NEWS FROM NOWHERE CLUB
Saturday 13th July 2019
Vi Gostling Memorial Lecture
Why private financing of public infrastructure must end and how we can do it
Speaker: Helen Mercer
We all now know that no new PFI contracts will be signed, following general recognition that the experiment has been inefficient, costly and otherwise disastrous for the quality of our infrastructure and services. This talk focuses on what to do with the PFIs that are being left to run their course until the 2030s, or longer for many.
The talk first demystifies financial wheeler-dealing by providing a clear and straightforward explanation of how private profit is spun off from public services, using examples of PFIs which affect people in North East London. Understanding those financial mechanisms has informed an idea currently gaining interest and agreement: that we can end the process entirely by nationalising the ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’, the financial companies which sign the contracts with public authorities. Helen is a retired lecturer in Economics and Economic History, and a member of People vs PFI.
At the Epicentre, West Street E11 4LJ
7.30pm Buffet 8.00pm Talk and discussion
Free entry, donations welcomed / raffle
Enquiries 0208 555 5248 All welcome, no need to book
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News from Nowhere Meeting
Saturday 10th August
UPDATE from email:
"Our speaker from Ashiana cannot come after all, but instead we are privileged to have Dr Annie Gray talking about
'Loneliness Amongst Seniors: Why It's Important and what to do about it'
... Usual time, usual place: 7.30 for 8 p.m. at Epicentre E11 4LJ."
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News from Nowhere Meeting
Saturday 10th August
UPDATE from email:
"Our speaker from Ashiana cannot come after all, but instead we are privileged to have Dr Annie Gray talking about
'Loneliness Amongst Seniors: Why It's Important and what to do about it'
... Usual time, usual place: 7.30 for 8 p.m. at Epicentre E11 4LJ."
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Bishopsgate Institute Peace Day, 19 July 1919
Saturday 20 July
- Time:11:00 AM - 14:00 PM
- Days of Week:Saturday
- Course Code:AC19301
- Subject:Arts and Culture
- Level:SUITABLE FOR ALL
- Tutor:Dr Michelle Johansen
- Max students:16
- Number of Sessions:1
- Status:Available/A
- Cost:£22.00 to £29.00
- Concs. :£22
World War One did not officially end on 11 November 1918. Treaty negotiations at Versailles continued into the following year and it wasn’t until July 1919 that Britain celebrated formally with processions, pageants and street parties.
This session uses original historical sources to discover at first-hand what life was like in the aftermath of war for ordinary Londoners, among them demobilised soldiers, women office workers and conscientious objectors.
A Hands-on History course led by Dr Michelle Johansen.
For more information about this course and what you will learn, see the course outline.
Have a question? Send us an email or give us a call on: 020 7392 9200
This session uses original historical sources to discover at first-hand what life was like in the aftermath of war for ordinary Londoners, among them demobilised soldiers, women office workers and conscientious objectors.
A Hands-on History course led by Dr Michelle Johansen.
For more information about this course and what you will learn, see the course outline.
Have a question? Send us an email or give us a call on: 020 7392 9200
==========================dFrom New Anarchist Research Group
Saturday 27 July 14:00-16:00 at the MayDay Rooms*
Paris, May 1968 - An Eyewitness Account
Peter Turner
"In 1968 France was in melt down. There was rioting in the streets and everyone seemed to be out on strike. I was 25 years old and involved in camping at the gates of Porton Down biological warfare research station on the Salisbury Plains with CND. I thought that there might never be another revolution in Western Europe in my lifetime so if I wanted to see history being made I had better get over there a.s.a.p. Four days later I was in the Sorbonne. This account is a personal record of what one man saw and heard (and smelt) in Paris in May 1968. It is cobbled together from the pages of the diary I kept at the time, the photos I took and my memories. I worked as a translator in the students' Press Dept and I experienced the bullets and the barricades at first hand. As for interpreting what it all meant, I'll leave that to others."
