UK Public sector cuts Newswire Archive
Notts Rejects Plans For NHS
23-05-2011 16:55
Last week saw a flurry of activity in opposition to the planned “reforms” of the NHS in Nottinghamshire. There were protests at the two “listening” events held in the county and a well received stall in the Market Square on Saturday. In Worksop, campaigners dressed as Robin Hood distributed leaflets in the town centre inviting people to the listening exercise there on Friday. Another Notts Uncut action, this time focusing on the NHS, is planned for next weekend.
Upcoming event: Notts Uncut Emergency Operation, Saturday May 28th, 12 noon, outside Boots, Parliament St, Nottingham.
On the newswire: Worksop NHS protest | Notts ‘Save Our NHS’ campaigning stall | Reports on NHS “listening” events in Notts | Picket of NHS ‘Listening Exercise’ evening | Picket of NHS “listening” event
Previous feature: Nottingham Mobilises to Save NHS
Edwinstowe, Tuesday 17th May
There were two “listening” events held in Nottinghamshire, one in the city and the other, for those in the north of the county, in Edwinstone. There was a protest outside organised by the Bassetlaw anti-cuts group who gave out leaflet: Save Our NHS From Lansley (doc) wearing their Robin Hood hats with “Robin Hood says Keep our NHS public” and “Robin Hood says the NHS belongs to the people not big business”.
About 100 people attended the listening event, mainly older people. There was considerable opposition to the Bill proposals particularly to the privatisation of the NHS. It was quite heated and people were keen to ask questions from the floor. The meeting was fronted by Zoe, the PCT Public Involvement Manager who was asked difficult questions and took the flack – apparently no one from the Future Forum had been able to attend.
There was a presentation on what’s happening (with much interupting by questions) and then group work (based on the 4 topics in the Listening exercise) and feedback to the whole group. Responses will be collated and fed into the Department of Health. There were no GPs or MPs present, as far as this reporter was aware. It was round table stuff – but every table reporting back made it quite clear privatisation was not an option and the reorganisation should be shelved.
Note: Bassetlaw is not part of NHS County – it is joining up with Doncaster and Rotherham.
Nottingham, Wednesday 18th May
About 20 of Notts SOS turned out on 18th May to picket the NHS listening event held at the Belgrave Rooms in the city. Placards and notices saying Kill the Bill, Bin the Bill, Hands Off Our NHS, Sickness is Not a Profit Making Industry, made our point clear. Many people arriving for the event stopped to look at our stall, pick up information and newsletters and talk, and passing vehicles hooted their support. The new Notts SOS printed waterproof banner with our name and logo on was ready for the event, and tied to the front of the stall. Some campaigners then went inside to join the exercise when it began at 6pm, but a presence was kept outside throughout and interested members of the public continued to stop and ask what it was all about.
The listening exercise was run jointly by Nottingham City and Nottingham County PCTs (Primary Care Trusts). Present were PCT staff, and Vicky Bailey who is a member of the government’s NHS Future Forum and chief officer of an existing GP consortium (Principia). The chair of the Future Forum, Prof. Steve Field, said earlier this week that the proposed NHS reforms were unworkable. The Nottingham meeting was overwhelmingly opposed to competition in the NHS and the use of private contractors. But the impression gained by the audience of about a hundred, was that the exercise was only concerned with making cosmetic changes to the underlying plan, and leaving the marketisation of the NHS untouched. Those present who left their names and addresses were promised that they would be sent a copy of the summary of opinion that will be forwarded to the Future Forum. No-one who attended could be left in any doubt that the public are overwhelmingly opposed to this government plan.
Nottingham, Saturday 21st May
On Saturday, Notts SOS held a stall in the Market Square to distribute leaflets zbout the government’s plans for the NHS and get people to sign a petition. Some campaigners wore white coats emblazoned with slogans criticising the Health and Social Care Bill.
The stall was well received with people almost universally opposed to the marketisation of the NHS and eager to sign the petition. Aroun 1,000 leaflets were given out in less than two hours.
