 21:22
EdF plans to dynamite and bulldoze much of a 435 acre greenfield site at Hinkley, even before they get full planning permission to build two giant reactors.Some of the work is expected to start as early as this autumn with special licences, including removing twenty one badger groups and demolishing three historic barns thought to be the habitats for bats. Meanwhile they plan apply to the local council to raze the land early next year. Legal advice we have received tells us this 'salami-slicing' of the planning process may well be illegal.
Consent to build two massive nuclear reactors must be sought from the Infrastructure Planning Commission but the application for consent is not expected till December this year at the earliest and the case will take a year to decide. EdF may not make the application in December as the planning 'blueprint', the National Policy Statement has recently been delayed till spring next year. The reactor designs have not yet been approved and this is not expected till June next year and may be highly conditional.
Jim Duffy, spokesman for Stop Hinkley said: "Trashing this huge greenfield site is extremely premature as none of the major consents are anywhere near being in place. EdF hope to get the nod from the local authority to keep up the momentum of their juggernaut plan but if it's not illegal it's certainly immoral"
What EdF’s Hinkley C “Preparatory Works” will mean:
Removal of the majority of trees, hedges and habitats, including ancient woodlands;
Closure of existing footpaths and bridlepaths including the coast path;
Security fencing round an area of more than 400 acres;
Stripping topsoil and vegetation to make terraced area for the proposed nuclear reactors - English Heritage says this could destroy artifacts from ancient inhabitants and the whole plan is premature;
New roads built across the site;
Streams re-routed underground;
The excavation of more than 3.2 million cubic metres of soil, sub-soil and rocks. This is more than has been excavated to prepare the site for the 2012 London Olympic Games;
The demolition of three historic agricultural barns;
Noise from up to 12,000 vehicle movements per month;
EdF says it will “restore” the site to its original state if it does not receive planning permission for the power station. This is impossible – you cannot recreate a landscape that has taken hundreds of years to mature.
Protected Areas and Wildlife Under Threat:
The coastline bordering the Hinkley C site is part of the Bridgwater Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI);
Bridgwater Bay’s shallow waters are a sanctuary for thousands of waders, ducks and other sea birds, especially in winter;
The site is also bordered by Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and a National Nature Reserve;
Bridgwater Bay is designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention;
Bird species found on land in the area include skylark, lesser whitethroat, Cetti’s warbler and nightingale;
Twelve species of bat frequent the site, including the relatively rare greater and lesser horseshoe varieties.
*Final, revised* letter to my MP concerning the attack on Ian Tomlinson
13-08-2010 20:26
Head(s) must rollFfos y fran coal train verdict + action snaps
13-08-2010 20:22
13 of us were in court today to be sentenced for blockading the railway at Ffos y fran mine back in April, when several people locked on to the tracks in order to stop a train carrying coal to Aberthaw, the dirtiest power station in Wales.We received conditional discharges and restraining orders away from the mine and the power station. Four people were ordered to pay compensation costs to Miller Argent, the company who owns the mine, The judge acknowledged that the action had been carried out carefully to ensure there would be no danger to anyone.
With their hands in the pockets of corporations, it's not surprising that governments failed us at the Copenhagen climate summit. We can't rely on their false solutions anymore. It's up to ordinary people taking direct action to stop climate chaos. Fossil fuel extraction devastates communities and is being resisted around the world, from opencast mining in Merthyr to tar sands oil in Alberta, Canada.
Meanwhile, Climate Camp Cymru set up camp today near Nant Helen and Seler opencast mines, elsewhere in south Wales.
Full article | 1 addition | 6 comments
Coal Train Blockaders Get Their Day In Court
13-08-2010 20:07
Welsh Climate Camp Is GO!
13-08-2010 19:22
climatecampcymru.orgThe Site of Climate Camp Cymru 2010 has been taken and is situated near Dyffryn Cellwen, North of Glyn-Neath for five days of sustainable living, workshops and direct action on climate change.
