Bleeding Papua

Campaign for Tyne & Wear Cleaners

Campaign for Tyne & Wear Cleaners

Comrades in all groups - Please note we are activating "OPERATION LOU LOU" TOMORROW (Monday 6th August 2012) all times are as previously agreed and you will know your allocated join points - Team One (Pallion to Airport) Team Two Jarrow (to Coast) Team Three Northumberland Park (St James) Team Four Fawdon (to Pallion) Please remember it is vital the Percy Main Team go anti clockwise on the system (otherwise we will be double tracking) members not allocated to groups please attend at Haymarketat 8.30am or contact your group co-ordinator for information on where you can help on the system. remember if followed get off and wait for another train. Good Luck and many thanks - any problems contact the RMT Co-ordinator on the usual email or number. We want to thank both shifts for their help, SOLIDARITY!!!

Take Back the Land!

There’s just days to go until a week of action against opencast coal in the Douglas Valley – a place where the ruling class is crushing communities for their own financial gain, where ecological destruction is taking place on a massive scale for the profits of big energy companies and where absentee fat-cat land-lords make millions off land that shouldn’t be theirs . Join us 12-18 July in the Douglas Valley, South Lanarkshire, to build on 20 years of community struggle and four years of direct action against the UK’s biggest opencast mining company.
Read on for programme highlights, how you can get involved and direct action resources. We’re ready – but the question is: is Scottish Coal?

Help us spread the word: please pass on our call-out to your friends. You’ll find publicity here, the website here and social networking here.
Join in the fun: there will be roles for everyone at the camp and lots of exciting things to get stuck into. See here for what to bring with you, and here for directions to the area. There’s three things you can do: 1) Get yourself to the camp or Lanark train station on Thursday 12th July, 2) Bring all your friends, 3) Come prepared for a week of low-impact living and high impact direct action!
Take action: be prepared for action – there will be a mass action on Saturday 14th July and we’re encouraging affinity groups to target coal infrastructure throughout the area. Want some ideas? See here for direct action resources, and here for a Douglas Valley direct action guide.
What to look forward to at the camp – here’s some highlights:
Thursday 12th – a big welcome to the camp & an introduction to coal in South Lanarkshire: what are the issues and why take action?
Friday 13th – Extreme Energy: Frack Off! will facilitate a session on underground coal gasification, fracking and more. Later, Reclaim the Fields Scotland will be asking: What is RTF?
Saturday 14th – mass action! A day of targeting coal infrastructure in the area.
Sunday 15th – preparing for the days ahead, and in the evening Biofuel Watch will facilitate a session on Bioenergy
Monday 16th – Land Rights in Scotland: What are the issues? And in the evening DIY Discussions comes to Take Back the Land! with a focus on overcoming machismo and including feminist voices in direct action struggles
Tuesday 17th – Strategies for winning: discussion on how can we make sure the struggles for environmental and social justice get what they want.
Want to host a discussion at the camp or run a workshop? There’s plenty of space to get involved – get in touch at contact@coalactionscotland.org.uk
See you there!

http://takebacktheland.org.uk/
http://coalactionscotland.org.uk/

RMT Churchill Cleaners - Tyne and Wear Metro - STRIKE DATES

Friday 13th July 22.30 till Saturday 14th July 22.29

mess up the metro

Rossport Solidarity Camp Update

Hi from Mayo!
Since the last update we've had the annual June Gathering, dug in at the camp after an eviction scare and had a week of action against Shell. Local Shell to Sea spokesperson Terence Conway appealed his prison sentence and remains free to work against Shell but joins the other campaigners who got suspended sentences in February. Lots of events coming up soon on the camp and around the area. Read on and consider coming to visit and stay at the camp whenever you can.

