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Kraft's bid to cut its UK tax bill

06-12-2010 16:22

Rip off business
The new US owners of Cadbury's chocolate are working on a secret plan to shift key parts of the 186-year-old British business to Switzerland in a move likely to deprive the UK exchequer of millions of pounds of tax.
US food giant Kraft is to relocate part of the Cadbury business to Switzerland in a move which could save millions on its UK tax bill.

Kraft faced a storm of protest after backing out of a promise to keep the Somerdale factory in Keynsham open when it bought Cadbury earlier this year.

The company has said the reorganisation, which will have no significant impact on its UK staffing levels, will see Cadbury integrated into its existing European business model.
Kraft, which took control of Cadbury in an £11bn takeover this year, intends to turn the firm into a subsidiary of a new Swiss company. The new structure would slash its bill for UK corporation tax. Last year, Cadbury handed over £200m to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Kraft's plans, are likely to fuel anger at the manoeuvres used by big corporations to avoid tax.

We should insist that a clampdown on tax avoidance which would reduce the government's £83bn of public spending cuts.

Kraft uses a Swiss ownership structure for its existing UK business.
A spokesman said it was "integrating Cadbury into this model". He said "Switzerland is a tax efficient location", but insisted the decision to change Cadbury's legal structure is "about growing the top line of the company".
Which seems to me to be double speak for, "We can rip you off without any comeback - so we will, tough".

Cameron's track record is already worse than Thatcher's

It has taken David Cameron and Nick Clegg little over six months to have riots in the streets. Thousands have demonstrated over the Afghan invasion and ongoing infanticide, slaughter and destruction in the name of a pipeline.
As housing benefit, social housing and the vulnerable are targeted, they demanded "Welfare not Warfare."

While David Cameron lectured the Chinese on human rights the windows of Conservative Central Office were being smashed and occupied by education protesters. Every developing country knows that a healthy and educated country becomes a prosperous and content country.
Attempts were made to break in to Downing Street through defences erected by the last Tory leader to cause unrest on such a scale. Thatcher's riots - in spite of her very "nasty party" - took far longer to manifest.
Public services are being speedily and stealthily privatised by the back door.

These manoeuvres are being implemented by a cabal of millionaires with no clue as to the battles ordinary people face on a day to day basis.
There are certainly more riots by other sectors of society to follow.
What is the government's response to this winter of extreme discontent? The commissioning of a £2 million survey to find out what makes people unhappy.

And a little closer to home I thought it was worth checking out our what a local Con Dem MP Steve Williams might of written about all the cuts we are beginning to experience.
Well I can save you the time of checking his blog 'cause he's written sweet FA.

Full article

Statement of Bristol University Occupation

06-12-2010 15:22

Today, at 1:30pm, a group of students occupied the University of Bristol Senate House to protest the government-proposed education cuts and changes to the University fee structure.
University of Bristol Occupation PRESS RELEASE 06/12/10

Today, at 1:30pm, a group of students occupied the University of Bristol Senate House to protest the government-proposed education cuts and changes to the University fee structure. The students are acting in solidarity with student occupations across the country, including at the University of the West of England, and other forms of protest against policies which aim to cut public spending on education and research.


The following demands have been made by the occupiers:

We demand:

- An emergency general meeting of the Senate open to all staff and students, such that we, as those who are deeply concerned about the prospects of education for future generations, may:
1. Understand the University’s existing financial situation.
2. Hear in full the proposals for cuts and changes to the University’s structure, budget and services.
3. Hear what other options have been considered before such decisions have been made.
4. Learn how the University intends to support widening participation, particularly for those courses where fees are expected to rise.
5. Discuss and debate further how this will affect the form and content of higher education at Bristol.
6. Discuss and debate further how governmental changes may be resisted or otherwise negotiated.

- That Senate and Council meetings, in addition to any meetings in which decisions for any financial cuts or redundancies are to be considered, be advertised and opened to the wider student body and staff.

- That the University implement a complete ‘open books’ policy to allow full transparency with regards to existing budget constraints and future cuts.

- That the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Eric Thomas, as President-elect of Universities UK and as Vice-Chancellor of one of the leading universities of the Russell Group, call for a full public inquiry into the funding cuts to higher education.

