Visions for Change 2013 a success!

At 11am on 28th May this year, Visions for Change opened its doors to the public after months of planning., bringing together around 30 different radical groups active in the Bath area, along with a whole day of speakers, a radical photography exhibition and a vegetarian cafe. From the second you entered, it was apparent that Bath People's Assembly had worked hard to improve on last year's event.

Since the first Visions for Change in April 2012, much has changed in the landscape of radical activity in Bath. New groups such as BARF, Bath Against the Badger Cull and South West Food Not Bombs have been set up, and new initiatives such as Forum Bath and Open Cafe have been started. Many groups have worked much more closely together in the last 12 months than previously, and there has been a boost to membership of some groups. Visions for Change Bath even inspired a similar project in Norwich, which is still going today.

Fast forward to 2013 and there were too many groups in Bath with "visions for change" to fit in the large upstairs room of the Bath Friends' Meeting House and have a section for speakers, and so the speakers were given the entire basement room, complete with a video screen for presentations and short films.

While the talks varied between experienced speakers and those who had never spoken in public for, the message coming from all of them was clear - Bath, and the rest of the world, faces some serious issues, including the state of the economy, the environment, the political system, wars and food wastage, and there are ordinary people within our city who are willing to get up and try to do something about it. The main attraction for some was the packed-out talk by veteran film-maker Ken Loach, who showed part of his film 'Spirit of '45' and spoke at length about the attack on the welfare state and the NHS by the current government, and also criticised the current Labour Party for not being as radical as the party under Clement Attlee and claimed that we need a new party of the left. While some may disagree, and point to the Socialist or Green Party as the true party of the left, or that the party system as it is is not the answer, there was widespread agreement amongst the audience that the big three parties have failed us. A (poor quality,but listenable) audio recording of Ken's talk can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8PAQf6rOdE&feature=youtu.be. Some did criticise the shortness of some of the talks and that there was often not enough time for questions, however no-where else in Bath has there been such a variety of radical speakers all in one place - quite an achievement.

Later on, many of the groups met to discuss how they can help each other and work together more closely. Further steps are being planned, and already people are talking about an even bigger event in 2014. With a much bigger turnout than last year, more groups and speakers and more enthusiasm, this annual celebration of radicalness and a wake up call to those wandering in from the street can only get bigger and better. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to make this a great event, and I'm looking forward to April 2014 already!

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Austerity: A Public Meeting in Bath

From Bath People's Assembly:

Press Release 13/5/13 - Austerity: A Public Meeting

Following a strong line-up of successful public debates and events in recent times, including debates on fracking, the NHS and nuclear power, as well as last month's Visions for Change event, featuring stalls and talks from over 25 groups working for a better world and film director Ken Loach, Bath People's Assembly is now returning to its roots and organising a public meeting on austerity this Friday.

The aim of the meeting is to discuss the impact of the government's austerity programme on Bath residents, and to generate ideas for actions to ensure that no-one is unjustly affected. In particular, issues such as benefit cuts, changes to disability welfare, cuts to the NHS, the bedroom tax and related issues such as growing income inequality, workfare and redundancies will be addressed. All are welcome to attend the meeting, which is held between 7.15 and 9pm at the Friends' Meeting House, York St., Bath, BA1 1NG

Entry is free and light refreshments will be provided.

A Facebook event page has been created to promote the meeting: https://www.facebook.com/events/299842250148616/?fref=ts

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Visions for Change 2013 - Full Details Announced

Here's the latest press release from Bath People's Assembly on this Saturday's Visions for Change event - NOT TO BE MISSED!!!

After months of planning, Visions for Change 2013 will open its doors to the public at 11am Saturday 27^th April. More than just groups with stalls, this year’s event features talks and short films, as well as the opportunity to engage with various groups active in the Bath area, find out what they are doing to make the world a better place and to get involved.

Organised by Bath People’s Assembly, the independent democratic forum that all residents of Bath are welcome to attend the meetings of, the event promises to be an exciting one, with a diverse range of groups and speakers, from environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Green Vision, groups concerned with business and economics such as Avon Co-operative Development Agency, the Bath Oliver and Bath LETS, groups campaigning for peace and an end to poverty such as Bath StopWar Coalition, Bath Amnesty and Bath Oxfam, groups opposing government cuts and the current handling of the economy including Bath Against Cuts, Occupy Bath, 38 Degrees and BARF, and many others, including Bath Foodcycle, New Hope and directors of radical films.

