There have been a flurry of Love Music Hate Racism gigs in and around the area in recent weeks. The repeat fanzine nights have been a constant presence and the recent junction gig was a fantastic advert for anti racist activity through music. However there are a number of other events emerging in Cambridge. Tonight at the man on the moon and on Monday at the junction some excellent artists will make a clear commitment to the fighting fascism and racism and raising the issues that are emerging in Britain Today.
The recent gig in Trafalgar Square was attended by 50 000 people and the Love Music Hate Racism office has been aware of over 100 other gigs around the country in the run up to the local elections – I am sure there have been many more.
This is an excellent response form the musical fraternity and a clear political counter-action to the rise of racist viewpoints being put across through politics and the media.
The results of the BNP in Barking, driven on by New Labours lack of investment in Working Class communities and Margaret Hodges mishandling of the far right question. The BNP, aided by New Labour and the media have turned the news agenda towards an ill informed debate about asylum and the continuing war on terror and continuing war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan are fuelling islamaphobia.
The Cambridge music scene is as vibrant as I have ever seen it and we should make it a priority to get every gig to fly the banner of Love Music Hate Racism and every band to commit to the core values of cultural diversity and anti racism.
Do what you can! The Love Music Have Racism site has graphics to put on your web page and useful info about how to set up your gig. The Repeat site is also worth a look!
Labels: Unite/Anti Racism
The NUT has set up an easy way to lobby your MP on the education bill.
4 easy steps:
1. Copy this link in to your internet browser
www.teachers.org.uk/story.php?id=3661
2. Go to the bottom of the letter and enter your postcode.
3. Click search and then enter your name details.
4. Click send.
The system will personalise the letter for your MP and e-mail it to them.
This is urgent!
The education and inspections bill reaches its third reading in the Commons on 23/24 May
Please send this post on to your friends and contacts encouraging them to lobby their MP to do the same.
To read more about the NUT objections go to www.teachers.org.uk
4 easy steps:
1. Copy this link in to your internet browser
www.teachers.org.uk/story.php?id=3661
2. Go to the bottom of the letter and enter your postcode.
3. Click search and then enter your name details.
4. Click send.
The system will personalise the letter for your MP and e-mail it to them.
This is urgent!
The education and inspections bill reaches its third reading in the Commons on 23/24 May
Please send this post on to your friends and contacts encouraging them to lobby their MP to do the same.
To read more about the NUT objections go to www.teachers.org.uk
Labels: Stop the War
Welcome Chavez . . .I haven’t got the energy to deal with Blair’s Hypocrisy
0 Comments Published by Tom Woodcock on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at 11:00 AM.
Tomorrow Londoners will welcome Hugo Chavez with open arms. A constant thorn in the Neo-Conservatives side, Chavez is leading the way as a number of Latin American countries resist the constraints and demands of the Washington led, corporate driven, global economy.In contrast Blair continues to butter his bread on the side of Big Business. His Hypocrisy is reaching the heights of George Bush. This week Blair has had the cheek to warn Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, who has recently nationalised his countries natural gas reserves.
This is what Blair said, apparently without irony:“What countries do in their energy policy when they are countries like Venezuela and Bolivia matters enormously to all of us. My only plea is that people exercise the power they have got in this regard responsibly for the whole international community….. people are worried about energy supply in the future”
We have to pinch our selves. This comes from a man who, almost single handed, is legitimising the most irresponsible ‘long war’ in Iraq, Afghanistan and soon to spread further into the wider middle east. A war that has seriously threatened the international community and killed 100,000’s of innocent people in order to secure oil revenue and control energy. Blair is a killer and supporter of Bush’s state terror and he thinks he has the right to speak about international responsibility.
What is even more insulting is that Blair has it in his powers to lead the way toward the environmental revolution. Yet his approach to reducing energy consumption and developing renewable energy is nothing but protective of Big Business.
It is absolutely vital that the environmental lobby, socialists and peace activist unite politically. Between us we have the ability to get rid of Blair.
Fund A levels at Cambridge Regional College
0 Comments Published by Tom Woodcock on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 at 9:58 AM.
The decision by Cambridge Regional College’s to end it’s A level provision is an attack on comprehensive education. The cuts are going to effect hundreds of students and will most affect those who are economically less well off.
The FE sector in Cambridge is already divisive and the latest cuts will deny A level education hundreds of students - including those who are studying as part of a mix of courses, those who work and mature students. Together with the end of evening class provision at Long Road Sixth Form, including A levels, the cuts limit choice and are a further move away from a commitment to continuing and comprehensive education.
The attacks come as teachers; parents and students fight the new ‘Education and Inspection Bill’. The bill aims to break up education and create a more tiered system, opening education to market forces and pandering to the needs of corporate big business. Some schools and colleges benefit from extra funding at the expense of others.
Centres are encouraged to offer courses geared towards employers needs and in many cases corporate sponsors are actively encouraged to invest in education in return for influence over the curriculum. This part privatisation of education is a move away from the ethos of community education and education as self-fulfilment. The government’s agenda is denying people the right to a rounded broad based curriculum. We want a good school for every child and the right of all to a continued and fulfilling education.
The FE sector in Cambridge is already divisive and the latest cuts will deny A level education hundreds of students - including those who are studying as part of a mix of courses, those who work and mature students. Together with the end of evening class provision at Long Road Sixth Form, including A levels, the cuts limit choice and are a further move away from a commitment to continuing and comprehensive education.