- That the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Eric Thomas, as President-elect of Universities UK and as Vice-Chancellor of one of the leading universities of the Russell Group, publicly put pressure on Universities UK and the Russell Group to resist the proposed increase in fees.

- That the Vice-Chancellor, Eric Thomas, write and send an open letter to the Government condemning cuts in the education budget and appealing to them not to implement these policies, and to publicly call for Vice-Chancellors across the country to unite against these cuts, any rise in tuition fees and the removal of Educational Maintenance Allowance and Aimhigher.

- Free access for all staff and students to the occupation, with no recriminations for any students, staff or members of the public involved in the occupation.

- Greater student representation in Senate meetings. That the President of the Students’ Union is the only person the V-C will talk to is not enough. Thus we demand greater transparency in how student representatives are selected for Senate membership and the right to instant recall (through an EGM of the University of Bristol Union) of student representatives seen as not fulfilling their mandate. In addition, we demand that students are included in the Vice-Chancellor’s meetings with academics concerning fees and cuts, due to take place in the coming weeks.

- That Bristol University administration and management formally, and in opposition to the Browne Review’s proposal to subject Higher Education to market forces, recognise that our University is not a corporation driven by business principles alone but an institution of higher education which promotes and is guided by a combination of economic, cultural and social concerns.

- That University administration and management recognise University teaching staff’s obligation to devote some teaching time over the next two weeks to discuss the impact of these education cuts on students, staff and society.

We will end this occupation when we feel that these demands have been sufficiently met.

The occupiers have stated that they will end the occupation when they feel their demands have been sufficiently met.

Bristol University students have been increasingly active in resisting the coalition government’s proposals for a complete transformation of Higher Education, and today’s occupation follows a month of protests, teach-ins and other actions. There is a strong student opposition to the proposed plans, which include cutting the national teaching budget for higher education by 40%, and 100% cuts to the teaching of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Similarly, students are strongly opposed to the scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance for secondary school students, who might otherwise struggle to support themselves through sixth form, and hold that a near-tripling of university tuition fees will stand to discourage many from higher education, regardless of the Browne Review’s proposals for maintaining equal access.

Students have been left out of the process of consultation on the proposed policies and are now seeking to make their voices heard. They feel that there has been little resistance to Government’s proposals and want to reassure the Vice-Chancellor, Eric Thomas, that he has their full support if he were to voice his opposition to the above policies and call for a public inquiry into funding cuts to Higher Education.

The University of Bristol Students’ Union (UBU) has declared its support of all forms of student activism against all education cuts and any increases in tuition fees, stating that these policies represent further shifts toward the commodification of education and stand to significantly harm access to Higher Education for students from poorer backgrounds. The National Union of Students (NUS) has also voiced its full support of all student protests on the matter in its calls for ‘a fresh wave of student action’. Similarly, The University and College Union (UCU) Special Higher Education Sector Conference on 25th November celebrated all student protests that had taken part until then, and called for UCU support of further student action on the matter.

Follow the occupation:
Blog: bristoluniresistance.org.uk,
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Bristol-against-education-cuts/166916926663073
Email: aec.bris@gmail.com
Or come and visit: University of Bristol Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TH

Press contacts:
07587208084
07792098230


Full article

A worth while expense?

06-12-2010 15:22

Mainly cannabis but decriminalise all drugs
We generally do not fund research focussed on the potential beneficial effects of cannabis.
Frost uncovers cannabis farms
The bitterly cold weather has provided an unexpected boost in the war on drugs in the West, it was revealed last night.
Freezing temperatures mean it is easy for police helicopters to spot lofts in houses that have been converted into cannabis factories, and hundreds of illegal cannabis plants have been seized, and nine people arrested, thanks to the cold weather.
Avon and Somerset police said its helicopter has been busy in the "ideal conditions" spotting roofs clear of frost and snow – a telltale sign of the heat lamps used for growing the drug indoors.
Police chiefs said a warm roof might just mean poor insulation, but the tactic has already netted a few successes this week alone.After spotting from the eye in the sky, officers on the ground found 32 plants at one house in Bristol, and another 20 in Stathe, near Bridgwater, where one man was arrested.
In all, the helicopter has helped spot almost 800 plants growing under roofs in the constabulary area, and nine people have been arrested. Police have also found 250g of cocaine at one address.
Drugs Strategy manager Paul Bunt said: "We know that the seizures are already having an impact on local drug supply."

