Tuesday 12 May 2015

BRIGHTON PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY May 2015 Newsletter

May 2015 Newsletter
Hello friends,

We're all trying to come to terms with what just happened in the last few days. I was struggling to know how to start this post-election newsletter ...until local activist Dani Ahrens wrote this blog and got up at last night's Small Revolutions event, pointing to practical messages of hope:
  • The Tories' vote share only increased by 1.4% since the last elections
  • The number of anti-austerity MPs has multiplied tenfold. Parliament now has 56 MPs who have been elected on a clear anti-austerity mandate.
  • What’s happened in Scotland shows that it is possible to change the story. But we won’t do it by continuing to do what we’ve done for the last five years.
So after some wound licking...the question is, what do we do next?

All details on our website at: http://www.brightonpa.org.uk/  If you have any ideas or want to help please email pplsassembly.brighton@gmail.com. 
Brighton People's Assembly Against Austerity News
NEXT People's Assembly meeting:
What next for anti-austerity campaigns in Brighton & Hove?

Wed 20th May 7.30pm @ Brighthelm Centre (Stamner Room)


Following the election, we invite everyone to discuss how we can work together to oppose austerity and campaign for social and environmental justice. All welcome.
Mayday! Mayday! The People's Fair came to town

Lest we not forget.....only a week ago so many different campaign groups came together to celebrate and show solidarity on International Workers Day - it was an incredible display of creativity and unity!

To name but a few out on the streets:  Cameron the crab, HMS NHS, 38 Degrees TTIP Corporate Pirates, Living Rent pinata, Brighton Benefits Campaign pantomime, Brighton Children's Centre Campaign super-heroes and Brighton Disabled Against the Cuts spoon game!

We had an amazing sound track to the day with Maracatu Cruzeiro do Sul blasting us through town, Kirsty Martin leading us in protest singing and Silver Sounds samba band welcoming us the to the seafront.

And we even managed a Maypole dance in which George Osborne was confronted with the human consequences of his policies and received the traditional English community punishment known as Rough Music!


All was received positively and the human comments boxes showed how people out and about Brighton that day were in support of the campaigns.

A more detailed blog can be found here.
Small Revolutions VII  - £180 raised for our next campaigns...

Yesterday's post-election special was another success - plenty of rousing music, including a collective scream at Rupert Murdoch courtesy of Grant Sharkey! Thanks to.... all the acts: Chuck SJ Hay, Grant Sharkey, Boy in the Cupboard, Jon Mason, Underhound. To the Greys for being so supportive and putting £50 in the pot. Jon Mason for organising the event. Paul Stapleton for the artwork and publicity. Dani Ahrens for sharing messages of hope. And everyone for coming!

Expect to see more after the summer....and if you know of any acts that would like to support this night, please let us know!
A group will go together from Brighton - email pplsassembly.brighton@gmail.com or come to the next organising meeting if you're interested. 
Local Campaigns: Actions & Events
  • Do public services have a future? Tues 19th May 7.30pm @ Community Base, Queen's Rd ~ organised by Sussex Labour Representation Committee, John McDonnell MP, Mark Serwotka (PCS General Secretary) and Laura Watson (English Collective of Prostitutes) discuss how we stop the new government treading the same old path on pay and the public sector. This is the LRC's fringe meeting for PCS conference and a Brighton Fringe event. Tickets £3/£5 from Brighton Fringe website.
  • How Labour can make our votes count Sat 23rd May 2pm @ Brighthelm Centre ~ organised by Sussex Labour Representation Committee, Join Jeremy Corbyn MP, socialist and trades unionist Nancy Platts (hopefully then Labour’s new MP for Brighton Kemp Town & Peacehaven) and Matt Wrack (FBU General Secretary) to discuss the major changes Labour can bring about by insisting on increased public investment and wealth redistribution.  Tickets £3/£5 from Brighton Fringe website.
  • Open discussion forum: the NHS and the third sector Thurs 28th May 7pm @ venue tbc ~ event organised by Sussex Defend the NHS
  • Let's build the houses - Quick! Sat 30th May 2pm @ Community Base ~ organised by Sussex Labour Representation Committee, Join Michael Meacher MP and Saskia O'Hara (Focus E15) to discuss the housing crisis. Tickets £3/£5 from Brighton Fringe website.
  • Post 16 Education Question Time Mon 8th June 7pm @ BHASVIC (Sports Cafe) BN3 6EG ~ event organised by the Campaign for Education in Brighton & Hove. Speakers include: Professor Ken Spours, Eddie Playfair, Joy Mercer, Mandy Brown & Nigel Fox. After the election, what is the future of post-16 further and adult education?
  • Refugee tales: A Walk in Solidarity with Refugees and Detainees Sat 13th- Sun 21st June. A nine day walk from Dover to Crawley with evening events on each day. See the Refugee Tales website for full details and how to get involved.
Love Activists Brighton continue to set up regular Pop Up Love Kitchens
Email to join the group email list

Shout out: more coordinators for organising the love kitchen & love kitchen crews. Also for a small accessible central storage space to store the love kitchens dry food & equipment (would need washing up facilities too). Love Activists would also like to organise some direct action/demo and invite other groups to take part raising awareness on homelessness, housing/living costs and legal highs.
 
Local campaigns: organising meetings
  • Sussex Defend the NHS organising meetingTues 12th May 7pm @ Brighthelm Centre
  • Living Rent Campaign organising meeting,Fri 22nd May 6pm @ Southover pub
  • Health and Social Care network drop-in Monday 25th May 2015 7pm to 9pm @ St Georges Inn, Sudeley Street BN2 1HE ~ Monthly drop-in for anyone working in Health or Social Care in Brighton. Building a supportive network to help each other resist within the health & social care sector. Organised by Brighton Solfed.
  • Social Work Action Network meeting Tuesday 9th June 7pm @ Brighthelm Centre ~ SWAN is a network of social work practitioners, social care practitioners, academics, students and social welfare service users united in their concern that social work and social care activity is being undermined by managerialism and marketisation, by the stigmatisation of service users and by welfare cuts and restrictions.
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Brighton-hove peoples assembly
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1 comment:

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