Passionate battle to Keep NHS Public.

For many months local campaigners in Lancaster and Morecambe have been battling to stop the governments plans for the NHS. These plans threaten the NHS through imposing  a market that welcomes profit-driven international corporations who answer to shareholders, not patients. 

This market will compel hospitals and health professionals, who have traditionally cooperated to deliver healthcare, to compete with each other and with the private sector. Amidst cuts and closures there will be a game of profit and loss and deepening inequality. A market system with winners and losers rather than equal and decent healthcare for all as a human right.

Carnival atmosphere at Lancaster's J30 Strike Day rally.

The centre of Lancaster took on a carnival atmosphere on June 30th, as local people joined hundreds of thousands of public sector workers across Britain united in strike action to defend pensions and public services. In bright sunshine, Market Square was filled with a crowd of over 400 people in a colourful show of resistance, including striking teachers joined by parents, schoolkids and community groups. Numbers were swelled further by striking civil servants and college lecturers. The strikers were joined by many other sections of the community including pensioners, students, carers and others  hit by the cuts. Amidst a sea of bright balloons and banners, hundreds of local people gathered to chat and listen to speeches from campaigners, while children danced to music from a local band. Groups of workers and community groups also united to march around the roads with banners and drums, briefly bringing lancaster to a standstill. 

This was a brief show of strength for some local trades unions and their allies. People came away feeling stronger and more united. Now more groups of workers feel encouraged to join the action - and millions more workers from much bigger unions are now balloting to join the next day of strike action on Nov 30. This public service workers fight is an important battle in the war against cuts, poverty, austerity and economic crisis. 

J30 Strike Solidarity Rally, Market Square.

On 30th June hundreds of thousands of teachers, civil servants and college staff will come out on one days strike together. This is the start of the great battle to save Britain's public services from the cuts and the vandalism imposed by a political system that serves the greed of the international banking system above the needs of the ordinary working people. Public service workers are fighting to defend their pensions - and also the services they work in and jobs for future generations. Join us!


Solidarity Rally. Lancaster Market Square. 
Thurs 30th June.
Events start 11am. Main Lunch-break rally 12:15am.


Speakers from local unions and community groups (NUT,TUC,UCU,PCS, Pensioners campaign, etc).
Live Music!
Street Theatre!
Stalls!
Balloons, Facepainting!
Discussion, solidarity, action!


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Last week over 80 local activists gathered at Lancaster Town Hall to plan and discuss the j30 strike day. The campaign has been super-busy for months now - often too busy to update this blog! We sent a train-load down to the great half-million strong London TUC march at the end of March. Since then we have been fully mobilised in the battle to save local services and keep the NHS public, fighting the Con-Dem governments plans to allow private corporations to leech off the NHS. Hundreds more people have attended dozens of LMATC and related activities. Now we are moving towards mass strike action, as well as other forms of protest action. The strikes by hundreds of thousands of public service workers on the 30th June 2011 will be just the start. We expect millions more to join in the action this autumn. We will not let this government (who no one voted for) sacrifice our public services, jobs and prosperity on the alter of the greed of a failed global financial system. Join the struggle - make history - protect your children's future!

Candle lit vigil to save the respite care centres.

Tuesday 1st March,
6pm - 7.30pm.
Dalton Square,
Lancaster.

Called by LMATC, faith groups, local charities and SORE (Save our respite establishments).


From The Lancaster Guardian:

PARENTS fighting to save a respite centre for disabled children are warning its closure would be “devastating” for families.

Alexandra House is one of eight centres across the county under threat of closure as Lancashire County Council seeks savings of £179m over the next three years.

The centre in Westbourne Drive, which opened 25 years ago, provides short breaks for young people with severe learning and physical disabilities and can accommodate up to five children overnight, giving parents much-needed respite.

Lancaster people occupy bailed out bank (RBS) and turn it into a public library!

Reposted report from 'Indymedia' of local action in Lancaster on Sat 26th Feb, 2011. This was part of a nationwide 'UKuncut'day of occupations. 

"A group of 20 - 30 activists and kids bailed in to the Lancaster branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and turned the bank into a libray for the morning. Entering the bank mid morning the space was quickly given a make over with books to browse, anti cuts leaflets to read, and a couple of large placards drawing attention to the fact that banking bosses at RBS got £950 million in bonuses despite the business operating at a loss of £1.1 billion in 2010. If the banking bail out means our libraries and services are to close, then the banks will be used to facilitate such services! The local Cops were caught completely off guard. They took almost an hour to respond to events. Then when they demanded to speak to whoever was in charge they were met with shrugs, blank looks, and "we're not protesting this is the library". With kids making good use of the available books and games, an adult reading revolutionary poetry, and a group of quiet readers the Cops seemed too embarrassed to attempt a forced eviction! They claimed taking pictures in the building was illegal but were then pointed towards the CCTV cameras on the walls! Eventually they just stood there helpless and the bank (or rather library) was put to good use until closing time".

Inspiring LMATC public meeting at Town Hall.

Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union) addresses the meeting at Lancaster Town Hall.

Around 150 people filled Lancaster Town Hall on the Evening of Thursday 23rd Feb 2011, to hear a series of inspiring speakers and discuss the way forward and future actions for the campaign. First to speak was Trade Union leader Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union. Crow castigated the governments cuts, arguing the Con-Dem coalition was being soft on the billionaire elites and tax-dodgers, who owe the country hundreds of billions in tax cheats. These rich elites should be made to pay for the crisis - rather than hurting the poor and vulnerable. Gina Dowding spoke for the Green Party outlining her vision of an alternative to cuts. Chris Bambery, national secretary of the Right To Work Campaign gave a rousing speech, which drew rounds of applause in its call for determined resistance to defend the welfare state. He also agreed with the other speakers that society should make the rich pay for the crisis that was after all caused by their crazy financial system. 
Next came speakers from the audience. These included an activist from the campaign to defend local respite care centres from the cuts, who spoke movingly of the need for respite centres to ease the lives of those caring for family members with a severe disability. Another campaign group speaking from the floor was the new 'keep the NHS public' group, who are resisting the Con-Dem plans which threaten to privatise and destroy the NHS. Other campaigners from 'women against the cuts' spoke out against how the cuts will affect working class women, who make up the majority of public service workers - and users - and who also shoulder the burden of care work domestically when services are cut. Students and local workers also spoke about their campaigns. 
The meeting agreed on several future actions, including next weeks candle lit vigil to save the respite centres and transport to this months major Trade Union led demo in London on March 26th.

Public Meeting, 23rd Feb, Lancaster Town Hall

Lancaster and Morecambe 
Against the Cuts

Public Meeting:

Cuts are wrecking our society …

…while the billionaires and bankers get richer.

Build the Alternative!

Wed 23^rd Feb

 7:30pm

Lancaster Town Hall.

Speakers include:

Bob Crow, RMT

General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

Chris Bambery, RTW

National Secretary of the Right to Work Campaign.

Gina Dowding

Lancaster Green Party

Not to be Flyposted.

www.LMATC.org.uk