Within easy reach are the controversial open-cast coal mines of Nant Helen and Selar, as well as processing plants and a coal washery. Why not stop by the camp for more information on the local attractions?
Structures are going up, the sun is shining on this beautiful site and there’s a good atmosphere. However, this is a crucial time, we really need the numbers to help establish the site. Please come down tonight if you can.
The nearest train station is Aberdare, with regular connections from Cardiff.
Transport is available from the station to the camp. Call 07040 909 147 to be picked up.
See you at the camp!
Please watch this space for more detail.
Map Below
Drill huggers stop Shell's drilling work
13-08-2010 18:33
Hadiklaim in the Jordan Valley
13-08-2010 18:21
Hadiklaim is an Israeli date growers cooperative which deals with several major supermarkets in the UK, including Sainsburys, Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Waitrose (although the Co Op and Marks and Spencer maintain that they only stock Hadiklaim products from 1948 Israel). The company boasts that it exports to 30 countries (see
http://www.hadiklaim.com/company_customers.asp). Tesco and Marks and Spencer branded dates are Hadiklaim produce.
This Week in Palestine- Week 32 2010
13-08-2010 17:04
Torys cut bristol public services
13-08-2010 14:22
Tory bastards start the cull of our services.This is only the beginning of a decimation of our communities and public services.
The future jobs fund which helps medium to long term 18-24 year old benefit claimants to get into work and the migration impact fund that helps areas with high levels of immigration through providing support to families new to the country. Typical Tory attacks on some of the most vulnerable sectors of our communities, immigrants and the young unemployed. You can be sure that this is nothing to what is going to happen when they start on the benefits system, and making full on cuts.
We need to fight back against these cuts and organise, there is a demonstration planned outside the Tory party conference on the 3rd of October and I will be there. Transport details will be here soon
http://sites.google.com/site/righttoworkconference/home...ation
Also there is the http://coalitionofresistance.wordpress.com/ which is having a conference at Camden Centre in London on 27 November 2010.
For more information on these cuts read the following statement from Wendy Smith Chief Executive of Voscur regarding these cuts.
"Voluntary and Community Sector - impact so far This paper is a response to the Bristol Partnership’s request for information about the impact of funding cuts for voluntary and community sector organisations.
Voscur is currently carrying out a survey amongst members on the impact of funding cuts. Until we have the results of the survey, set out below is information on:
1. examples of cuts with immediate effect
2. further anticipated cuts
1. Examples of cuts with immediate effect Since the Recession Resilience Action Plan (included in BP papers circulated
12 July) was published, we have received notification that the Future Jobs Fund and the Migration Impact Fund will be cut. Below is a summary of the anticipated impact of cutting these funds.
Future Jobs Fund (FJF) - Mike Wheeler, Future Jobs Fund manager reports:
The FJF West of England (WoE) Project will come to an end 31st October 2010.
To date 305 people have been employed under the WoE FJF scheme, the majority in Bristol, followed by South Glos, B&NES and North Somerset.
There are 187 vacancies to fill by the end of October. The West of England Project intended to submit a further bid to the fund to run from October 10 to March 11, to create another 500 jobs. This will no longer be possible.
This funding has created 300 jobs in voluntary, community and social enterprise (vcse) organisations in the area. These jobs are linked to training opportunities, have helped vcse organisations boost their own capacity, and brought benefit to local communities.
The closure of FJF will have a big impact on medium to long term 18-24 year old benefit claimants (mainly JSA). FJF opportunities were ring fenced for this particular client group, giving them a real chance of entering employment, along with all the benefits this brings. It is often easier to find a job when you have recent work history and an up to date reference.
Migration Impact Fund (MIF) - Suad Abdullahi Migration Impact Fund Project Manager reports:
Bristol Partnership secured funding from the Migration Impact Fund in 2009. Originally this funding stream was available for two years. This funding stream is to support local authorities and other public sector partners to manage the pressures experienced by public services as a result of migration to the city.
