Protests everywhere - Lancaster Protest - Outside the benefits office in Lancaster - Mitre House - Near Castle - 12 midday onwards.
Saturday 11 December 2010
The Liberal Democrats Funeral
Mourners buried the corpse of the Liberal Democrats in Lancaster today, after the parties death as a credible electoral force since it broke its promises over university fees and more.
Pics by Hilary and Mikey.
Saturday 4 December 2010
Report: Lancaster Marches Against the Cuts! Sat Dec 4th 2010.
NEXT WEEK - as the government tries to pass its fee rise in Parliament, students and others will be taking to the streets everywhere, including Lancaster on the Wednesday. More reports to follow.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Poster for Sat Dec 4th Lancaster City Centre Protest Against the Cuts.
Poster for Protest March Against the Cuts! Sat 4th Dec. 12 midday, Lancaster.
Download, print out and display a PDF poster promoting the next Lancaster protest on Dec 4th:
December 4th Anti-cuts protest march
Note new assembly point: Thurnham St Car Park, opposite 'Revolution' Pub, by Penny St Bridge and the Infirmiry.
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On this day the Con-Dem government will attempt to win a vote in Parliament for their deeply unpopular and destructive policy of massively raising tuition fees, despite Lib-Dems winning millions of votes by pledging to abolish fees!
Student protests will intensify next week, with local and national actions planned. There will be a march on Parliament in London on Thursday the 9th, while during the week students plan more protests in Lancaster, Preston, Manchester - and everywhere else across the land - in almost every city, town, suburb and village!
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Eyewitness Report: Lancaster School Student Protest, Tues 30th November.
For a second national day of action, protests by students at schools, colleges and universities swept Britain. The week before, Lancaster had seen a large, exuberant but peaceful school and sixth form students walkout and march. Organised over facebook, this Tuesdays march looked like it would be even bigger, with over 400 young people pledging to walk out of school. Unfortunately, the local police worked hard to try to prevent this protest. They went round the schools and had young people who had launched the facebook pages summonsed into head-teachers offices to be lectured about how it was somehow 'irresponsible' to organise such protests. The Facebook event pages were cancelled under pressure. At some schools assemblies were held where students were told that the protest had been called off - which was an untruth! Sixth form students were also threatened with the removal of their rights to the EMA if they went on the protest. It seems that governments and authoritarian forces are growing to fear the power and vitality of young peoples protest. Those in power know that a widespread revolt by young people - especially if it was joined by the millions of workers and others threatened by the cuts - this could sink this government and its hated plans.
Despite this apparent strategy of intimidation over 100 young people gathered, and were joined by protesters from the Adult College and other institutions A portable sound system turned up, and people began to dance in the snow. It was becoming like a carnival against the cuts!
The School and Sixth Form Students assembled in Dalton Square, and then march out, despite police attempts to block their way.
They marched up towards the Boys Grammar School to encourage them to walk out and join the protest. They had unconsciously started to use the same tactics as Lancaster mill workers on the great roving 'turnouts' of the 19th Century Chartist era! Unfortunately, the police managed to get in front of the school students and block their way just as they approached the Grammar School. A senior police officer was heard explaining to an onlooker that the police wanted to 'prevent disruption to the normal life of the community' and that the headmaster would not want the Grammar School disrupted by encouraging young people to protest. Behind this neutral sounding language is a clear political bias. Protests are also a part of normal, healthy community life - so by blocking the school students the police were distrupting community life! Furthermore, the government making cuts is disrupting the normal life of the community! If only Cameron, Clegg and their friends with bankers bonuses found themselves surrounded by the police! Sadly, our local police force had appeared to many to take sides against the protests, and seemed to be doing their best to disrupt, sabotage and stifle the legitimate voice of our young people. This is a shame, as the police are facing cuts too...
The students then marched to the University of Cumbria Lancaster Campus (St Martins College in Bowerham) to encourage students there to join the protests. A group of U of Cumbria students were ready with cardboard placards and marched down the hill to join the throng. But disgracefully the police took it upon themselves to block the students entry onto the campus! This picture shows the police line at the campus entrance blocking the path of the protest. This photo is symbolic - young peoples access to institutions of higher education is being blocked by sky high fees. Here the police graphically illustrate this blockage - a radical street theatre troupe couldn't do better to make the point! Nice one!
