UK Newswire Archive
Urgent: Collective letter: Stop the repression against the Zapatistas and the Ot
08-03-2012 20:42
Please sign this collective letter as soon as possibleSignatures to be sent to
liberonsles@riseup.net (Italy) NO TAV Women’s Day: Reclaim Dissent!
08-03-2012 20:27
Rebel Radio Show
08-03-2012 18:55
A show on the alternative to the deficet policy and Murdoch's spin.
Alternative music and interviews on the North East and it's unemployment. Green technology policies for future North East employment.
Clegg off
08-03-2012 18:41
As the lib Dems retreat further north for their annual conference Newcastle is mobilising against them.Occupy Notts Questions to the Council
08-03-2012 16:55
These questions relating to important issues in our city, have been waiting to be presented in person to the council when, they actually meet with representatives from Occupy Nottingham for open dialogue to discuss the reason we are here... we are still waiting!
OCCUPY NOTTINGHAM QUESTIONS TO NOTTINGHAM COUNCIL
- This initial set of questions relating to current local issues, was compiled and collectively agreed upon to be presented to the council and to be put to the councilors and MP's of Nottingham, by Occupy Nottingham at the Public Assembly on 18th January 2012.
- We do not see how making even more cuts to our essential local services are going to help our communities or improve the people of Nottingham's standard of living. As such why is the council cutting services yet holding events such as goose fair, the beer festival, and markets on the square and charging high rents to local traders when we do not gain any benefit for our communities, and we would like all the cuts that have been made to our local services to be justified, as we do not see them as necessary or acceptable. We ask what is the council spending its money on that is so much more important than the citizens, services and communities of Nottingham?
- Our city is becoming increasingly impoverished with tax avoidance, cuts and underfunding, what are our councilors and MP's doing to stand up against this for our city in parliament? Why are companies such as Boots being allowed to get away with avoiding paying tax, and therefore taking revenue away from this city unchallenged, what are the councilors and MP's doing about this?
- Old age pensioners have suffered from a reduced care & winter allowances, resulting in increased hardship & suffering, how can this be justified?
- Why are we having to pay increasingly more for basic services in our city, yet see no benefit to our communities for such fees? We have seen millions spent on refitting shopping centers for businesses and building fancy new offices for the city's bureaucracy, why aren't the communities, services and people of Nottingham being put first?
- Why do dogs have to pay for travel on buses when they do not use a seat, you don't pay for babies, toddlers, pushchairs, prams, wheelchairs or luggage so why should people be charged for dogs?
- We have highlighted the homeless issue with the council. What is the council now doing towards helping the increasing numbers of homeless people on the streets of Nottingham, and the problems this creates for the city?
- With many people struggling to pay their bills, live and make ends meet financially, increasing council tax will bring even more people below the poverty line. Considering the poor employment situation and that basic pay & pension rates do not reflect inflation, what are the council and our MP's doing about this, and how do you justify such an increase?
- We would like to know why the citizens of Nottingham are not allowed to drink on public parks, but the students are? Furthermore we believe the council has no right to restrict Nottingham's citizens enjoyment of our public places in nicer weather, by barring us from enjoying a drink with a picnic, or whilst relaxing.
- We have raised the issue of a complete lack in late night toilet facilities for anyone going out, traveling, or working in or around the city center very late night or early morning. Consequently this has created a serious health and hygiene hazard in the city, with the amount of people using the streets and alleyways as a toilet. Has the council now initiated adequate plans to resolve this problem?
- Nottingham Castle is one of the city's most important historical buildings, and most famous and well loved pieces of heritage. It was well maintained and preserved, and free entry for Nottingham's citizens, now it is run down, understaffed and underfunded, yet Nottingham's citizens now have to pay entry to the site. Furthermore private licensed events which now take place there and yield a high revenue, but do not raise any finance for the castle, nor do they essentially respect the castles heritage. Rather they create more expense through the damage and wear resulting to the historical site from such a large amount of extremely drunk people being there at one time. Why is the council allowing this famous site to fall into disrepair?
- Why is our Brewhouse Yard museum being closed to the public, apart from pre-booked visits?
- Why is the council planning to build a toxic waste disposal site on our very doorsteps at Eastcroft, without clearly explaining to the public the risks and implications of such a plant to our local communities, peoples health and the environment, of a chimney doubled in height, & a plant increased to three times its current size?
- What gave the council the authority to lay claim to ownership & sole rights of the Old Market Square on 12th December 2011, when it had remained in undisputed ownership by the Citizens of Nottingham since 1275 until that date? As far as we are aware only a royal decree can grant such permission, and if this was given, why were Nottingham's citizens not informed, what has happened to Nottingham's deeds from 1275 which the land registry documents say no longer exist, how has the council managed to lose Nottingham's historical documents which detail the citizens ownership of land?