Biography:
"I have earned my living from teaching science, and from working as an entomologist, both in Europe and in the Caribbean, where I lived for 4 years. Most of my political activities have been in the NUT and in single-issue campaigns, particularly solidarity movements such as Anti Apartheid and Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign and the Palestine Solidarity Movement. I am a member of the Haringey Solidarity Group, and I support the Catholic Workers Movement, though without being Christian.
I write 2 blogs: petersgreentubewalks.
*MayDay Rooms 88 Fleet St, London EC4Y 1DH
Our meetings are friendly and informal.
Please note that we hold a collection to pay for the use of the room
NEW from AUTONOMY NOW:
DOING MONEY DIFFERENTLY with HUGH BARNARD
Thursday 15th August 2019
Doors open 6.30pm for 7pm start
Venue: LARC (London Action Resource Centre)
62 Fieldgate Street
Whitechapel
London E1 1ES
Entry is free, donations to LARC are appreciated.
Booking preferred but not essential.
Doors open 6.30pm for 7pm start
Venue: LARC (London Action Resource Centre)
62 Fieldgate Street
Whitechapel
London E1 1ES
Entry is free, donations to LARC are appreciated.
Booking preferred but not essential.
There will be two parts to the talk, the first part is definitions and types of money, some advantages and disadvantages.
The second part will be about radical and people owned approaches to money. Hugh will include references to technical work that has already been done, working examples elsewhere in the world, some of the controversies and speculation about the immediate future.
This is a large, complex and controversial subject, and references for further reading will be supplied.
The second part will be about radical and people owned approaches to money. Hugh will include references to technical work that has already been done, working examples elsewhere in the world, some of the controversies and speculation about the immediate future.
This is a large, complex and controversial subject, and references for further reading will be supplied.
About Hugh Barnard - Hugh has an MSc in computing from the Open University and recently finished a philosophy BA at Birkbeck. He stood for the Greens in the 2017 Municipals and his outlook is probably adjacent to Bookchin’s eco-
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From MedactEnd the cycle of violence: Take action against UK arms fair DSEI
As many of you will now be aware, on June 20th the Court of Appeals ruled that the UK government’s licencing of the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia that were used in the devastating war in Yemen was unlawful. Since then, the government has now been forced to suspend export licences for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners for weapons that may be used in the war in Yemen.
This is a positive first step, but we must go further in order to end the cycle of violence. The UK government continues to fuel the arms trade to countries that have been and are complicit in mass human rights abuses and destruction in places such as Yemen and Gaza.
Arms fairs such as the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), taking place once again this September in London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre, facilitate the sale of arms from the UK and all around the world. A number of companies who exhibit weapons and technology at DSEI have sold arms to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kazakhstan and Turkey.
Take action with us by signing and sharing our open letter to the Secretary of State for International Trade urging him to commit to not hosting or supporting arms fairs such as DSEI.
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(UPDATE) From IWCE
We'd like to invite you to register and create an interesting and sparkling day about:
Women Making History: locally, here, there and everywhere.
Saturday 7th September 11.00 - 3 pm
Working Class Movement Library in Salford
We are still inviting stories, poems, films and Exhibitions and we would really value what everyone has to offer.......
Contributions in any medium lasting.15/20 mins are invited.
It will be in the Working Class Movement Library in Salford (near Manchester) on Saturday 7th September. 11-3 pm.
Free but donations welcome.
Please get in touch to register -
Ali Ronan: alironan61@gmail.com
or Keith Venables iwceducation@yahoo.
We look forward to seeing you!
IWCE
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From WCML
From WCML
Working Class Movement Library
51 The Crescent,
Salford, M5 4WX
7pm Wednesdays is the time for our series of free talks on state violence, Not just Peterloo. There are two more talks in what's proving an excellent series. We are keeping the library open after our usual closing time of 5pm so you can drop in beforehand and look at our detailed and much-praised Peterloo exhibition too.
