Month: Apr 2012

Reminiscent of the poster that brought Margaret Thatcher to power?
Here are some interesting points about the ‘Labour Isn’t Working’ poster of Election ’79:
The queue was made up of extras looking for a part; Fewer than 100 turned up so the queue effect was mocked up by repeating groups of the same people over and over; The poster was voted poster of the century by readers of the advertising industry magazine, ‘Campaign.’
The poster was inspired, powerful and decisive: The treasurer of the Conservative Party considered it to have secured the landslide victory.
Well, that and the Winter of Discontent…

Birmingham Against The Cuts's avatarBirmingham Against The Cuts

We’ve got a new poster available
If you come to one of our planning meetings, then you can pick up copies there – if you can’t come, please email BirminghamAgainstTheCuts@Gmail.com and we’ll look to arrange delivery to you via someone in your area who can collect from us.

We’ve argued that austerity cannot solve our economic problems – and the GDP figures for the first quarter of 2012 confirmed that we are back in recession – a double-dip recession because we never grew back to where we were before 2008.

Put the poster up in your window or workplace and help spread the message – austerity isn’t working, Britain is better off with the alternatives.

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Family commitments meant I missed this. I’m hoping it might be repeated.

Birmingham Against The Cuts's avatarBirmingham Against The Cuts

On Monday, a workfare walk of shame was held around Birmingham city centre. If you couldn’t make it, there is a video with all the stops that you can watch. More workfare events are taking place in April, in Kings Heath and Acocks Green – see this post for more details.

We visited the following business and charities, using the Boycott Workfare website as a guide to where to stop

Chamberlain Square/Paradise Forum

Greggs and McDonalds where we discussed what workfare is, and the different government schemes.

Victoria Square

Birmingham City Council House, not because the council are currently using workfare (as far as we know…) but because others are, and because they might choose to take advantage of workfare to cover for cuts.

John Bright Street

Action For the Blind, where the role of charities in workfare was explored

Stephenson Street

New Street Train Station…

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Hmmm… ‘Safe in Our Hands…’

Very simple really. This letter asks for commitment to the stewardship of local services. Local Government elections: the clue is in the name. About the services provided to you and me at a local level. Not a referendum on the governance of the country but on how local councillors serve their council tax payers, on how they discharge civic responsibilities. Not about Cameron, Clegg or Attila the Hun. Please vote, and vote with Birmingham in mind.

Birmingham Against The Cuts's avatarBirmingham Against The Cuts

We’ve written to candidates standing for the local council elections, asking them to make 5 pledges. We will post on this website in the last week of April the responses that we’ve had, to help you to make a decision about how to vote.
This is the letter we’ve sent:

Please support 5 election pledges from Birmingham Against the Cuts in the May 2012 elections

Dear prospective councillor for Birmingham City Council,

We are writing on behalf of Birmingham Against the Cuts (BATC). We are an umbrella anti-cuts campaign group formed by Birmingham Trades Union Council. There are now local anti-cuts groups in all major local areas in Birmingham. BATC is supported by all of the major trade union branches in the city and work closely with Disabled People Against the Cuts and a range of social movements, community groups and organisations.

BATC are not affiliated to any political party…

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askparentsfirst's avatarAsk Parents First

Who are we and what do we want to achieve?

Weare a very new parent-led group comprised of parents and prospective parents in Birmingham. We have come together as a result of shared concerns at the rapid and undemocratic way in which schools across the city are being converted, voluntarily or forcibly, to academy status.

On Thursday 12th April 2012 we met as a group for the first time.

It was agreed that we will be campaigning FOR parents to have a say in what happens to their schools, rather than against anything. We believe that parents should have the opportunity to make an informed choice about the future of their schools on consideration of all the facts as part of an open and democratic consultation process. We are primarily a parent group and are parent-led. We welcome non-parents who would like to get involved with the campaign, but…

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The ‘natural party’ of family values and the Big Society are showing their true heritage here.
They are the inheritors of Thatcherism and propagatirs of that true Thatcherite dictum:
“There is no such thing as society.”
Suddenly the value of the family has become a way of cutting state support for new family units. And once more the tired, selfish phrases, predicated on the notion that one shouldn’t procreate unless one can afford to, are being bandied about.
Why don’t they just gas the poor and be done with it!
Better be careful saying things like that.
Might give them ideas.

I always attributed a stroke at the age of 40 to working under impossible pressure to hit an unreasonable deadline. Genius, tenacity and a cast iron creative subconscious allowed me to deliver. The personal cost was appalling and I still live with the neurological, psychological and social damage. I’m fortunate, my employers were contrite and made every modification necessary to keep me in employment. I am very aware that most do not experience this level of support.