The attacks come as teachers; parents and students fight the new ‘Education and Inspection Bill’. The bill aims to break up education and create a more tiered system, opening education to market forces and pandering to the needs of corporate big business. Some schools and colleges benefit from extra funding at the expense of others.
Centres are encouraged to offer courses geared towards employers needs and in many cases corporate sponsors are actively encouraged to invest in education in return for influence over the curriculum. This part privatisation of education is a move away from the ethos of community education and education as self-fulfilment. The government’s agenda is denying people the right to a rounded broad based curriculum. We want a good school for every child and the right of all to a continued and fulfilling education.
Romsey ward - Election Results
1 Comments Published by Tom Woodcock on Friday, May 05, 2006 at 6:50 AM.
you can link to the Results on the Respect site.
I am tired and will comment on what a great acheivment the campaign has been a little later.
Thanks for visiting the site.
Thanks for all the help you have put in
Thanks for voting and supporting what we are doing.
Please stay involved or get involved.
I am tired and will comment on what a great acheivment the campaign has been a little later.
Thanks for visiting the site.
Thanks for all the help you have put in
Thanks for voting and supporting what we are doing.
Please stay involved or get involved.
Labels: Local Respect
Over the last 6 weeks the Romsey Respect team has put out three excellent leaflets, we have knocked on every door and spoken to one third of the electorate in Romsey.
We have also collected over 200 signatures from council tenant, so that Tenants Against Privatisation could present the case to the council against closing sheltered housing. Sam and I have asked questions at full council meetings.
We have collected nearly 500 signatures against the privatisation and development of Parkside fire station and informed people of the issues involved. We have helped promotes and supported two well attended stop the war meetings, a national demonstation against the war and a Trades Council march and Rally to defend public services.
Many of Respect's members have also been involved in the pensions campaign, organising and supporting strike action across public sector unions. We are working hard on a national and local level to resist the increase in retirement age, which we so strongly feel to be wrong and weighted so unfairly against working people. All three parties are using the 'modern world' as an exuse for worsening standards of living. We believe standards of living should be getting better - are we mad?
Whilst we are trying to inform the public New Labour and Lib Dems in Romsey have tried extremely hard to divert attention away from the issues we face in the 21st Century. They both want the electorate to think that the local council election is only about recycling and bins. This is to avoid the bigger issues at both local and national level.
Poor planning decision are being made by both Prescott and our local Lib Dem's, they lack environmental clarity and have no vision in terms of an integrated transport system. The corporate destruction of the environment, endless war and the massive privatisation of our services are all part of the political road being taken by the three main parties.
Even though local government does have less powers than it ought to this is not an excuse for keeping the public in the dark. We believe that our role is to provide information about what is going on and we will continue to raise the bigger issues and keep Romsey resident informed.
It is also not acceptable to implement central governments plans without a fight. If the local Labour party and the Lib Dem council believed in council run services then they would, and should, be protesting to central government, as well as talking to other councils and organising resistance to the mass privatisation agenda.
We have now established the beginnings of this resistance in Romsey. If all of the people who have shown supported for our ideas go out and vote for us tomorrow, we will take that resistance to both the city and county council chambers. We will then continue to builds the confidence needed to reject privatisation and war and the environmental disasters waiting to happen if the political establishment are allowed to continue.
Don’t forget to go and vote for RESPECT!
We have also collected over 200 signatures from council tenant, so that Tenants Against Privatisation could present the case to the council against closing sheltered housing. Sam and I have asked questions at full council meetings.
We have collected nearly 500 signatures against the privatisation and development of Parkside fire station and informed people of the issues involved. We have helped promotes and supported two well attended stop the war meetings, a national demonstation against the war and a Trades Council march and Rally to defend public services.
Many of Respect's members have also been involved in the pensions campaign, organising and supporting strike action across public sector unions. We are working hard on a national and local level to resist the increase in retirement age, which we so strongly feel to be wrong and weighted so unfairly against working people. All three parties are using the 'modern world' as an exuse for worsening standards of living. We believe standards of living should be getting better - are we mad?
Whilst we are trying to inform the public New Labour and Lib Dems in Romsey have tried extremely hard to divert attention away from the issues we face in the 21st Century. They both want the electorate to think that the local council election is only about recycling and bins. This is to avoid the bigger issues at both local and national level.
Poor planning decision are being made by both Prescott and our local Lib Dem's, they lack environmental clarity and have no vision in terms of an integrated transport system. The corporate destruction of the environment, endless war and the massive privatisation of our services are all part of the political road being taken by the three main parties.
Even though local government does have less powers than it ought to this is not an excuse for keeping the public in the dark. We believe that our role is to provide information about what is going on and we will continue to raise the bigger issues and keep Romsey resident informed.
It is also not acceptable to implement central governments plans without a fight. If the local Labour party and the Lib Dem council believed in council run services then they would, and should, be protesting to central government, as well as talking to other councils and organising resistance to the mass privatisation agenda.
We have now established the beginnings of this resistance in Romsey. If all of the people who have shown supported for our ideas go out and vote for us tomorrow, we will take that resistance to both the city and county council chambers. We will then continue to builds the confidence needed to reject privatisation and war and the environmental disasters waiting to happen if the political establishment are allowed to continue.
Don’t forget to go and vote for RESPECT!
Labels: Local Respect