Bristol has a long history of drug use and enjoyment. Despite people having personnel knowledge of what drugs are capable of, both harmful and beneficial. The government continues on a one track course of criminalising everybody that dares make their own choice on this subject, regardless of the fact nobody may have been harmed.
This agenda has been pursued by every successive government that comes into power while the negative aspects of drug use are continually promoted, with many millions of pounds being spent on attempts to wipe out their use.

For example local newsletters and community meetings hear how the police have arrested yet more drug dealers or busted another cannabis factory.

Or this example taken from South Wales:
A TERRACED house in Trealaw was raided and found to be hiding more than 400 cannabis plants.
The following day a 20-year-old man was remanded in custody by magistrates, and he will face a judge at a later date.
PC John Roberts, the Neighbourhood Beat Manager said,“Local PCSOs had their suspicions about activity at this house, and this was re-inforced by information supplied by the community.”
In other words – the pigs smelt it.

Is it not time the nanny state cleared off and allowed us to make our own choices?
Here is a brief update on the latest developments from the British government.
The police reform and social responsibility bill, published last week, contains an amendment to the constitution of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) that would remove the requirement on the home secretary to appoint at least six scientists to the committee.
A further amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 would allow the home secretary to place temporary controls on substances for a year by statutory instrument.
The proposals will be of concern to the many doctors and scientists who have criticised the government's treatment of scientific evidence in the wake of the sacking, last year, of ACMD chairman David Nutt. The then home secretary, Alan Johnson, removed Nutt from the post after the scientist criticised politicians for distorting research evidence and claiming alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than some illegal drugs, including LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.

After David Nutt was removed, scientists called on the government to guarantee that any advice they offered to help make policy would remain free from political interference.

With Cannabis use particularly in mind, this article posted on Uk Indymedia recently is very interesting. I recommend taking the time to listen to the two recorded radio broadcasts. They can be found here:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/11/469000.html

Last week's episode looked at how man made toxic chemicals have proved more destructive for humans than initially anticipated. This week, by contrast, we look at the effects of chemicals that occur naturally in plants, and may be more therapeutic than generally recognised. In our first hour, Claudia Little, a medical marijuana activist looks at some of the innumerable therapeutic uses of this plant, with a history of medical use going back several thousands of years. Our second hour features Michael Pollan speaking on the contents of his book Cannabis, Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire, which widens our focus to look at how plants have co-evolved to fulfil useful functions to other life forms.

We begin with Claudia Little, speaking on March 5th, 2010 at the Ashland Alternative Health Clinic, in Oregon. A nurse with a masters degree in Public Health, she begins by explaining how she became a marijuana activist after her son was arrested at school and she witnessed his drug rehab, which upset her since she knew if contained so many untruths. After a brief review of its long history of therapeutic use, she describes how and why marijuana was made illegal in US. The bulk of her talk concerns research from the last fifteen years into the effects of cannabis use. She outlines recent findings about the mechanism of action of some of the different chemicals in cannabis and describes a remarkably wide range of surprising and positive effects of cannabis use aside from the well known effects of mood elevation.

She cites a wealth of modern studies, from those suggesting that use by pregnant mothers improves the subsequent brain function of their children to those which suggest that it has an anti-carcinogenic function, perhaps even on lung cancer. By way of explaining these surprising results, which of course run counter to the state-backed line that equates use with abuse, she quotes:

"As the National Institute of Drug Abuse, our focus is primarily on the negative consequence of marijuana use. We generally do not fund research focussed on the potential beneficial effects of marijuana." — NIDA spokesman , January 2010

In our second hour, Michael Pollan presents a 'bigger picture' talk, looking not only at cannabis, but at plants a whole. He speaks of his book Cannabis, Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire, a respectful investigation into plants biochemistry which turns traditional competitive evolution on its head. Whilst we could see bees as exploiting the flowers by feeding from their nectar, it just as possible to see plants as using bees to transport their pollen and do the work of fertilising them. If this is true of bees and plants, why not humans and plants? Acknowledging the linguistic gap in the English language for dealing with such thoughts, he suggests that plants worked out how to get humans to look after them, by appealing to our senses of taste, smell, sight, and our desire for intoxication. He notes that - with the single exception of the Inuit, whose habitat gave them no such option - humans everywhere have enjoyed intoxication from local plants, though each culture usually only prescribe only a few.

