Monday 3 January 2011

Save Our Services; protest the cuts

Message from the facebook group; Save Our Services in Reading

Fri 7th Jan: Education Protest on Nick Cleggs Birthday. Meet 3.15pm at Trafalger Sq, London. March to Lib Dem HQ. Organised by Education Activist Network.

Sun 9th Jan: Keep Our Post Public! Take the protest to Camerons constituency. Meet 11.30am in Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire. Organised by the Communication Workers Union.

Thurs 13th Jan: Next SOS Reading meeting. 7.30pm @ the Library Room, Great Expectations hotel, London Street, Reading

Sat 15th Jan: TUC local actions against cuts

Thurs 20th Jan: Protect our NHS in Reading! An open meeting organised by members of 38 Degrees, Reading Trades Union Council and SOS Reading. We aim to discuss potential changes and privatisation in the NHS, including a local 'trial' of GP's commissioning most services in South Reading and discuss how best to defend this vital service. 7.30pm Library Room, Great Expectations Hotel, London Street, Reading

Sat 22nd Jan: National Shop Stewards Network anti-cuts conference. 12pm - 4pm @ South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London.

Wed 26th Jan: Day of action: Same EMA, Stop all Cuts, Free Education! Walkouts, protests, occupations, marches, teach-ins. Called for by Education Activist Network.

Sat 29th Jan: National Protests against cuts and unemployment in London (organised by National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts and Education Activist Network, backed by London Region University & Colleges Union) and Manchester (organised by Public & Commercial Services union, backed by the TUC).

Hope to see you all soon at some or all of these events.

19 comments:

Sean O'Hare said...

I really don't know what you are proposing to protest about. There aren't any cuts, it's all an illusion. They haven't the guts to make the kind of sweeping changes that are needed to get us out of the financial cess pit that Labour landed us in with their big state, big spend lunacy.

If this government manages to go full term planned spending will have increased from £696 billion this year to £739 billion by 2014. Some cut!

Presumably you are a wage earner Adrian. Why are you so happy for the elite to rob you of even more of your money to spend on projects that rob you of your liberty? One day you will wake up and realise you have been had.

Adrian Windisch said...

Through most of the country those least able to afford it are facing cuts. Those better off are not. I suspect you are in the second group.

Labour did spend to much on things like trident and fossil fuel subsidy. They and the Tories had, and still have, the same sort of spending plans. Some Labour people want to stop the cuts though.

One day you may wake up and realise that.

Sean O'Hare said...

Those better off are not. I suspect you are in the second group.

You suspect wrongly. My wife and I live on our state pensions with a small top up from my occupational pension that, with QE induced inflation, is likely to shrink to nothing before we are ready to topple off our mortal coil. No significant amount of savings or investments either.

But still the bastards take income tax off me without my consent to waste on things I do not want (wind turbines, carbon credits, EU governance etc) or care about (overseas aid, and the global warming nonsense). I do not consent to pay for these things but cannot opt out because they take it off me at source.

There are only two things that central government need be responsible for: Defence of the Realm and Law and Order. They have wasted all our resources on idiotic projects to control us and which benefit only the elite. They can no longer afford, or apparently have any wish, to protect us from foreign interference or keep criminals of our streets. Scrapping Ark Royal and commissioning aircraft carriers with no fighters for them to carry. How pathetic and embarrassing is that?

You also harp on about our nuclear deterrent. For nearly 40 years Polaris and Trident kept this country safe from the risk of the cold war suddently turning hot which it very nearly did over the Cuban missile crisis. Thanks to Reagan and Thatcher communism finally imploded and the clock was turned back a few minutes from midnight. How quickly that all happened! From Gorbachov's glasnost to the fall of the Berlin Wall in a few short months. How quickly could a still not over friendly Russia, with nukes still intact, turn belligerant and again threaten us? The answer is "equally as quickly" and you want to scrap Trident to let them walk all over us. I have nothing to learn from you, but you have a lot to learn from human history.

Sean O'Hare said...

Those better off are not. I suspect you are in the second group.

You suspect wrongly. My wife and I live on our state pensions with a small top up from my occupational pension that, with QE induced inflation, is likely to shrink to nothing before we are ready to topple off our mortal coil. No significant amount of savings or investments either.