It was sad to see the Police Community Support Officers (PSCO's) being drafted in this way to take part in this politically biased and repressive policing. These workers are next in the firing line. PCSO's, many of whom are union members - will be victims of the cuts - as all Lancashire PCSO's are being threatened with 90 day redundancy notices in the next round of cuts in March 2011. This move will lead on to job cuts for some and casualised and insecure re-employment for others. Sadly, it may become harder for anti-cuts campaigners and trades unionists to win support for the PCSO's from sections local community in campaigning against this cut - if these workers continue to be used in a biased way to stifle or otherwise make the anti-cuts protests less effective. This only helps the government attack us all in their destruction of jobs, services and communities.
The student protestors of the 30th have issued this press release:
For immediate release:
---------
STOP PRESS - Next Student Day of Action - 30th Nov:
As part of a nationwide protest, hundreds of Lancaster area school, sixth form and F.E. students are taking rolling protest action to defend the right to education. Hundreds took to the streets locally on Weds 24th Nov, along with over 100,000 nationwide. They are protesting against the abolition of the EMA for college and sixth form students, and also protesting to defend the right to university education for all - without the the barrier of sky-high fees and life long debt.
LMATC is not part of organising these protests. Rather, they appear to be organised by sixth form and college students across Lancaster by themselves. This is a great start. Each section of society will organise their own defence against the Con-Dem governments attacks - but then we should link up in solidarity - into one massive movement to break the government - and support each other.
Therefore LMATC activists would wish to express solidarity with the student protests. These students are acting in a responsible manner by taking protest action now to defend the rights of future generations to an education. They are also providing inspiration to the rest of society to take action to defend all public services from the cuts.
This is a crisis caused by the greed and stupidity of the to super-rich banking elites and their capitalist system. The rights to decent education, health, environment and welfare for the working class and middle class majority should not be destroyed to pay for the failures of capitalism and the super-rich elites.
We therefore hope the students are soon joined on the streets by all other sectors of society hit by the Con-Dem governments unjust and dangerous cuts. Together we are stronger than governments! United we can win! Solidarity with the school and college students!
Defend the EMA and Public Services! Smash Fees! For Free Education! Unite to Break this Con-Dem Coalition!
According to the Facebook page of Lancaster and Morecambe Area School, Sixth Form and F.E College Students Action Against Cuts and Fees: The next protest is:
Tuesday 30th Dec. 11am - 14-00pm in and around Dalton Sq / Lancaster.
It is rumored that this time students from the universites may be joining them... Lets hope so!
---
Nov. 24th. 2010. Hundreds of Lancaster School, Sixth Form and F.E students took to the streets of Lancaster against cuts to EMA and education in general, plus rising university fees and this shit hypocritical government. Over 100, 000 across the UK did the same. And millions more across the world are taking to the streets against attacks caused by capitalism's global crisis.
As this crisis deepens, can these protests mark the beginning of the resistance in the UK?
Download, print out and display a PDF poster promoting the next Lancaster protest on Dec 4th:
December 4th Anti-cuts protest march
Note new assembly point: Thurnham St Car Park, opposite 'Revolution' Pub, by Penny St Bridge and the Infirmiry.
Lancaster and Morecambe Against the Cuts
March
Against
the Cuts!
Budget cuts at Lancaster City Council will be £2.4 million, plus £69
million off the county council –all this year alone!
Local services, jobs and community facilities will face closures.
The poorest in society made to pay, with attacks on welfare, social
housing and other services.
Cutbacks threaten our education and health services.
Young peoples’ futures stolen by abolition of teenagers’ Education
Maintenance Allowances.
University budgets slashed by 40% and tuition fees to be raised to
£9,000 a year.
But the rich are still getting richer at our expense …
Meet
Sat 4th Dec
12 midday
At Thurnham St Car Park,
Opposite ‘Revolution’ Pub
Near Infirmiry / Penny St. Canal Bridge.
Lancaster
(March through Lancaster City Centre to Rally at Dalton Square)
Rage Against Cuts and Fees!
Stop Press! Stop Press! Stop Press!
Thurs Dec 9th is D-Day!
Thurs Dec 9th is D-Day!
Protests set to Escalate!
Student protests will intensify next week, with local and national actions planned. There will be a march on Parliament in London on Thursday the 9th, while during the week students plan more protests in Lancaster, Preston, Manchester - and everywhere else across the land - in almost every city, town, suburb and village!
... Watch this space F.M.I !
... Organise your own protest!
... Join together in solidarity!
And this is more than a 'student issue' - its about equal access to education - and all other public services as a human right! All local people against the cuts are encouraged to join the protests!
