WEMBLEY MATTERS News and views on local politics, the environment, climate change, culture and local history
Showing posts with label Peoples Assembly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peoples Assembly. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 October 2022
Monday, 4 January 2021
Friday, 30 October 2020
Brent-wide Cavalcade for Jobs - Saturday November 7th from 10am
BRENT TRADES COUNCIL'S DAY OF ACTION
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7TH 2020
CAVALCADE FOR JOBS
WE WON'T PAY FOR THE BILLIONAIRES' CRISIS
Assembly 10am Sainsbury's Willesden Green Car Park and drive through Church End, Harlesden, Wembley, Sudbury, Kenton, Edgware, Cricklewood, Kilburn and back to Willesden.
BRING YOUR CAR OR RIDE YOUR BIKE THROUGH BRENT
UNIONS JOIN THE CAVALCADE
BRING YOUR POSTERS
PUBLICISE YOUR DEMANDS
HONK, HONK AND HONK SO EVERYONE CAN HEAR
Take a photo of the convoy as it passes by it and post a message saying 'WE WON'T PAY FOR THE BILLIONAIRES' CRISIS,
WE WILL FIGHTBACK' or make up your own message and post on https://www.facebook.com/brenttuc.org.uk
Share on Twitter using hashtag:
#WEWILLNOTPAYFORTHEBILLIONAIRESCRISIS If you are on Twitter, tweet the photo using the hashtag . Tag our MPs, tag Rishi Sunak, so they all know about the protest.
Thursday, 21 February 2019
Brent meeting on March 14th will call for a General Election to end austerity
Brent Trades Council, Brent Momentum and the People's Assembly will be holding a joint meeting on Thursdy March 14th at the Learie Constantine Community Centre, Dudden Hill calling for a General Election in order to end austerity. Speakers include Ronnie Draper from the BAFWU, Eddie Dempsey from the RMT, Kiri Tunks from the NEU, Sabby Dhalu from SUR and a speaker from the Peoples Assembly, Dr Aislinn Macklin-Doherty and our very own Cllr Jumbo Chan who will address Brent issues. Obviously each speaker will address one aspect of the fight against austerity-academisation, precarious workers, safety on the railways and the fight against the rise of racism.
The aim is to re-ignite a campaign against austerity and the cuts in Brent.
On Monday Brent Council will make yet another round of cuts transforming many services into a 'reactive model' which means for example, that you don't get litter picked up as a matter of routine but only when you contact the council about it, as well as the closure of children's centres and slashing environmental services. With 60 out of 63 councillors Labour it will be interesting to see how many vote against the cuts budget.
The People's Assembly Conference back in December 2015 LINK passed a motion (below) calling for high profile resistance to cuts but this was not followed through when the Labour Party said that local councils must make 'legal budgets' and anti-cuts campaigns fizzled out as 'no cuts' budgets would have been declared illegal. Locally the anti-cuts campaign Brent Fightback died a slow death.
Conference calls for
People’s Assembly to launch a national campaign for councils to refuse to set cuts budgets this year and instead set ‘needs’ budgets based upon estimating what is actually needed to adequately maintain services and campaigning for the government to provide it.Conference therefore resolves to
1. Publicise and develop arguments around ‘needs budgets’ to aid activists
2. Prepare model motions calling upon councils to set no cuts budgets for use by local anti-cuts groups, trade union branches etc
3. Give a platform to, and amplify voice of councillors who vote against all cuts
4. In all council areas an electronic petition could be drawn up demanding councillors vote against all cuts, raising directly the issues that we face and the responsibility our elected representatives have to fight back.
5. Rectify lack of material on PA website supporting local campaigners around council cuts, especially around the political arguments (i.e. responding to ‘cuts have to be made’, ‘we have no choice’, ‘what would you cut instead’)
6. Organise a national meeting for councillors, trade unionists and anti-austerity campaigners to explore how councils can resist.
