Bristol - Event Notice
Thursday April 22 2010
Unfit to govern us!
bristol |
protests |
event notice
Friday April 09, 2010 18:04
by worker
Protest the party leaders and their media circus
On 22 April the leaders of the 3 main parties (LibdemLabCon), tweedledee, tweedledum and tweedleshite, will be in Bristol for the second of their public debates. This will be televised on Sky and will be held in front of a strictly-controlled live audience. Do not expect to get a ticket. The time and venue are yet to be confirmed, check back on this website for details nearer the time, then get down there and have your say.
All the 3 main parties offer us nothing but cuts, cuts, more cuts, and tax increases. All 3 of the parties tell us there is no other way, that we must feel the pain for the national good. In fact all 3 parties seek to govern purely in their own power-hungry interests and on behalf of big business, who continue to do very nicely whoever gets voted in.
We cannot let this farce of democracy pass unnoticed. We cannot let business as usual continue any longer at our expense. Let's gatecrash their party and state loud and clear our desires. So bring your banners, and music, your placards and whistles. Bring your rotten tomatos to throw at your effigies of the party leaders (and dont forget the nazi Nick Griffin), and bring your ballot papers to burn along with all the party propaganda lies pushed through your letter box.
Support these Cuts:
- Cut the Trident missile programme and save over £100 billion
- Cut corporate business tax evasion and save £100 billion a year
- Cut the tax perks and tax evasion by the bosses and save more £billions
- No bank or shareholder bonuses until public loans to failed banks are repaid
- Cut pay and wealth inequality from its current level of 80:1 (where 1 is average pay), no pay increases for anyone earning over £60k
- Cut PFI and all tax-breaks and scams by developers. No more development on green spaces
- Cut bosses pay and shareholder bonuses for all former public utilities, al profits to be reinvested in the service and in reducing proces
- Abolish the House of Lords and slash the Civil List to zero, cut MP's expenses and pensions
- Cut all prison expansion building programmes and all new road projects
- Bring our troops home and end involvement in all foreign wars of regime change and resource theft
- No pay increase for cops and no staffing increases
- ditch ID cards and all new big brother surveillance technology
- Cut VAT to 5% on all basic necessities
- Tax foreign currency betting and dealing
These cuts will solve the budget deficit in one go, leaving plenty over for re-training, re-skilling and re-tooling. We further demand:
- tax and NI reductions for all those earning below the national average wage
- extra funding for health, education and public housing
- increased state pensions and benefits
- language classes for all where English is not first language
- zero job cuts except for the rich
Bish, bash, bosh. Jobs a goodun. Job done. See you on the 22nd, make it loud!
MP's unfit to govern
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16here's a poster for anyone interested....
2 sources say that the Arnolfini is the venue for the 22nd April, not sure what times yet!
Whilst the Arnolfini seems a logical venue (used for Question Time before) and was hinted at by various sources, the Evening Post states 16/4/10 that:
"Bristol has only to wait until 4pm on Thursday, April 22, for its own slice of history when the leaders descend on the city's Mercure Hotel in Redcliffe for the second debate."
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Honours-8211-s-come....html
Thats The Mercure Hotel, Redcliffe Hill, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6SQ and see indymedia posts http://www.bristol.indymedia.org.uk/article/692267 and http://www.bristol.indymedia.org.uk/article/692266
4pm could be the arrival time allowing for lots of set up and make up, or it could be the time the debate starts. Be good to know from people in Manchester how it panned out there for yesterdays debate.
Retouched up poster attached.
Agree with the sentiment behind this protest, but I think I'll hold onto my ballot paper and use it to vote Green instead.
So they\\\\\\\'ll be bused potentially out of town to the middle of nowhere, we probably won\\\\\\\'t be able to keep up but even if we did the majority of protesters wouldn\\\\\\\'t be able to get out to the venue.
New plan: everyone on the bus, insist on being taken to wherever the \\\\\\\"democracy\\\\\\\" is going down.
4pm is definitely the "arrive from" time not the start time, one of my neighbours has a place at this. He hasn't been told the location either, but also suspects Arnolfini.
On Friday it was announced that the venue for the debate charade would be the Mercure Hotel and the time 4pm. It has now emerged that this is the meet point for the audience members, hand-picked for not holding edgy views, who will be taken by bus to the secret location, the whereabouts of which we are unlikely to know until the day. However planned road closures, police activities and inside information suggest strongly that the actual venue will be the Arnolfini, just round the corner.
Democracy has been cancelled. The unwashed masses, the dissenting and the radical have been denied not only entry to this pseudo-democratic event, but are not even fit to make our presence known outside the building. Questions inside the debate are being censored in advance; our voice outside the debate is in turn being censored. We will not be bullied by the ruling elites; we will not accept this farce. While the actors stand on stage and ridicule people power, we the people will take back the power on the streets.
We will do our best to follow the bus by any means possible but cops will do their best to disrupt this with their numbers and road closures, and it simply may not be possible. If so there will be mass decentralised action throughout the centre of Bristol throughout the afternoon and evening. One way or another, we WILL be heard.
Be aware that, if the venue is the Arnolfini, it may be very near by but the police will do their best to stop us from reaching the building. Roads will be closed and they will probably try to kettle us - this means surrounding us with cops and keeping us in one place. Keep on the lookout for large groups of police attempting pincer manoeuvres - if you see such attempts make sure everyone knows, and spread out around the nearby streets as much as possible. Use the terrain to our advantage.
Most importantly of all - REMAIN POSITIVE. There will be far more of us there than them, and they are desperate to sell a positive image to the media and keep us as quiet as possible. Remember, we hold the power. As long as we remain loud, upbeat and confident nothing can stop us. Look after eachother.