1- Upcoming Events
Peoples' forum 7th July
Day of Action -13th July
Meitheal Iorrais-14th -15th July
Wind turbine course 4th - 10th August
The future of the camp weekend 1st September

2 - News and Actions
June Gathering
Week of action
Shell noise at Glengad
Earthquake!
County Council disrupted

3 - Court
Terence is free!
9 people up on public order charges

4 - Wishlist

-----------------------------------
(1) UPCOMING EVENTS

Peoples' forum 7th July 2012
A Peoples' Forum will be held in Inver Community Centre on Saturday 7th July 2012, focusing on human rights reports and reportage.
Poster and details: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/peoples-forum-seminar-7th-july

Day of Solidarity 13th July 2012
In support of the communities in Erris under occupation by Shell and the state
There's a day of solidarity planned for Friday the 13th of July. We look forward to an unlucky day for shell and a lovely weekend, Click here for poster - please print and distribute and organise to get to the camp if you can: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/day-solidarity-13th-july-2012

Meitheal Iorrais 14th & 15th July, 2012V3
Meitheal Iorrais - a gathering to celebrate and grow community resilience - will be taking place at the Rossport Solidarity Camp in Aughoose, Erris Co. Mayo on the 14th/15th July, 2012.
The weekend will include a ‘meitheal' at the camp gardens and local farms, workshops, discussions, kids activities, music and fun! The programme has been put together to give as much time as possible to walk the land, to remember the beauty of this place, so we have placed our talks and discussions together, leaving space during the day for fresh air, work and play. We are open to suggestions so if you have any ideas for topics of discussion, let us know. Looking forward to hearing from you and hope to see you for the meitheal. Poster and more details: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/meitheal-iorrais

DIY Wind Turbine course at Rossport Solidarity Camp, Saturday 4th - Friday 10th August
This course runs from Saturday 4th August to Friday 10th August and will build a 4.2m grid-connected wind-turbine. It costs €300 (waged) or €200 (unwaged) and is part funded by Gluaiseacht. The course covers all the practical elements of building a 4.2 meter diameter wind turbine and gives an overview of all the technical aspects needed to create a wind based renewable energy system. Participants will get hands on experience welding a turbine mounting, carving wooden blades and building the electrical generator using magnets and copper coils. This is the third time the course has been run in Mayo and it has always been great fun and very empowering. The course will be run by V3 Power, a D.I.Y renewable energy cooperative and based on Hugh Piggotts wind turbine designs. It will be hosted by Rossport Solidarity Camp in Pollathomais, County Mayo - http://www.shelltosea.com/content/diy-wind-turbine-course-rossport-solidarity-camp

The Future of Rossport Solidarity Camp?
Weekend meeting 1st-2nd September
Venue: To be confirmed
The Rossport Solidarity Camp was set up in June 2005 with the primary intention of supporting the local community in their struggle against Shell and the Irish state. The idea of the camp was to provide a place for people from outside the area to stay when they came to see what was going on and hopefully get involved. We saw our other functions as providing protest ideas and training, links to other campaigns, and internationalising the campaign. In celebration of how far we have come and in response to how much the campaign and the world has changed over seven years we're calling a meeting of the minds invested in this camp and this campaign. We would like campers past and present to come together for a meeting over weekend to figure out one question on all our minds - where do we go from here? How should the camp continue?
The idea for this weekend meeting came from discussion at this year's June gathering. In preparation for the weekend we will be sending out the notes from the discussion, contacting campers past, sending out some thought provoking questions and gathering input from those unable to attend in person. Contact rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com if you would like to take part in the weekend. Full details to follow shortly.

(2) NEWS AND ACTIONS
June Bank Holiday Gathering
Well we had great weather during the gathering which had the theme "linking community struggles". There was a great atmosphere, lovely sunny evenings, music around the bonfire, and thought provoking workshops. The camp was lively and cheerful as everyone pulled together to fortify it from the threat of eviction by Mayo county Council
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/rossport-solidarity-camp-june-weekend-experience

Week of action
The week of action started with fortifying the camp against eviction, and as the camp was still happily pitched on Tuesday morning, we decided to put our energy into stopping Shell.
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/week-stopping-shell-rossport-solidarity-camp
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/new-release-further-garda-violence-corrib-protests-continue

