Loud and angry demonstration outside Council House

UNISON called its second demonstration against the severe attacks on school support staff by the Labour-led Derby City Council last night.

With some teaching assistants facing up to 25% wage cuts the mood was angry and noisy.

There was a lot of support from the public as car horns joined the shouts, whistles and chants of demonstrators.

UNISON were supported by a solidarity delegation from the NUT and the local People's Assembly as well as comrades from the SWP.

An unexpected development was the presence of the Derby North Labour Party banner (which bore the face of Jeremy Corbyn) even as the Labour council tries to push through these pay cuts.

Update #72

Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week's update from Derby Socialist Workers Party. What's going on? Find out below!

Branch Meetings

The SWP is a party of activists who know that we need to understand the world to be effective in our actions. Our meetings have a discussion about key issues: economic, political, historical and cultural; as well as planning for events and activities.

This week we have the first in a two-part series on the Russian Revolution of 1917. 

The Russian Revolution is the only successful socialist revolution so far - how did it happen and why do we celebrate it? Dave Hayes, who gave a talk at the Marxism Festival this year on the topic will address the meeting and it's sure to lead to a great discussion. Come down and join us!

Next week it's the second part - what went wrong with the Russian Revolution? How was mass workers' democracy overthrown by Stalinist tyranny? Thursday 12th November, 7 pm.

Demonstration by School Support Staff - Wednesday 4th October

Last month's demonstration by school support staff in the face of unprecedented attacks on pay and terms of employment was loud, angry, massive and hugely supported by the public. UNISON have called a second demonstration outside the Council House for this week - Wednesday 4th October at 5 pm.

Show solidarity with support staff!

Unite The Resistance - national conference

On Saturday November 14th it will be the national conference of Unite the Resistance, an organisation aiming to unite activists and workers from across the country. It is an opportunity to debate the national situation, hear success stories from workers who have organised to defend themselves from attacks by the bosses and the Tories, and share ideas. There will be some fantastic speakers, including John McDonnell, shadow Chancellor; Candy Unwin, the rep at the National Gallery whose colleagues have recently fought a successful all-out strike action, and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.

There will be a number of people going to the conference, so we would like to help organise transport if possible. Please get in touch at derbyswp@gmail.com if you are interested in sharing a car down.

Can't make our meetings?

If you want to find out more about us, meet some of our comrades, sign up to any of our petitions, find out about campaigns we are involved in, buy our paper or get hold of some of our other literature, why not come along to the campaign stall on Saturdays?

Find us on St Peter's St from 12 pm!

Update #71

Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week's update from Derby Socialist Workers Party. What's going on? Find out below!

Branch Meetings

The SWP is a party of activists who know that we need to understand the world to be effective in our actions. Our meetings have a discussion about key issues: economic, political, historical and cultural; as well as planning for events and activities.

This week we will have a more social meeting with a showing of the film Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible, which will look at the more radical, egalitarian suffragist, anti-war and working-class movement that is not given its full head in Suffragette. Join us for socialism, socialising and snacks!

The following week we have our rescheduled meeting why do we celebrate the Russian Revolution? Our guest speaker, Dave Hayes, addressed this topic at this year's Marxism festival, so this should be an exceptionally good talk and discussion! Come and join us for a revolutionary socialist perspective on 1917 and all that!

Unite The Resistance - national conference

On Saturday November 14th it will be the national conference of Unite the Resistance, an organisation aiming to unite activists and workers from across the country. It is an opportunity to debate the national situation, hear success stories from workers who have organised to defend themselves from attacks by the bosses and the Tories, and share ideas. There will be some fantastic speakers, including John McDonnell, shadow Chancellor; Candy Unwin, the rep at the National Gallery whose colleagues have recently fought a successful all-out strike action, and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.

There will be a number of people going to the conference, so we would like to help organise transport if possible. Please get in touch at derbyswp@gmail.com if you are interested in sharing a car down.

Can't make our meetings?

If you want to find out more about us, meet some of our comrades, sign up to any of our petitions, find out about campaigns we are involved in, buy our paper or get hold of some of our other literature, why not come along to the campaign stall on Saturdays?

Find us on St Peter's St from 12 pm!

Update #70

Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week's update from Derby Socialist Workers Party. What's going on? Find out below!

Branch Meetings

The SWP is a party of activists who know that we need to understand the world to be effective in our actions. Our meetings have a discussion about key issues: economic, political, historical and cultural; as well as planning for events and activities.


This week we will look at the way that the capitalist system works. Why do most of us have to work for bosses? Why is profit so important? Why, in a world which produces more than enough to feed us all, do millions starve? Come along for our topic: How does capitalism work? An introduction to Marxist economics. Thursday 22nd October, 7 pm.

The following week we will have a more social meeting with a showing of the film Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible, which will look at the more radical, egalitarian suffragist, anti-war and working-class movement that is not given its full head in Suffragette. Join us for socialism, socialising and snacks!

Britain First - Not Welcome in Burton 

For a report on our successful demonstration against fascist group Britain First on Saturday, see our blog post here.

Can't make our meetings?