Last year’s event was a huge success – the event was packed out and many groups met each other for the first time and have since worked together more closely. It also inspired a similar event in Norwich, and an organiser from Visions for Change Norwich will be speaking at the Bath event. This year the event will be held on two floors – on the ground floor will be stalls and a café run by South West Food Not Bombs, and in the basement will be talks, short films and a radical photography exhibition.

The event is free and is open to the public between 11am and 3pm,and is in the Friends’ Meeting House, York St., Bath, BA1 1NG. Up to date information can be found on the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/158627290953876/?fref=ts

The full list of groups attending this year is as follows:

Greenpeace
Bath Oxfam
Bath Against Cuts
Bath Amnesty
Energy Efficient Widcombe
38 Degrees
BARF (Bath Anarchists)
The Zeitgeist Movement
Occupy Bath
South West Against Nuclear
Bath Stop War Coalition
Bath Foodcycle
Frack Free Somerset
Bath People's Assembly
New Hope
Secret City
Bath Quakers
Bath Friends of Palestine
Bath Against the Badger Cull
Green Vision: The Bath Youth Climate Movement
Clevelands Pool Trust
Bath Green Drinks
Visions for Change Norwich
Forum Bath
Bath LETS
Bath Oliver
South West Food Not Bombs
Avon Co-operative Development Agency

UPDATE: Film director Ken Loach has now been confirmed as the guest speaker, between 11:30 and 12:00

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Fracking Debate to Take Place in Bath

With many people concerned about the impact that proposals for fracking in Keynsham and the Mendips will have on the hot springs of Bath, as well as the safety of our drinking water and the natural environmental, it is about time that the facts were laid bare in front of the public before anything happens.

Bath People's Assembly plan to do just that on 14th March, with a debate between UK Methane, the company who plan to do the fracking, and anti-frackers Frack Free Somerset, who have been campaigning against it. It's at 7.30-9pm in the Friends' Meeting House, near the Abbey. Tell everyone who might be affected to get on down there!

Let's just hope that people have their facts right and that this issue gets the full scrutiny it deserves. If the fracking goes wrong, I can't see it being an easy thing to fix. And I'd rather not have to worry about earth tremors like they had in Lancashire. If there's an issue then it shouldn't go ahead. Find out more at the debate.

There's more info in the Bath Chronicle, complete with quotes from the debaters: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Meeting-Bath-debate-fracking-UK-Methane-waits/story-18323821-detail/story.html

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2013 Will be Remembered as The Year The People Fought Back

Now that you can all stop worrying about the end of the world, let’s focus our attentions on the year ahead – there are real things that are a threat to the planet and the people and other life-forms that dwell upon it, and the momentum is already mounting behind the various campaigns and initiatives dedicated to solving the social, political, economic and environmental issues that we’re all concerned about right now. Here’s a summary of what’s in store, with the odd prediction thrown in here and there…

The Big Fight Back Against Austerity

The warning shots have already been fired by a diverse range of groups opposed to the coalition’s austerity measures. Over the last couple of years we've seen actions and debates inspired by UK Uncut, Occupy, 38 Degrees and many other groups. This summer will see delegates from many of these groups, as well as opposition politicians, public figures and members of the public, gather in London for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. And this is already looking like it will be BIG. No longer will these groups be working in isolation, if all goes well there will be one huge concerted effort to stop the government in its’ tracks. June 22^nd 2013 will be a significant date in British history – the moment the fight back gets serious. For more information, see the letter in The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/05/people-assembly-against-austerity and if you want to attend see The Coalition of Resistance’s page: http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2013/02/peoples-assembly-against-austerity-saturday-22-june/. There is a small booking fee.

The Bedroom Tax is likely to become a big issue this year – and it will probably affect you. See here for more info: http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/squaring-up-to-the-bedroom-tax-resistance-grows-around-the-uk/

The Badger Cull

The battles fought so far have been won by opponents to the cull on every level. Almost all of the environmental and animal rights groups are on board, the rock stars and TV naturalists have been talking about this at every opportunity, the House of Commons voted against it and even the government’s own scientists have found through previous trials that it will not work. But the Tories and NFU are winning the war and still plan to go ahead with the massacre this summer. In whom do you trust more? Natural History legend David Attenborough or (anti-) Environment Secretary Owen Paterson? The RSPCA or Defra? Top scientist Lord Krebs or rich farmer (who will profit from the cull) Jan Rowe? The war is far from over, and already activists, campaigners, celebrities and the general public are preparing to put a stop to this unethical, undemocratic and unscientific slaughter. Once the first of Britain’s Most Loved Wild Animal gets a bullet in the head, all hell is going to break loose. Owen Paterson, you won’t get away with this…

Sign the 38 Degrees petition here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/badgers-petition

Standing Stone's Blog is working on a huge article on the badger cull for Head Heritage… watch this space for it!

