Saturday 19 February 2011

DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL (video clips)

DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL
Organised by Keep Our NHS Public and Coalition of Resistance
Wednesday 16th February, 7,30pm,
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1, Holborn tube


Introduction: Fred Leplat (Coalition of Resistance)and John Lister, Health Emergency


Dr Jacky Davis


Wendy Savage, Keep Our NHS Public


Teresa Delaney, Coalition of Resistance


Dot Cotton, National Pensioners Convention


Questions and discussions (1)


Questions and discussions (2)

Friday 18 February 2011

BMA London vote against the health bill

Exclusive: The momentum in favour of a vote of outright opposition against the Government NHS reforms gathered pace last night after a fractious meeting called by BMA London voted to stop the health bill in its tracks.

An overwhelming majority of the estimated 250 people at the meeting backed a motion calling for the BMA to scrap its policy of critical engagement and instead introduce a policy of total opposition to the bill.

Up to 100 protestors carried out a noisy demonstration against the reforms outside the regional meeting and inside the hall at BMA House, health minister Simon Burns faced catcalls from some of the audience and saw the Government’s plans come under fire from BMA leader, Dr Hamish Meldrum.

The BMA London move is the latest in a series of motions by BMA divisions and council members calling for a policy change, which looks set to be debated at a BMA Special Representative Meeting next month.

Dr Meldrum, who has come under increasing pressure to drop the BMA’s engagement policy, set out the association's strong objections to the bill at the meeting, especially plans to ramp up competition from the private sector.

Also speaking at the meeting, shadow health minister Diane Abbott attacked the Government’s plans and afterwards declared the meeting was a sign of ‘all-out opposition to Tory health reforms.’

Mr Burns faced a string of questions from angry members of the audience, who demanded to know why the Government had not trialed its plans and also why many of the key elements of the health bill were not included in the coalition’s manifesto.

Outside the meeting, Dr Ron Singer, president of the Medical Practitioners’ Union and one of its GPC members, explained why they were protesting.

‘We think the changes proposed in the bill are so massive that nothing but outright opposition to, so that it never sees the light of day, it is the only course. A lot of people turning up tonight will tell the London division of the BMA that they must take a stronger line.

‘What is being offered to GPs – to run the NHS and have control over the budget – is just simply not true.’

acknowledgements to Andy Hewett

Tuesday 15 February 2011

DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL

DEFEND THE NHS – DEFEAT LANSLEY’S BILL
Organised by Keep Our NHS Public and Coalition of Resistance
Wednesday 16th February, 7,30pm,
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1, Holborn tube

Speakers:
Dr Jacky Davis
Frank Dobson MP
Wendy Savage, Keep Our NHS Public
John Lister, Health Emergency
Teresa Delaney, Coalition of Resistance
Dot Gibson, National Pensioners Convention

Meeting organised by Coalition of Resistance and Keep Our NHS Public

TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE THE NHS BILL

1. Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill will encourage “any willing provider” to cherry pick profitable slices of NHS services. It’s the biggest-ever privatisation of health care anywhere in the world,

2. The Bill will turn the NHS into a free market, cost billions to implement, and be far more unequal in its provision of services than the current system.

3. GP consortia, with their budgets squeezed to create £20 billion of savings will have to restrict access to hospital care.

4. GP consortia will have to employ private management consultants, who are the only people to have welcomed Lansley’s plans.

5. Patients will be even less informed as existing public bodies are replaced by local GP consortia, that function in secret sessions, and a remote national NHS Commissioning Board.

6. Health care services are to be privatised, with EU competition laws forcing GPs to put any service out to tender.

7. All limits on the money Foundation Trusts hospitals can earn from private medicine are to be scrapped. Hospitals will then prioritise attracting wealthy private patients

8. Price competition is to be introduced in clinical services, despite warnings that this will undermine the quality of care.