Particularly schools have seen an increase in the intake of pupils from migrant and newly arrived backgrounds.
Original projection for
MIF
English Language & Citizenship Project and Support to Schools Project
Year 2 budget £375,965 £388,000
New year 2 budget after cuts £187,983 £194,000
July 2010 Government Ministers announced that the Migration Impact Fund Year 2 should be suspended after the first 6 months.
This will cut the Year 2 funding stream by 50% (see above). This funding cut will have significant impact on the commissioned services to local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, particularly in the English Language and Citizenship Project where a number of organisations have been delivering work for migrant citizens in Bristol. These services have been raising awareness of migrants, educating, training and enhancing migrants’
employability and opportunities. They have also been developing active citizenship within the migrant communities in Bristol, raising the levels of self confidence and sense of belonging to the city.
Impact of cutting this fund
• Contractual obligations have been entered into on the basis of letters from Government office for a two year period. Costs have been incurred and, some of those costs (mainly through employment and scheduled work with,
for example, children, teachers and families) will continue to accrue. • The programme is about taking steps that will leave a lasting legacy to help manage the pressure on public services arising from inward migration
– cancelling it now will add to the burdens on service provision.
• Increased future costs associated with translation and interpretation to EU Migrants
• Loss of funding for the many bilingual learning support assistants SA’S appointed in areas like Bristol that have seen an increase in pupil intake of newly arrived refugee and migrant communities, loss of Parent Support Advisors who provide access to advice and guidance and parenting skills courses for parents of newly arrived children, loss of a CPD programme for schools staff in line with Institute for Community Cohesion recommendations to share experience of dealing with diversity and new migrants across schools.
• Loss of assistance provided to schools which experience a significant intake of new pupils unfamiliar with English or the English school system, will have a major impact on community relations inside schools.
2 • Loss of MIF English Language and Citizenship project will create a significant gap in provision of ESOL & Citizenship courses, access to Information Advice and Guidance services for migrant communities, employability skills of newly arrived and/or migrant communities which are vital to a living a successful life fully integrated into UK society
Impacts on service users
1. Newly arrived children will not receive targeted classroom support through the New Arrivals Excellence Programme and assistance which they need in order to narrow the gap to achieve at the same level as their
counterparts.
2. 19+ adults from migrant communities will have little or no support in learning about life in the UK, how to access public services, how to live as a citizen of the UK, learn about the norms and values of society in the UK.
3. Access to employment will become more difficult as there will be no targeted interventions aimed at migrant communities to improve employability skills. This will lead to a higher dependency on public funds and cause an acute situation for some migrant communities who cannot access public funds such as Romanian and Bulgarian nationals.
4. The loss of delivery of IAG services to migrants and refugees will create access problems, for example a higher number of migrant patients might use the A&E departments of the NHS while should they have been signposted they could have been registered at a local GP.
5. Higher numbers of people will need legal advice and support after using services in the wrong way: for example the tax credit system is a very complicated system for new communities and a lot of migrants/refugees are in danger of becoming penalised as they did not understand the service so have used it incorrectly.
6. The loss of the opportunity to create a culturally competent workforce in the public sector is worrying as the BME population in Bristol has increased above the national average for children and adults. The annual school census for 2008 showed that 22.5% of pupils are from BME backgrounds as compared with an estimated 10.7% of the population in Bristol as a whole. This is almost a 50% increase compared with the 2004 figure of 18.5%. 36.5% of children in the City’s nursery schools are from BME communities in particularly newly arrived communities.
The MIF has been a catalyst for some valuable work over the last year. It is generating sustainable solutions which are improving cohesion, promoting resilience and reducing pressures on public services. It has either cemented or brought about effective partnerships to address migration and to think about its impact on communities which will continue beyond the lifetime of this particular fund.
Beyond June 2011 there has been no identified resource to support this
important piece of work.
2. Further anticipated cuts
Other funds that currently support voluntary and community sector
organisations to work with vulnerable communities are under threat.