The Re-Occupation of Britain

The Occupy Movement has been out of the limelight of late, but although the tents are gone it hasn’t gone away… In November last year, Occupy Bath returned with a camp to once again highlight the issues and picket Starbucks, and the Bath People’s Assembly they set up has gone from strength to strength, engaging with other campaigns and coming up with new ideas – one of which, a “Tax Kite Mark” that companies who pay their taxes properly can display in their windows, was recently mentioned in parliament. But that’s not all. Occupy London have been in the headlines of late, having squatted the recently closed Friern Barnet library and started lending out books again – the library has now been given back to the people due to overwhelming public support. In Bristol, people from Occupy Bristol squatted the disused All Hallows Hall with the aim of turning it into a community centre. They have now been given a lease on the building by the owner, who was impressed with their work. People’s Assemblies are being formed by ex-occupiers, providing their communities with real democracy and the chance to have their say and take action. Occupy may be finally finding its' feet and going places, and actions are inspiring other actions. Don’t write the movement off just yet…

Standing Stone's Blog will be covering the Bath People's Assembly's Visions for Change on 27th April - see here for the details released on 5th Feb: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/visions-for-change-2013-announced.html and here for the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/158627290953876/

The Return of the Road Protests

Road protesting was huge in the 90s, when the last Conservative administration embarked on a road building scheme greater than the Romans, and through the actions of protesters and campaigners at Twyford Down, Solsbury Hill, Fairmile, Newbury and other places, many of their road schemes were scrapped. Many of these roads were completely unnecessary and were sold to the public under false pretences – that they would keep traffic away from towns and villages – but the sinister reality was that they were all part of a massive Euro-route, and in many cases made the traffic problems that they were supposed to solve even worse, at the price of losing irreplaceable parts of the countryside. Although there have been road protests since then, none were quite on the scale of the Newbury Bypass. Now George Osborne has announced 191 new road schemes, including some of those scrapped at the end of the 90s. The first has begun already, and the Combe Haven Defenders along the route of the Bexhill-Hastings road have set up camps. Some camps have been evicted already, and media attention has yet to make a huge deal out of this, but when the road building scheme gets properly underway, it’s likely that the tree pixies and tunnel diggers will return en-mass to the countryside.

Frack Off

Rather than embark on a large-scale renewables programme, the government have opted for the cheap, nasty and environmentally destructive method of fracking. Now that the anti-nuclear lobby appear to have held back new nuclear power stations – for now – the government need to find other ways to exploit natural resources and mess up our planet in order to meet the energy demand AND make a tidy profit for the super-rich. Fracking (or shale gas extraction) has been known to pollute water systems, including drinking water, and cause earth tremors. You don’t want to live nearby. Already there are campaigns against this and the signs are that they are growing in numbers and activity.

Save the NHS

The NHS is NOT for sale. But the government are doing their best with attempting to privatise it. If the recent demonstrations and petitions are anything to go by, this is at the top of the agenda for an awful lot of people. The Tories will be committing political suicide for sure if they get their way, but that's not stopping them...

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Of course, no-one wants to be out protesting and campaigning against these issues – we’ve got other things we’d like to do. But the people, our planet and the creatures we share it with are under threat. We can’t let them get away with it. 2013 needs to be the year that we fight back. Or the things we take for granted today will be gone tomorrow. We need to not just put a stop to the things that threaten us, we also need to ensure that they don't happen again. Our society needs a complete overhaul - perhaps even a complete revolution. It's time to start thinking about how much better the world could be, and doing something about it. The fate of the this country and this world is in all of our hands.

 

See you on the picket line.

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Visions for Change 2013 Announced

Released today by Bath People's Assembly...

VISIONS FOR CHANGE 2013 - 27th April

Following on from last year's highly successful Visions for Change event, Bath People's Assembly is proud to announce that we will be putting it on again this year!