9. The limited “scrutiny” proposals are a fraud: GP consortia and the Commissioning Board will take their decisions in secret, and are not even obliged to go through the motions of consultation.

10. The Bill is opposed by the health unions and the TUC, the majority of GPs, and virtually every organisation of health professionals, including the Royal College of GPs and the BMA.
That’s why Lansley must be stopped. It’s time for urgent political action to Kill Lansley’s Bill.

Sunday 13 February 2011

UNISON United Left (UUL)

Message from Sue Tibbles

Thought you might like to see that UNISON United Left (UUL) has had a re-launch of its website.

http://unisonunitedleft.blogspot.com/

I am a member of UUL and was hoping to promote any public GL meetings we might be holding at the same time as UNISON National Delegate Conference in Manchester in June.

Saturday 12 February 2011

BRENT CAMPAIGN AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Meeting 10/2/2011: Trade Unionists and Climate Change

BRENT CAMPAIGN AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Meeting 10/2/2011: Trade Unionists and Climate Change


Introduction by Pete Firmin (CWU,Brent TUC) & John Stewart (Campaign Against Climate Change)


Nick Grant (NUT)


Questions and discussion (1)


Sarah Pearce (TUC Green Workplaces Project)(1)


Sarah Pearce (TUC Green Workplaces Project)(2)


Questions and discussion (2)


Speakers' closing remarks

Friday 11 February 2011

ACCESS TO ADVICE: MEETING AGAINST THE CUTS IN ADVICE SERVICES IN MANCHESTER

Friends Meeting House Booked Wed 16th Feb - 5.45 pm till (not too )late - Room 1 Mount St - behind Central Library

Anyone with concerns about the Advice Services is Welcome. Hope you can make it!

Did you know Manchester City Council have announced they will completely close Manchester Advice in the next few months-they cynically try and say that the voluntary sector advice services can pick up the slack -no way. > We still have to send people to Manchester Advice when we are too busy -plus the council cut almost £half million off our funding for the current year.

We need to let councillors know we want them to vote against the closure WE also want to let the public know about this and get them to lobby their councillors before the decision is made on 9th March

We also need to get MPs, councillors and the public to oppose the government's plan to scrap legal aid for welfare, debt, housing, consumer etc from next year

We have got together letters to councilors and MPs, leaflets, stickers, plans to involve the public -come along to the meeting to learn more about what going on and what you can do to save advice in Manchester

In advance please write to Richard Leese, Council Leader and you local councillors c/o Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, MANCHESTER M60 2LA

If time also write to your MP at House of Commons London SW1 0AA

Thursday 10 February 2011

Coalition Of Resistance events 12-19 feb

Week of Resistance | 12th February – 19th February

To build for the March 26th protest CoR has called a Week of Resistance.
The following events are planned:
• Saturday 12th February Right to Work People’s Conference
• Sunday 13th February Capitalism: A love story by Michael Moore. London Socialist Film Co-op 10.30 am the Renoir with discussion led by Tony Benn
• Monday 14th February Stop the Valentines Day Massacre of our Public Services. Downing Street 5pm-7pm with Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Steve Hart Unite – sponsored by SERTUC and Unite [ London and Eastern Region]. Download flyer
• Tuesday 15th February Mass Lobby of Parliament Tell MPs: Hands off our homes, our benefits and our rights. Rally in Central Hall Westminster and mass lobby of Parliament. 12-4pm. Called by Defend Council Housing.
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting Goldsmiths College with Caroline Lucas MP, Tariq Ali and Clare Solomon
• Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting with Keep Our NHS Public Conway Hall WC1 with Dr Jacky Davis, Wendy Savage and John Lister. More info.
• Saturday 19th February Mass leafleting for March 26th demonstration – stalls throughout the country.
• Saturday 19th February Visit George Osborne at home – a cross between ‘a place in the sun’ and ‘location, location, location’.

Monday 7 February 2011

Save Our Forests

The Campaign against Climate Change now has a time and place for our national public meeting to .

