Manchester is just a few days away from a major Convention on Modern Liberty, and it looks like being a huge success. The Manchester Convention has just announced a series of "lightning talks" in an attempt to include more people in the debate on matters of civil liberties.
Convention on Modern Liberty Logo
The Convention on Modern Liberty in Manchester will be held at Manchester University Students' Union on Saturday 28th February from 9:45. The event is open to the public and free of charge. It will feature local campaign groups talking about different areas of civil liberties, combined with live video feeds of high-profile speeches and debates.
In addition to these organised discussion sessions, people can sign up for a ten-minute "lightning talk" slot, either in advance or on the day, and engage others on a particular aspect of civil liberties. The focus of the lightning talks, along with the organised discussions, is on practical steps which people can take to protect their freedoms.
Dave Page, organiser of the Manchester Convention and North-West co-ordinator for NO2ID, said "I've been swamped with requests for ticket reservations for this event, and we're trying to arrange bigger rooms to make sure we fit everybody in! There's a real sense of alarm about the state of freedoms at the moment, as the Database State and other restrictions start to close in. This Convention provides a great place for people of all backgrounds to take positive steps to defend themselves and society as a whole."
The Manchester Convention website is
http://manchester.no2id.net/modernliberty
ENDS
For more information or interview, contact North-West NO2ID co-ordinator Dave Page on
manchester@modernliberty.net or 07982 814 441
Full details of the Manchester event, including a programme, are at http://manchester.no2id.net/modernliberty
For more information on the Convention on Modern Liberty, see http://www.modernliberty.net/
The Convention is sponsored by The Rowntree Trusts, openDemocracy and Liberty. The Guardian is its media partner. NO2ID is a lead organisation partner.
Other Convention sites include the main London venue, Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff and Glasgow.
In addition to these organised discussion sessions, people can sign up for a ten-minute "lightning talk" slot, either in advance or on the day, and engage others on a particular aspect of civil liberties. The focus of the lightning talks, along with the organised discussions, is on practical steps which people can take to protect their freedoms.
Dave Page, organiser of the Manchester Convention and North-West co-ordinator for NO2ID, said "I've been swamped with requests for ticket reservations for this event, and we're trying to arrange bigger rooms to make sure we fit everybody in! There's a real sense of alarm about the state of freedoms at the moment, as the Database State and other restrictions start to close in. This Convention provides a great place for people of all backgrounds to take positive steps to defend themselves and society as a whole."
The Manchester Convention website is
http://manchester.no2id.net/modernliberty ENDS
For more information or interview, contact North-West NO2ID co-ordinator Dave Page on
manchester@modernliberty.net or 07982 814 441 Full details of the Manchester event, including a programme, are at
http://manchester.no2id.net/modernliberty For more information on the Convention on Modern Liberty, see
http://www.modernliberty.net/ The Convention is sponsored by The Rowntree Trusts, openDemocracy and Liberty. The Guardian is its media partner. NO2ID is a lead organisation partner.
Other Convention sites include the main London venue, Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff and Glasgow.
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The struggle is nation-wide
26.02.2009 07:47
Attend. Collaborate. Dissent. Rise up and bring about change. Sometimes breaking the laws that are immoral is the only act of morality left available to us.
Not backing down
It’s Useful to Have Allies
26.02.2009 11:18
"The Convention for Modern Liberty – an odd coalition spanning Liberty and Amnesty International to the Countryside Alliance (wonder if our fox-hunting friends will be campaigning for the repeal of the Criminal Justice Act?)... The trouble with liberal outrage is that it’s so predictable. It’s OK to defend the free speech and movement of people who represent no threat to the status quo. If anyone’s in a position to effect actual radical change however then it’s OK for the gloves to come off. Will the Convention for Modern Liberty or the House of Lords be troubling themselves with the vicious sentences handed down to animal rights activists? Or will they be too busy cosying up to their fox-hunting pals?.. Meanwhile some are fighting back – One F.I.T watcher (see SchNEWS 639) has just been convicted by magistrates of obstructing police for getting in the way of cameras last June. This judgement runs completely contrary to an earlier judicial review saying police had no power to remove obstructions to their view... Our movements are under attack. It’s useful to have allies but ultimately...they have their agendas and we have ours..."
THE RICH AT PLAY
The history of foxhunting and land ownership in Britain
Including ‘the politics and people behind The Countryside Alliance’
"The groundwork for the Countryside Alliance was being done as early as 1995 by people like Lord Mancroft, Eric Bettelheim and Robin Page. Robin has campaigned for the Referendum Party, spoken at the "Right Now!" Christmas 2000 Moan, and writes for "Horse and Hound" with a persecution complex. In the hunting press there is blatant and barely disguised racism, homophobia and nationalism. On the marches they've held so far we've seen all shades of right wing and fascist groups. One example of this is the demonstration the Countryside Alliance held at the Labour party conference in September 1999. Amidst the well publisized attendance by the BNP (although I am yet to see evidence that they actually did turn up) the usual assortment of lay rightists turned up. Evidence for this is a photograph published in "Howl" the magazine of the Hunt Saboteurs Association that clearly shows a confederate flag (beloved by the Klu Klux Clan), the St Georges cross and the Union Jack flying within 50 yards of each other - all common flags at fascist gatherings."
(A)