Visions for Change consists of a large collection of forward-thinking groups active in Bath who are working in some way for a better world, including environmental, political, social, peace, welfare and other issues, and who campaign and/or take action at a local, national and international level. Each have their own space and are given a speaking slot.

We are currently in the process of inviting groups, with many more to announce as attending in the coming weeks. Last year we had 23 groups, and this year there is room for even more, as we have an additional room for speakers!

Those confirmed to date (to be updated regularly) are:

Greenpeace
Bath Against Cuts
Bath Amnesty
38 Degrees
BARF (Bath Anarchists)
The Zeitgeist Movement
Occupy Bath
Bath Stop War Coalition
Frack Free Somerset
Bath People's Assembly
New Hope
Clevelands Pool Trust
Bath Green Drinks

There will be stalls, talks and a fairtrade cafe area. This promises to be an interesting, informative and thought-provoking event.

Here's what the media said about us last year:

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Aiming-make-difference/story-15991662-detail/story.html

http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/visions-for-change.html

The event will be held in the Friends' Meeting House, York St., Bath, BA1 1NG. Location map here: http://tinyurl.com/ckol4e7

Please help to spread the word by inviting everyone you know who might be interested in coming by word of mouth, e-mail or by inviting them to the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/158627290953876/

Please send all enquiries (from public or media) to: info@bathpeoplesassembly.org

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10 things Occupy Bath has Achieved

Ahead of tonight's re-occupation of Bath, here's a list of 10 things that Occupy Bath has achieved in the last year.

1. Highlighted issues of financial inequality and provided a platform where people can discuss and work together to find solutions.

2. Launched a Move Your Money campaign, and performed street theatre outside banks in order to promote it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WR5gWbo1tI

3. Founded the Bath People's Assembly https://www.facebook.com/bathpeoplesassembly?ref=ts&fref=ts, which is still going today and as well as providing an open democratic forum for the people of Bath, the BPA has also put on several talks and the highly successful Visions for Change event back in April (at which Occupy Bath were present) http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/visions-for-change-inspiration-for.html.

4. Provided hot food in Bath city centre in the middle of winter for anyone who wanted/needed it http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-return-for-meal-41979/

5. Occupy Bath was part of the Stop the Drones group that successfully stopped a drones conference from going ahead in the Assembly Rooms https://network23.org/bathstopthedrones/

6. Supported and spoke at the union strike last November http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-camp-staying-protesters-join-union/story-13919822-detail/story.html

7. Attended the National Occupy Conference and highlighted local issues affecting Bath on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral to a crowd of hundreds http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/occupy-uk-and-ireland-conference.html

8. Since packing up camp last time, many of Bath Occupiers (some of which had never been involved in campaigns or protests before) have gone on to join other activist and campaign groups and strengthened their numbers

9. Joined other groups in campaigning against workfare earlier this year http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/anti-workfare-demonstration-outside-wh.html

10. Never given up. At the end of last year's camp, Occupy Bath said "This is just the beginning", and they have stayed true to their words. Camp or no camp, Occupy Bath have been actively campaigning, discussing and debating the issues, maintaining a strong social media presence, putting forward solutions, communicating with other occupations and other groups and trying to do all they can to make our country, and our city a more equal, fairer and democratic place. This weekend marks the beginning of a new phase, and will hopefully bring the issues raised last time to the forefront once more. Occupy Bath do not intend to outstay their welcome and intend to be respectful to the land they Occupy.

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Occupy Bath to Return this Weekend

One year on, Occupy Bath is coming back for one weekend. One year later, we are still facing the same problems - and some new ones. The banks are still out of control and are largely unregulated. Unemployment is still rampant. Tuition fees have increased. Huge corporations such as Vodafone and Starbucks are still not paying their taxes. The cost of living is going up, but wages are staying the same. The NHS is effectively being privatised.

The 99% are not being prioritised. Corporations and extremely wealthy individuals are still raking in the cash, at the expense of us little people. Our democracy is still a shambles, highlighted by the overwhelming public opposition AND a majority in the House of Commons to a badger cull that is still planned to go ahead next year.

One year on, Occupy Bath is still campaigning for financial equality and a fairer and more democratic society. Since packing up camp last year, Occupy Bath founded the Bath People's Assembly, which is still going today (and put on the Visions for Change event back in April), and has undertaken several actions, including a Move Your Money campaign and offering free hot food in the centre of Bath. Many occupiers have also become involved in other activist and campaign groups. Elsewhere, the Occupy Movement is still alive and well, most signficantly in America, where occupiers are distributing food and aid to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and in London, where many meetings, discussions and actions have taken place over the last year.

