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Bassettlaw SOS flyer, Letter and Worksop meeting on 12th May 2011

Bassetlaw Save Our Services have a Protect Our People flyer and also announce a meeting in Worksop on 12th May 2011 (details in letter below).

The Editor
Worksop Guardian

Dear Sir

I should be grateful if you would print my letter which is advertising a public meeting on the 12th May.

“Robin Hood, if he were alive today might find a lot about the world that he would recognise. Firstly, that the poor of our land are being robbed to pay the rich, in the form of bigger bonuses and fatter profits for the banks and big business. Secondly, that the poor (that’s you and me – because Bassetlaw is a low paid area) are being expected to get us out of this crisis by borrowing more than we can afford. We will need to do this to make ends meet because our wages, pensions and benefits are failing to keep up with inflation. This is made clear by the Office for Budget Responsibility which in its recent report said it expected households to go further in debt each year between now and 2015.

Now, my recollection of the ConDem Government’s justification for the current “age of austerity” is that we (as a country) can’t afford to borrow “beyond our means”. As a result we are having a huge squeeze on our public finances, with huge job losses, savage cuts to our essential public services and a cull of local businesses faced with customers who cannot afford to shop.

So, it seems the Government’s plan to get us out of this crisis is to transfer the debt from the state to households up and down the land. I don’t think that this part of the ConDem Government’s plan to get us out of this crisis has received the publicity it deserves – naturally it’s something you would want to hide, not advertise.

If you feel, like Robin Hood, that the poor should not be expected to solve the present crisis by going into more and more debt then join our group ‘Bassetlaw Protecting our People and Services’ which is being set up to campaign against the savage cuts to our services and standards of living.

We will be meeting at 7.00 pm on Thursday 12th May, at The Christchurch, 15 Thievesdale Close, Worksop, S81 OXS. You will be very welcome.

Yours faithfully

Ann Donlan
Chair
Bassetlaw Protecting our People and Services”

Meet Notts SOS activists on Nottingham’s “Mayday 2011” – Saturday April 30th

Meeting some of the many people involved with Notts Save Our Services and getting involved with anti-cuts activity in Nottingham and Notts couldn’t be easier. Just come down to the Mayday International Workers’ Day event in Victoria Park, Sneinton on Saturday 30th April. Download flyer here or view below. Assemble in Victoria Park, Bath Street, near the Victoria Leisure Centre at 11 am. The march will leave the Park at 12 for Speaker’s Corner (Clough statue). Then we return to Victoria Park for music, stalls, speakers, BEER TENT and much more – staying there until mid-afternoon.

Mayday is a celebration of the struggle for change which workers are engaged in all over the world. The courage shown by the peoples of Tunisia and Egypt in removing vicious, money-grubbing dictators is truly uplifting. In taking to the streets and banding together to defend their homes against Mubarak’s hired looters, the Egyptian people have tasted freedom after 1000s of years of autocratic rule. In paying tribute to the young people who turned out in force to protect the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, its director called for “a vision where a people’s greatness is measured by the quality of the lives of their poorest citizens not by the size of their armies or the scale of their buildings.” While we watch Egypt hopefully in the coming months, we can all think of other countries run by a load of millionaire toffs, helped out by an unaccountable, sometimes thuggish, police force. Sound familiar? While Barclays announce colossal profits, old people are facing having to pay for their care. How does the UK treat its poorest citizens? JOIN IN THE FIGHT BACK.

Administrate This! Report from University of Nottingham protest and camp on 19th April 2011

From 18th-20th April, the University of Nottingham hosted a meeting of the Association of University Administrators. Minister for Universities David Willetts was to attend, but had dropped out in advance. Nottingham Students Against Fees and Cuts organised a protest and camp ‘Administrate This!’ to highlight the issues of the ‘marketisation’ of education and university participation, and especially about how women will be hit by the cuts. Full story: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1141. See also NSAFC website: http://nsafc.wordpress.com/

Save Our NHS public meeting finalised – Nottingham Mechanics Thursday 21st April 2011

Recent weeks have seen a surge of local activity in defence of the NHS. Cutbacks will hit the health service and the proposed “reforms” of the NHS will lead to widespread privatisation. Speakers have been invited to explain the issues and why the Bill must be opposed. Do come along.

Upcoming public event: Save our NHS: Kill the Bill, April 21st, 7pm-9pm, The Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham NG1 4EZ. Details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/1067

List of speakers for the Save Our NHS meeting at Nottingham Mechanics on 21st April 2011

Save Hayward House Daycare in Nottingham – campaign and website

Hayward House ‘hospice within the hospital’ at City Hospital, Nottingham cares for terminally ill patients. Its methods encompass compassion, dignity, and clinical expertise in palliative medicine. Its approach integrates medical, social, personal, emotional and community care in a way unique in Nottinghamshire. This has brought quality of life back to the last months and days of many patients. Nottingham PCT are closing daycare from September 1st 2011 – we cannot let them.

Visit the website: http://www.savehaywarddaycare.org.uk for more information and how to get involved.