Worksop, Saturday 21st May
Robin Hood and his band of helpers descended on Bridge Street, Worksop, last Saturday to tell the folk of Worksop that they had been missed out of the Government’s NHS “Listening Exercise”. Meetings had been held in Edwinstowe and Nottingham by NHS Nottinghamshire and the South Yorkshire PCT had held a meeting at Doncaster, last Monday that was attended by three people. Bassetlaw’s MP had not been told about the meeting and Bassetlaw people had not been invited to take part.
The group have asked John Mann to organise Bassetlaw’s own Listening Exercise and the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and a representative from Future Forum, the group appointed by the Government to Listen to the People, will be invited to speak at a Public Meeting to be held at Worksop Town Hall, on Friday 27th May, at 7.00 pm.
The Bassetlaw Protecting our People and Services Group gave out leaflets and collected 622 signatures, in just over 2 hours, on a petition to Keep our NHS Public. Barry Donlan, a spokesperson for the group said Robin Hood would approve of the group using his name to defend the National Health Service for the people. He said that, “The Government’s proposals include turning the National Health Service into a National health market with profits for private providers funded through taxpayers’ money. Private companies would ‘cherry pick’ the simpler procedures to deliver and leave the more costly procedures for the taxpayer to fund”. Councillor David Potts said that Government advisers had said that future reforms would “show no mercy to the NHS and offer a big opportunity to the for profit sector”.
Robin Hood’s helpers gave out invitations to the Public Meeting and urged everyone to attend.
Nick Clegg in Sheffield on 27th May!
23-05-2011 13:21
Public Meeting with Nick Clegg: The Big Climate Connection27th May 2011 at 6.00 pm for 6:30 prompt start
The location is a secret and ID is needed to get in, can we call this a Police State yet?
Edinburgh march in solidarity with Spanish Real-Democracy-Now! protests
23-05-2011 09:55
22nd May, 2011:
Hundreds, overwhelmingly Spanish, marched in Edinburgh Sunday evening in Solidarity with the demonstration in Madrid.
Worksop NHS protest
23-05-2011 07:55
Robin Hood comes to Worksop and says listen to the people
Bassetlaw's NHS "listening exercise" to be held at Worksop Town Hall, Friday 27th May, 7.000pm
Robin Hood and his band of helpers descended on Bridge Street, Worksop, last Saturday to tell the folk of Worksop that they had been missed out of the Government’s NHS “Listening Exercise”. Meetings had been held in Edwinstowe and Nottingham by NHS Nottinghamshire and the South Yorkshire PCT had held a meeting at Doncaster, last Monday that was attended by three people. Bassetlaw’s MP had not been told about the meeting and Bassetlaw people had not been invited to take part.
The group have asked John Mann to organise Bassetlaw’s own Listening Exercise and the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and a representative from Future Forum, the group appointed by the Government to Listen to the People, will be invited to speak at a Public Meeting to be held at Worksop Town Hall, on Friday 27th May, at 7.00 pm.
The Bassetlaw Protecting our People and Services Group gave out leaflets and collected 622 signatures, in just over 2 hours, on a petition to Keep our NHS Public. Barry Donlan, a spokesperson for the group said Robin Hood would approve of the group using his name to defend the National Health Service for the people. He said that, “The Government’s proposals include turning the National Health Service into a National health market with profits for private providers funded through taxpayers’ money. Private companies would ‘cherry pick’ the simpler procedures to deliver and leave the more costly procedures for the taxpayer to fund”. Councillor David Potts said that Government advisers had said that future reforms would “show no mercy to the NHS and offer a big opportunity to the for profit sector”.
Robin Hood’s helpers gave out invitations to the Public Meeting and urged everyone to attend.
Paul Kenny Judas of GMB
22-05-2011 14:39
Paul Kenny and GMB's Executive, Scab on their Members and the Unemployed'They all must go!' ...
21-05-2011 17:55
... people kept shouting last night outside the Spanish embassy in Belgravia. Since Wednesday 18th large crowds of mainly spaniards living in London are following a call to demonstrate and to express anger about the "political, economic, and social outlook which we see around us: corruption among politicians, businessmen, bankers, leaving us helpless, without voice."