He focuses specifically on cannabis, which he notes came quite late to Europe. He terms it a 'cultural mutagen', increasing the speed of a culture's evolution by promoting the free thinking of its users. He speculates how cannabis could have worked in partnership with its users, co-evolved with their culture, by conferring a selective advantage on those who used it, and bred more psychoactive strains. Since cannabis is known to impair short term recall, he answers the apparent riddle of how forgetting could be a survival advantage by considering what life would be like without any forgetting. He tells the tale of "Mr. S", whose apparently unlimited memory drove him to distraction. Forgetting, he suggests is essential to awareness, and he suggests that this is an essential spiritual discipline.

His final reflection is a new interpretation of Genesis. Is it the protestant work ethic that causes humans to see it as 'cheap' to use plants to gain enlightenment, or is there something deeper at work? Was God's prohibition that Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge the first battle of the drug war? He concludes with an echo of Charles Eisenstein's reflections on the possibility of 're-enchanting' nature. Reading from his book, he suggests that occasional intoxication and submission to nature can be a constructive check on the hubris of humans' loftier thoughts by reconnecting us with the earth which supports us and helping us to understand the unity of all life.

Full article

Bristol University Occupied!

06-12-2010 15:22

Today, at 1:30pm, a group of students occupied the University of Bristol Senate House to protest the government-proposed education cuts and changes to the University fee structure.
University of Bristol Occupation PRESS RELEASE 06/12/10

Today, at 1:30pm, a group of students occupied the University of Bristol Senate House to protest the government-proposed education cuts and changes to the University fee structure. The students are acting in solidarity with student occupations across the country, including at the University of the West of England, and other forms of protest against policies which aim to cut public spending on education and research.


Bristol against Education Cuts writes Today, at 1:30pm, a group of students occupied the University of Bristol Senate House to protest the government-proposed education cuts and changes to the University fee structure. The students are acting in solidarity with student occupations across the country, including at the University of the West of England, and other forms of protest against policies which aim to cut public spending on education and research.

Bristol University students have been increasingly active in resisting the coalition government’s proposals for a complete transformation of Higher Education, and today’s occupation follows a month of protests, teach-ins and other actions. There is a strong student opposition to the proposed plans, which include cutting the national teaching budget for higher education by 40%, and 100% cuts to the teaching of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Similarly, students are strongly opposed to the scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance for secondary school students, who might otherwise struggle to support themselves through sixth form, and hold that a near-tripling of university tuition fees will stand to discourage many from higher education, regardless of the Browne Review’s proposals for maintaining equal access.

Full Story | UWE Under Occupation | Forthcoming Anti Cuts Actions | 5/12 Education Cuts Demo Report and Pics | 3/12 Education Cuts Demo Report | 30/11 Education Cuts Demo Report | 24/11 Education Cuts Demo Report

The following demands have been made by the occupiers:

We demand:

- An emergency general meeting of the Senate open to all staff and students, such that we, as those who are deeply concerned about the prospects of education for future generations, may:
1. Understand the University’s existing financial situation.
2. Hear in full the proposals for cuts and changes to the University’s structure, budget and services.
3. Hear what other options have been considered before such decisions have been made.
4. Learn how the University intends to support widening participation, particularly for those courses where fees are expected to rise.
5. Discuss and debate further how this will affect the form and content of higher education at Bristol.
6. Discuss and debate further how governmental changes may be resisted or otherwise negotiated.

- That Senate and Council meetings, in addition to any meetings in which decisions for any financial cuts or redundancies are to be considered, be advertised and opened to the wider student body and staff.

- That the University implement a complete ‘open books’ policy to allow full transparency with regards to existing budget constraints and future cuts.

- That the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Eric Thomas, as President-elect of Universities UK and as Vice-Chancellor of one of the leading universities of the Russell Group, call for a full public inquiry into the funding cuts to higher education.