Wed 10 July 7pm Jennifer Luff State surveillance of the 20th century leftFrom the early 1920s through the late 1940s, the British government operated a very large programme to identify, blacklist and dismiss suspected Communists working in HMG's munitions factories, shipyards and scientific establishments. This programme was kept secret from British workers and the British public, and it has remained so to the present day. This talk tells the history of Britain's secret red purge and reflects on its implications for modern British history and contemporary politics.
Jennifer Luff is Associate Professor, Department of History at Durham University.
Wed 17 July 7pm Joanna Gilmore Lessons from Orgreave: policing, protest and resistance
In October 2016, then Home Secretary Amber Rudd ruled out a public inquiry into the ‘Battle of Orgreave’, arguing that “very few lessons” could be learned from a review of practices of three decades ago. The policing landscape, she suggested, has “changed fundamentally” in recent years, “at the political, legislative and operational levels”. In this talk Joanna will challenge claims of a progressive shift in the state’s response to protest and dissent since the 1980s. Drawing on empirical research into the policing of anti-war, anti-fascist and anti-fracking protests, she will highlight the continuing relevance of Orgreave, and the policing of the 1984-5 miners’ strike more generally, for contemporary policing practice.
Joanna Gilmore is Lecturer in Law at the University of York researching public order policing, human rights and community-based responses to police misconduct. She is a founding member of the Northern Police Monitoring Project.
Wed 10 July 7pm Jennifer Luff State surveillance of the 20th century leftFrom the early 1920s through the late 1940s, the British government operated a very large programme to identify, blacklist and dismiss suspected Communists working in HMG's munitions factories, shipyards and scientific establishments. This programme was kept secret from British workers and the British public, and it has remained so to the present day. This talk tells the history of Britain's secret red purge and reflects on its implications for modern British history and contemporary politics.
Jennifer Luff is Associate Professor, Department of History at Durham University.
Wed 17 July 7pm Joanna Gilmore Lessons from Orgreave: policing, protest and resistance
In October 2016, then Home Secretary Amber Rudd ruled out a public inquiry into the ‘Battle of Orgreave’, arguing that “very few lessons” could be learned from a review of practices of three decades ago. The policing landscape, she suggested, has “changed fundamentally” in recent years, “at the political, legislative and operational levels”. In this talk Joanna will challenge claims of a progressive shift in the state’s response to protest and dissent since the 1980s. Drawing on empirical research into the policing of anti-war, anti-fascist and anti-fracking protests, she will highlight the continuing relevance of Orgreave, and the policing of the 1984-5 miners’ strike more generally, for contemporary policing practice.
Joanna Gilmore is Lecturer in Law at the University of York researching public order policing, human rights and community-based responses to police misconduct. She is a founding member of the Northern Police Monitoring Project.
Full details at www.wcml.org.uk/events.
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Our Sam, the Middleton Man - film screening
On Saturday 3 August at 2pm we will be hosting a screening of ReelMCR’s new community film about Samuel Bamford, radical reformer, writer, handloom weaver and leader of the Middleton contingent who walked to Manchester on 16 August 1819 in a peaceful protest which turned into what we now know as Peterloo.
Admission free.
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NEW
A day of women's protest at the Pankhurst Centre
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NEW
A day of women's protest at the Pankhurst Centre
The Pankhurst Centre is welcoming two projects, Greenham Women Everywhere and Remembering Resistance, to 62 Nelson Street on Thursday 15 August from 10am to 4pm.
Remembering Resistance is a project which celebrates 100 years of women's protest in the North of England. Do you have stories to tell about activism? Come and share your memories and any related objects with the project team, who will record these stories to inspire future generations. You can also take part in two guided walks from 62 Nelson Street to find out more about women activists in the local area, and to share your own stories. The walks, at 10.30am and 1.30pm, are free, but bookable via Eventbrite here
Greenham Women Everywhere - pop-up exhibition
Established in 1982, the Greenham Common Peace Camp brought women from all over the world to live together to protest peacefully and creatively about the threat to humankind from the nuclear arms race.