If you want to find out more about us, meet some of our comrades, sign up to any of our petitions, find out about campaigns we are involved in, buy our paper or get hold of some of our other literature, why not come along to the campaign stall on Saturdays?

Find us on St Peter's St from 12 pm!

Nazis outnumbered in Burton

On Saturday, Nazi organisation Britain First turned up in Burton to preach their Islamophobic message of hate. They were small in numbers, if big on flags, and were escorted into town by an enormous police presence. A coalition of trades unionists, anti-racist campaigners and political groups had called a demonstration against the Nazis. The police decided to keep our counter-demonstration away from the Nazis, claiming that they were concerned about trouble - although apparently they hadn't considered that the trouble was coming from local people being forced to accommodate Nazis being shown around their town.

The police were unable to stop local people from showing their displeasure at the racists and they were shouted at from the streets and windows of houses as they marched along their route.

The message from the day is clear - we can all of us stand against Nazi scum who want to divide us - unity is the answer. The message from many speakers at the counter-demonstration was equally forcefully made: fascists feed on despair, but it is not Muslims, migrants, refugees or asylum seekers who have created that despair - it is the failure of the capitalist class and the politicians who serve them to be able to provide good jobs and services, and who have spent their time since the crash attempting to shovel as much wealth as they can up to the already rich, while taking away from the poor - it is they who have fed the fascists with the racism they fuel to try to persuade us to attack each other rather than them.

Britain First aren't welcome in Derby or Burton and our communities will oppose them together!

More than suffrage - Sylvia Pankhurst

Sylvia Pankhurst

was an extraordinary and principled woman, a socialist, a feminist, an anti-racist and peace campaigner. With Suffragette in the cinemas now is the perfect time to explore her remarkable life and legacy.

Thursday 29th October we will break from our usual meeting format and have a film night and social - see you there!

Update #69

Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week's update from Derby Socialist Workers Party. What's going on? Find out below!

Branch Meetings

The SWP is a party of activists who know that we need to understand the world to be effective in our actions. Our meetings have a discussion about key issues: economic, political, historical and cultural; as well as planning for events and activities.

Last week, following the enormous demonstration in Manchester against the Tories, we had a lively and wide-ranging discussion about how to defeat the anti-trades union laws that the Tories are proposing. Although there are serious threats to our ability to organise the Tories are seriously weak in some areas, and the Labour Party is, under Corbyn, opposed to the laws and will overturn them if elected. Passage of the bill is by no means assured, if trades unionists fight hard to oppose it. Even if we can't stop the passage of the bill, enforcing it is another matter: given the hardship which working people are to face over the next 5 years if the Tories are not thrown out of office, we can realistically say that a serious fightback by workers in the country is a genuine possibilty - and as revolutionaries, despite the grave threat that the proposed laws pose to our class, we still have reasons to be cheerful!

We have no branch meeting this week as there is an important meeting on the anti-trades union laws in Nottingham. (See below.

The following week we will look at the way that the capitalist system works. Why do most of us have to work for bosses? Why is profit so important? Why, in a world which produces more than enough to feed us all, do millions starve? Come along for our topic: How does capitalism work? An introduction to Marxist economics. Thursday 22nd October, 7 pm.

Protect the Right to Strike - 15th October

Join us in Nottingham on the 15th October if you can - the anti union laws are the most serious attack on the working class yet posed by the Tories, as they try to take on the best institutions which we have for fighting back against their onslaught. We must defeat the bill if we can!

Britain First - Not Welcome in Burton 

Over the summer, members of Nazi organisation Britain First turned up on the streets of Derby. 40 people turned out the following week to join a vigil against them, sending a clear message that Nazis aren't welcome on our streets.

The anti-Britain First vigil this summer

Although they haven't been back to Derby, they have announced their intention to march in Burton on October 17th. The RMT, UAF and NORCARF have called for a joint mobilisation to stop them. This is a call for all anti-racists and anti-fascists. At a recent Britain First demonstration in Rotherham the Nazis were hugely outnumbered by the counter-demonstration. Wherever opposition to the fascists is organised, our side shows that we are many and they are few - but that won't stop them trying to intimidate local people and demonise minorities. They claim to be anti-'extremist', but their march gives the lie to that - they want to demonstrate against the building of a mosque!

Join us on the counter-demonstration on October 17th - tell the fascists that they aren't welcome anywhere.

Demo Round Up

The last couple of weeks have seen some massive demonstrations: in Manchester against the Tories, and a big, lively, angry demonstration in Derby against pay cuts to teaching support staff across the city. Here are some pictures from comrades who were part of the demonstrations!

Demonstrate Against the Tories - Manchester, last Sunday

Demonstration by School Support Staff, Council House this Wednesday

Support staff in schools are facing swingeing pay cuts at the moment, but they aren't taking it lying down - SWP comrades were there to show solidarity with them!

 

Can't make our meetings?

If you want to find out more about us, meet some of our comrades, sign up to any of our petitions, find out about campaigns we are involved in, buy our paper or get hold of some of our other literature, why not come along to the campaign stall on Saturdays?

Find us on St Peter's St from 12 pm!