Monday 25 May 2015

Protests, petitioning and leafleting – it’s time to get involved!

Southwark Action Alert      25th May 2015

More than 60,000 people have already said they will attend the People’s Assembly March Against Austerity next month. Southwark campaigners will be meeting up at Elephant and Castle and going up together to the Bank of England assembly point. There’s a local planning meeting this week and more leafleting this weekend. Contact details are below, if you can help.

See details below about two strikes coming soon in south London that need your support: at Lewisham and Southwark College and at the Globe Theatre.

Various protests, petitioning and leafleting sessions are happening this weekend. Whether you feel strongly about one campaign or are just fearful of five more years of government cuts and austerity, now’s the time to get involved!

***Please put in your diary this month’s events, shown below***

Please tweet this listing, link to our website or post on your own Facebook page. Thank you.

EVENTS LIST


Tuesday 26 May
6.30-7.30. South London People’s Assembly planning meeting to build the June 20 anti-austerity demonstration. Meet at Bread and Roses, 68 Clapham Manor St, SW4 6DZ (in the garden room at the back). All welcome. If you've never come along before, now is the time! Flyers and posters will be available to take away. Meeting Facebook event here. Demo Facebook event here. More information from secretary@southlondonpa.org

Tuesday 26 May
7pm Southwark Defend Council Housing meeting at the Alvey Estate Tenants Hall, ground floor of Thomson House, Beckway Street, off East Street, SE17 1TS. Beckway Street is close to the end of East Street at its junction with the Old Kent Road. Map here. Agenda includes the campaign against the demolition of the Aylesbury, the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area (Council Estates will be in it), Southwark Plan, lobby of the Council Assembly 8 July.
More information from southwarkdch@gmail.com

Wednesday 27 May
 5:30pm. Protest on day of the Queen’s Speech; End Austerity Now! Assemble: Downing Street, then at 6.30 march to rally at 7pm, Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, Westminster SW1P 3DW. Called by the People’s Assembly. More details here.

Friday 29 May
6pm-7pm. Aylesbury Estate petitioning on Wendover against demolition and in favour of refurbishment. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Saturday 30 May
12noon to 1pm. Petitioning against demolition of council homes (to be presented to the Council in July). Outside Morrison’s, Walworth Road, Opposite East Street SE17. Organised by Southwark Defend Council Housing campaign.

Saturday 30 May
1pm, Demonstrate in support of the campaign against the privatisation of the National Gallery and reinstatement of sacked Senior PCS rep Candy Udwin. (Members are also on strike again from 26 May to 4 June). Called by national PCS and supported by People’s Assembly. Come along and bring workmates and friends. Facebook event here. Strike info at http://bit.ly/NGrallyM30

Saturday 30 May
Various times. Leafleting to publicise the People’s Assembly demonstration on 20 June. (See below). To find out where your nearest leafleting point will be, contact secretary@southlondonpa.org

Sunday 31 May
4pm-5pm. Aylesbury Estate petitioning on Wendover against demolition and in favour of refurbishment. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Monday 1 June
8.30am - 3pm. Come to support Globe Theatre workers who are striking in a dispute over pay, at their picket line. Workers are members of BECTU trade union. Background info here. If you can’t come, send a message of support to the strikers via southwarksos@gmail.com

Thursday 4 June
All day. Strike against education cuts and redundancies at Lewisham Southwark College. 312 jobs are at risk. The Camberwell site is threatened with complete closure. This will devastate South East London by almost demolishing FE in two boroughs where it is a crucial second chance for many people. Contact savelscollege@gmail.com for more info. or to send messages of support.

Friday 5 June
6.30 pm. Defend Lewisham Southwark College campaign meeting in Room 150 Goldsmiths University, Main Building. (See information above about the threat to FE in South East London). Come along, or contact savelscollege@gmail.com for more info or to join the mailing list.

Wednesday 10 June
7pm. Public meeting about the cuts to Lewisham Southwark College. (See above). Venue: St Giles' Church, Camberwell, SE5 8RB. The campaign is asking for volunteers to help with leafleting and other publicity. Contact savelscollege@gmail.com


ADVANCE NOTICE

Saturday 13 June
11am-4.30pm. Defend Council Housing Tenants and Housing Summit
The summit will bring together housing campaigners to share experiences. How do we build resistance after the after the brilliant campaigns at Focus E15, New Era, Fred Wigg, Aylesbury and Cressingham and Sweets Way, and the March for Homes? Venue: Bloomsbury Baptist Church Hall, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8EP. Near Tottenham Court Road & Holborn underground. See www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk or contact info@defendcouncilhousing.org.uk

Saturday 20 June
12noon. National Demonstration and festival: END AUSTERITY NOW - the message to the new Tory government. Assemble 12pm, Bank of England (Queen Victoria St) City of London. Nearest tube: Bank. Southwark meeting point: outside Metropolitan Tabernacle opp. Elephant & Castle Rail Station. Called by the People’s Assembly. Weblink here. Share & invite your friends on Facebook.


OTHER LOCAL CAMPAIGNS not listed above:

Campaign to Save the Aylesbury. Campaigners are supporting local tenants to oppose the demolition of council housing in Southwark. Replacing social housing with private dwellings is denying thousands of people decent, affordable housing.  A petition demanding that the Council respects the result of their ballot in 2001, or gives them another vote to decide what happens to their homes is being circulated. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public organising meet monthly in the upstairs room at the Phoenix pub, 348 Clapham Road, SW9 9AR (between Clapham North and Stockwell tube stations). There is no Southwark KONP group so Southwark activists please make contact with the Lambeth group to find out about local activity. The group have a new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LambethKONP .