Shell hydro testing noise
Shell chose the June bank holiday weekend to hydro test the off shore pipeline. This caused an unbearable high pitched noise audible across Glengad and even across the bay in Ceathrú Taidhg Residents had no where to turn - the county council had allowed and shut up for the weekend.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0605/1224317294120.html

Earthquake!
On Wednesday 6th June 2012, Mayo was hit by the largest ever earthquake in Irish history: the location of the epicentre was near the Corrib gas field, funny enough Shell had just started carrying out a seismic survey.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0607/1224317443871.html
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/shell-corrib-gas-project-ireland-shaky-ground

Mayo County Councils AGM disrupted by a mysterious noise
For the entirety of the June bank holiday the people of the area were disrupted by a terrible noise coming from Shell's work in Glengad. Mayo County Council said that they had "no issue" with the work being carried out so residents brought the noise to the Council AGM in Castlebar to help Mayo Councillors understand the local disruption they gave permission for.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/102028
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0626/1224318727468.html

Visiting Norwegian Fisherman warns of dangers of Seismic surveying
Shell and Statoil are currently carrying out Seismic surveys off the Mayo coast. In this video Norwegian fisherman Bjørnar Nicolaisen warns of the consequences that "seismic shootings" has had on marine life and the fishing industry when it was carried out in Norway. Fishing catches reduced by 60% in the year after the seismic surveys started and still hasn't returned to normal levels.
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/norwegian-fisherman-warns-destruction-seismic-survey
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/norwegians-unaware-role-statoil-says-economist
The curious case of the missing bowl
http://www.shelltosea.com/content/shells-begging-bowl-recovered-ballyglass-pier

(3) COURT
Nine people appeared in Bellmullet District Court on the 13th of June on public order charges from the week of action and are due to reappear in court on 12th of September to plead and fix a date for hearings. Terence Conway also appeared in Castlebar Circuit Court on the 14th of June. His 3 month prison sentence was appealed and reduced to a 3 month suspended sentence.

(4) WISHLIST
- People!
- Bikes and bike tools
- Cameras and people to use them!
- Working mobile phones (either unlocked or Irish Vodafone)
- DVD recorder

About the Rossport Solidarity Camp
At the invitation of the local community, the Rossport Solidarity Camp was set up in June 2005 on the route of the proposed Shell pipeline. The camp has progressed through a number of different locations in the last 7 years and played a role in the fight against Shell. As an organisation, the camp functions out of a permanent house & office. The camp infrastructure is set up seasonally at strategic points of opposition to Shell, and is run on the principles of non-hierarchical organisation, collective decision making and individual accountability, with a disciplined work ethic. It can be a dynamic and fun place to be. The Rossport Solidarity House & Camp provides a base for people who wish to visit the area to - learn more about/take action with - the community campaign called Shell to Sea.

Camp Aims
- Support the community in its struggle against Shell's Corrib gas project
- Provide a base for people to visit, learn and support the struggle through a number of ways including non-violent direct action
- Work as part of the national Shell to Sea campaign
- Link with other communities under threat from the fossil fuel industry and international campaigns against Shell & other oil companies
- Try to become a model of sustainability

Rossport Solidarity Camp
Barr na Coilleadh
Poll an tSómais
Ballina
Co Mayo
Tel: 0851141170
www.rossportsolidaritycamp.org
www.shelltosea.com

Take Back the Land!

In two weeks we’ll be setting up for 6 days of resistance to corporate rule in the Douglas Valley. We’ll be taking on the UK’s largest opencast coal mining company, landlord-aristocrat-banker Lord Home and South Lanarkshire Council – together they conspire to make a few people very wealthy, whilst communities are left disempowered, disenfranchised and to suffer all the impacts that living next to opencast mines bring. The Douglas Valley is a sacrifice zone for the ruling class – but don’t despair! Scottish Coal are in big financial trouble and there’s been no better time to hit them where it hurts. In fact, its time to Take Back the Land!

