The Youth Contact was launched at the beginning of April amidst much fanfare and empty talk about helping young unemployed people, whose numbers now stand at record levels. The initiative includes not only the expansion of workfare but also the much anticipated means by which the government will seek to salvage its flagship employment scheme, The Work Programme, from the consequences of its unsustainable funding model.
Brighton SolFed joined the Worthing 'Carnival for Choice' organised by Brighton Pro-Choice on Sunday 15th April. The carnival was called as a counter-demonstration against the Jubilee Church, backers of the 'Abort67' group who have been harassing and intimidating women at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic in Brighton.
The evangelical Jubilee Church meets in a school building on Sundays as they have been refused permission to operate their building on an industrial estate as a church. The carnival attracted upwards of 75 people, who formed a lively picket of the main entrance, before splitting into two groups to cover the entrance and exit as church members left. Chants of 'whose choice? our choice!', 'abort your support for Abort67' and 'shame on you for harassing women' rang out.
Join Liverpool Against the Cuts on a direct-action Workfare Walk of Shame through Liverpool City Centre, stopping off at companies that use unpaid workers from Workfare schemes.
Workfare impacts every street in every neighbourhood across Merseyside, forcing people, who are entitled to benefits, into unpaid work by threatening them with loss of benefits. Not only is this forced labour, it also provides free labour to profit-making businesses and undermines those already in paid work by undercutting the minimum wage. This is not job creation - it’s job destruction.
Lancashire County Council is one of several local authorities making cuts in funding to care companies, including Alternative Futures Group. LCC have been asked repeatedly to meet with Unison and affected support workers to discuss the damaging effects of AFG passing these cuts on to staff and service users through swingeing pay cuts and reducing staffing levels to a bare minimum in many services, but have repeatedly refused to engage with us or take any responsibility.
On Saturday 21 April, the Next to Nowhere social centre plays host to an anti-fascist benefit gig. Come down and bring your friends for a fun, hectic night of Indie, Punk and Grime.
Doors at 6.45pm
Sam Talley 7.00-7.30pm
Reaper 7.45-8.15pm
The Visitors 8.30-9.00pm
The Probes 9.15-22.00pm
Entrance £3. All proceed go to the social centre and to Liverpool Antifascists.
Liverpool University has cancelled the Mayoral Debate scheduled for Thursday 19 April due to demonstrations called by anti-fascists. Liverpool Antifascists – followed by Unite Against Fascism – called the demonstrations in opposition to the platform given to candidates from the National Front, British National Party and English Democrats. We stand opposed to fascists as a point of principle, but in particular objected to their being given a platform for their politics of hate.
Merseyside and Liverpool TUC are holding a May Day March and Rally from 5pm on Tuesday 1st May.
At this point, details aren't known beyond the meet up point and time, but we are publicising this as International Workers Day should be commemorated.
Depending on the numbers present from the radical and libertarian left, we may look at organising an open speakers platform as a rival to the usual boring speeches by TUC bureaucrats.
St Imier 140th anniversary - Talk and News On Upcoming International Anarchist Festival.
Public Event By Glasgow Anarchist Federation And Friends (Including Glasgow Solidarity Federation)
Thursday, 19 April 2012
18:30 – 21.00
Room 407, Boyd Orr Building, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
Next Sunday (15th April) Brighton Solidarity Federation will be supporting the Carnival for Choice! in Worthing.
Carnival for Choice! is part of Brighton Pro Choice’s ongoing campaign against the anti-choice group Abort67. The group, based around a right-wing Christian church in Worthing, often protest outside the Brighton BPAS clinic. They are known for using US-style anti-choice tactics including photographing people entering the clinic and banners featuring graphic images of aborted foetuses to try and dissuade women from exercising their right to choose. Their aim is to have abortion outlawed, no matter the circumstances.
Here are two members write ups of the pickets Solent SF were involved with last week!
Protest picket of the Communication Workers Union.