On Wednesday, April 20th, 8.00am News on BBC Radio Nottingham plus news bulletins throughout the day will feature the proposed closure of HH daycare. Also watch BBC East Midlands News at breakfast, lunchtime and early evening. Also, look at the Evening Post on (we think) Thursday, 21st April.

On Saturday April 30th, Save Hayward House Daycare Campaign will be having a stall at the Mayday celebrations. Assemble in Victoria Park, Bath Street, near the Victoria Leisure Centre at 11 am. The march will leave the Park at 12 noon; why not join us? Bring your Save Hayward House Daycare placard! There will be speakers at Speakers’ Corner near the statue of Brian, then back to the park for music, food, more speakers, more food etc, etc.

Nottingham anti-cuts diary dates in April 2011 – more added so keep looking for updates!

Here are anti-cuts events coming up. Also take a look on the right for more details of Forthcoming Events, Comments and Twitter feed columns for more info, reports and comments. Join Notts SOS Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/NottsSOS-FB

As you will see a big feature of this month’s activities is opposition to NHS ‘reform’ AKA privatisation.

Anti-cuts diary dates in April 2011

Friday 1st April Unison demonstration ‘Stand up for the NHS’ at Standard Court PCT offices. Report now out: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/1085. Held as part of the ‘All Together for the NHS Day’.

Saturday 9th April Notts Uncut have planned another action in Notttingham city centre, meeting outside Miss Selfridge on Clumber St at 10.45 am for a 11.00 am start. Target to be announced on the day. The theme is NHS reforms so bring any placards etc relating to the Health and Social Care bill and if you can bring any hospital type props (gowns, scrubs, crutches, bandages etc) that would be fantastic. Please see info about this local action on UK Uncut website and the facebook event page. There is also now a Notts Uncut website at http://www.nottsuncut.webeden.co.uk and a newsletter, No.1 April 2011: [Word version] [PDF version]

Monday 11th April Fortnightly Notts SOS planning meeting, at the YMCA International Community Centre, Mansfield Road from 7.30 pm until 9 pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 13th April Nottingham and Mansfield Trades Council organised public debate between Jon Collins, County Councillor Alan Rhodes, and a Trade Union official at The Djanogly Lecture Theatre, Nottingham Trent University, Shakespeare Street off Clarendon Road, starts 7.30 pm.

Thursday 14th April 3rd National Day of Protest Against Benefit Cuts. UK wide. Local action to be confirmed. Also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164277070288955

Tuesday 19th April ADMINISTRATE THIS! TENT CITY AND MARCH AT THE AUA CONFERENCE 19th of April 2011 UNIVERSITY PARK (MAIN) CAMPUS, NOTTINGHAM. Nottingham students are organising a vigourous response to the 18th to 20th Association of University Administrators meeting in Nottingham the future of Higher Education in the UK will be discussed by top managers from all over the country. As the government’s plans to lift the cap on tuition fees to £9000 is exploited by a cartel of administrations to monopolise high-end university education, the minister for universities, David Willetts, keynote speaker at the AUA conference, reassures us that the cuts in funding and the raises in fees will be ‘progressive’. as part of the action there will be a march on the Nottingham University main campus on the 19th and the tent city camp will last 2 days. More details: http://nsafc.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/administrate-this-19th-of-april/. Open invitiation to participate. Facebook event page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176890835695324

Wednesday 20th April Second day of the tent city on Nottingham University main campus during the Association of University Administrators conference. The camp will last from the 19th-20th and hold workshops and discussions with activists and academics on the topics including: Anti-Oppression, Gender and The Cuts, Zombie Universities, Protest Tactics, Strategies, and Direct Action, Capitalism and Beyond. There will also be food, a kids space, music, performance, and art! See above (19th April) for details. Open invitiation to participate.

Thursday 21st April Save Our NHS – Kill the Bill– Notts SOS (health group) are hosting a public meeting about the Health and Social Care Reform Bill in conjunction with Keep Our NHS Public, 38 degrees and HIYE, at The Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ. Starts 7.30 pm.

~~Monday 25th~~ Tuesday 26th April Fortnightly Notts SOS planning meeting, at the YMCA International Community Centre, Mansfield Road from 7.30 pm until 9 pm. All welcome. Moved from Monday to Tuesday due to the bank holiday.

Thursday 28th April MayDay Social, Polish Eagle Club, 2 Sherwood Rise, Nottingham NG7 6JN, 7.30 pm to late.

Saturday 30th April Mayday festival and march, Victoria Park, Sneinton, 11 am to 6 pm. March to City Centre and back to the park starts 12 noon.

Advance notice for May: Sunday 22nd May, Green Festival, Arboretum, 12 noon to 6 pm.

After March 26th – a good day out & a lot more to do back in Nottingham & Notts against the cuts! [with photos & videos] – add your experiences/comments/links

Notts SOS banner on the March 26th demonstration in London (more photos & videos below)

The half a million who marched and took action in London on Saturday 26th March 2011 made our feelings known and we showed our strength. Those who are active in Notts SOS and from the many other anti-cuts groups around the country, together with all manner of service users and welfare and pension recipients, workers, students, families and children took to the streets to say no to the cuts.