-----------
Eyewitness Report: Lancaster School Student Protest, Tues 30th November.
For a second national day of action, protests by students at schools, colleges and universities swept Britain. The week before, Lancaster had seen a large, exuberant but peaceful school and sixth form students walkout and march. Organised over facebook, this Tuesdays march looked like it would be even bigger, with over 400 young people pledging to walk out of school. Unfortunately, the local police worked hard to try to prevent this protest. They went round the schools and had young people who had launched the facebook pages summonsed into head-teachers offices to be lectured about how it was somehow 'irresponsible' to organise such protests. The Facebook event pages were cancelled under pressure. At some schools assemblies were held where students were told that the protest had been called off - which was an untruth! Sixth form students were also threatened with the removal of their rights to the EMA if they went on the protest. It seems that governments and authoritarian forces are growing to fear the power and vitality of young peoples protest. Those in power know that a widespread revolt by young people - especially if it was joined by the millions of workers and others threatened by the cuts - this could sink this government and its hated plans.
Despite this apparent strategy of intimidation over 100 young people gathered, and were joined by protesters from the Adult College and other institutions A portable sound system turned up, and people began to dance in the snow. It was becoming like a carnival against the cuts!
ACCESS BLOCKED. A potent symbol of the times: Police blocking access to young people wanting to enter the University of Cumbria. "But officer, surely its the sole prerogative of the Con-Dem government to block young peoples access to higher educational establishments?!! :)
It was sad to see the Police Community Support Officers (PSCO's) being drafted in this way to take part in this politically biased and repressive policing. These workers are next in the firing line. PCSO's, many of whom are union members - will be victims of the cuts - as all Lancashire PCSO's are being threatened with 90 day redundancy notices in the next round of cuts in March 2011. This move will lead on to job cuts for some and casualised and insecure re-employment for others. Sadly, it may become harder for anti-cuts campaigners and trades unionists to win support for the PCSO's from sections local community in campaigning against this cut - if these workers continue to be used in a biased way to stifle or otherwise make the anti-cuts protests less effective. This only helps the government attack us all in their destruction of jobs, services and communities.
The student protestors of the 30th have issued this press release:
For immediate release:
'Student protest continues, despite discouragement from teachers and police'
"Despite discouragement from police and school teachers school students from across Lancaster met with students from the University of Cumbria, Lancaster University and Lancaster Adult College to demonstrate against the coalitions proposed cuts to education. In excess of 100 people gathered in Dalton Square, before marching round the centre of Lancaster, to the gates of Lancaster Grammar School and the campus of the University of Cumbria.
Two students from Ripley school told of how a morning assembly had been held at their school where teacher’s announced that the protest, which coincided with a national day of action against education cuts, had been called off. The students, who wished to remain anonymous, said
‘whatever our teachers say we believe this issue is just too important for us to not demonstrate today. This is our future people are making decisions about and yet no one seems to have asked us what we think about it. We’re demonstrating today because its the only way we can be heard.’
A large contingent of students from Morecambe High were present, despite the fact that their teachers had threatened to suspend their Educational Maintenance Allowance if they demonstrated today. One student from Morecambe High, who also wished to remain anonymous, said
‘the police threatened the guy who created the original facebook group, saying that the protest was illegal and asking him to cancel the group and the event. Lots of students have not come on the demonstration today because of what the police did. But we live in a democracy, its not illegal to protest, and since we can’t vote isn’t protest the only way we can take part?"
-------
Women in Lancaster have formed a group....
Women Against the Cuts!
As women, we face the most devastating attack on our equality and independence since the end of the First World War. Women are being made to bear the brunt of the spending cuts:
Because of pregnancy and family care, women are still disadvantaged in the labour market and too many are in the part-time, low paid jobs that are always the first to go. Women rely on benefits twice as much as men do.
Cuts in Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, Child Benefit, Housing Benefit and pensions will disproportionately hurt women. The two most vulnerable groups have been identified as lone parents, 90% of whom are women, and women single pensioners.
Women make up 73% of local authority services employees and 77% of the NHS workforce. Cuts to these services depend on the unspoken assumption that women will just be forced to step in at home to fill the gaps, taking on more and more unpaid care work to support the whole family’s caring needs. And our neighbours’ too, unless we want to watch them suffer.
The Tory / Lib Dem plans rely on women’s unpaid coping work at home and in the community replacing paid jobs.
