Sunday 19 December 2010

Two events taking place tomorrow (Saturday) 18DEC10

1. TUBE STRIKE
Tubeworkers from the RMT Bakerloo Line will be on strike tonight and tomorrow. There will be a picket line at the Elephant and Castle, Bakerloo Line entrance this evening and tomorrow morning. Please go along and show your support.

2. BRIXTON TOPSHOP: "SAT 18 DEC = PAYDAY "
11AM outside Topshop
Last year Philip Green, owner of TOPSHOP DODGED £290 MILLION
That money should have paid the EMA for over 276,000 students and paid for their school sports! LETS TAKE TAX ENFORCEMENT INTO OUR OWN HANDS
For details and other PAYDAY activities go to UKUNCUT.ORG.UK

Thursday 9 December 2010

JOIN OUR ACTION TODAY & DECISION TO MAINTAIN OCCUPATION - from Camberwell Arts College

ALL MEET AT LCC (ELEPHANT & CASTLE) AT 10.45
we leave Camberwell occupation at 10. Then head up to LCC, then LSBU for their walkout and rally, then go our own route for our action, which will be peaceful, unarrestable and really, really fun! 

Last night we had an amazing night; with Pil and Galia Kollective coming down at short notice to give us an intelligent, open debate, and JJ from the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination got us all thinking up and running about with his group direct action games. The two contrasted really well and got us all ready for today!

We also obtained the financial information we demanded from the university! This was one of our demands, and we are the first occupation to have this demand met! The books prove that 70% of the CCW budget is spent on administration, most of which is at Davies street , which Camberwell did without for many decades, which we DO NOT NEED. ONLY 30% OF THE CCW BUDGET IS SPENT ON TEACHING RESOURCES. WHAT??????????

We had a big meeting after dinner with about 36 people present, where we decided on a peaceful, unarrest-able action that we will be doing with London Southbank University this morning. We decided that it was really important to show solidarity with other local colleges and Universities, so that we start to create a lasting local network of action and support. 
Please do come out and meet up with us and make yourself useful on what will be a historic student day of action!

In other news,
WE HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP OCCUPYING. It would be no good if the moment we are meant to be on holiday, we give up our fight for 4 weeks! We all decided last night that we will stay in occupation through the holidays. This means we will need as many people with any spare time to come down over the next few weeks, and join in and stay. We need to show the university, the government and the public that we are not just here for a laugh, and that we should be taken seriously. We will continue to use the space for organising, making, and planning actions, and keep making a nuisance of ourselves. 

Come and join us today!
The occupiers
x

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Anti-cuts campaign gears up in next few days – HOW YOU CAN HELP

Following the central London demonstration by thousands of students last week, including many from Southwark schools, there is another, even bigger march on parliament this Thursday: DAY X. And next Tuesday 14th we will be demonstrating at Peckham Town Hall against Southwark council’s spending cuts.

WHAT YOU CAN DO STRAIGHT AWAY
Pass on this email, text or phone others, use Facebook to spread the word - Tell friends/fellow students, workmates and campaigners about the events below
Contact everyone in your community group/union branch

Action this week:

Leafleting today and tomorrow (Tuesday/Wednesday)
Can you help to give out leaflets? (Ring John on 07519811657 urgently)

Tuesday 7th : Support the Occupation at Camberwell Arts College!
Send messages of support.Contact Nik: 07921956219; Catarina: 07549942903; Tobias: 07512248598; camberwellanticuts@gmail.com

Wednesday 8th : students day of Action
South Bank University Assembly of University Staff & Students - speakers: a student from a London occupation, local trade unionists etc. (4 pm - 6pm in Room B230);

Thursday 9th : The vote on tuition fees takes place in Parliament (Daytime and evening protests)
Students, workers, communities, family-members, friends...
WE NEED EVERYONE THERE! (If you can't leave work early, come after work)
11 am - LSBU students assemble; 12 noon - school students and all others.
London South Bank University, Keyworth St, SE1 6NG, near Elephant & Castle. (If you work in central London, go to ULU, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY)
12-3 pm   Marches converge on Parliament
3pm - late
Vigil on Victoria Embankment /outside Parliament (til vote is taken)

Friday 10th : London Wide Assembly
All students and workers are invited to discuss what's next for the movement against University tuition fees and to defend the EMA. (6 pm at LSE, Clement House Aldwich WC2B 4JF)

Saturday/Sunday 11th /12th
Stalls and leafleting to advertise events on Monday and Tuesday (see below); Can you help? (Ring John on 07519811657)

Monday 13th - Day of Action to Save EMA
Local actions - morning & lunchtime. If you are a school student, send us your ideas, and we will try to get others involved!
4 pm  Protest outside the government's Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, 1 Victoria Street SW1H 0ET – school students, education workers and everyone - come along!