Help us spread the word: please pass on our call-out to your friends. You’ll find publicity here (http://takebacktheland.org.uk/?page_id=40), the website here (http://takebacktheland.org.uk/) and social networking here (http://www.facebook.com/events/393162964061503/).
Join in the fun: there will be roles for everyone at the camp and lots of exciting things to get stuck into. See here (http://takebacktheland.org.uk/?page_id=8) for what to bring with you, and here (http://takebacktheland.org.uk/?page_id=6) for directions to the area.
Take action: be prepared for action – there will be a mass action on Saturday 14th July and we’re encouraging affinity groups to target coal infrastructure throughout the area. Want some ideas? See here (http://coalactionscotland.org.uk/?page_id=10) for direct action resources, and here (http://coalactionscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DVDAwebsite.png) for a Douglas Valley direct action guide.
See you there!
http://takebacktheland.org.uk/

Assange

Medialens report that those working on behalf of the bastards who own the private media, (including MOONBOOTS) are seeking to get Anarchist Julian Assange tortured to death by the US to punish his documentation of government actions.

Take Back the Land!

Take Back the Land! // 12-18 July // Mass Action 14 July // Douglas Valley, South Lanarkshire

There’s just less than a month to go before Take Back the Land! – the Douglas Valley’s action camp against opencast coal – and the struggle against corporate greed, fat-cat landlords and corrupt local government is heating up.

We’ve got some good news: Scottish opencast operators are struggling to keep going as both of the biggest miners, Scottish Coal and ATH Resources are delaying and scaling back plans in an effort to stay afloat. Now is the time to hit them where it hurts!

There’s some bad news: the World Health Organisation last week announced that diesel fumes cause cancer, strengthening calls for a halt to mining operations because of impacts on community health. This is obviously bad news for people living next to mines, but further evidence that opencast coal kills communities.

And some more information: the Take Back the Land! website has been updated with travel directions and information on what to bring to the camp.
See you on the 12th July – its time to Take Back the Land!

Break Trident

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £1.1bn contract to Rolls-Royce for reactor cores for use in their Trident nuclear submarines project. They claim that this will provide 300 jobs and will fund an 11-year refurbishment of the Rolls-Royce plant in Derby. This system is built with the cooperation of the nuclear power sector, the Condems & the Labour Party for the purpose of killing everyone. Cut that bastard.

Greek Election Results

The BBC reporting of the Greek election results are wrong to say that the KKE are to the left of Syriza or Democratic Left; KKE are a pro-cuts party carrying the baggage of state capitalism in Russia.
The BBC put "includes 50 extra seats for coming first" in misleadingly small print.
The ruling class would not have accepted Syriza's anti-cuts policies so Greece has narrowly avoided civil war. Better luck next time comrades!

La Victoria De Los Trabajadores Asturianos

 

miners strike in Spain now

Green Festival

2nd and 3rd June 2012 - 12-7pm Leazes Park

GARDEN FESTIVAL

Greening  Wingrove 
SUNDAY 10 TH June 2012
1pm - 4pm  
Nunsmoor Park, Studley Terrace, Newcastle
ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE
* Arts and Crafts – Face Painting
* Seedling Swap Programm
* Newcastle Cycle Centre Bring along your bike for minor repair
* Bird and Bat Box Making
* Acorn Community Reuse and Recycling – bring along any old, small electrical goods to be recycled
(arrangements can be made for collection of large items)
* Bee Keeping Experts available for questions
* Healthy Eating Programme and Health Checks
* Hanging Baskets with the Time Exchange
* Herb Pots – bring your voucher from the Newsletter
* Refreshments will be available

Tyne & Wear Metro Strike Days

7th June; DB Regio employees, (drivers etc)
11th & 12th June; Cleaners,
21st June; Drivers etc *
Resisting low pay and unfair dismissals
There is a call to leave rubbish on the Metro when the cleaners go on strike!
The Party on the Metro went well
RMT Campaign for Tyne & Wear Cleaners Facebook
Video of RMT Regional Organiser Craig Johnston explaining the case
Video from the Party on the Metro

* This strike day has been suspended following an improved pay offer (not for the cleaners) - Sunderland Echo

Direct Action gets the goods!