- Why has other land and property gifted to the citizens of Nottingham been sold for profit by the council, where was the authority for them to do this, and if the council had authority, why were the citizens of Nottingham not clearly informed of what was being done, and furthermore if the council had the authority to sell these, why didn't each of Nottingham's citizen's get a share?
- We are the new merry men and women of Sherwood Forest, we stand together and fight against greed, corruption, injustice, inequality, oppression and tyranny. Robin Hoods spirit is with us, we are from Snottingaham where the Snots come from, we are proud of our history and heritage. We stand against the greedy and wicked Sheriff's men and women, and we will not give up nor ever forsake our people and land, we will not be pushed away.
Smash the Council, Blockade the Town Hall!
08-03-2012 13:35
Town Halls across the UK are now —where they ever anything else?— fronts for the implementation of control, subservience, atomisation, under the guise of austerity —a watch-tower over the “Proles”International Women's Day: women against austerity
08-03-2012 13:29
Notts EDL Thug's Facebook Galloway Threats
08-03-2012 12:55
EDL Nottingham thug, Eddie Stobart lorry driver Brendan Moran, is one of the rabble rousers of the Notts branch of the fascist group. He regularly pubishes extreme posts of racism online, thinking he can get away with it. Now he has taken to posting death threats against leftwing politicians, a typical action against democracy from a far right group which pretends it supports free speech.
On the Yorkshire Halifax EDL page on Facebook, Brendan Moran incites fellow EDL members to violently assault controversial politician George Galloway, using the words "let's put him down once and for all".
If Galloway is indeed assaulted by EDL thugs spurred on by this remark, lets ope Brendan Moran is arrested fortwith.
Complain to the Eddie Stobart Group about their lorry driver's violent Facebook threats, so moron Moran gets the sack ASAP:
Stobart Group Central Administration
Stretton Green Distribution Park, Langford Way, Appleton Thorn, Warrington, WA4 4TZ
Katie Fryer - Facilities Coordinator
Tel: 01925 605 400
Email: enquiries@stobartgroup.com
Not One More Death - Troops out!
08-03-2012 12:55
Not One More Death - Troops Out of Afghanistan!
"How do you ask the last man to die for a mistake?" John Kerry in 1974 on the war in Vietnam.
The death of six more British soldiers in Afghanistan is yet another tragic outcome of the disastrous occupation.
It is a tragedy that could have been avoided if the British government was prepared to publicly acknowledge the obvious truth that the operation has been a catastrophe and is failing.
The deaths have brought the occupation into question once again and generated discussion in the media including an article in the Mirror by Stop the War Chair Jeremy Corbyn.
Stop the War is calling on all its local groups to organise protests this weekend to mark the tragedy and the fact that it takes the number of British deaths in Afghanistan past the figure of 400 to 404.
In Nottingham we will have a stall in the Old Market Square between 12 noon and 2pm on Saturday (10 March). We will have our banner, a petition calling for the troops to be pulled out immediately, and a leaflet pointing out the horrendous waste of life on both sides. We know the exact number of British soldiers, but they refuse to count the many thousands of Afghans who have lost their lives.
The more people who can make it, the more impact we will have. Join us if you can.
John Shemeld
Nottingham Coordinator
Stop the War Coalition
Dont be Harsh, Save our Marsh
08-03-2012 12:55
Seventy people took to Leyton Marshes to protest the local planning application to dig up the protected land to make way for more carparks and buildings for the Olympics, taking away public space, and destroy the marsh habitat. The crowd put up signs on the fence that surrounds the proposed site near Lee Bridge Road. The 'Olympic Delivery Authorities' have won the right to build a hall on the site and adjasent car parks even although 1,250 local people have signed a petition to stop the proposals.
“Even if the building itself goes, the land will no longer be green belt and therefore cannot be protected from development,” said Caroline Day from the Save Leyton Marsh Group, which is campaigning to save the site.
See links for more info on the campaign and come and join us.
Peace Strike takes on the Home Secretary in court
08-03-2012 12:55
On Tuesday and Wednesday (6-7 March 2012), Maria Gallastegui of Peace Strike brought a Judicial Review of Part III of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 as it relates to a blanket ban on protest camps in Parliament Square.
This was a two-day hearing, in which the defending parties were the Home Secretary, Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police. Ms Gallastegui sought a declaration of incompatibility of the relevant sections of the Act with the European Convention rights to freedom of expression (Article 10); freedom of assembly and association (Article 11); and the right to a fair trial (Article 6). Counsel for Ms Gallastegui, Ms Seymour (instructed by Paul Ridge of Bindmans solicitors), argued that the language of the Act made clear that it is a blanket prohibition on certain activities.
