Massive 52,000 strong march against university fee hikes and abolition of EMAs WEDS 12 Nov

The turnout was stupendous, world-wide publicity, 52,000 people on the march against Tory/Liberal Democrat cuts to education- trebling the `cap' on annual university costs to students from £3,000 per annum to £9,000 per annum- affecting working class kjds. Also on the march, many very angry working class as well as middle class kids in their mid-teens from schools and further education  colleges very very angry about the abolition of the EMA (Educational Maintenance Allowance) payable to kids from low-income families to enable them to stay on at school between the ages of 16 and 19. I got this (a similar) grant to stay on at school when I wa s akid in the early 1960s. Millions of working class kids get it now. But the millionnaire cabinet is abolishing it!

Students are revolting! And quite right too. From the 52,000 strong demo in Westminster on Nov. 10^th (which went via the Millbank Tory Party HQ- not your average day at the office!) to disciplined and organized student occupations, sit-ins and teach-ins at Leeds, Manchester, Sussex, Middlesex and other Universities, through subsequent Days of Action, to student protests across Europe- Paris, Lisbon, Athens, Dublin. Saying, chanting, acting, demanding, `No to Education Cuts’, `No to (increased) Charges for Education’, `Education should be Free!’ The 10 Nov demo, organized by the National Union of Students and the college lecturers union, UCU, was the biggest student demonstration in a generation.

The next round was Weds 24 Nov, `Day X’. Students at universities, further education colleges, Sixth Forms and secondary schools walked out, and demonstrating against cuts and tuition fees, in a national day of action. Some marched on their local Tory party offices, just as 300 students and trade unionists in Barnet marched earlier on the local Tory Party HQ in Finchley!

The next `Day X’ is the day of the vote in Parliament on 9 Dec 2010 over the fees increase. There’ll be  another massive demonstration. The Facebook group `Tuition Fee Vote: March on Parliament’ had 2,300 `attending’ within 45 minutes of being set up! Students and Workers realize this is a common struggle- Day X is supported by the three main anti-cuts umbrella organisations, The NSSN (National Shop Stewards Network), the RtW (Right to Work campaign) and the CoR (Campaign of Resistance) whose  27 Nov London rally of 1300 brought together organizations, socialist/ Marxist parties and groups, national organizations, local anti-cuts groups, students and school students.

One of the most remarkable and inspiring speeches, by 15 year old Barnaby, on Youtube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrgzpPvJxmQ&feature=player_embedded#! Explicitly linked the student struggle to wider struggles and workers struggles.

Here are some of the pics from the 10 Nov march in London. It shook the government, the police, the Murdoch media. Ans since then has led to a nationwide rolling campaign of student- and school student/ high school walkouts, demos and marches.

Fantastic huge Brighton March Against the Cuts today Sat 30Oct2010

From Dave Hill

On the Brighton Anti-Cuts Demonstration 30 October 2010

What a brilliant march today, against the Cuts in Brighton, really well organised, too...  I think it was the biggest political demo since the Thatcher Cuts of the 1980s

And, of course, as people are affected directly by the cuts, and by privatisations, by cuts in pay, pensions and conditions, as schools lose teachers, hospitals lose nurses, and all council services are cut... the numbers will multiply- demanding an end to the Cuts. And we, as socialists, point to the need to ditch all the three main big business parties, and develop a socialist system of society- no more billionaires, million pound bonuses, fat cat executives and directors- instead a far more equal society, anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic- pro human needs and public services and public democratic control over the major institutions (industries/ banks/ utilities), a raise in the minimum wage, a wealth tax on millionaires, and getting back the billions in taxes currently unpaid by big business and by the rich.  

On the Brighton march today there were a handful of identifiable Labour supporters, ie around 4 or 5 `Labour No Cuts’ (!!!!!) posters (at the front of the demo at the speeches in Victoria Gardens) and around 10, a group of them, among the 1500-2,000 demonstrators. A Pity Labour councils (and national Leadership) aren't opposing the Cuts... all the Cuts on the Poor and on the Welfare state... just wanting the Cuts to be a bit slower and (perhaps, a teeny bit less unfair!)