- That the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Eric Thomas, as President-elect of Universities UK and as Vice-Chancellor of one of the leading universities of the Russell Group, publicly put pressure on Universities UK and the Russell Group to resist the proposed increase in fees.

- That the Vice-Chancellor, Eric Thomas, write and send an open letter to the Government condemning cuts in the education budget and appealing to them not to implement these policies, and to publicly call for Vice-Chancellors across the country to unite against these cuts, any rise in tuition fees and the removal of Educational Maintenance Allowance and Aimhigher.

- Free access for all staff and students to the occupation, with no recriminations for any students, staff or members of the public involved in the occupation.

- Greater student representation in Senate meetings. That the President of the Students’ Union is the only person the V-C will talk to is not enough. Thus we demand greater transparency in how student representatives are selected for Senate membership and the right to instant recall (through an EGM of the University of Bristol Union) of student representatives seen as not fulfilling their mandate. In addition, we demand that students are included in the Vice-Chancellor’s meetings with academics concerning fees and cuts, due to take place in the coming weeks.

- That Bristol University administration and management formally, and in opposition to the Browne Review’s proposal to subject Higher Education to market forces, recognise that our University is not a corporation driven by business principles alone but an institution of higher education which promotes and is guided by a combination of economic, cultural and social concerns.

- That University administration and management recognise University teaching staff’s obligation to devote some teaching time over the next two weeks to discuss the impact of these education cuts on students, staff and society.

We will end this occupation when we feel that these demands have been sufficiently met.

The occupiers have stated that they will end the occupation when they feel their demands have been sufficiently met.

Students have been left out of the process of consultation on the proposed policies and are now seeking to make their voices heard. They feel that there has been little resistance to Government’s proposals and want to reassure the Vice-Chancellor, Eric Thomas, that he has their full support if he were to voice his opposition to the above policies and call for a public inquiry into funding cuts to Higher Education.

The University of Bristol Students’ Union (UBU) has declared its support of all forms of student activism against all education cuts and any increases in tuition fees, stating that these policies represent further shifts toward the commodification of education and stand to significantly harm access to Higher Education for students from poorer backgrounds. The National Union of Students (NUS) has also voiced its full support of all student protests on the matter in its calls for ‘a fresh wave of student action’. Similarly, The University and College Union (UCU) Special Higher Education Sector Conference on 25th November celebrated all student protests that had taken part until then, and called for UCU support of further student action on the matter.

Follow the occupation:
Blog: bristoluniresistance.org.uk,
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Bristol-against-education-cuts/166916926663073
Email: aec.bris@gmail.com
Or come and visit: University of Bristol Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TH

Press contacts:
07587208084
07792098230

Full article

WikiLeaks: Critical US Weapon Manufacture Sites Protest

06-12-2010 14:31

The latest Wikileaks cable release contains an entry documenting sites in the UK used to produce resources for the US war machine. A coordinated / simultaneous peaceful protest aimed at these sites would send a very clear signal to the warmongers that objections to their overseas activities are strong and widespread. Please contact me if you can organise a protest at any of these sites.

Full article

Twins boys launch festive fundraiser for unit that saved their lives

06-12-2010 14:22

Three year old twin brothers from Bristol are starring in a film to launch a new festive fundraiser for the hospital unit that saved their lives.

The short film featuring twins, Ben & Sam from Bishopsworth and their friends at Amberley Hall Nursery in Clifton has marked the launch of ‘Tinsel for Tots.’


Three year old twin brothers from Bristol are starring in a film to launch a new festive fundraiser for the hospital unit that saved their lives.

The short film featuring twins, Ben & Sam from Bishopsworth and their friends at Amberley Hall Nursery in Clifton has marked the launch of ‘Tinsel for Tots.’

The film, which can be viewed at www.cotsfortots.org.uk, has been created to raise awareness of the fundraiser and encourage people to donate £1 to wear tinsel and dress up for the day on
Friday December 10.

‘Tinsel for Tots’ is part of the ‘Cots for Tots’ campaign which aims to raise £1 million to expand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol.

Ben and Sam spent the first nine weeks of their lives at NICU after being born three months premature.