All set in a Greenham-inspired tent, this touring exhibition displays original photographs and archival material collated from some of the women involved. A video installation explores what political concerns and campaigns the Greenham Women are taking on today, and there will be a chance to meet some of the women themselves.
Remembering Resistance is a project which celebrates 100 years of women's protest in the North of England. Do you have stories to tell about activism? Come and share your memories and any related objects with the project team, who will record these stories to inspire future generations. You can also take part in two guided walks from 62 Nelson Street to find out more about women activists in the local area, and to share your own stories. The walks, at 10.30am and 1.30pm, are free, but bookable via Eventbrite here
Greenham Women Everywhere - pop-up exhibition
Established in 1982, the Greenham Common Peace Camp brought women from all over the world to live together to protest peacefully and creatively about the threat to humankind from the nuclear arms race.
All set in a Greenham-inspired tent, this touring exhibition displays original photographs and archival material collated from some of the women involved. A video installation explores what political concerns and campaigns the Greenham Women are taking on today, and there will be a chance to meet some of the women themselves.
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From CND
Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The world says never again
2019 is the 74th anniversary of the bombings. Memorial events are planned across the UK for Hiroshima Day on the 6th August and Nagasaki Day on the 9th August.
Please join memorial events to support efforts to remember these catastrophic events & work towards a world where this can never happen again. The following are the events we know about so far, but keep an eye out on our web site for new events and let us know about events you are planning.
Please join memorial events to support efforts to remember these catastrophic events & work towards a world where this can never happen again. The following are the events we know about so far, but keep an eye out on our web site for new events and let us know about events you are planning.
3 August Hiroshima: Birmingham commemoration; Hiroshima vigil and ceremony, Bromley
4 August Hiroshima Day Peace Walk – London
Hiroshima and Nagasaki event: Southampton
Hiroshima Haiku workshop at the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, (BSL interpreted)
6 August (until 9th) Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days of Action
Hiroshima: Liverpool East Midlands CND, Derby Edinburgh
Hiroshima Peace Picnic: Charlton, London Hiroshima: Wimbledon, London
Hiroshima Day commemoration – Sutton for Peace and Justice
International Fast for Nuclear Disarmament
Annual floating lantern ceremony at the Peace Pagoda, Willen Lake North
7 August Seminar: The most dangerous scientist in history, at The Royal Institution, London
11 August Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Wimbledon picnic
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Events at HousmansHousmans Bookshop
5 Caledonian Road
King’s Cross
London N1 9DX
Tel: 020 7837 4473
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From Marketing Manger, Open City Documentary Festival in London.
As part of the festival this year, we have an event with artist and psychogeographer Laura Grace Ford. She's curating a screening of archival television documentaries from the early 90s, exploring the poll tax riots, housing, architecture and the politics of the time.
One of these will be an episode from the series 'Summer on the Estate', set on the old Kingsland estate, whilst the other is "The Battle of Trafalgar' which looks at London more generally.
Her work is really interesting, and she'll be present to introduce and discuss the work she's chosen, placing it within an idea of these films being "catalysts for new social imaginaries." I thought this event might be of interest to you, considering the local / historical themes, hence my getting in touch.
... You can see the event details here.
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From Sparrows' Nest
========================We are thrilled to announce our next event:
Further details TBC shortly, but please start to spread the word!And we would like to hear from you:* Were you involved in the production or distribution of these or any other titles?* Do you have any stories or anecdotes you would like to share in relation to these or similar publications?* Do you have a box or a folder of similar materials in your attic (beneath your bed/in the shed) and would consider to either donate them to us or loan them to us for digitisation?If so, we would very much like to hear from you (please note that we usually respond to emails rather fast - if you do not have an answer after three days, please check your spam folder!) - sparrowsnestlibrary@gmail.com
Follow-up to earlier notification:
The Little Rebels Award for Children's Fiction 2019 was decided at an event on Wednesday 10th July. The result and details of the winner can be found on our previous posting about the shortlist.
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