Blyth Alert

RES has submitted an application to build a 100MW biomass power station at Battleship Wharf in Blyth. It would burn a million tonnes of wood per year.  The planning application says very little about where the wood will come from, but the vast majority is expected to be imported.  If RES get planning permission then they will be able to burn wood from anywhere in the world, whether from destructive logging of native Canadian forests, or from monoculture tree plantations in Brazil or West Africa, where such plantations are being rapidly expanded at the expense of local communities and ecosystems.

Please support local residents opposed to the development by objecting to the application.  For more background information, links, and suggestions of how to object, please go to

www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2012/blyth_alert/

Green Capitalism is not environmentally appropriate

Notice of Appointment of Examining Authority

Take Back the Land!

Take Back the Land!; a six-day action camp in the Douglas Valley; South Lanarkshire; will be taking place 12-18 July with a mass action on Saturday 14 July. The camp will be set up to directly oppose Scottish Coal's new opencast mine plans for the area and build on years of community struggle and direct action.
More details here: http://takebacktheland.org.uk/

May 1st

Anti Cuts Network

Mayday Rally

Tuesday May 1st 4pm-6pm

Newcastle Haymarket

TYNE AND WEAR MAY DAY 2012

SATURDAY 5th MAY 2012

MARCH AND RALLY

 

Rally speakers include:

GAIL CARTMAIL Assistant General Secretary, Unite the Union

PAULA ROE president, NASUWT

GRAHAME MORRIS MP for Easington

ALVARO SANCHEZ Counsellor, Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in London

-----

 Assemble 11:00am Times Square (Centre for Life)

March leaves 11:30am for rally at Exhibition Park 12:15

Music on the march from the

FELLING BAND

Entertainment at Exhibition Park includes

MAKING WAVES CHOIR and

BACKYARD RHYTHM ORCHESTRA

Flyer

Boycott Good Energy

Greenwash electricity provider Good Energy have stated that their subcontractor, G4S, who murdered Jimmy Mubenga, fit their "Corporate Social Responsibility".
https://northern-indymedia.org/articles/2491

Community Composting Network

Community Composting Network (CCN) are holding a seminar next Wednesday 28th March at the Mill, Cotherstone near Barnard Castle . It's all about integrating community composting and local food production. The day includes a veggie lunch, a visit to Rotters community composting site, the seminar and it's FREE!

Please see following link for further details and booking.

http://www.communitycompost.org/index.php/events/178-community-composting-for-local-food-seminars

Teesdale Conservation Volunteers and Rotters Community Composting
Conservation Centre
Deepdale Woods
Barnard Castle
County Durham
DL12 9TB

Olympic Authorities Threaten Trees

CONDEM C(A)PITALISM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKrDoSRG2c

Still Boycott Workfare

http://www.boycottworkfare.org/ commented:

It is reported that sanctions have been removed from the DWP’s “Work Experience” scheme, which is one of five workfare schemes which compel people to work without pay on threat of welfare sanctions. But is this another example of the DWP’s willingness to mislead the public?

There is no sign that sanctions have been lifted in the DWP’s press release which states: “The sanction regime remains in place.” Chris Grayling seems to be painting a murkier picture in TV interviews. Speaking to Sky, he first claimed “If somebody sits down with [the employer] after a couple of weeks and says ‘This really isn’t working out, I don’t want to carry on’, they wouldn’t be sanctioned. I was happy to agree to that.” But by the end of the interview, he offers an example which suggests that it will be in exceptional cases only that sanctions won’t be applied.

Victory of the Red Squirrels!

Save Gosforth Wildlife commented:
The council have proposed that the Salters Lane development shouldn’t go ahead, although the decision has yet to be actually taken and signed off.
https://www.northern-indymedia.org/videos/2439

Clegg OFF!