The quality of care services for all elderly people in this country is a national scandal but because women tend to live longer than men and women’s pensions are on average 60% less than men’s, older women are particularly vulnerable to cuts in care services.
Public services are not ‘charity’. They are a right!
The annual deficit is £70bn - but the 1000 wealthiest individuals make £77bn in a year and £120bn of tax is dodged by the rich. Yet they are still fixing 72% of the cuts to the budget to come from women’s pockets. These cuts are stealing the progress made by women over the past fifty years and blighting the hopes of a younger generation of girls who will have to pick up what we leave.
We’re not having this. We’re not here just to be exploited. We’re going to pull together and fight back in our workplaces and communities – everywhere!
Lancaster Women Against the cuts.
Join us: womenagainstcuts@lists.aktivix.org
As women, we face the most devastating attack on our equality and independence since the end of the First World War. Women are being made to bear the brunt of the spending cuts:
Because of pregnancy and family care, women are still disadvantaged in the labour market and too many are in the part-time, low paid jobs that are always the first to go. Women rely on benefits twice as much as men do.
Cuts in Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, Child Benefit, Housing Benefit and pensions will disproportionately hurt women. The two most vulnerable groups have been identified as lone parents, 90% of whom are women, and women single pensioners.
Women make up 73% of local authority services employees and 77% of the NHS workforce. Cuts to these services depend on the unspoken assumption that women will just be forced to step in at home to fill the gaps, taking on more and more unpaid care work to support the whole family’s caring needs. And our neighbours’ too, unless we want to watch them suffer.
The Tory / Lib Dem plans rely on women’s unpaid coping work at home and in the community replacing paid jobs.
The quality of care services for all elderly people in this country is a national scandal but because women tend to live longer than men and women’s pensions are on average 60% less than men’s, older women are particularly vulnerable to cuts in care services.
Public services are not ‘charity’. They are a right!
The annual deficit is £70bn - but the 1000 wealthiest individuals make £77bn in a year and £120bn of tax is dodged by the rich. Yet they are still fixing 72% of the cuts to the budget to come from women’s pockets. These cuts are stealing the progress made by women over the past fifty years and blighting the hopes of a younger generation of girls who will have to pick up what we leave.
We’re not having this. We’re not here just to be exploited. We’re going to pull together and fight back in our workplaces and communities – everywhere!
Lancaster Women Against the cuts.
Join us: womenagainstcuts@lists.aktivix.org
---------
STOP PRESS - Next Student Day of Action - 30th Nov:
As part of a nationwide protest, hundreds of Lancaster area school, sixth form and F.E. students are taking rolling protest action to defend the right to education. Hundreds took to the streets locally on Weds 24th Nov, along with over 100,000 nationwide. They are protesting against the abolition of the EMA for college and sixth form students, and also protesting to defend the right to university education for all - without the the barrier of sky-high fees and life long debt.
LMATC is not part of organising these protests. Rather, they appear to be organised by sixth form and college students across Lancaster by themselves. This is a great start. Each section of society will organise their own defence against the Con-Dem governments attacks - but then we should link up in solidarity - into one massive movement to break the government - and support each other.
Therefore LMATC activists would wish to express solidarity with the student protests. These students are acting in a responsible manner by taking protest action now to defend the rights of future generations to an education. They are also providing inspiration to the rest of society to take action to defend all public services from the cuts.
This is a crisis caused by the greed and stupidity of the to super-rich banking elites and their capitalist system. The rights to decent education, health, environment and welfare for the working class and middle class majority should not be destroyed to pay for the failures of capitalism and the super-rich elites.
We therefore hope the students are soon joined on the streets by all other sectors of society hit by the Con-Dem governments unjust and dangerous cuts. Together we are stronger than governments! United we can win! Solidarity with the school and college students!
Defend the EMA and Public Services! Smash Fees! For Free Education! Unite to Break this Con-Dem Coalition!
According to the Facebook page of Lancaster and Morecambe Area School, Sixth Form and F.E College Students Action Against Cuts and Fees: The next protest is:
Tuesday 30th Dec. 11am - 14-00pm in and around Dalton Sq / Lancaster.
It is rumored that this time students from the universites may be joining them... Lets hope so!
---
Nov. 24th. 2010. Hundreds of Lancaster School, Sixth Form and F.E students took to the streets of Lancaster against cuts to EMA and education in general, plus rising university fees and this shit hypocritical government. Over 100, 000 across the UK did the same. And millions more across the world are taking to the streets against attacks caused by capitalism's global crisis.