Lauren Vincent, fundraising manager at the Cots for Tots Appeal, is inviting people in Bristol and across the region to take part in the fundraising day. She explains: “‘Tinsel for Tots’ is a festive twist on the traditional dress down Friday and a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit! It’s really easy to take part, from simply adding a bit of sparkle and tinsel decoration to your normal outfit to dressing up to dazzle and getting creative with party fancy dress.

“We hope that little Ben and Sam will inspire lots of people to join in the fun on Friday 10th December and help raise money for this life-saving cause.”

The money raised from the Appeal will enable an expansion of NICU, providing a new suite of four
intensive care cots for the care of up to 150 more babies a year. It will also create new, dedicated family
accommodation to help a further 200 families each year to stay close to their babies when they are
being treated on the Unit. NICU currently treats around 600 babies per year.

The ‘quaternary’ Unit, the only one of its kind in the region, currently needs more cots in order to meet the demand for the high level care that the team provides. Babies born in Bristol or from across the region with serious and complex problems are referred to NICU because of the extra-specialist and life-saving treatment the team here can provide.

Since its launch in September, the ‘Cots for Tots’ Appeal has raised over £100,000 for NICU.

To register to take part in ‘Tinsel for Tots’, visit www.tinselfortots.org.uk , email info@cotsfortots.org.uk or call 0800 919 649 and request your free fundraising pack.

Full article

Interview with a Campfire

06-12-2010 13:22

Seeing the abundance of resources as ours
A local David of Palestine, he always hits the target, below the belt, one shot is all he needs. Like a Dirty David Cameron, he always wears a smile when he strikes.
"The anti-cuts demos are cool, but that style aint for everyone, as Sunday showed - being boxed in for me is just a big thumbs up to the police, underlining their control and a boost for their confidence. It can give a sense of panic and powerlessness to the crowd - its all too much. Every broken kettle is an undermining of their control, and a drain on their confidence. It gives the crowd a peek into the well-hidden truth of the power they hold over the state and anyone it chooses to send against them.

Don't do demos unless you're up for taking a hit and breaking a kettle.

Alternatively, smaller groups could join together by word of mouth - say 20 or 40 people - and take it back to basics, more in the style of the young 'uns from the Academies than the 'leaders' from the universities.

The cuts are going to be taking away the basic rights of people - homes, health, happiness for them and their families. So, they should be fought with the same desperation that anyone would fight to keep those rights.

If one resource is taken away, we should look to use our chosen group to take another.

The state calls them 'luxuries', we call them the basics - enough money for a family pizza on friday night, a few cans on saturday. Can't afford it any more? Still need it? If there's enough of you there is an answer.

Brunching out on food - supermarkets throw tons of food out every day, so cut out the middle man and take it off their hands before it clogs up the bin - less waste, less worry, more happiness in the world! if one person refuses to pay its a stand-off. If 40 people refuse to pay its a walk over. The personal becomes political.

Shelter - Empty buildings aren't great - they can be cold and damp, but they're cheap, and if its the home you've just had taken from you, then you'll know the layout very well. You may think squatters have nothing in common with you, but they have ways, they have means, they have networks, they have skills that you will find useful in facing the same enemy.

Public Transport - can't pay? don't think its fair to pay that much? if one person refuses to pay its a stand-off. If 40 people refuse to pay its a walk over. The personal becomes political.

Need Petrol? Why bother the poor sod at the counter, save them a job. Cover up your license plates with snow and mud to avoid any other poor sod having to do more paperwork later on, or just bring your own can - but make sure you dress up warm in this cold weather.

Medical supplies, cosmetics for covering up, tools, whatever - its all only five fingers away. The only thing that needs to change is your attitude. Lose the guilt, lose the shame, lose the fear. The Cuts are a resource war - the millionaires want to stop you having resources, to tighten your belt so that they can protect big business from paying back what it owes.

If you are in the right club, went to the right school, know the right people, move in the right circles: you can steal what you want, with no sanctimonious moralising, no wagging fingers, no danger of being caught.

So, why not make our own clubs? Teach our own kids? Stop robbing from our own class and do it in a way so you can hold your head high? IS that so crazy?