London Play and Youth Work Campaign is supported by Unite the Union. If you're a playworker, a child, a mum, a dad, a cousin, a youth worker, or you’re just concerned about cuts to youth services, please join. The campaign’s Facebook page is here. Contact  londonplaycampaign@gmail.com

London Unemployed Strategies (LUS) - a campaign to give a voice to unemployed people. For more information and to get involved, contact Nick on: 020 7467 1283 or 07530 001653, or email nickplus007@gmail.com. Facebook page here.

SolidariTEA, a weekly drop-in between 2pm and 4pm for those affected by work capability, benefits & housing problems etc. Mutual support & planning direct action, at 97 Dawes House, Orb St, Walworth, London, SE17 1RD. For information, email to solidariteasouthwark@gmail.com or phone 07966180429 on Mondays pm.

South London Unite the Resistance. For news updates and action alerts on trade union and anti-austerity events in south London, join the email list by writing to southlondonunitetheresistance@gmail.com or phone 07956579466.

Southwark Trades Council meet on the second Wednesday each month at 160 Tooley Street. The Trades Council or local TUC group is a forum for local unions to meet and organise together. ALL Southwark trade union members are welcome. Contact 07983475050 or southwarktuc@gmail.com for more information.

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts can be contacted at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB or by emailing southwarkdpac@mail.com

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Shocked & depressed by the election result? Opposition has already started in Southwark

12th May 2015

The election result is a bitter blow to all of us campaigning for public services, decent benefits & welfare provision. But the stakes are too high for us to roll over and accept £12 billion of welfare cuts, privatisation and job losses.

During the past five days, forty thousand people have signed in on Facebook to attend the anti-austerity demonstration on 20th June (details below). This is a sign of the opposition the government can expect. Locally too, there are campaigns than need your help.

Lewisham and Southwark College has been singled out by the Tories for the harshest cuts of any Further Education College in the country. 312 jobs are at risk. The Camberwell site is threatened with complete closure. This will devastate South East London by almost demolishing FE in two boroughs where it is a crucial second chance for many people.

EVENTS LIST

Tuesday 12 May
10am.  Aylesbury CPO Inquiry - Southwark Council is trying to compulsorily purchase housing to make way for luxury housing built by Barratt homes. Venue: Millwall Conference Centre, the New Den, Zampa Road,SE16 3LN. (Map) Come along and join the campaigners. Find out more here.

Campaign to Save the Aylesbury. Campaigners are supporting local tenants to oppose the demolition of council housing in Southwark. Replacing social housing with private dwellings is denying thousands of people decent, affordable housing.  A petition demanding that the Council respects the result of their ballot in 2001, or gives them another vote to decide what happens to their homes is being circulated. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Wednesday 13 May
7pm Southwark Trades Council meeting Main item: how local unions can work together to respond to the upcoming attacks, at 160 Tooley Street (Room GO3). The Trades Council or local TUC group is a forum for local unions to meet and organise together. ALL Southwark trade union members are welcome. Contact 07983475050  or southwarktuc@gmail.com for more information, or just come along on Wednesday.

Friday 15th May
6.30 pm. Defend Lewisham Southwark College campaign meeting in Room 150 Goldsmiths University, Main Building. (See information above about the threat to FE in South East London). Come along, or contact savelscollege@gmail.com for more info or to join the mailing list.

Tuesday 19 May
4.45- 5.45pm. Demonstration against massive cuts at Lewisham Southwark College, including closure of the Camberwell site. Assemble outside the Lewisham Way site to lobby the governors.

Thursday 21 May
7.30 pm onwards. Fundraiser for the ‘Defend Lewisham Southwark College campaign and strike at the Amersham Arms,  388 New Cross Rd, SE14 6TY. Acts: ONE JAH (formed at Lewisham College) / COLIN SAMURAI / STEVE MORRISON / TRACKHORSE / CERI JAMES and The Three Fifths. MIKUS Dub DJ and PAT LYONS Master of Ceremonies. Facebook event here.

Thursday 21 May
7pm. Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public organising meeting in the upstairs room at the Phoenix pub, 348 Clapham Road, SW9 9AR (between Clapham North and Stockwell tube stations). There is no Southwark KONP group so Southwark activists please make contact with the Lambeth group to find out about local activity. The group have a new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LambethKONP.

Tuesday 26 May
7pm Southwark Defend Council Housing meeting at the Alvey Estate Tenants Hall, ground floor of Thomson House, Beckway Street, off East Street, SE17 1TS. Beckway Street is close to the end of East Street at its junction with the Old Kent Road. More information from southwarkdch@gmail.com

ADVANCE NOTICE

Wednesday 10th June
7pm. Public meeting about the cuts to Lewisham Southwark College. (See above). Venue and details tbc. The campaign is asking for volunteers to help with leafleting and other publicity. Contact savelscollege@gmail.com

Saturday 20 June
National Demonstration and festival: END AUSTERITY NOW - the message to the new Tory government. Assemble 12pm, Bank of England (Queen Victoria St) City of London. Nearest tube: Bank. Called by the People’s Assembly. Weblink here. Share & invite your friends on Facebook