UK Promoted Newswire Archive
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
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.
Palestine Today 08 12 2010
12-08-2010 18:10
Ffos-y-Fran Coal Train Blockaders Sentenced [1]
11-08-2010 21:22
13 people who literally put their necks on the line blockading the railway at Ffos y Fran, the largest opencast coal mine in the UK, will be sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court at 2pm on Friday 13th August. (1) There will be a solidarity demo outside the court from 1pm - please come and show your support. If you're heading to Climate Camp Cymru you can drop by for a bit on your way to the site.
Trainee writes: 13 people who literally put their necks on the line blockading the railway at Ffos y Fran, the largest opencast coal mine in the UK, will be sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court at 2pm on Friday 13th August. (1) There will be a solidarity demo outside the court from 1pm - please come and show your support. If you're heading to Climate Camp Cymru you can drop by for a bit on your way to the site.Climate activists from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide chained themselves to the railway on April 26th to stop a train carrying coal from the mine to Aberthaw power station. Extensive safety measures were taken to ensure there would be no danger to anyone. (2)
A spokesperson for Rising Tide said, “Opencast mining trashes the landscape, contributes massively to climate change and threatens the health of local people. We need to leave coal in the ground, and that's why we put our necks on the line to stop a coal train.”
“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.”
Full Story | Bath and Bristol Rising Tide Stop Coal Train | Action Snaps: Ffos-y-Fran Coal Train Blockade | Ffos-yFran Coal Train Blockade Action Report
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
300,000 people, mostly those living in the global south, are already dying each year from the effects of climate change. (3)
There has been a long campaign opposing Ffos y Fran mine by local residents and climate activists alike. (4) Last August, Climate Camp Cymru set up near the site for a week of sustainable living and direct action training. This year’s action-based camp, which will target coal in south Wales, begins on the same day as the sentencing. (5)
Bristol@risingtide.org.uk
07789 898 374
10 July 2010
[For immediate release]
Notes for editors
1. Initial charges of Obstruction of the Railway with Intent, which carries a maximum sentence of life, have been dropped. 13 pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of Obstruction of the Railway, while all charges against 5 others have been dropped.
2. A full report of the action can be found at -https://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/23912
3. Global Humanitarian Forum report - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/artic...8.ece
4. Residents Against Ffos y Fran - http://www.stopffosyfran.co.uk/
5. Climate Camp Cymru - http://climatecampcymru.org/
Palestine Today 08 11 2010
11-08-2010 15:35
Community walk brings Shell drilling work to a standstill in Sruwaddacon Estuary
11-08-2010 15:19
“Ahava Four” found not guilty of aggravated trespass
10-08-2010 18:13
Mass immigrants grave in greek borders at Evros
10-08-2010 16:56
It is believed that between 150 and 200 corpses have been buried in the mass grave.Palestine Today 08 10 2010
10-08-2010 15:04
The Librarians Strike Back - Southampton' Libraries to be closed by more Strikes
10-08-2010 11:50
Shell disrupted - Beat the Boreholes continues
09-08-2010 16:33
Yesterday at about 2.30pm Shell began to lower "Jack - 1" - one of two survey barges currently in Sruth Fhada Chonn estuary SAC (Special Area of Protection) - in order to tug it to another part of the estuary.The Rossport Solidarity Camp was ready and willing to claim free passage of the public estuary and in the process upset the operation. Over a dozen Shell security boats and two Garda RIBS couldn't keep the 6 kaykers out, with two of them reaching the moving barge after an hour and a half of chase.
Palestine Today 08 09 2010
09-08-2010 16:16
July 2010 Chiapas/Zapatista news summary
08-08-2010 23:31
1. Mitziton Protest Blocks Pan-Am Highway2. Mitziton Denounces Torture of 2 Other Campaign Members
3. Virgin of Dolores Ranch Denounces Provocations
4. Other Campaign Members Denounce Drainage Plan
5. European Brigade Visits Zapatista Caracoles
6. Oventik Junta Updates Brigade on El Pozo
7. Morelia Junta Denounces Provocations by the CIOAC-I
8. State Elections
Nottingham Pride 2010
08-08-2010 13:24
Nottingham Pride continues to go from success to success, this year's event was for the first time held at the Forest Recreation Ground, a step-up from the Arboretum where it has been held previously. Following on from last year, the event was preceded by a well-attended march. Encouragingly this year, there was an explicitly political fringe event, with a number of speakers including prominent gay rights activist Peter Tatchell.
On the newswire: Nottingham Pride: more than a walk in the park? | Nottingham Pride 2010 | Nottingham Pride - Political Speakers | Nttm Gay Pride now underway on Forest Rec Ground | Nottingham's Gay Pride Parade | Anti-gay Bollocks, stickers appearing in town
Previous Coverage: Pride in Nottingham | 'My Big Gay' LGBT Nottingham photo | Pride 2008: 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gay Rainbow Heritage Exhibition | Pride 2007: 1 | 2 | Pride 2006: 1 | 2 | Pride 2005: 1 | 2 | Pride 2004
At the meeting, Peter Tatchell, Skye Chirape (lesbian activist and artist from Zimbabwe) and Claire Jenkins (trans-activist) spoke about LGBT struggles for recognition and freedom in different parts of the world, the experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in Britain and cuts to funding for LGBT people in Nottingham. Ali Hili (Iraqi gay activist) was unable to attend through ill health, but a message from him was read out.
The meeting was chaired by Richard McCance, a veteran Nottingham LGBT activist who expressed dismay at council cuts of funding to Outburst, an outreach group for isolated LGBT youths across Nottinghamshire. He referred to a recent case in Derby where a teenage gay boy, spurned by his boyfriend, threatened to jump from a tall building. Emergency services had started coaxing him down when a crowd of people who'd gathered goaded him to jump to his death. It was people like this lad who were so desperately in need of services like Outburst.
In the discussion that followed a member of the audience expressed concern about a small handful of Islamists who had turned up to protest Pride. Peter Tatchell was quick to point out the importance of dialogue between the LGBT community and local Muslims, recounting very positive experiences he'd had in the past.
All of the speakers were clear in pointing out that much of the homophobia that exists in the post-colonial world has its roots in imported Victorian colonial values and an extremist missionary Christianity. This makes claims by macho African leaders that homosexuality is 'un-African' false. The struggle for LGBT rights in Africa was described as the continuation of African liberation.
The meeting was well attended - extra mats had to be brought into the room so that people could sit on the floor because all the seats were filled - and there were calls for it to be made an annual event. Let's hope it happens again next year.
Campsfield detainees release second statement
07-08-2010 18:39
Detainees at Campsfield migrant prison near Oxford are currently on hunger strike in protest at their injust situation. This statement was released by them several days ago, but so far has not been published here, only circulated on mailing lists..Chanting and banging heard at Campsfield migrant prison
07-08-2010 18:30
Detainees at Campsfield migrant prison near Oxford are currently on hunger strike in protest at their injust situation. This is a short report from Tuesday night, forwarded from a campaign mailing list..Campsfield Hunger Strike Update
07-08-2010 14:32
Report from demo tonight (Friday) and other news from CampsfieldWeekly bulletin from Calais
07-08-2010 11:34
The brutal police repression against migrants in Calais continues: and it is often refugee children and other unaccompanied minors who feel the brunt. The number of refugees trying to cross the channel at Calais is now down to the low hundreds: but the police presence and level of violence is just as high as ever.