Anti-cuts, public services

An average day in the occupation at Newcastle University begins early. First on the agenda of each general meeting are a selection of messages of solidarity. We continue to be inundated with messages from local activists, teachers, parents, school students and academics, offering practical support and sharing advice from previous actions. It was in such a meeting that we heard news of NUS president Aaron Porter's statement of support for the anti-cuts occupations that are ongoing in many of the country's universities and look likely to grow. A ripple of polite applause crept across our lecture...

The immediate fact of the Coalition of Resistance conference was that over 1,000 people, some of them young, attended a (mostly) radical anti-cuts conference where they heard many speeches that communicated militant class-struggle politics. In the context of an upturn in struggle – led by student direct action – the conference may well have been an inspiring experience for some. That should be welcomed. For those not used to the sectarian manoeuvring so common on the left, the conference's worse elements will have been harder to spot and many attendees will have gone away feeling part of a...

NUS president Aaron Porter today did a spectacular U-turn apologising for lack of support for students taking part in the national day of action called by National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts on Wednesday. A the "spineless" lack of public support for university occupations around the country. Porter was speaking the occupation at University College London following criticisms of him from occupiers over Twitter. Porter said: "For too long the NUS has perhaps been too cautious and too spineless about being committed to supporting student activism. Perhaps I spent too long over the last few...

The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts and a general assembly of London students have issued a call for further action on Tuesday 30 November. It's not long now until the Con-Dems try to pass their education cuts through parliament, and if they do – we will keep fighting! But in the meantime – ALL OUT FOR THE 30 NOVEMBER! • No to fees • No to cuts • Save EMA Tax the filthy rich to fund education for all! On 30 November - assemble in Trafalgar Square, London, at 12 noon. Click here for more .

Click here to download pdf .

School, college, and university students took to the streets on 24 November, in a show of protest to make it clear that students are not going to accept this government's attacks. The response to the call for the day of action by National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts has shocked politicians, police and student leaders even more than the size and anger of the National Demonstration on 10 November. Students have made sure that the Royal Wedding didn't force the cuts off the front pages! It is will be hard to find a school, college or workplace not talking about this action in the next days...

"Lord" David Young, the right-wing Tory peer appointed by David Cameron to take the hatchet to health and safety laws, has had to resign after embarrassing the government by saying that the economic crisis has "left most people better off" and that "when this [the Tories' cuts program] goes through, people will wonder what all the fuss was about" ( Daily Telegraph , 18 November). Young also commented: "I don't remember in '07 being short of money". Since he is, like most senior Tories, a multimillionaire businessman, this is not exactly surprising. This is the honest face of the Conservative...

The development of anti-cuts campaigns and committees has been one of the most immediate political consequences of the government’s cuts programme. The formation of such groups is of great significance. Local, fighting campaigns of action and solidarity could become a key element in reviving and re-making parts of the working class movement. The exact origin and composition of these committees varies from place to place so no tidy ‘general picture’ assessment of these initiatives can be made. In some places, sectarian projects like the SWP’s Right to Work are substituted for or counterposed to...

At the Lambeth Living [Lambeth Council’s housing “Arms Length Management Organisation”] staff conference on 8 November there was a lot of anger and nervousness at the announcement of job cuts. Cuts are coming when directors are on salaries of over £100,000 a year and consultants on thousands a month, and all announced in a hall in London Bridge costing £9000 to hire. The Chief Executive said nothing precise could be told to staff that day. After she finished her speech the Unison convenor stood up and said the union was angry, an industrial action ballot had been agreed by the union’s London...

At the time of going to press (17 November) the SNP is announcing the Holyrood government’s budget for the financial year 2011-2012. Huge cuts are expected. The Con-Dem government has cut the grant for Scottish government for 2011-2012 by £1.2 billions (out of a total budget of £30 billions). But over the next four years the Holyrood budget for health, education and council funding will be cut by 7%. Its “capital grant” (for infrastructure projects) will be cut by 38%. Cuts in welfare benefits will add to the damage inflicted on the Scottish economy by the cuts in the Westminster grant...