Labour came to the first Brighton anti-cuts organising meeting- a delegate meeting- (38 attendees), didn't come to the second, third or fourth). At the most recent Trades Council, one union branch (UNISON) asked for a Labour speaker on the platform of (today's) Anti-Cuts rally/ March... There was one Labour Speaker (out of 15 speakers)

Others speakers were the Green MP (Caroline Lucas), Socialist Party (Peter Offord), UNISON (Diana Leach), RMT (Garry Hassell), UCW local branch secretary, FBU (Fire Brigades Union) worker , Brighton Benefits Campaign (Pip Tindall, Green Party/Green Left), Brighton Unemployed Workers Centre (Tony Greenstein), Chris Baugh (dep gen sec of PCS), Dot Gibson (National Pensioners Convention), speaker from BrightStart Nursery, speaker from Connexions, a political officer from UCW. The 2 rallies (beginning of the march, end of the march) were chaired by Phil Clarke (exec Brighton and Hove Trades Council/Socialist Party) and Dave Jones (BrightStart Nursery/ Socialist Workers party), and a Sussex University Stop the Cuts Campaign speaker.

 

And of course, these demonstrations and marches will grow!

Dave Hill
Brighton Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition / Socialist Resistance/ Supporter of CNWP and of NSSN

Watch This Space- Details to Follow- MASS MARCH AGAINST THE CUTS in Brighton SAT 30 OCT

leaflets and publicity to follow.

The Brighton Coalition Against the Cuts has had a couple of delegate organising meetings... attended by 28, and by 38 delegates from political organisations, trade union branches, voluntary and community organisations.


The Brighton Stop the Cuts Delegates meeting Mon 4 October2010 discussed taking the arguments and protests against public sector cuts forward.

The main points decided were:

1. Support and publicise plans being put in place by unions for action around the full Brighton and Hove council meeting on the 21st October. This will council meeting will include a discussion on in year cuts in Brighton and Hove and in particular the fate of the connextions service. Details TBC

2. To organise and build a large public demonstration on Saturday the 30th October in Brighton in protest at the huge cuts that will be outlined in the spending review on the 20th. The aim of this demonstration as the first Brighton weekend protest against the governments cuts plans will be to get a huge turnout and bring together all of the local campaigns to defend services. The plan is to begin at 12 noon at the Level.

3. We will need every part of the Stop the Cuts campaign to help with the building for this demo and are appealing for funds and support from unions and organisations across the city.

4. Please get in touch if you can distribute material, put up posters or have ideas or suggestions about the event. Please also get in contact if you can help with organising or playing at a fund-raising gig.

5. To plan local meetings across Brighton on the main estates to broaden out the campaign. Stalls should be happening from 12 o'clock Saturday on Boundary Road, Portsalde, the Hollingdean Dip, and Hollingbury Asda, contact jon_redford@hotmail.co.uk for info/to help out.

6. To produce a newsletter and website for the campaign. A local newsletter with articles from the workers and service users under threat will be a very useful platform. Please email shona.mcculloch@gmail.com with articles and suggestions. Also to set up a website and produce anti-cuts window posters.

Dave Hill

Brighton TUSC public meeting - Resisting the Cuts in Greece and Britain

 

This Friday, 8 October

Excellent Brighton Anti-Cuts Coalition March and Rally Today (Sept 29 2010)

Report from Dave Hill

I counted 302 people on the march from Hove to Brighton Town Hall. Lots more joined us as they finished work, joined us at the rally. So I guess there were around 400 at the rally. Lots of speakers from unions such as Andy Richards from Unison, Mark Turner from the GMB, a speaker from the Connexions service (due to be/ threatened to be closed down by Brighton and Hove City Council. Also a speaker from the Labour Party, Leader of the Brighton Labour Group, Cllr. Gill Mitchell, who didn't exacly oppose all cuts- she gave some personal testimony instead about how the Cuts would affect her work in the NHS and NHS workers. Also, Cll. Bill Randall spoke, Green councillor. Also, Phil Clarke (Socialist Party, Secretary of the Brighton Hove and District Trades Council) and Bill North (Socialist Party, Chair of the Brighton Hove and District Trades Council. And I spoke (Socialist Resistance) on behalf of Brighton Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Lots of good speeches... enthusiastic rally/ crowd... TINA! There is No Alternative????? So say all the BBC. Sky-Murdoch news presenters... just watch them automatically assume there is no alternative to the Cuts... they are trying to make it `common sense'... but it ain't common sense... good sense (to use Gramsci's term) is No Cuts, Tax the Rich, pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, cancel the Trident replacement, have a maximum wage of... what? £100,000 a year? When the minimum wage is around £10,000 a year! Conservatives, Lib Dems, New Labour all promised massive cuts!