But still the bastards take income tax off me without my consent to waste on things I do not want (wind turbines, carbon credits, EU governance etc) or care about (overseas aid, and the global warming nonsense). I do not consent to pay for these things but cannot opt out because they take it off me at source.

There are only two things that central government need be responsible for: Defence of the Realm and Law and Order. They have wasted all our resources on idiotic projects to control us and which benefit only the elite. They can no longer afford, or apparently have any wish, to protect us from foreign interference or keep criminals of our streets. Scrapping Ark Royal and commissioning aircraft carriers with no fighters for them to carry. How pathetic and embarrassing is that?

You also harp on about our nuclear deterrent. For nearly 40 years Polaris and Trident kept this country safe from the risk of the cold war suddently turning hot which it very nearly did over the Cuban missile crisis. Thanks to Reagan and Thatcher communism finally imploded and the clock was turned back a few minutes from midnight. How quickly that all happened! From Gorbachov's glasnost to the fall of the Berlin Wall in a few short months. How quickly could a still not over friendly Russia, with nukes still intact, turn belligerant and again threaten us? The answer is "equally as quickly" and you want to scrap Trident to let them walk all over us. I have nothing to learn from you, but you have a lot to learn from human history.

Sean O'Hare said...

Those better off are not. I suspect you are in the second group.

You suspect wrongly. My wife and I live on our state pensions with a small top up from my occupational pension that, with QE induced inflation, is likely to shrink to nothing before we are ready to topple off our mortal coil. No significant amount of savings or investments either.

But still the bastards take income tax off me without my consent to waste on things I do not want (wind turbines, carbon credits, EU governance etc) or care about (overseas aid, and the global warming nonsense). I do not consent to pay for these things but cannot opt out because they take it off me at source.

There are only two things that central government need be responsible for: Defence of the Realm and Law and Order. They have wasted all our resources on idiotic projects to control us and which benefit only the elite. They can no longer afford, or apparently have any wish, to protect us from foreign interference or keep criminals of our streets. Scrapping Ark Royal and commissioning aircraft carriers with no fighters for them to carry. How pathetic and embarrassing is that?

Sean O'Hare said...

You also harp on about our nuclear deterrent. For nearly 40 years Polaris and Trident kept this country safe from the risk of the cold war suddently turning hot which it very nearly did over the Cuban missile crisis. Thanks to Reagan and Thatcher communism finally imploded and the clock was turned back a few minutes from midnight. How quickly that all happened! From Gorbachov's glasnost to the fall of the Berlin Wall in a few short months. How quickly could a still not over friendly Russia, with nukes still intact, turn belligerant and again threaten us? The answer is "equally as quickly" and you want to scrap Trident to let them walk all over us. I have nothing to learn from you, but you have a lot to learn from human history. As Nigel Farage so eloquently addressed Van Rompuy "You people are dangerous".

Adrian Windisch said...

For centuries wooden sailing ships kept this country safe, then somone noticed that they are outdated. The cold war is over, wake up.

So you think government should have nothing to do with health, transport, education. Nigel farage may agree with you but that doesnt persuade me. Farage is a nincompoop. Or worse. Just read some of his policies.

Sean O'Hare said...

You obviously didn't get my point. You wake up! I'll rephrase in fewer words.

The cold war ended very quickly. It could return even more quickly. More quickly than we could possibly re-arm if needed.

The probability of Russia or China becoming belligerant in the short to medium term are not negligible, in fact I would reckon > 0.50 and would escalate dramatically if we had no nuclear defence.

So you think government should have nothing to do with health, transport, education

Damn right! If the incompetent politicians and their equally incompetent civil servants ceased control of these and other services then, and only then, will we see increases in quality and efficiency.

Sean O'Hare said...

Farage is a nincompoop. Or worse. Just read some of his policies

I read the UKIP manifesto very thoroughly before the GE and believe it to be a close second in common sense to that of the Libertarian Party. The LibDem and Green manifestos on the other hand took the biscuit as the most absurd collection of policies I have ever read.

Adrian Windisch said...