It will be Bloomsbury Baptist Church, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, at 1 pm on Saturday 12 March. We hope that people from London, but also from campaigns all over the country will come. There is room for 400 people.

The meeting will highlight the importance of forests to climate change, to 3,600 jobs, and to communities. We could say: Save Our Forests, Save Our Jobs, Save Our Planet.

The Climate Alliance has already agreed to sponsor this meeting with us, but we would like to involve other environmental groups, unions and local campaigns.

If you want to sponsor the meeting, or help in any way, please email Jonathan Neale at findjonathan@hotmail.com

Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference

Dear Colleague

Last opportunity to book-

Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February

I would be grateful if you could distribute this message to colleagues, activists, networks and members. Find out more and book places here
If you have any queries concerning the seminars, please contact me at the details below.

Best wishes
Phelim


(1) Equal Pay Act at 40 Conference
Wednesday 23rd February
9:30am- 4:30pm
At NUT Hamilton House London WC1H 9BD

with contributions from: Carla Bennett, Thompsons; Sheila Wild, Equalities and Human Rights Commission; Marian Scovell, Prospect; Ben Cooper, Old Square Chambers; Barry Smith, GMB; Amanda Brown, NUT; Anna Bird, Fawcett Society; Alison Humphry, Unison; Caroline Underhill, Thompsons; Sally Brett, TUC

Topics include: Ensuring equal pay isn’t cut by the cuts; Inquiry into Sex Discrimination in the Finance Sector; Length of service as a determinant in pay: Wilson v HSE & Cadman v HSE; When objective justification is required: Gibson v Sheffield Council; Demonstrating disparate impact: Pike v Somerset Council; The road to equal pay: a new approach; TUPE and Equal Pay: Sodexo Ltd v Gutridge; Farewell Equal Pay Act: future prospects for narrowing the gender pay gap


Phelim Mac Cafferty
Projects and Events Officer
Institute of Employment Rights
179 Preston Road
Brighton East Sussex
BN1 6AG
t: 01273 330819
e: phelim@ier.org.uk
www.ier.org.uk

We are proud of our ongoing work but recognise more needs to be done. Show your continued support by taking a subscription and joining our debate. Go to www.ier.org.uk

BRISTOL & DISTRICT ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE

BRISTOL & DISTRICT ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
BULLETIN - 30 JANUARY 2011


The campaign
We have now reached crunch time. The council budgets are being set, redundancy notices sent out, services stopped or sold off, grants cut and the NHS destroyed. We must make an all-out effort to show that the majority of people in and around Bristol oppose this. A lot of BADACA group meetings have been organised; lots of leafleting will be done in the next two weeks. Please help out.

Demonstration 19 February

Assemble - 11.00am Castle Park
March to College Green for rally at 12.00pm

We need:

Several thousand people on it - bring yourself, your friends, family and neighbours, workmates and members of any organisation you belong to
Leaflets giving out to advertise it - see below

Banners and placards
Trade union branches and community organisations to support. Please make sujre yours does.

60 stewards - if you are willing to do this please reply to this e-mail. It involves traffic management along the route, taking a bucket collection and helping to clear up at the end.
To have an impact and show the strength of opposition to the cuts, this demonstration must be big


Leafleting

Thursday 10 February 8.00am Temple Meads

Friday 11 February 9.30 - 11.30am BRI

Saturday 12 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Mass leafleting and stall in and around Broadmead - we need at least 20 people

Monday 14 February 4.30 - 6.00pm Meet at the bus station for leafleting at bus stops around the city centre

Tuesday 15 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Broadmead - meet in the centre of Broadmead for leafleting at various points

There are others in suburban shopping areas. For information contact Jeremy Clarke - jeremyhclarke@hotmail.com

Events

Monday 7 February 12.00 - 2.00pm Demonstration against cuts in legal aid Queens Square
7.30pm BADACA East Bristol (Fishponds) group Crosskeys pub, Fishponds Road

Tuesday 8 February 6.00pm BADACA health group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.00pm BADACA Communications group Watershed

Wednesday 9 February 7.00pm BADACA Youth Group Bristol County Sports Club, Colston St.
7.30pm BADACA Voluntary / Community Sector Group Shakespeare, Victoria St.