This is a big deal - we need to kick out the protectors of the rich idiots who keep on getting things wrong, who keep getting their fingers caught in their own tills, but tell us its wrong to take back the goods that we've produced when we haven't been properly paid for them.

If a builder can feel right in ripping back out the wiring and wrecking the plastering, after waiting 10 weeks to get paid, why can't a cashier in a supermarket that earns millions in profit feel right in ripping them off and wrecking their profits if they don't pay a decent wage?

Pockets of unrest break out all over the place, especially in times like these. Britain after the war, North England and South Wales during the Miners Strike.. Italy in the 1970's. Argentina in the 90's. Ireland as we speak. Rent strikes, occupations, appropriations - there are times when no has to mean no, when the rich have to be told: no more. When the poor have to go out and get, not tug on the sleeve and ask.

We are everywhere, in control, if only we could see it. The bus driver, the supermarket checkout, the waiter, the shop assistant - we're all on the same side, but we're set against each other like pitbulls in a ring, while the bosses gamble on all our futures.

Lets work together to get through this - its the average Jo that will make the difference, that HAS to make the difference."

This interview was recorded shortly after the sunday demo on college green. Comments appreciated.

Full article | 1 comment

AUDIO (10 mins)- Ciaron refered 2 in Cables from Dublin U.S. Embassy (wikileaks)

06-12-2010 12:28

AUDIO - D6 RADIO INTERVIEW (10 mins)
- Irish/ Australian Activist Ciaron O’Reilly Referred to in United States Secret Cables
Radio Adelaide
Adelaide, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
December 6, 2010

Full article

solidarity to Giannis Dimitrakis from london

06-12-2010 12:00

Freedom for Giannis Dimitrakis in Greece

Freedom for all prisoners in struggle

Full article | 6 comments

Did plain-clothes security break the law at Topshop protest?

06-12-2010 11:06

Plainclothes Security, but who were they working for?
Plainclothes security were involved in clearing the UKUncut protesters from Topshop on Saturday. But who did they work for, and why weren't they showing identification?

Full article

Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative (CFDI) list

06-12-2010 11:06

MacTaggart Scott of Loanhead, Edinburgh are listed in the latest Wikileaks US diplomatic canles as 'Critical to the Ship Submersible Nuclear' for producing non-hull penetrating masts which replace traditional periscopes with optronic arrays through video monitors.

Full article | 1 comment

1000 Cancuns: Solutions from the Grassroots!

06-12-2010 09:11

Brixton Justice, Climate Justice, Global Justice!
A celebration of Brixtons Radical Roots
12th December : 1pm-4pm: Windrush Square, Brixton
An afternoon and evening of activities including an informative locally-focused exhibition, Bash the Bankers piñata, speakers and films.

Full article

National Day of Protest Against Welfare & Housing

06-12-2010 01:22

Take action now to defend the Welfare State on the 15th of December 2010.

We will NOT pay for their crisis.

The National Day of Protest Against Welfare & Housing Benefit Cuts aims to begin by focusing on the Housing Benefit cuts so why not organise a sit in, protest or demonstration in your local Civic Centre or Town Hall.


 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181074851903167&

Full article

Roy Bailey Set from the Sheffield University Occupation

06-12-2010 01:16

Audio
Following the Sheffield University Occupation Rally Against Cuts,  http://sheffield.indymedia.org.uk/2010/12/469819.html, held on 5th December 2010, the singer Roy Bailey performed a set to a packed room.

Full article | 1 addition

Sheffield University Occupation Rally Against Cuts

06-12-2010 01:00

Audio
Audio from a rally held on 5th December 2010 in the Richard Roberts building at Sheffield University which has been occupied since 30th November in opposition to the the ConDem attack on education and the rest of the public sector.

Full article | 3 comments

New Oxford social centre evicted!

06-12-2010 00:10

Within hours of the call out to inaugerate the opening of a new social centre in Oxford heavy handed police response puts a spanner in the works...

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Homeless at Christmas

05-12-2010 23:22

St Martin-in-the-Fields
It cannot be good to be homeless at any time of the year but what can be worse than being homeless at Christmas, being forced to live on the streets in subzero temperatures?

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Redundancy Letters sent to all Hounslow Council Employees

05-12-2010 21:31

More Job Losses to come - are you ready for civil disobiediance......