Some background reading, my view on Ukip
http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2009/06/are-ukip-party-of-fascist-nutters.html

For those who loved wooden ships the end of them was sudden. The cold war is over. It is no more.

Welcome to the era of international terrorism, attacks by small groups of people often not states. Who would you have bombed after 7/7, Leeds?

Having nuclear weapons makes us a target. Specially for those living near nuclear sites like Reading (AWE is 5 miles away).

weggis said...

@ Sean
Having a Private Pension and Private Medical Health Care, perhaps I should object to my taxes paying for your State Pension and Health Care?

Sean O'Hare said...

@weggis

If I hadn't paid full NI contributions for over 45 years you would have every right to object to my state pension and use of the NHS. I also had private health cover for the last 30 of those years as an employee and have never used the NHS much until recently so I don't think I am too much of a burden on the state :-)

Congratulations on making sensible provision for health and old age. Will you be refusing your state pension (if it is still around) when you get to my age?

Sean O'Hare said...

I read your article on UKIP and have to agree with Yasin, whom you accuse of using immoderate language. Calling him a facist nutter is moderate and balanced is it? I am not a member of any political party so can't take offence myself, although I did vote for Julia Reid, my local UKIP candidate, at the last general election. Believe me she is neither a facist nor a nutter. Like me she is convinced that the European Union is an evil empire in the making. We thought we had beaten communism, but is has snuck in through the back door.

UKIP MEPs may not be achieving much by way of getting us out, but at least they, Roger Helmer and Daniel Hannan provide some entertainment value for our money.

The party had a few bad eggs who were duly prosecuted. They were as crooked as some of our ex-MPs who are due to be sentenced this week.

As for Farage's expenses. He has said the money went to the party and until proven otherwise I will take his word for it.

Adrian Windisch said...

Thanks for reading the article. I didnt call him anthing. I did quote somone who knows the party from the inside. They may have got rid of some of the crinals, but the post was correct at the time of writing.

Sean O'Hare said...

Sorry but the title of your article was:

"Are Ukip a party of 'fascist nutters'"

Although you have quote marks you omitted a question mark which to me implies that you agree with Kilroy-Silk.

You then replied to Yasin's comment:

I see you link to this website, so presumably you are a Ukipper.
www.indhome.com


Ergo you indirectly called him a facist nutter.

But it matters not really. Kilroy-Silk is a prima donna who thought that his celebrity status and permatan earned him the natural right to be leader of a party diametrically opposed to the authoritarian socialism he has always supported. When he was educated otherwise he threw a tantrum and left. If I were a member of UKIP I would be saying "good riddance".

Sean O'Hare said...

Having nuclear weapons makes us a target. Specially for those living near nuclear sites like Reading (AWE is 5 miles away)

I know, and Burghfield is even closer! I used to live in Winnersh, hence my interest in your blog. I am now in Corsham, Wilts. which has more military establishments than Reading. I shouldn't worry though because if one of those things goes off in a war anywhere in the world it will be the end of days. That's why Trident is called a deterrent.

BTW you are the only active Green Party blogger anywhere near me, and the only one bookmarked, which is why I bother you so much. My local greenie hasn't written anything since June. Do you think she has given up?

http://wiltshiregreenparty.co.uk/?page_id=136

Adrian Windisch said...

I am glad you are concerned at the nearness of nuclear weapons to towns.

Even those not living near such sites are in danger, the nuke bombs travel from AWE to Scotland.

Adrian Windisch said...

Re the website, its not uncommon for them to go quiet every now and then. Usually they go active before elections.

We have had ukip sites in Berkshire with just a single entry, then nothing.

If you look at my blog list there are many many green blogs all over the country.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/region/southwest/counties/wiltshire.html

http://southwest.greenparty.org.uk/region/southwest/news.html has recent entries

weggis said...

@ Sean
Re: State Pension. I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve only got 29 years of NI Contributions and have never bothered to top up on the remainder, it seemed pointless. But that nice Mr Brown changed the rules so I am now entitled to the full wack. I may well [if I survive another 3 years] have it paid directly into my CAF account so it goes to charities of MY choice. On the other hand the grandkids may need a teeny bit of assistance on the student fees front?