Tuesday 14th December at 3 pm (note new time)
Protest at Southwark Council Cabinet Budget meeting
which will be deciding which services will be cut and how many jobs will go! At the Town Hall, Peckham Road, SE5 8UB (Contact us for leaflets and posters)


Thursday 16th December: STOP THE MADNESS -HANDS OFF LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES
Public Meeting: SPEAKERS Dr Louise Irvine local GP , John Lister (Health Emergency) 7pm at WALWORTH METHODIST CHURCH, 54 Camberwell Road

Advance notice:
Next SSOS Organising Meeting on Wed 19th January
Open to all. Please come. 7pm, Room A3, South Bank Uni, London Rd building.


SSOS needs help with web/publicity
Southwark Save Our Services is growing fast to keep up with the massive attacks being launched by government and local council.

We have built the student actions, leafleted schools, colleges and in the street, held a protest outside the Town Hall, connected with council tenant groups - and started to be a focus for uniting and fighting the cuts. But we are running out of hands. None of us active members are techie-types - and our facebook/twitter/blogspot profiles are falling behind. We are not even finding time to upload our publicity leaflets! Nightmare!

We need someone willing to work with the other busy members to make sure our web presence reflects what we do and what we want to do. Can you help? Please contact Nicola at southwarksos@gmail.com

Camberwell University of the Arts Occupied today!

Monday 6 December 2010

At one o’clock this afternoon, Camberwell College of the Arts joined a wave of other occupations around the UK. It became the first of the UAL’s colleges to occupy in protest against the proposed cuts; which are especially harsh for arts and humanities education, and the rise in student fees. The students called for all arts students to join the occupation, or take their own action in solidarity.
                             
They released this statement:

We, the students of Camberwell College of Arts, believe that if the massive cuts proposed for education happen, it is unlikely that academies such as ours will continue to exist. Arts and humanities courses are being targeted with the largest cuts, while still requiring a great deal of funding, which even a rise in fees will not cover. In response, we have decided to occupy the Wilson’s Road building at our college.
We see the arts as occupying a vital place within society, one which benefits us all, both culturally and economically. If arts education ceases to be a viable route for students, that benefit will be lost.
An artless society is a heartless society!
We oppose the transformation of education into a market. Education should be a forum for all publics, not just those who can afford, to learn, experiment and debate.
Therefore, we call for all arts students, especially those from UAL to join this occupation, and call for more arts-led occupation and actions. We propose to use our space for a practice led resistance.  We will run workshops, performances, debates and experiments, creating a collective space of generative discourse. At no point will we disrupt any fellow student’s education, allowing all scheduled lectures to continue. We wish to propose, rather than simply oppose!

We demand that UAL:

Issue a statement condemning all cuts to Arts education, and the rise in tuition fees and defending the value (economically and culturally) of Arts education for society, and its place within government funded education.
·         Put pressure on the MP of every borough that UAL has a college in to vote against the educational reforms.
·         Guarantee that there be no more course closures, or course amalgamations. This includes, if possible, the re-instatement of the Ceramics courses.
·         Safeguard all jobs for our teaching, research and support staff.
·         Issue a statement guaranteeing no further cuts in access time to workshops and facilities. This means no losses of current facilities, studio space or access time to workshops.
·         Provide full details of the existing budgets, and any projections of how the budget is likely to be spent if cuts and fee reforms do happen.
·         Provide all cleaning, catering and security staff with a full living wage package, again with no loss of jobs or hours, and that all outsourced staff and services are brought back in-house.
·         Provide a more effective, regular structure for student feedback which effects positive change, in the normal running of the University.
·         Do not victimize anyone taking part in this occupation.
·         Allow free access in and out of the occupation for all students, staff, speakers and other visitors.

The Occupiers, Camberwell College of Arts


Contact Details:

Nik: 07921956219
Catarina: 07549942903
Tobias: 07512248598
Twitter: @camberwellantic
Facebook: Camberwell Anti Cuts
http://www.3-camberwell.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 1 December 2010

SIMON HUGHES speaking at South Bank University - Thursday 2DEC

Join the protest - Simon Hughes, LibDem MP, is speaking at London South Bank Uni. We need to put pressure on the LibDems to honour their pre-election promise and vote against the hike in tuition fees. Come along at 5pm Thursday 2DEC10 on London Rd at the Elephant & Castle to make your voice heard!