The press and politicians seem to have made their minds up already. According to Lib Dem’s Vince Cable on the BBC Politics Show today “We’re not going to change the basic economic strategy” and, “No government – coalition, Labour or any other – would change its fundamental economic policy simply in response to a demonstration of that kind.”

Is this a challenge? It begs the question of what exactly would change the government’s mind? Certainly Notts SOS will stick to its call for “No Cuts” which means we will need to carry on the work of making the politicians aware of our demand. But we have already lost a lot and there will be more to be lost in the new tax year if we do not stand up and fight. So let’s all get involved.

Feel free to share your personal stories of the day, and links to your articles, blogs, photos and videos by adding a ‘comment’ to this article. You can also do the same on the Notts SOS facebook page.

A selection of images of the day:

Notts SOS banner on the march, with a few of the Nottingham contingent

Notts SOS and UCU East Midlands banners in London on March 26th

support4edwoollard.wordpress.com family on demo — Ed Woollard's family who we spoke to on March 26th demo who confirmed he had received a greetings card sent by Notts SOS from our January conference

Link to Ed Woollard support site: http://support4edwoollard.wordpress.com

Videos by Notts SOS/Uncut contingent on Oxford Street:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQY1oaAJFwA]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFOWjZoDWE]

Also watch: Video of the deception by police on UKUncut occupation of Fortnum and Mason, leading to their ‘record’ number of arrests on the day: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2011/mar/28/fortnum-mason-protesters-uk-uncut-video. Not surprising to hear they will be taking legal advice …

Staff and students strike together again in Nottingham

Nottingham UCU staff, students and Notts SOS in Old Market Square 24th March 2011

This week, on March 22nd and 24th, the University and College Union (UCU) took strike action in defence of the pay and pensions of academic and academic-related staff and against the employers’ attempts to bypass nationally agreed procedures for making redundancies. The majority vote for the strike is also a response to the wider political situation and most immediately the rise in student fees. Staff on strike in Nottingham were from Castle College, South Notts College, Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham. Students added to the numbers on picket lines and ran solidarity events all over Nottingham. The local strike leaflet was written by staff and students together. [Download student side of leaflet] [UCU staff side of leaflet]. Look at some photos here: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/1073.

UCU officers and campaigners put lots of effort into building for the strike, not least in co-ordinating between institutions. For some of us Notts SOS UCU members it was the first time we had been involved in organising a strike as opposed to just turning up for picket line duty. It’s a lot of work, but we learned lot from more experienced staff. I think we can be pleased with the results, because support for the strike was amazing. Hundreds of staff stayed away or picketed. Staff from other unions or no union beeped their horns in support at picket lines and asked for leaflets and information about the strike. Many university security staff were supportive and helpful also. Even though some public sector trade unionists crossed picket lines, others, notably City and County Council workers such as bus drivers, beeped their horns in support and passengers also waved at us.

The UCU and students condemned the University of Nottingham’s assertion that the strike was undemocratic, pointing out that not only was it entirely legal, but percentage-wise the majority in favour of the strike was bigger than the vote for the Conservatives in the last election.

The strike culminated in a rally in the Market Square attended by several hundred people. Speakers made it clear even though workers are not legally allowed to strike except over their own pay, terms and conditions, there is a mood to go beyond this just as there is elsewhere in the public sector. To do this university staff – UCU, Unison and others – need to work together more closely so that the government and employers fear our strength just as they fear the new radicalised student movement that mobilised in support of us this week.

Links
UCU: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1680
Students: http://nsafc.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/notts-students-support-ucu-strike/
Previous article: https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/03/23/university-staff-picket-lines-supported-by-students-and-many-others-in-nottingham/

Nottingham UCU staff, students & Notts SOS Defending ESOL 24th March 2011

“Don’t Cut ESOL Classes!”

This was the message at the rally on Thursday March 24 in opposition to the cuts in funding ESOL classes. ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages and classes have traditionally been free for most students, who include people on JSA and ESE. But in Nottingham 76% of people on ESOL courses do not receive these benefits. They include refugees, asylum-seekers and other migrants who need English to integrate and contribute to British society. One of the messages of the rally was David Cameron’s hypocrisy in stating that refugees should integrate and at the same time removing one of the most important ways they can do this.

About one hundred and fifty teachers, students and their supporters attended and several refugees spoke about how important free access to English classes is to them. Their confidence in speaking in public in a second language is a tribute to their teachers and shows that having good language skills is not just about the ability to communicate but the confidence to do it in the first place. As one of the speakers said, it is an attack on basic human rights.

Removal of free ESOL classes is about more than saving money. It is about marginalising vulnerable people and we need to understand it as part of the state’s attack on refugees and asylum seekers, making it even harder for them to access help.

Even though this rally took place hours after the UCU rally earlier in the day, dozens of higher and further education staff and students waited after their own event to attend the ESOL rally. As one UCU member said, “Education is vital for liberation”.

Links:
http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1054
http://nsafc.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/nottingham-students-rally-for-ucu-and-esol/
https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/03/23/university-staff-picket-lines-supported-by-students-and-many-others-in-nottingham/