People's Assembles Network

YouTube movie 'Beyond Resistance' appears on People's Assemblies Network website.


Following January's post here relating to 'Occupy London', the movement has now established an international presence and internet profile. They write -

The People’s Assemblies Network is an informative and resource platform to support the ongoing democracy protests and open, democratic assemblies in the UK, Europe and throughout the world.
We are open to collaboration and welcome your news about People’s Assemblies wherever you live, please get in touch at:
info@peoplesassemblies.org
For further infomation you can read about various other ideas about Assemblies here and contribute to the further development of the politics and economics of PAs at our forum or wiki page. Also, take a look at the Wikipedia entry on Popular Assemblies, everyone who believes in a society much more democratic than the current model is encouraged to contribute!

How much longer will the public put up with this...

Letters by Paul Summers, Rod Reed and John Getgood, on topic of more spending for the better off through more slashing of services for the vulnerable and less well off, are published in the Bromley Times this week.

 Bromley Times Letters, 22/3/12

The national campaign against the Health & Social Care act Keep our NHS public (KONP) is building coordinated local action. Lewisham meets Thursday March 22, 7pm Waldron Health Centre, New Cross.

Is this The Big Society at work...

Two posts from Bromley Cuts Concern supporters --

On Bromley's community services -

Bromley Council seem to be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birthday by imposing new hard times on the people of our borough. 

£13.5 million of cuts voted through by our councillors will hit the elderly, special educational needs, disabled, citizens advice bureau, school improvement, street cleaning and more.  

The council should be caring for the whole community not casting the needy and vulnerable adrift.

Is this The Big Society at work. 

Paul Summers

On Bromley's railway services -

Last week the Government announced their backing of the McNulty Report which represents the biggest threat to the railway since Beeching.

If the McNulty report is implemented passengers will experience further cuts to their safety and services at the same time paying even further increases to their fares.

Many stations, such as Bromley North, Knockholt, Ravensbourne and New Beckenham will be totally de-staffed and many others, Shortlands, Chislehurst, Chelsfield, Bickley and Hayes staffing will be severely reduced, this is to name just a few.

There will be many further staff reductions such as no guards on trains.

Since privatisation the cost to the tax payer has increased four fold and due to the fragmentation and big profits being made by often foreign owned companies, nearly £1 billion a year is taken out of the railway, money which could and should be reinvested.

Even though McNulty admits that the franchise system has failed its answer is to actually increase this failure and give in to the profit driven companies by having longer gold plated franchise terms.

We ask passengers and the public to please contact their MPs and Councillors to reject this report and to ask for a not for profits run railway.

Stephen Leggett  

'Green' Economy or Greed Economy? - an Open Teach-in

Open Teach-in on the 2012 Rio + 20 Earth Summit:
'Green' Economy or Greed Economy?

Saturday March 24th, 11am to 5pm

London Feminist Library
5 Westminster Bridge Rd
London SE1 7XW
http://feministlibrary.co.uk/visit-us

Speakers: climate science update; the UN Earth
Summit in Rio (20 years later); the international
treaty process and economic justice; technology
assessment: hope or hype; and what to expect in
the future. Plus open Discussion.

In June this year, twenty years after the
original 1992 Earth Summit, the United Nations
will once again bring together a conference to
discuss the environment and the global economy.
The conference hopes to discuss what they call
the 'green economy', a follow-on concept from
'sustainable development'. The 'green economy'
consists of (i) giving nature and 'ecosystem
services' a financial value which can be used to
facilitate trading, as has already taken place
for carbon emissions, and (ii) using new 'green'
technologies such synthetic biology/biomass and
'geo-engineering' to combat environmental problems.

Hope or hype? Will new technologies build a real
green economy or perpetuate the current greed economy?

Whose interests are served by such technocratic 'green solutions'?

What are the risks of synthetic biology and geoengineering?

What's wrong with putting financial values on nature?

Can we build a real green economy based upon economic justice?

Come join the debate, learn the latest details.

For more information https://network23.org/invite

Speakers and/or support from: Luddites200, ETC
group, the Land Magazine, Scientists for Global Responsibility and others

The event is free (bring lunch to share) but
participants are encouraged to donate £2-10 to
support the London Feminist Library. http://feministlibrary.co.uk

This teach-in will be an alternative forum to the
Royal Society's "Planet Under Pressure"
conference, a large international technology
conference preparing for the Rio Earth Summit.

Bring lunch to share.