While a weekend camp won't change the world, it will provide a platform for people to discuss the issues affecting us and to voice the views to people who will listen. Amongst these discussions, time will be devoted to looking at how Occupy Bath can move forward. There will also be an action on Saturday afternoon, to be decided upon on Friday night. Plus, since the end of the camps, the Occupy Movement has been largely out of the eye of the media. This camp, which will not outstay its welcome, hopes to bring these issues under the spotlight once more and look for solutions.

The schedule for the weekend:

Friday
6pm - Meet at Green Park Station. We will then move to the occupation site and set up camp. Please bring some food.
8pm - General Assembly - the main focus will be Saturday's action

Saturday
12-2pm - Talks and discussions
2-3pm - ACTION (To be confirmed - we have some ideas, but someone may have a better one)
3-4pm - Speaker's Corner - an idea that has been kicking around for some time - we thought we'd give it a go!
5-6pm - Community Meal - please bring a vegetable (or two!) for the pot, and a plate if you can. All welcome! Veggie/vegan friendly food!
8pm - General Assembly - the main focus will be where Occupy Bath can go from here
9pm - Jam session - bring an instrument if you have one, if not just bring yourselves and enjoy!

Things to bring:
Tent
Sleeping bag/blankets
Some food
Waterproofs (just in case)
Torch

 The press release regarding the camp:

"From Friday November 16th until Sunday November 18th, Occupy Bath will be re-occupying in the city. The Occupy Movement worldwide may have been out of the media lately, but the issues which brought it about are as urgent as ever. The current coalition government are slashing social and public services, left right and centre. From education to housing, from unemployment to healthcare, policies are being enacted which will have a profound and long-lasting impact on our city, our country, and our planet. Occupy Bath, as was the case when we occupied Queen’s Square last year, seek to create a platform for protesting these policies, and for having an open discussion about what direction our society should take.

We are re-occupying, a year since we last occupied, as we believe it is important that these issues remain front and centre in the public consciousness, and to remind the people of Bath that, whilst we may not be occupying constantly, we are still very active in the form of the Bath People’s Assembly"

Standing Stone's Blog will be reporting on the events of the weekend.

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Visions for Change: Inspiration for a better Bath and beyond

NOTE: The following refers to the 2012 event. The 2013 info is at: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/visions-for-change-2013-announced.html

Put it in your diary: Saturday 28th April, 12:00 - 15:00, Friends' Meeting House, York Street, Bath

The Bath People's Assembly have been busy organising an event to bring all of the campaigns and organisations working for a better world together under one roof for a day: Visions for Change: Inspiration for a better Bath and beyond.

There will be talks and stalls throughout the afternoon and a cafe area. This event is free. There's more info on the Bath People's Assembly website.

(Edit: There is also a Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/424624930886624/)

The full list of those attending (as stated on the website) is as follows:

Greenpeace
Oxfam
Occupy Bath
Bath People's Assembly
Bath Against Cuts
NPJP
Bath Stop the War Coalition
Friends of Longacre Hall
Bath Oliver/LETS
Bath Green Drinks
Regenerate
Stop Hinkley
South West Against Nuclear
Friends of the Earth
Developing Health and Independence
Zeitgeist

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Occupy Bath - Forthcoming Action

That's right - back in December when we packed up our lovely little camp in Queen Square, we said, and I quote, "This is only the beginning." Always true to our word, we have a few things lined up.

This Saturday we will be bringing some light-hearted costumed street theatre outside the non-ethical banks in Bath - we're talking about the ones that messed up our economy and are involved in the arms trade and fossil fuels. The full press release is below:

"As grass re-grows on Queen Square, Bath, left immaculate when the Occupy Bath encampment voluntarily vacated on December 10th, the movement is springing back into public view in central Bath.

On Saturday 31st March, at noon, veterans of Occupy Bath will begin a bank-crawl, visiting the pavements outside Bath’s Big Banks with street theatre urging customers and passers-by to “Move Your Money!”

Living money bags will bounce to jolly money music while Occupy Veterans distribute fliers with a serious message. These remind readers that the financial crisis since 2008 is the result of out-of-control banking, and that three years later, practically nothing has been done to change the system.

