Welcome to your weekly guide for anyone who is mad as hell
and not going to take it any more. :)
SWP Branch Meeting.
Unmade beds and pickled fish – should socialists have anything to say about
Contemporary Art?
This week’s meeting has a cultural theme as our resident art
historian picks over the works of the Contemporary Art movement and asks: what
relevance do Tracy Emin, Damian Hirst and the rest of the once-Young British Artists
have to socialists?
Come along for a fun and lively discussion to the West End
Community Centre, next to Britannia Mill. Thursday 15th September, 7
pm (see attached map)
UAF Relaunch Event
Unite Against Fascism is a broad coalition of anti-racists
and anti-fascists set up to oppose the BNP and in more recent years the EDL. It
is supported by the SWP, the Labour Party and unions such as the NUT. Derby has
been fortunate not to have been target by the violent, racist thugs of the EDL,
but with their recent attempts to capitalise on the murder of Lee Rigby
anti-fascists everywhere must be prepared to defend their communities.
The UAF in Derby has unfortunately not been as active
recently as in the past, but a re-launch event has now been organised. If you
don’t want to see the EDL or BNP on Derby’s streets, it is essential that you
make this meeting.
Two weeks ago, an SWP stall in Manchester was attacked by
National Front members. We must remember that the fascists have not gone away
and will return if they think they will not be opposed.
The meeting is to be held next Monday, 19th
September, time and venue to be confirmed. An update posted here as soon as
we have more information.
Action for Rail
Event
The Derby Climate Change Coalition has organised an event at
Derby station, from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45. Peter Robinson, chair of the Coalition
says: Rail fares are going up yet
again. “On 13 August the inflation figure will be announced that will be used
to calculate increases to regulated rail fares, like season tickets, from next
year. From January 2014, your rail fares are likely to increase from 4% to 9%.
Well ahead of your pay packet. Another squeeze on your living standards in
these difficult times. Since the crash in 2008, rail fares have increased three
times faster than average earnings.”
March
on the Tories: Sun 29 Sept, Manchester
In many areas where the party organises coaches are now booked for
the demonstration at the Tory Party conference on Sunday 29 September in
Manchester.
It’s crucial that in every locality transport is booked now,
before the trade union movement closes down for August, and that we immediately
are part of filling the coaches that are booked and pressing for more.
This demo can be built everywhere. The NHS remains a potentially
huge mobilising issue as the government flogs off more and more health services
and rams through cuts and closures. We also have the inspiring example of
Lewisham in south east London (following the victory at Whittington in north
London) of how campaigning can make a difference.
The demo is backed by all the major unions and the TUC. It is a
focus for everyone who wants to fight the Tories on any issue.
The TUC’s publicity has shifted from concentrating almost
exclusively on the NHS to stressing the importance of the NHS but also the
wider attacks on working people.
You can download the TUC leaflet and poster at http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-22405-f0.cfm
The demonstration could play a real part in raising the level of
resistance to austerity in Britain. We are going into the autumn with teachers’
action already underway. There is also the potential for a fight in the fire
service, the post and more action in the civil service.
Every SWP member, branch and district needs a plan for how we are
going to maximise the turnout on this demonstration.
The 29 September march assembles at 11am on Liverpool Road near
the Museum of Science and Industry. At 12.30pm the front of the march will set
off via Deansgate and John Dalton Street for Whitworth Park, where the rally
will take place - opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary - from around 2pm.
The full listing for the rally is still to be confirmed but will include a
range of national and local speakers, including TUC general secretary Frances
O'Grady.
Each SWP branch needs to have a target list of major local
workplaces that we are leafleting, union reps and activists that we are
visiting and activity that we are involved in to build the protest. Every
public Socialist Worker sale needs to become a centre of agitation for the
protest. Everyone who signs a petition or buys the paper should take away a
pile of leaflets and a sign up sheet for transport.
And of course alongside building the protest we want to build up
the network of Socialist Worker buyers around every branch. You can download
Unite the Resistance materials at http://uniteresist.org/2013/06/marchonthetoryconference/
Unite the
Resistance – Organising to Win 19th October
Alongside the demo at the Tory conference, we want to build the
biggest possible Unite the Resistance Organising to win event on 19 October.
The conference aims to bring together key trade union activists to
debate the way forward. But its workshop format is also designed to strengthen
workplace organisation, build unions and get more union reps.
You can register online at http://uniteresist.org/2013/07/unite-the-resistance-conference-19-octobe...
Rally for
Education
On Saturday 14th
September there will be a rally to defend education in Nottingham. We
want this to be as large an event as possible and any available comrades should
make sure they are there. The government has been attacking education with the
same viciousness that they have shown in health, and teachers are taking strike
action in the autumn to defend education for every child.
The rally will aim
to build teachers' confidence and public support; so come and make it big and
loud enough to be heard in Westminster!
Transport will be
available; email us for details.
Postal
workers’ national ballot
Last week 500 postal workers’ reps in the CWU gathered in London
to discuss the next steps in the battle against privatisation, over workload,
to defend pensions and fight for decent pay.
They voted overwhelmingly to ballot the union’s 115,000 Royal Mail
members no later than September for strikes.
This has the potential to be a massive campaign, centred on
defending public services as well as workers’ rights.
Reps also passed amendments committing union leaders to put any
offer to another policy forum/ special conference.
Union leaders outlined a number of key lines in the sand that they
would not settle short of. This included saying the union would not agree any
pay deal that is linked to pensions, and anything short of an above inflation
pay deal.
It was also announced that if a strike is called the CWU would
call “the biggest demonstration of postal workers, on the day of the strike, in
London for many years”.
An updated leaflet for postal workplaces will be sent out this
week.
Over the next month, branches and districts should consider what
workplaces in their area should be leafleted and have paper sales and aim to
get contacts.
Fire Brigades
ballot for strike action
Firefighters are balloting for national strike action
against attacks on their pensions. FBU members could face mass sackings as the
government forces firefighters to work to 60 years old. The ballot closes on 29
August. We need to get into as many of the fire stations as we can the latest SW
leaflet arguing for a yes vote. You can download the leaflet from http://swp.org.uk/resource/246
Give Bradley
Manning the Nobel Peace Prize!
Bradley Manning faces a prison sentence of up to 136 years
after being found guilty of 20 charges for revealing the war crimes carried out
by the US and Britain. US author and peace activist Norman Solomon from the USA
is on his way to present to the Nobel committee in Oslo a petition with over
100,000 names calling for Bradley Manning to be awarded this year's Nobel Peace
Prize. Details, leaflet etc at http://stopwar.org.uk/
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