As this crisis deepens, can these protests mark the beginning of the resistance in the UK?
MORE:
Story in 'Virtual Lancaster' blog here:
Mass meeting launches resistance to cuts.
Last Thursday (18th Nov) saw an extraordinary meeting held in Lancaster. Over 150 local campaigners crammed into the meeting hall of the City Centre Collegian Club, filling it to maximum capacity. Then what can only be described as a dramatic 'peoples assembly against the cuts' began to unfold. Speaker after speaker received cheers and loud applause at the packed out meeting as the temperature rose physically and politically.
The initial speakers included trade union representatives from local public service workers unions including local council, postal, railway, school and university workers along with green party councilors, pensioners, student protestors, Labour activists and community campaigners. All expressed anger at the way the working classes, and the public services and communities they serve were being destroyed to pay for a crisis caused by a greed driven banking system that profits only the rich.
People are seething over the reality that welfare for the poorest is being slashed while the government ignores the over £100 billion a year lost through tax evasion and avoidance. But what campaigners dubbed a 'government of millionaires' is soft on this tax cheats - who are primarily wealthy individuals and multinational corporations. Anger against the injustice that this stolen wealth could easily pay the deficit, instead of destroying public sector services, is driving the campaign. It was pointed out that many of these tax dodgers were high street brands like Vodafone.
To allow the maximum participation, each speaker from the start to the finish of the event was given just three minutes each to make their point, so the meeting heard testimonials from many local people working and living on the front line of services, jobs and local communities under attack. It became clear that these cuts will hit the most vulnerable and oppressed in our already deeply unequal society, including people with disabilities, those in social housing, young people, pensioners and carers. Feminists argued that women would be especially hit by the attack on the welfare state. Others talked about how the cuts would be bad for the environment, with cuts to home insulation, public transport and the privatisation of the forests marking a governmental attack that is both deeply socially and environmentally regressive.
The meeting also involved discussions about organising protest and resistance to the cuts. Protests and meetings are being organised by many groups and communities. Details will be added to this website. In particular, students in schools, colleges and universities will be taking action starting this week, then a coalition of local people will try to hand the local Tory MP an open letter against the cuts on Friday 26th Nov, and following this people will take to the streets of Lancaster in protest on Dec 4th. And these are just preliminaries for the big wave of protests planned everywhere for next year...
Thursday 11 November 2010
Friday 22 October 2010
Come to the Public Meeting at Lancaster Town Hall!
PUBLIC MEETING AGAINST THE CUTS
Thursday 18th November
7.30pm
Moved to the Collegian Club, Gage St, Lancaster.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
The Fightback Begins! - Photo's from our first Lancaster Protest
Monday 18 October 2010
Join the Protest! Weds 20th Oct. 6pm. Near Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster.
On Wednesday this ‘Con-Dem’ government will announce cuts to Britain’s public services on such a massive scale that they will change our way of life forever – and for the worse. This will make the biggest social changes since the wartime generation won the right to have a welfare state back in the 1940′s. Now the poor, the vulnerable and the working class majority will be made to pay for an economic crisis caused by the greedy rich bankers and their crazy financial system. Job cuts will throw millions onto the dole, threatening deeper recession. The sick, disabled and poor will loose benefits and housing. Libraries, swimming pools, playgrounds and theaters will vanish, along with some colleges and many other facilities. This is a massive injustice when we remember that the super-rich parasites who caused the crisis continue to rake in billions!
The government claims that it must reduce the deficit of £167 bn. Here are some simple alternatives:
Tax the super rich £77 bn
The top 1000 people in Britain got £77 bn more last year.
Scrap Trident £97 bn
Save £97 bn over 20 years
Tax banks’ profits £30 bn
The ‘Tobin Tax’ (Robin Hood Tax) would raise £30 bn.
Stop tax evasion £30 bn
The treasury lets at least £30 bn go uncollected from the wealthy each year.
End bankers’ bonuses £7 bn
‘Lancaster and Morecambe Against the Cuts’ is a rapidly growing local campaign. It was launched by local community groups, trades unions, councillors and many others at a well attended public meeting in mid-October. Since then support has flooded in. In towns and cities across the country similar groups are being formed and are holding local protests and meetings, as a new mass movement begins. We can also see the peoples of other countries are in a similar situation, and across Europe and the rest of the world strikes and protests are growing . This is just the start of a fightback that we hope will knock this ‘Con-Dem’ government off its disastrous and ideologically driven path.
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