Lin Patterson said, “These banks speculate on food prices, avoid tax through tax havens, invest in arms, oil, nuclear and polluting industries while paying themselves absurd bonuses. Yet we are not helpless--we can vote with our feet and move to real alternatives now, such as the Bristol Credit Union which covers Bath and offers a current account, savings and loans, among others like the Cooperative Bank or Bath Building Society. Today is about taking the first step in exploring how you can move your money. See the ‘Move Your Money’ website for starters. ”

The Occupy Bath Veterans also support the B&NES Council - Move Your Money Petition , an e-Petition which anyone who lives, works or studies in the area can sign on the B&NES website, calling for the council to move its money from NatWest, which is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, to a more ethical bank, better representing the needs of the public, as other councils have done.

The Street Theatre begins in front of NatWest Bank on High Street at noon, before moving on to other Milsom Street banks."

But that's not all. Since we packed up camp, various Bath Occupiers have been very busy. Back in January we had a reunion in Queen Square, covered here. Occupiers have also been partaking in organised debates and talks on the Occupy Movement, and one of us recently attended the Occupy South West conference in Newton Abbott last weekend - see here for the statement on this conference. Many of us have continued attending the Bath People's Assembly meetings (which since its inception has been open to all people of Bath to discuss the matters they want to, and is not specifically for Occupiers and Occupy supporters) and Occupy Bath has endorsed the petition calling for the council to move their money from Nat West to an ethical bank like the Co-op or Triodos. 


Occupy Bath have confirmed that they will join the growing number of forward thinking organisations and campaigns at the Visions for Change event in Bath on Saturday 28th April, organised by the Bath People's Assembly. More on this in a future post, and more details can be found on the events tab on the Bath People's Assembly website.


Standing Stone has also written an article on the Occupy Movement for the U-Know Section of the website of the forward-thinking musician, antiquarian and author Julian Cope - read it here:

THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: Personal Reflections, Origins, Actions and Future Intentions

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6 Ways the Occupy Movement is Continuing in 2012

With most of the camps now gone, Occupy in the UK is still very much alive and well and continuing in various different forms. Here I present six of the more successful and promising Occupy Phase 2 activities that have arisen over the last few months. I'm sure there's probably a lot more, so if you have anything you'd like to add, feel free to comment below.

1. Move Your Money
It's a simple message: Don't like the big High Street banks that gambled with our money and lend to companies involved in arms manufacturing and environmental devastation? Then don't give them any!

There are a lot of other banks and financial institutions out there who are pretty good. These include many Credit Unions and also ethical banks and building societies such as The Co-operative/Brittania, Nationwide and Triodos in the UK. For more information on the UK Move Your Money Campaign visit http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk and for the US campaign visit http://moveyourmoneyproject.org.

Many individual Occupiers I know have already moved their money, or plan to in the near future. Also, street and social media campaigns to spread the word are being undertaken by various Occupations and individuals. Some Occupations are also attempting to persuade councils and businesses to move their money by creating dialogue with them or through petitions - see here for the petition to get Bath and North East Somerset Council to move from NatWest to an ethical bank, and also my previous blog entry Do the Right Thing - Move Your Money!

2. People's Assemblies
As well as the protest element of Occupy, there was also a strong element of working as democratically as possible. Consensus decision-making, a form of direct democracy, was used in the General Assemblies of many Occupations throughout the world, although there were those who didn't get on so well with it and much has been written by critics on the flaws of this system. But even so, I'm of the opinion that it is a good place to start, and there's nothing that says it can't be modified. What many people agree on is that this current form of representative democracy has led to corruption and hasn't always represented the people - so we need alternatives. See here for more information on consensus decision-making, and also my previous blog entry Moving Beyond this Representative Democracy

People's Assemblies don't necessarily need a camp or people opposed to the excesses of capitalism to function - they can, and by their definition, should be open to everyone. They can be successfully set up in a local area to discuss local, national and global issues, and to formulate ideas and proposals. From this, action could be taken, which may include petitions, events, dialogue with authorities etc. with the backing of a group of people who want to see changes. It's also conceivable that a representative from a People's Assembly could be elected to a council seat - or even as a Member of Parliament. If we're going to remain as a representative democracy, lets at least get people who will act on behalf of their constituents' wishes.