The meeting above will take place after Brent Council's cuts, some of which go into 2020-21 have been approved and implemented. How many of the above demands are still relevant?7. Compile and share information on examples of council ‘best practice’ in resisting austerity such as using reserves, no bedroom tax eviction policies, pledges of non-cooperation with the Trade Union Bill, Manchester Council opening up empty buildings to homeless etc.”
Resistance has now become a matter of calling for a General Election before the fixed term date of May 2022. Unfortunately huge damage has already been done to child and adult care, children's centres, and youth services and the poor have to pay an increasing proportion of rising council taxes. If Parliament runs its full term it will be hard to rebuild services.
Radical solutions to local government financing are required as well as ways of making local councils much more democratic with full involvement of all councillors, proper scrutiny and links to community organisations and campaigns.
The full list of budget proposals including cuts ('savings') can be found HERE
Friday, 29 June 2018
Show some #NHSLove tomorrow & celebrate 70th anniversary
Message from Larry Sanders, Green Party Health Spokesperson
Tomorrow, I will be taking part in a demonstration in London celebrating the 70thanniversary of our wonderful NHS.
The event has been organised by a range of health and campaign organisations, including Health Campaigns Together (of which the Green Party is an affiliate), the People's Assembly and the Trades Union Congress.
We assemble at 12 midday at Portland Place, London and will march together to Downing Street.
The marchers will include Greens, including Deputy Leader Amelia Womack, as well as people of all parties and none. Together we will affirm our support for a publicly owned and properly funded NHS, that is free for all, and show our appreciation of our amazing NHS workers.
Yours in solidarity
Larry Sanders
Green Party Health Spokesperson
Green Party Health Spokesperson
Thursday, 14 April 2016
No Brent councillors sign anti-austerity anti-funding cuts statement
Almost 150 Councillors from across the
country have signed a letter slamming the Government for massive funding
cuts and and will be joining the tens of thousand of people who will be
marching in London for the People’s Assembly ‘Health, Homes, Jobs and Education’
demo on Saturday April 16th.
Although councillors from neighbouring Harrow and Camden have signed thare are none from Brent.
Although councillors from neighbouring Harrow and Camden have signed thare are none from Brent.
The letter followed George Osborne’s ill-fated budget
which piled on more misery for millions as the Government laid out plans to cut
support for disabled people while offering tax breaks for big business and the
wealthy.
With an extra £3.5 billion axed from public spending,
Local Authorities are among those that will be bearing the brunt of the failed
Tory austerity agenda.
People’s Assembly National Secretary Sam Fairbairn said:
The Tories are increasingly out of touch with the reality of life for most people. Every time they say ‘we all in it together’ it’s another slap round the face of millions of people. The revelations that have unfolded with the ‘Panama Papers’ show the super-rich hiding their wealth in tax havens on an industrial scale. This means they avoid taxes that would pay for all the social benefits that are currently under attack and people are understandably angry. We’re now seeing the potential for big unrest across the country and it wont be long until this government face a movement for change they can’t control.
This is why we believe that the demonstration for ‘Health, Homes, Jobs and Education’ in London on April 16th will be significant as the anti-austerity movement and opposition to Tory cuts grows and thousands take to the streets. We call for Cameron to resign and for the Tories to be booted out of office
As Councillors we believe this Tory Government’s ideological opposition to public services lies behind the deliberate underfunding of Local Authorities.
Councils have faced unprecedented cuts; Local Authority grants in England have been slashed, with £12.5 billion of cuts and half a million Council workers losing their jobs since 2010. Osborne has forced through 40% cuts to Council budgets meaning that local authorities face the reality of cutting frontline services including Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, leaving those that rely on them at risk.
We believe that austerity is a political choice. We oppose all cuts from Westminster and believe Osborne’s plans for Local Government will only make a bad situation worse.
We call on the government to reverse cuts to council funding so we are able to provide essential services our communities rely on. Furthermore we call for an end to austerity that is seeing living standards for the majority fall. This is why we also support the national march for Health, Homes, Jobs & Education on Saturday 16 April 2016 in London organised by the People’s Assembly.
If you are a councillor and wish to add your name, please go to www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk
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