Brent People's Assembly Meeting Monday at the Prince of Wales

There is a meeting tomorrow (Monday) to discuss the setting of a People's Assembly Against Austerity in Brent.

I support the People's Assembly nationally but wrote to the organisers of this meeting pointing out that Brent Fightback, with much the same agenda, already existed locally.

This is their response:

I recognise the invaluable role Brent Fightback has played in the fight against cuts locally but setting up a Brent Peoples Assembly is not in conflict with the good work of Brent Fightback. The Peoples Assembly is a growing national umbrella organisation which has placed the fight against cuts, fight for jobs, improved services, for the NHS  and education as aspects of the overall fight against austerity and the PA is uniting its members by making demands which are set out in the Peoples Charter.

At a recent meeting of the national organisation Richard Lynch fedback that the PA in London is developing local branches in Camden, Barnet etc. and national TUs and local unions are affiliating to the organisation. It is possible that there are local Brent people who may be interested in setting up a Brent PA and the meeting on Monday is providing an opportunity to find out whether there is scope to develop this organisation locally. If there is we must then discuss how Brent Fightback and a local PA join up. A first step could be for Brent Fightback to affiliate to the PA.

I believe that in the past Fightback has been affiliated to the PAA  althought that may have lapsed.  We have certainbly attended their marches and conferences as well as a West London PAA event. I would be the first to admit that we need to attract a broader group of people, users of services as well as trade unionists, and  the younger people who are active in other campaigns such as Brent Against Racism Campaign and Brent Housing Action.

On the other hand it would not be good to duplicate activities and just provide the 'usual suspects' with an additional meeting. Burn out is  a real issue for Brent activists.

I will be going along to the meeting with an open mind:

6.30pm on Monday 6 October at the Prince of Wales Pub, 101 Willesden Lane, London NW6 7SD (a short walk from the junction of Kilburn High Road and Willesden Lane).