In this email newsletter:
- International Workers' Day March in Stroud
- Workers Memorial Day
- What happened when Hunt came to town...
- Upcoming events
- How to take action on the NHS
- Money - problems and possibilities
- Bristol Anarchist Bookfair 2018
- NHS at 70 - Stroud events
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International Workers' Day March in Stroud
Saturday, 5th May 11.00am to 2pm, Stroud Subscription Rooms GL5 1AE
Don't miss this Rally, March, Band and Choir, and Communal lunch
Speakers: David Drew MP, Joanna Kaye (Secretary, Unison SW), Nigel Costley (Secretary, TUC South-West), Hannah Basson (SATC and Unite the Union)
From Stroud Constituency Labour Party: "In past years, there has been a good number of Union stalls on the Subscription Rooms forecourt, and we hope this tradition can be continued. Please bring your banners too. Stroud is buzzing on Saturday mornings and there is bound to be plenty of interest. Further details below
- 11.00am Union stalls on Subscription Rooms Forecourt
- 11.30 Gathering of marchers, entertainment from the Songs of Change Choir and Stroud Red Band
- 12.00 Marchers move off
- 12.30 March returns to the Subscription Rooms Forecourt
- 12.40 Lunch and speakers at Old Town Hall, The Shambles - all marchers welcome; donations very welcome
- 14.00pm Event closes"
Read about the history of International Workers Day: "Originally a pagan holiday, the roots of the modern May Day bank holiday are in the fight for the eight-hour working day in Chicago in 1886, and the subsequent execution of innocent anarchist workers." "In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891. Subsequently, the May Day Riots of 1894 occurred. In 1904, the International Socialist Conference meeting in Amsterdam called on "all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." The congress made it "mandatory upon the proletarian organizations of all countries to stop work on May 1, wherever it is possible without injury to the workers."" |
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"Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that important a priority. Workers’ Memorial Day (WMD) commemorates those workers. Workers memorial day logo Workers' Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, all over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day. The day is also intended to serve as a rallying cry to “remember the dead, but fight for the living”."
For updated statistics on the number of people killed at work, or dying due to conditions related to work, see this excellent presentation (pdf) from Greater Manchester Hazards group. |
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What happened when Hunt came to town...
On Thursday we learned that Jeremy Hunt would be visiting Stroud, and we've since learned that he is currently visiting every hospital trust in the country. The video above includes images from the protest, audio from BBC Radio Gloucestershire's coverage, and video of Mr Hunt's car being covered in flour.
We thought you'd like to know a bit more about what to do when Jeremy Hunt visits your town... this post covers what we did. We understand Hunt is touring every Trust in the country in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS on 5th July - so keep your ears peeled!
With just a few hours notice, we were able to organise a demonstration which 80 people attended - with the help of other local groups including HOLD - Hands Off Lydney and Dilke hospitals and Cheltenham and Gloucester Against the Cuts. We used a Facebook event: Tell Hunt - Hands Off Our NHS, sharing this into local groups, and made bespoke graphics too. We sent an email like this one to the 400 people on our email list, using Mailchimp... and sent a topical tweet riffing off the announcement of Trump's visit.
We also put considerable time (a couple of hours) into an advance press release - framed around questions we wanted to ask Mr Hunt. The media hadn't been invited to ask him questions but we wanted to make sure coverage would include these topics.
To be extra sure these questions couldn't be ignored in the coverage, we made placards that reflected these questions - and printed them out with large text on A2 paper.
We got very sympathetic coverage in the local media including BBC Gloucestershire, listen from 9 mins 30, and Stroud News and Journal: "Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's car pelted with flour in Stroud" .
The Stroud News and Journal made a great video with Caroline Molloy talking about why we were protesting.
Thanks to everyone who joined us, and to everyone who supports us to be able to pull something together like this at short notice - we rely on this help and the financial support we receive through donations!
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Money - problems and possibilities
Friday May 4th, 7.30-9.30pm, Star Anise Arts Cafe
The Green Party's May Coffee-House meeting "starts the debate on Money and we are joined by Molly Scott-Cato MEP and Duncan McCann of the New Economics Foundation for a wide ranging discussion from the European Central Bank to Community Currencies".