Work on The Station – Bristol’s proposed state of the art youth centre has been put on hold. The £5m funding anticipated from the My Place funding stream is under review.
Nursery free entitlement provision. The Government has announced that nurseries providing free provision will no longer be able to charge a top up fee to parents to cover the gap between the Government’s
funding and the cost of the provision. This means that it will no longer be viable for nurseries to offer free provision, particularly the charities/voluntary sector organisations providing this service.
Financial Inclusion Fund
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills Financial Inclusion Fund currently funds 16 full time equivalent debt advice workers in advice agencies across Bristol who last year worked with 3,000 clients.
This funding is currently in place until March 2011.
V funding that has supported Youth Volunteering initiatives for the past three years will not continue after March 2011.
Capacitybuilders currently funds voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations to provide funding advice, training, and volunteer management support to small charities and community organisations working in neighbourhoods in Bristol. This funding is
currently available until March 2011."
Link to this article http://www.voscur.org/system/files/VCSimpactJuly2_0.pdf
Haaretz interview with Jewish EDL activists
13-08-2010 13:51
http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/friday-supplement/what-are-israeli-flags-and-jewish-activists-doing-at-demonstrations-sponsored-by-the-english-defence-league-1.307803
Woolwich Eco Village-Need People to get Involved!
13-08-2010 13:22
Woolwich Eco Village in east London are opening up site for workshops, entertainment, and refreshments this Sunday. We will be discussing the future of this project. There has been some problems with local kids but we feel they are starting to respect us and what we are doing. However, to get it off the ground we need more people to get more people involved.
Woolwich Eco Village in east London is opening up the site for workshops, entertainment, and refreshments this Sunday. We also need more people to get involved urgently to help focus the community and discuss how different groups would like to see things go in the future. We are trying to live an alternative way of live that doesn't involve being dependent on the system and everything that it entails. We have many ideas on using alternative sources of energy and building houses/structures using recycled materials and things that are being thrown away. Since the village opened there has been a fair few issues with locals in the area which is starting to get resolved, but as a result of this the group is suffering from a lack of focus and energy. Please come and share your ideas on Sunday or come and get involved any other time you want/can, together we can get this off the ground and do some beautiful things with the land. for more information about what the project is about please visit our facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=124069247624610&ref=ts
Our address is:
1 - 7 Pier Road
North Woolwich
Borough Of Newham
E16 2JJ
Nearest station is King George V on the dlr. from the station walk up past the shops to the crossroads. go straight over the road and continue walking up to the foot tunnel and ferry terminal. opposite the foot tunnel entrance you will come across two big gates with a blue welcome sign. the village is down the track behind these gates.
Brighton Magistrates rule that Stalls Collection Boxes do NOT Require a permit
13-08-2010 13:04
PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY AUGUST 13THBrighton Magistrates rule that Stalls having a Collection Box do NOT Require a Permit from the local Council
Mitie Head Office Targetted
13-08-2010 11:22
Mitie national headquarters in emersons green were visited. 43 windows smashed.Mitie bosses make money from the recession. They are parasites on councils, the public and their own workers who are exploited.
To the Mitie workers we say our battle is not against you. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. We sympathise with the workers who were made redundant.
To the Mitie bosses we say feeling nervous, under attack and unsure of the future? Welcome to Precarity.
There will be more visits.
Two Mitie vehicles were visited in staple hill and lockleaze. Tyres punctured, windscreens smashed and bodywork damaged. This was done for the same reasons.
Climate Camp Cymru Meetup Point Announced
13-08-2010 10:22
Climate Camp Cymru13 - 17 August
Opencast is trashing the south Wales landscape - it's time to take action...
From midday on Friday 13th August you are invited to a convergence space in central Cardiff. The location of this space is Cardiff Quaker Meeting House, 43 Charles Street, Cardiff.
