Monday 13th May 8pm The Cube, Dove Street, Bristol.  Entry £3/£4 (But nobody turned away due to lack of funds)

As part of co-ordinated action by the International Workers' Association across several countries, Indymedia and Bristol Solidarity Federation are hosting an evening of film and discussion on housing matters. Using film footage from the 1930s and 1970s, the struggles of ordinary people to live in a decent, affordable and secure home will be remembered. The talks and discussions will focus on the present day, providing: an overview of current national and local housing issues; an analysis of the expanding private rented sector; an insight into the tenants movement in Bristol; and a first hand account of DIY housing in the form of a local co-operative.

‘Fifty years on, Beeching’s still wrong’ is the message rail campaigners will be sending out on Saturday 23 March 2013.

Bristol agrees. Bernard Kennedy, Bristol secretary of the rail union ASLEF, said “History has proved that although promoted in glowing terms of 'financial viability' the Beeching Report was, in reality, an axeman's charter."

James White, Bristol Civic Society, said "The single most disastrous decision in the history of public transport anywhere in the world" followed by the deliberate sale of the land assets means we are now facing a public transport crisis. The deliberate dismantling of the system built by our Victorian ancestors will take a huge investment to replace, far more than was received for the sales. The demand for trains can be seen everyday and we must enable the system to react to this demand much faster”. 

Severn Beach station was one of the 2,363 stations identified for closure in 1963. On Saturday, Friends Of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR), with song sheets, and key players from the Tarka Rail Association (Barnstaple line) and AVOCET (Exmouth line) will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Beeching cuts on the scenic train route to Severn Beach station and back. The train is scheduled to arrive at Montpelier Station at 14.21 where a display of placards, maps and graphs on the station will be recorded for posterity by a Bristol film maker.

We want to put the Fayre back into Bookfair.

Want to make that coconut shy with David Camerons face on, how about a pin the black mask on an anarchist, anarchist tug of war, use your imagination to help us make the Fayre a fun day to remember.

This years bookfair is at the trinity centre for the first time and we have a great outdoor lawn space to use for anarchist fayre fun. Are you a performer, artist, juggler, hooper, or people who just have a good idea for the Fayre. Think of it as a village fete with a anarchist edge, we are open to any ideas. We do have zero budget so would have to be self sufficient, but when did money ever stop an anarchist from doing anything :) Also if anyone can run some good kids activities, that would be great as we want to make it a good un for the next generation of rabble rousers. We don't expect people to do stuff all day, it could just be a half hour activity, or a short performance, or whatever takes your fancy. So to get involved we have a meeting this Wednesday at Kebele 7pm, focusing on the fayre in particular so come along and have a chat, if you cant make it then email mike@permanentculturenow.com obviously all this will be weather permitting.

As well as the Fayre, we also have 3 outside covered spaces, that are hosted by permanent culture now and need your input.

Marquee one is for talks around permaculture, commons and anything to do with moving away from reliance on capitalism to self sufficiency and new ways of living, check out www.permanentculturenow.com to get an idea. Currently we have workshops on urban permaculture, commonising capital and is permaculture political lined up.

The second marquee is for workshops, currently we have self defence and rocket stove making, so have spaces for lots of other workshops if you have any ideas.

The third space is for promoting independent volunteer land and food based autonomous projects that show the spirit of cooperation, mutual aid and collectivism in action. so if such as so if you are involved in a community supported agriculture project, community farms, bike projects, or any project which is helping us move away from reliance on capitalism to a better way of living. We are looking at giving groups an half hour slot to promote their project on the day so people can find out more and maybe get involved.

So if you have any ideas for a workshops, talks or want to promote your project, then contact mike@permanentculturenow.com

In terms of the main bookfair space we still have spaces for workshops, stalls, but are going fast so please check out the bookfair website if interested in putting them on.

From fracking to opencast, biofuels to nuclear, energy companies are turning to more and more extreme ways to extract energy. Despite their nightmarish variety, these tecnologies are connected by their disastrous impacts, and by the corporate agendas driving them.

How do we make our resistance to all these forms of extreme energy just as connected?

As part of the Frack Free February month of action, local coalition, Frack Free Somerset in collaboration with Frack Off and Bristol Rising Tide are leading a workshop on community resistance to extreme energy.

The workshop will look at what 'extreme energy' is and place these developments in the context of the bigger picture before looking at models of resistance around the world. There will be the chance to hear activists from:

Rising Tide Australia, involved in the 'Lock the Gate' & Coal Seam Gas Free Communities. The Copenhagen (Denmark) based network The Climate Collective, who are mobilising against shale gas extraction and fracking in Denmark with the initiative Skifergas - Nej tak! (shalegas no thanks!) Biofuel Watch Stop New Nuclear and the campaign against Hinkley Point C and the local resistance to fracking and coal bed methane in Somerset

Community resistance in the UK will then be explored as well as next steps for Somerset & the South West. http://risingtide.org.uk/bristol

http://frack-off.org.uk