Peace and solidarity
its a cop out but an option! you dont need your ballet paper to vote, so make a statement about how you feel about the 3 main candidates and vote green too!
Personlly i may burn my paper then turn up on polling day to spoil my vote - altho this does seem a bit like redundant.
By way of introduction I am responsible for the policing operation in connection with the proposed televised debate between the three party leaders on Thursday evening.
The exact location of the event will be formally announced by Sky Television on Wednesday afternoon.
I am keen that dialogue between the police and those who want to assemble and demonstrate is open and honest. I very much want to ensure you are able to enjoy your democratic right to peacefully demonstrate. It is my intention that we facilitate the opportunity for you to be seen and your voice to be heard by the party leaders and across the news media.
I invite anyone who feels they are in a position to communicate on behalf of any interested group to make contact with me, either directly or through this website. I am able to meet face to face if that suits you best. With early channels of communication open between us I will be able to introduce you to named points of contact who will be personally available on Thursday to facilitate a peaceful demonstration.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards
Lawrie Lewis
Chief Superintendent
Head of Operations
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
It is of course possible that the offer posted above by the police is a genuine attempt to facilitate the protest. But please be aware by making contact you risk being treated as an organiser or even leader, and may well be held responsible for anything the police are angry about after the demo. There will be hundreds there and it could become very messy, at which point believe me you do NOT want to be a point of contact. By presenting yourself as someone who could speak for the demonstration, your actions could be interpreted as turning yourself in for conspiracy, breach of peace, various public order offences and any number of other trumped up charges, as long as taking responsibility for any crime committed on the day. Imagine (totally hypothetically!!) someone torched a shop. Would you want to be "point of contact" for arson?
Remember the police interpretation of facilitating peaceful protest is very different to ours. At the jesters eviction recently Bristol Police refused to act when a protester was dangled precariously over a 30ft drop against his will, while leaping to action to arrest another protester for turning off a machine.
Ultimately, who'd want to take the risk? We don't need the police to legitimise our activities. They'll be there to prevent us from getting close to the "democracy", whether they do it with a smile on their face or a glare. This policeman doesn't actually have anything to offer us. He couldn't get you inside the building even if he wanted to. I've done police liaising before and I know from long experience, if they want to treat a crowd a certain way, they'll do it no matter how polite and compelling you are. He wants you as point of contact so he can get stuff from you. Ask yourself what you personally, or us as a group, would actually gain from this arrangement.
Feel free to make contact and it may work out fine, but I'd advise you - it's far more likely they're looking for someone to lock away for a few years than they actually care about your democratic empowerment.
Please be aware action has been taken to remove a web page advertising this demo. This action, which attacks our right to publicise political activity and the right of the individual to choose whether or not to attend a protest or not, was in all likelihood taken by the very person who above claims to be keen for "you to be seen and your voice to be heard by the party leaders and across the news media". Don't be fooled by his bullshit.
I understand your concerns. This is why I have deliberately used the term “communicate on behalf of” to ensure that the basis upon which we speak to whoever comes forward is not one which either recognises or regards that individual or group of individuals as an organiser unless that person elects to declare them self as such.
Our objective is to facilitate peaceful protest for all who wish to do so.
Lawrie Lewis
Chief Superintendent
Head of Operations
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
The Avon and Somerset Constabulary is determined to support your right to peacefully demonstrate.
We have to balance your right against the rights of others who want to go about their private lives, business and interests that are not associated with either the debate taking place or any protest.
We also have to give due regard to the security of the venue for the debate, the Arnolfini, and our duty to protect those involved from anyone with criminal intent who could seek to take advantage of the environment created by a protest for their own purpose.
We wish to actively engage with demonstrators to provide the best possible forum for your voice to be heard.
The following telephone number is available for anyone communicating on behalf of a protest group to speak directly with the police. I have deliberately used the term “communicate on behalf of” to ensure that the basis upon which we speak to whoever comes forward is not one which either recognises or regards that individual or group of individuals as an organiser unless that person elects to declare them self as such.
The telephone number is 07767 827612. Use of this number will enable us to put you directly in contact with a senior police officer who will be on the streets at the relevant time.
The assembly point where we are asking demonstrators to congregate is on the City Centre in front of the harbour. For security and crowd safety reasons It is not our intention to allow a demonstration to form in the vicinity of the Arnolfini. We will however be doing all that is reasonably possible to ensure you are in sight and sound of the visiting party leaders and at all times in full view of the media.
Lawrie Lewis
Chief Superintendent
Head of Operations
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
You wish a peaceful protest - right?
Then use your powers to have your officers arrest a suspect on the charge of war crimes & crimes against humanity.
Let the courts decide whether he is innocent or not.
The suspects name is Gordon Brown and is believed to be in Bristol today.
Just had word that the marriot hotel near old-market is surrounded by police cars, including armoured vehicles and several riot armoured policia. Hotel in redcliffe could be a diversion, this is worth checking out.
... and what to expect.
One would think the idea of showing the debate in Millenium Square is brave. Everyone will be wound up, mouthing off and generally insulting roughly half the people there.
However, at the leadership debate in 2005, buildings were lined with police carrying MP-5 submachine guns. There were probably snipers. All for Blair.
You will probably be filmed by a police unit called the Forward Intelligence Team. Disgraceful but that's how it is these days.
I cannot suggest strongly enough that you do not create a problem for the police. They will be stressed as it is.
I hope we are mature enough to demonstrate we are worthy of the trust the council et al have put in us.