On Friday 20th around 300 people showed up at Chesham Place for a 'pots & pans' protest, coinciding with hundreds of 'cacerolazo' protests called thorughout Spain as part of the 'Spanish Revolution' currently taking place all over the country. After the protest, a public assembly took place where, amongst other things, people debated the practicalities of setting up camp till Sunday 22nd. As a result, around 50 people spent the night outside the embassy, and there are plans for further demonstrations today Saturday and Tomorrow sunday [See Democracy London blog]
See pics of the London protest and read about the background story ...
What is all this about then?
Well, summing up the story began a few weeks ago when an anonymous call demanding 'True Democracy now!" went viral through social networking sites and twitter. The initial proposal was to take to the streets in as many Spanish towns and cities as possible on Sunday 15th of May, to express anger to the current 'democratic system' that puts the rule of the market above social needs and rights.
Currently in Spain there's 21% unemployment, which means that over 5 million people are out of work, 40% of which are young people. This, together with the massive 'austerity measures that Spanish government is imposing to the country affecting employment laws, cuts in public pensions and services, privatisation, and precarity in almost all aspects of people's lives, is fast creating a general unrest that eventually exploded in hugely successful demonstrations on over 50 Spanish cities last Sunday 15th.
The huge demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona ended in the occupations of Puerta del Sol and Plaça de Catalunya squares respectively. In both cities a few hundred people set up public assemblies that decided to set up camps immediately. In Madrid the camp was evicted by police the very first night whilst in Barcelona it was allowed to stay. The assembly of Madrid immediately called for another occupation of the central square for Monday night, and in the event, thousands of people turned up re-taking the square and setting up infrastructure for a long lasting protest. The camp in Barcelona was not evicted and by Monday night it also grow to thousands of people setting up kitchens, sleeping areas, debating forums, communications infrastructure and so on. By Tuesday, many more Spanish cities and towns started to mobilise too setting up their own protests, assemblies and camps, turning the spontaneous citizen mobilisation into something resembling and uprising.
As a background to all this, there are the local elections taking place this Sunday all over Spain, together with, elections in some regional parliaments. It is for this reason why many of the communiques and manifestos coming out from the different camps talk about the need to go beyond parliamentary 'democracy' and into grass-roots and directly participatory ways of organising. It is for this reason that there's a general call from all the occupied squares to not vote on Sunday and to organise in local assemblies instead.
The main two camps in Madrid and barcelona are growing in numbers and strength (see live webcam from Madrid's Puerta del Sol) even though the protests are currently declared illegal since midnight Friday, due to the fact that Saturday is officially the "reflection day' during elections and as a result all public political expressions are banned by law. Madrid's local government had announced that they would not allow the camp to go into the weekend provoking fears of repression and the eviction of the camp, but the response was to gather in mass at Puerta del Sol and at midnight last night there where over 15,000 people occupying the square. The evictions has therefore not happened, and it now seems the camp will be allowed to stay, mainly due tothe fact that any violent eviction would play very badly in the hands of all parties seeking to get elected on Sunday.
The protests and occupations are due to continue till this Sunday (the election day), but the same as in the London's protest, there are now many calls to turn them indefinite. It is yet not clear how this protest will continue and what it will turn into, nor whether this new 'movement' made of a new anonimous subject will actually become such a movement. At the moment it seems that it is a clear expression of anger, disgust and defiance to the current status quo, but whether this general unrest will actually politize itself it is still to be seen. What is clear though is that it intrinsically carries a lot of potential.
Note: solidarity protests have been called throughout Europe for today, including in Italy, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium
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Communique from Real Democracy in Manchester
Fake democracies all across Europe are in great danger because the Revolution has just started. This is a time for action, for rising up together and changing the system.
Europe is suffering from political regimes that set the citizens aside and lack from a plural representation and by doing so, they become false democracies that do not represent the wishes, aspirations and needs of men and women of each country.