Thursday 10 February UCU, UWE strike UWE St Matthias and Frenchay
2.00pm BADACA Easton Group Easton Community Centre, Kilburn St, Easton

Friday 11 February 5.30pm BADACA Steering Committee Council House

Saturday 12 February Leafleting

TUC demonstration - March 26th

There will be lots of coaches going from in and around Bristol to this event. Many have been booked by trade unions with priority being given to their members but BADACA will ensure that there is affordable transport to the demonstration available to all. Further details will be sent out when arrangements are clearer.

The South West TUC is co-ordinating transport from this area.

If you are booking coaches please inform Nigel Costley, SW TUC Secretary - NCostley@tuc.org.uk

If you want to find out where coaches are going from, see http://falseeconomy.org.uk/themarch. There is not much on there at the moment but it will presumably build up. Do not leave booking a place until the last minute or try to

Other news

UCU lecturers' strike at UWE

Health Service reforms meeting

Forest of Dean protesters terrfify Tory MP

BADACA East Bristol Group Campaign Pack

Cameron reacts to student protests




Katie Buse

‘Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of Our Public Services’

LONDON DOWNING STREET TWILIGHT RALLY – 14 FEBRUARY 5-8pm.

Do come along with friends to the ‘Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of Our Public Services’ Rally, opposite Downing Street 5 – 8 pm on Monday 14 February.

This event is organised by the Coalition of Resistance and supported by SERTUC (South East Regional TUC), UNITE (London & Eastern Region), People’s Charter, Right to Work Campaign and many other organisations.

A draft flyer, with Clegg and Cameron depicted as gangsters, is attached or can be downloaded from - http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Week-of-Resistance_A6_web_4b.pdf

There will be short speeches from key figures, including representatives of the Egyptian Uprising. If there is someone you want invited to speak contact us.

This event is part of a Week of Resistance to involve people in building a huge TUC anti-austerity demonstration on March 26th - see http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2011/01/tuc-national-demonstration-against-cuts-26-march-london/ .
The week of resistance includes the following events in London:
Saturday 12th February Right to Work Campaign’s People’s Convention at Friends Meeting House, Euston.
Sunday 13th February Capitalism: A love story by Michael Moore. London Socialist Film Co-op 10.30 am the Renoir with discussion led by Tony Benn
Monday 14th February Stop the Valentine’s Day Massacre of our Public Services. Downing Street 5pm-7pm with Jeremy Corbyn MP, John McDonnell MP, Steve Hart Unite – sponsored by SERTUC and Unite [ London and Eastern Region].
Tuesday 15th February Mass Lobby of Parliament Tell MPs: Hands off our homes, our benefits and our rights. Rally in Central Hall Westminster and mass lobby of Parliament. 12-4pm. Called by Defend Council Housing.
Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting Goldsmiths College with Caroline Lucas MP, Tariq Ali and Clare Solomon
Wednesday 16th February COR Public Meeting with Keep Our NHS Public Conway Hall WC1 with Dr Jacky Davis, Wendy Savage and John Lister. More info.
Saturday 19th February Mass leafleting for March 26th demonstration – stalls throughout the country.
Saturday 19th February Visit George Osborne at home – a cross between ‘a place in the sun’ and ‘location, location, location’.
For other local Week of Resistance events see www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk .

Just the way to start your Valentine’s Day evening!

Please forgive cross-posting.

~paul~

Paul Mackney
(former General Secretary NATFHE- now in UCU)
Coalition of Resistance Steering Committee
www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk
paulmackney@btinternet.com
PO Box 56959 London N10 9AZ
07974 353 709