Here are some of the pics from the March. Lots of pics on Facebook sites. Wonder what the Press will make of it, locally and nationally. No mention at all of any action in Britain in support of the European trade Unions Day of Action- plenty on Sky/Murdoch News and the BBC about the General Strike in Spain (the first in eight years), also the ETUC demo in Brussels... even some mentionof Portugal ireland and Greece... but a total news blackout on Trade Union Anti-Cuts marches and rallies today in Britain. Ah well, we'll need to look up The Socialist, Socialist Worker, Socialist Resistance, The Morning Star and local blogs such as this one, the Brighton Socialist Party blog/ website, Andy Richards (HoveRepublic) blog, and Tony Greenstein's blog. 

But it wa s a great day/ march/ rally. More pics and video at http://hoverepublic.blogspot.com/

 

 

Brighton Stop The Cuts Coalition Launch

Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition launch meeting
7.45pm Thursday September 9
Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton
Speakers:
Caroline Lucas Brighton Pavilion MP
Chris Baugh Deputy General Secretary PCS union
Alex Knutsen Brighton and Hove Unison secretary
Andy Kilmister economics lecturer
Umit Ozturk Meditereanean Resources Network

...plus plenty of time for everyone in the audience to ask questions, discuss and debate how we can organise and take action to put a stop to these unjustified cuts to jobs and communities.

In Britain today our public services are under threat as never before as the government begins to push through the biggest cuts in the public sector ever seen. This will affect millions of people and nothing is safe. In fact health, education, welfare and above all the worst off in our society will be hardest hit.

In Brighton it is workers who support some of our most vulnerable children and frontline health care staff who are first in the firing line. We are told these cuts have to be made and we are ‘all in it together’, but this is not true. The government is using the financial crisis, caused by banks and speculators, to push through its political programme, breaking up the welfare state and privatising the public sector.

The Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition is supported by Trade Unions, campaign groups, political parties, voluntary and community groups. Come along to our public meeting to hear the argument against the cuts - and how you can become part of the campaign to stop them.

Join the Facebook event group for the Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition launch meeting here.

For more information contact Phil Clarke on 07709 696561 or email brightontradescouncil@gmail.com

Stop the Tory-Liberal Cuts and Build a New Workers’ Party

The coalition government is taking no time in pushing through its right wing agenda, huge public service cuts alongside privatisation under the guise of the ‘big society’.  Services in Brighton will be no exception as the welfare state is pulled apart in the name of deficit reduction while this cabinet of millionaires and their friends in big business reap the rewards.

Already over 100 university jobs have gone and now hundreds more in the council and health service are under threat. In a town that has already lost many jobs through the recession in the private sector these losses will be felt by services users and workers alike.

All those who are willing to stand against these cuts must work together to build resistance to the Tories, backing unions that take strike action and building demonstrations and support amongst the public. The formation of the Brighton Stop the Cuts Campaign with the Trades Council at the centre which includes unions, campaigns, voluntary groups and the Green and Labour and socialist parties is a move that Brighton TUSC fully supports and pressure must be put on our council to resist the cuts.

It is vital that while opposing the cuts we continue to raise the need for a new party of the working class, because without one we still fight with one hand tied behind our back. The Labour Party has not changed in opposition, it’s still undemocratic, warmongering and desperate for big business approval. Labour councils up and down the country are voting through cuts and the candidates for the leadership merely argue about the timing of public sector cuts.

This is why before the general election leading trade unionists and socialist organisations got together to form the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition with the aim of building an organisation that will give the working class a political voice again.

While uniting to fight the Tories we must set our sights higher than putting New Labour back in government. The Labour Party over the 13 years it was in power from 1997 failed to reverse the Tories anti-union laws and privatisation, in fact it carried on the pro-big business agenda of the Thatcher era. We can expect no better next time as Labour barely even talks left in opposition so we certainly can’t rely on it once in power.

To stop and reverse Tory polices the unions and workers need a political voice free from big business influence and the snouts in the trough corruption of the MPs of all parties.

To help make that happen get in touch with Brighton TUSC, raise the idea of a new party in your union branch or workplace and join the fight against cuts.

ONE HOUR LEFT TO VOTE!

One hour left to vote in Brighton Kemptown

Last chance to get out and vote for a Workers' MP on a Worker's Wage

Vote DAVE HILL

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Vote for a Workers' party, against the three big business parties- New Labour- LibDem-Tory

UCU picket line Sussex University 6 May: Stop the Cuts!

pics from the picket line

Dave Hill with Sally Hunt, general secretaruy of UCU, and Paul Cecil, President of Sussex University UCU, on the morning picket line. Lots of cars and lorries tooting theor horns, supporting the lecturers' strike.

and Meridian television came, too!

That's the Message- Elect a Workers' MP on a Worker's Wage!