They only consider our vote as a mean to reach the power and, as soon as they get it, they forget that their duty is to represent the people. It is then when, as it happened in Spain and other European countries, they give way to the market and banking dictates.
Because of this, our intention is to change the current system, this miscalled democracy, into a new one where the citizenship play a significant role in political decisions via assemblies and other means of participation, with a freer communication media available to them and with a true separation of powers. A democracy to serve the people instead of the markets.
We moved from "I have a dream" to the "We have a dream". We walk together in this with other people from the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Holland and many other European countries. What happens in London, Madrid, Milan, Berlin, Amsterdam... is also happening in other cities and thus we all want to get together under this revolution.
A revolution with the only labels of participation, freedom and no violence. Without flags or political parties; just with the people. With honest men and women who have risen up to change a system that rejects them, a world that does not work at all. Because in the end, we are world citizens tired of enduring this situation.
People from Manchester: http://realdemocracymanchester.blogspot.com
Atos Origin Threatens Disabled Group With Legal Action
21-05-2011 13:55
by the citizens and for the citizens
19-05-2011 18:59
It does not support any political party: it is a movement by the citizens and for the citizensUK Uncut Birmingham action May 28th
19-05-2011 17:18
An Emergency Operation: Transform the Banks, Save the NHSBirmingham UK Uncut
Meet: 11am Waterstones, High Street - near the Bull statue / Bullring Shopping centre
Come in scrubs or medical uniforms as doctors, nurses, porters and other medical/hospital staff, or as a patient in need of treatment. Bring bandages, plasters and fake blood
Sheffield Save Our NHS - Demo - March to City Centre - Saturday 28th May
19-05-2011 13:07
Workfare Enquiry
16-05-2011 07:19
This is a questionnaire for benefits claimants in the UK who have been forced onto work for your benefit schemes. It will be used as an organising tool by campaigns opposedto the scheme.Atos Origin Protests Across the UK – full round up
15-05-2011 15:06
British Sunday Times Rich List: Austerity? Not for the elite
14-05-2011 19:31
If further proof was required to refute Prime Minister David Cameron’s assertion that all in the UK are suffering his government’s austerity measures equally, one need look no further than the latest Sunday Times Rich List.What the cuts mean - Jacques and Marie's story
13-05-2011 21:23
A bunch of Atos-sers are occupied!
12-05-2011 20:04
Despite there being many sucessful appeals against these decisions (currently a 40% success rate), this company is still being subcontracted by the government to carry out its nefarious deeds.
Their name is Atos, and they currently reside at 24 Hills Road, Cambridge, although they seem to be ashamed to admit it, as there are no signs outside for them, only two for "Jobcentre Plus", presumably the official smokescreen Atos are hiding behind.
Urgent action to oppose capitalist take-over of the NHS
12-05-2011 09:57
The Save our NHS petition achieved a massive 350,000 signatures last night, after receiving nearly 60,000 signatures in just 48 hours. The petition's being presented to Nick Clegg TOMORROW, so please add your signature and e-mail the link to all your friends and contacts right now .....Cambridge Atos offices occupied
11-05-2011 23:20
Activists to target Lib Dems in outrage at backtracking on climate
11-05-2011 15:57
Activists outraged at the possibility of the government backtracking on crucial climate commitments will gather outside the Lib Dem HQ ahead of a critical Cabinet committee meeting at 8am on Monday. They will then move on to demonstrate outside Downing Street at 8.45. Particular anger will be directed at Vince Cable who has been reported as opposing the crucial recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change, set up by the groundbreaking Climate Act to determine short term carbon emissions budgets.
Save the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
11-05-2011 10:50
PCS members day of action is a one-hour walkout TODAY
11 May at 11am –12pm
Rear entrance to the Commission’s Birmingham office Lancaster House, 67 Newhall Street, B3 1NA) on the public footpath
(on the corner).
Support this day of action to save the Commission for future generations.
Refugee services being cut
10-05-2011 17:49
Public sector cuts being introduced by the coalition government are having an overwhelmingly negative impact on public and voluntary sector organisations providing services for refugees and asylum seekers in Oxfordshire.