From here people will be directed to a train station, where minibuses will be available to transport people to the the site. Experienced cyclists may wish to bring bikes and cycle to the site.
NB: you will need £4.50 each way for the train fare.
The location of the site will be announced at approximately 2pm on Friday 13th August.
From midday on Friday 13th August you are invited to a convergence space in central Cardiff. The location of this space is Cardiff Quaker Meeting House, 43 Charles Street, Cardiff. From here people will be directed to a train station, where minibuses will be available to transport people to the the site. Experienced cyclists may wish to bring bikes and cycle to the site. NB: you will need £4.50 each way for the train fare.
The location of the site will be announced at approximately 2pm on Friday 13th August.
At 2pm on 13th August people will be sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court for the lock-on to the railway line between Ffos-y-Fran and Aberthaw power station. It would be great if people could go to the court to support them. Transport will be arranged to the site after.
The convergence space in Cardiff will be open until 5pm. We encourage everyone who can to reach the site on Friday night, although the minibuses will be available throughout Saturday from the train station.
Please watch this space for more detail.
Full Story | Ffos-y-Fran Coal Train Blockaders Sentenced | Bath and Bristol Rising Tide Stop Coal Train | Action Snaps: Ffos-y-Fran Coal Train Blockade |
How To Contribute Articles A Brief Guide | Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle | Bristol Just Living Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia | @bindymedia
Things to bring:
Tent
Sleeping bag
Warm clothes and waterproofs
Plate, bowl, mug and cutlery
Loo roll
and a bike could be useful too
www.climatecampcymru.org
info@climatecampcymru.org
07040 909 147
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fe’ch gwahoddir i man cyd-gwrdd yng nghanol Caerdydd o ganol dydd ar ddydd Gwener 13eg Awst. Y man cwrdd ydy Cardiff Quaker Meeting House, 43 Charles St, Caerdydd.
O’r man yna byddwch chi’n cael eich cyfarwyddo i’r orsaf trenau sy’n agos at y safle, ble fydd fws-mini ar gael i gludo pobol i’r safle wersylla. Mae croeso i seiclwyr profiadol dod a beiciau a seiclo i’r safle
wersylla.
SYLWER: bydd angen £4.50 arnoch ar gyfer cost y tren am y ddwy ffordd.
Bydd lleoliad y safle yn cael ei gyhoeddi tua 2yp dydd Gwener 13fed o Awst.
Yn ogystal, am 2yp ar 13eg Awst yn Llys y Goron Ferthyr, mae yna dedfrydiad o’r weithredwyr a glymodd eu
hunan i gledrau’r rheilffordd rhwng Ffos y fran a phwerdy glo Aberddawan. Byddai’n wych pe byddai pobl yn gallu mynd i’r llys i’w cefnogi nhw. Bydd trafnidiaeth yn cael ei darparu i’r safle wedyn.
Bydd Man Cyd-gwrdd yng Nghaerdydd ar agor tan 5pm ar ddydd Gwener a ddydd Sadwrn. Rydym yn annog i bawb i cyrraedd y safle nos wener, ond bydd y fysiau mini yn rhedeg trwy dydd Sadwrn o’r orsaf trenau.
Gwyliwch y gofod yma am fwy o fanylion.
Dewch a’r offer canlynol-
Pabell
Sach cysgu
Dillad twym a dillad glaw
Plât, bowlen, cwpan, cyllell a fforc
Efallai byddai beic yn ddefnyddiol hefyd!!
www.climatecampcymru.org
info@climatecampcymru.org
07040 909 147
50,000 children killed in Catholic Indian residential schools.
12-08-2010 22:38
As part of "Protest the Pope" week a screening of the multi-award winning film "Unrepentant"is scheduled for September 15th at Conway hall in London.
The First National Trade Union Branch To Sponsor This Event Is…
12-08-2010 21:37
News Just In.Lothian And Borders Police Survey.
12-08-2010 21:23
http://www.lbp.police.uk/survey/index.asp
Let the police know how their doing in your area!