TUC
v
Liberal Democrats Party Conference
March 10 @ 11.30am
March from: Newcastle Quayside
to: The Sage, Gateshead

Anti Cuts Network
v
Liberal Democrats Party Conference
March 10 @ 11am
March from: Byker Pool, Shields Road, Newcastle
to: The Sage, Gateshead
Poster

Another Victory in Dipton!

All

Appeal by UK Coal Mining Ltd

Site at Adjacent To The A692 Road, Near Leadgate, Consett, County Durham,

DH8 7SL

The Inspector's decision on this appeal was released today. The inspector dismissed it. We've won!!

I've attached the report - it's brilliant reading, and shows the influence a proud and united community can have.

Karen

Sparks Win!

Celebrations last night greeted the news that “The Sparks have Won!”


Balfour Beatty withdraws controversial contracts
http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/balfour_beatty_withdraws_contr.aspx


Electricians Against The World
http://jibelectrician.blogspot.com/


Direct Action gets the goods!

Occupy Hester

Earth First! Winter Moot

This years Earth First! Winter Moot takes place in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. February 24th – 26th 2012. Environmentalists from across the UK and beyond will converge to discuss and debate.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

(Mask up for the Class War Block!)

Join the walk along the wildlife corridor from Gosforth Nature Reserve to the River Tyne, Sunday Feb 12^th.

Protest the outrageous proposal to build 600 houses next to Gosforth Nature Reserve, which would destroy buffer zones and block off the wildlife corridor through Jesmond Dene, along the line of the Ouseburn.

Muster at 11 a.m. at the west end of Heathery Lane (see map). Additional starting points: Gosforth Nature Reserve and Melton Park (10.30 a.m.) and West Moor Community Centre (10.15 a.m.).

The walk, following the line of the Ouseburn, will take approximately two hours, and we will stop at The Cluny for refreshments, then continue towards the Tyne, and Millennium Bridge.

For more information, tel. 0191 213 6063 or e-mail savegosforthwildlife@hotmail.co.uk.

www.SaveGosforthWildlife.com

In 2009 concerned activists occupied Mainshill woodland, a beautiful & diverse wood condemed to become an opencast surface mine. After 10 months of resisitance Scottish Coal were forced to pay for a costly and embarasing eviction.
With opencast proposals increasingly being made all around the north east of england and Scotland the time has come to take action, in it's various forms.
From legal and planning challenges to handing out leaflets and direct action a diverse stratergy is essential to prevent an environmental disaster.
On the 2nd of march the planning decision for the proposal to opencast Bradley woodland Co Durham will be made,the community has resisted this mine for over a decade, lets hope the planners make the right choice!! find out more www.toonclimatecamp.blogspot.com

Please forward to all lists and interested groups as the struggle for clean energy is part of the resistance to Global corperations, vicious capitalism and its class systems, patriarchy and wider ecological destruction.
Currentley there are more peoples displaced and fleeing environmental catastrophe than war. Let us stand in soildarity with all refugees and refuse to perpetuate this situation.Nature has no borders....
2012 Dirty Coal Infotour
In February and March we’ll be touring the UK with the Beehive Collective’s True Cost of Coal banner to mobilise against new coal in South Lanarkshire and linking up with local struggles to strengthen our campaigns.
Coal is still a massive issue in the UK – despite some victories against opencast mines and both Scottish Coal and UK Coal being on the brink of collapse, more and more coal is burned and mined every day. This is disastrous for communities and ecosystems, but capitalism’s dependence on cheap and dirty fossil fuels means that the struggle must continue!
In the Douglas Valley, South Lanarkshire, the UK’s largest opencast mining company Scottish Coal is pressing forward with new mine proposals in a desperate smash and grab of what’s left of the valley. Their puppets at South Lanarkshire Council have just approved a new massive 4 million tonne mine at Glentaggart East, close to 4 existing mines and a stones throw away from two primary schools.
Spring into action in the coming months with Coal Action Scotland!
Watch this space for information on tour dates & places – coalactionscotland.org.uk


www.starandshadow.org.uk for directions to the venue