Counsel for the Home Secretary sought to argue, on the other hand, that despite the unambiguous wording of the statute, it actually conferred a power, subject to the exercise of discretion, rather than an obligation upon the authorities to act in case of any suspected breaches, and that a ‘reasonable excuse' defence could potentially be used in any future legal proceedings to argue that under some circumstances an overnight encampment could amount to a legitimate exercise of one's Article 10 and 11 rights, hence rendering the statute Human Rights compatible. This is in contrast to the judgment in the Court of Appeal in Tabernacle vs Secretary of State for Defence, in which a byelaw introduced by the Secretary of State that amounted to a blanket ban on camping in the controlled area outside the Atomic Weapons Establisment offered no possibility of such an interpretation.
The judges, Sir John Thomas PQBD and Mr Justice Silber, will deliver their judgment in due course. It is important to note, however, that if the Judicial Review is allowed and a declaration of incompatibility is made, this does not render the statute unenforceable: it merely means that the authorities will leave themselves open to litigation in respect of the cases of enforcement that have already occurred, such as against Barbara Tucker and other protesters whose tents were cleared from Parliament Square on 16th January 2012, and in case of future enforcement against Ms Gallastegui or anyone else setting up an overnight protest encampment - for any duration - in Parliament Square.
Meanwhile, Ms Gallastegui, Ms Tucker and others are due to appear in the High Court once again on Friday in respect of long-running attempts by Westminster City Council to clear protesters from the footways of Parliament Square on the grounds that they are causing an obstruction of the public highway. This is in spite of the fact that the late Brian Haw successfully fought off injunction proceedings on similar grounds brought by Westminster City Council in the High Court in 2002.
http://www.freebeagles.org/caselaw/CL_ob_Haw_sum.html
Further background:
https://indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/03/493178.html
http://www.bindmans.com/index.php?id=1125
TV beagle prompts question: why is one dog a star, the other a product?
08-03-2012 12:35
Jews Protest AIPAC
08-03-2012 12:28
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1s77gjmGcs&feature=channel Protests as Nottingham City Council set budget
07-03-2012 20:55
On Monday 5th March, city councillors in Nottingham met to vote through a budget which will cut £20m and 195 jobs while upping council tax by 3.49%. Campaigners protested outside the meeting at both lunchtime and in the early evening.
On the newswire: Campaigners condemn city council budget decision | Nottingham City Council Budget £20m Cuts Protest | Protest against Notttingham City Council budget | Notts SOS: city council budget protest | Saturday in the Market Square | Notts SOS Indymedia group
Previous features: Nottingham City Council plans more cuts | No Cuts in Nottingham! | Resistance to Nottingham City Cuts
The budget will
- increase council tax by 3.49%
- see staff encouraged to volunteer to reduce their hours from 37 to 35 hours a week
- realign management and cut 195 jobs
- close the Museum of Nottingham Life (Brewhouse Yard), except for group and school visits
- close two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person's Home in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale
- sell-off Portland Leisure Centre
- cut food waste collection and close nine recycling sites
- reduce funding to Connexions, a support service for young people
The council had initially announced plans to reduce redundancy payments for laid-off workers to the legal minimum (this would have been the third time redundancy payments at the authority have been attacked), but ultimately decided against this.
The lunchtime protest was organised by Notts SOS and Nottingham City Unison. There were a number of speakers including union members and local campaigners. The media were out in force and images of the demonstration were widely used to illustrate stories about the budget. (Presumably because they were more interesting than a stock image of the Council House.)
Notts SOS also held a second protest in the evening for people coming from work.
A number of petitions opposing the cuts were presented to the council, one each from Unison and Notts SOS urging the council not to pass the cuts onto the people of Nottingham and a third opposing the closure of Marlstones Elderly Person's Home.
In total the council hope to save £20m to cover a shortfall arising from reduced government funding as a result of the coalition government’s austerity drive.
Councillors made a lot of mileage out of the constraints imposed on them by central government, but campaigners were not impressed. Tom Unterrainer from Notts SOS said, "Labour councillors made a lot of speeches, all of the 'with a heavy heart' variety. Piffle. If they had any heart - or backbone - they'd have set a no cuts budget and taken their fight to the government with action not hot air."
Campaigners are disappointed by the vote, but are clear that this is not the end of the campaign. Richard Smith from Notts SOS said, "This is the fourth year in a row the city council has cut its budget and they already expect to slash a further £24m by spring 2015. Sooner or later, something's going to give. Hopefully it's some of the local Labour councillors rather than any of Nottingham's residents.
Is Stratfor spying on you? Wikileaks.
07-03-2012 16:59
Help needed to find a new site for occupy lsx
07-03-2012 16:35
OccupyLSX is looking for new site after being evicted from St Paul's. Do you know of any suitable sites that could be used for occupy lsx in or very near to central London? If so please come along to the Finsbury Square camp near Moorgate tube and leave details of potential sites with one of the info team at the info tent.