Facebook event: Green Party Coffee House - Money
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NHS crisis - how to take action
Panel session 1: 10.15-11.15am
* Aneira Thomas - the first NHS baby
* Dr Tony o'Sullivan - Keep Our NHS Public and Health Campaigns Together
* Zac Arnold - Hands Off Lydney and Dilke hospitals
Workshops - 11.30-12.30
* Keep our NHS public
* Docs Not Cops on the restrictions migrants face to accessing the NHS and their #PatientsNotPassports campaigning
Lunch - 12.30-1pm
Workshops - 1-2pm
* Bristol Care Workers Network workshop on the inspiring work they did booting Virgin out of the Bristol healthcare system
* Keep our NHS public
Panel session 2 - 2.15-3.15pm
* Fernando Parra - Gloucestershire Districts Health & Community International Officer - Unison
* Kevin Brandstatter - National GMB NHS organiser
* Kate Linnegar - Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North Swindon
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Bristol Anarchist Bookfair 2018
With the roots of Mayday in the execution of anarchists, the annual bookfair in Bristol is worth a plug - worth a visit whether or not you are interested in anarchism as an opportunity to learn about a variety of campaigns:
12noon-6pm, Saturday 12th May
The Black Swan, 438 Stapleton Road, Eastville, BS5 6NR Bristol, United Kingdom
"A day of stalls and workshops, and a night of music and good times.
We are constantly told what is possible by our rulers.
Reducing tax for the richest corporations? Having a public service run better under privatisation, despite the ample evidence to the contrary? Finding the money to bail our corporations or fund Nuclear weapons? All not just possible, but required!
Stopping the cuts to essential health and social care? Ending the use of British made weapons to kill civilians? Giving people the freedom to live their lives how they see fit? Supporting the most vulnerable in society, rather than callously exploiting them for profit? All, they are very sorry to say, utterly impossible.
If that is the limit of the imaginations of the media pundits, business executives and political parties so be it. The rest of us don't have to listen to them. We can demand the impossible, become the mythological, and change the world. "
"You will find all the usual exciting features of the Bookfair, such as the amazing range of radical literature, the networking opportunities, and stimulating workshops, films and discussions. Of course, tasty food will be available, and a parents&kids space provided."
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70 years of the NHS - Stroud events
We are currently organising a series of events to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS on 5th July 1948. Make sure you put these dates in your diary and look out for further updates:
People Vs PFI Exhibition-How come we’re still paying for this?
Lansdown Gallery, 25th June - 1st July
A photographic exhibition aimed at raising awareness and understanding of "Private Finance Initiatives" (PFI) in the UK. The photographs are mainly the work of Marion Macalpine (whose work has been shown before at the "How Come we Didn't Know?" exhibition in Line Gallery).
The exhibition illustrates the range of PFI deals across different sectors and throughout the UK, including schools, health, roads, prisons, housing and refuse into power schemes. It provides an overview of the extent to which PFI contracts have swallowed up public funds and channelled money into corporate coffers.
NHS - Free, for all, forever-National demonstration
Saturday 30 June 2018
Assemble 12pm, Portland Place, London W1A (nearest tubes: Oxford Circus / Great Portland St)
Parade route to 10 Downing Street, Whitehall
Organised by Health Campaigns Together and the People Assembly Against Austerity
" Say yes to:
- A publicly owned NHS that is free for all
- Proper funding and proper staffing
- Support for our wonderful NHS workers
- World class services for every community"
We will be organising coaches from Stroud to the London demonstration. Tickets available soon!
70 years of the NHS-Stroud event
Lansdown Hall & Gallery and Bank Gardens, GL5 1BB Stroud, Gloucestershire
10am-5pm
"The NHS was founded on July 5th 1948.
We'll be marking 70 years of the NHS at this day-long event at the Lansdown Hall in Stroud.
The event will include talks, stalls, workshops, film and entertainment in the evening - and we will be collecting funds to help our campaigns to defend the NHS
More details TBC - please let us know if you would like to take part, help organise the event, or suggest ideas!"
We would love to hear from people who would like to organise and/or perform at a party in the evening - get in touch!
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