See the Bath People's Assembly website for an example of a successful People's Assembly, with minutes and more information (an improved website is currently in the works), and also the worldwide People's Assemblies Network website. A World to Win has an excellent article on the need for People's Assemblies here.

3. Pop-up Occupations
Easy one this - Occupy somewhere for a day, or a few hours. There's many variations of this being trialled or talked about, including temporary encampments, occupying banks, setting up a stall in town or putting up a marquee for the purposes of a gathering. Be as creative as you can - perhaps even include art, music, street theatre or costumes.

Pop-up Occupations can be used to highlight a single issue, such as a company not paying their taxes. Leaflets could be handed out or someone could give a talk on a particular subject. There could even be temporary small-scale versions of the Tent City University that was formerly the centrepiece of Occupy LSX.

So far, Occupy has largely impacted on the big cities and towns - try bringing the movement to smaller towns and villages, or places like out-of-town shopping centres and supermarkets. It's also a good idea to check who owns the land you are occupying, as these days many shopping centres and some streets are owned by a private corporation, who may send the security guards out.

Occupy Bath recently re-occupied Queen Square for a day to cook a meal - free for anyone to partake in - and to re-group - see my blog entry Occupy Bath and Bristol - January 2012.

4. Talks and Presentations
The Occupy Movement was among the biggest news stories of 2011 and early 2012, and it's still a hot topic in the news. Lots of places want to know more. Last week there was a talk on the Occupy Movement at Bath University, and just yesterday there was a debate amongst post-graduate students at Bath University, for which two of Occupy Bath attended. Occupy London had the idea of going to give talks in schools and universities - see this news article.

There are also other avenues to explore, such as debating societies, academic institutes, political parties, university societies, campaign groups, speakers' corners, religious groups and other clubs and societies.

5. Working with Other Groups, Movements and Campaigns
Occupy is a mix-bag of people from different backgrounds, and many people involved have links to other campaigns. Occupy has already forged links with other campaigns and organisations with similar views, such as UK Uncut, Move Your Money and The Quakers. Some camps have also collaborated with other groups on certain issues, often on a local level. Realistically speaking, Occupy won't change the world on its own, but by working together with everyone else that is trying to change the world, there might be a chance. Looking to the future, we would have a better chance through networking and collaborating with other groups and individuals on areas that we see eye-to-eye on.

Many organisations came down to Occupy Bath to offer their support, from local businesses to campaign organisations to political parties. I'm sure this is same for many other occupations. Those still involved in Occupy, or who want to be involved, could go and speak to them and hopefully find common ground and ways forward.

In a previous blog entry, The Ongoing War Against the Corrupt Financial Elite, I explored the concept that many protests and campaigns throughout the years and in the modern age are all fighting different battles of the same war.

6. Occupy the Vote
In America, the Occupy the Vote campaign is attempting to rid the nation of the two-party system and is supporting Independent candidates - which outnumber those running under the banner of Republican or Democrat - and attempting to eliminate the "wasted vote" mentality, which has hindered Independents and many of the smaller political parties for decades. In the UK, MPs don't actually have to keep any of their election pledges, and sometimes this is down to the three-line whip - an instruction given to MPs of a particular party by those higher up in the party, which if they do not follow, expulsion is on the cards.

Getting an Independent majority is not just a pipe-dream. On a local level, a group called Independents for Frome were able to get a majority on Frome Town Council, thus taking the control out of the hands of the big political parties and allowing the new Councillors, in their own words, to make the town "cleaner and greener" and to create "openness and involvement in decision making". Their story is an inspiring one, and I urge anyone with an interest in alternative politics to read it: http://iffrome.org.uk/past.

Further Reading:

What Has Occupy Been Up To? 6 Great Actions You Can't Miss This Spring: http://www.alternet.org/story/154411/what_has_occupy_been_up_to_6_great_actions_you_can%27t_miss_this_spring

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This is a semi-sequel to a blog entry I wrote way back in November entitled 10 Ways to Support the Occupy Movement if You're Not Camping, from which I have had a lot of positive feedback, and to this day remains by far my highest-viewed effort. I hope that this can be as useful to other Occupations as that one was.

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Do the right thing - Move Your Money!

It pains me to say it, but I've been inspired by our PM, David Cameron. He talks a lot about "doing the right thing", whether it's on the NHS, RBS, Libya, Afghanistan, hard-working families or the EU veto. It's his favourite phrase. I don't necessarily think he has done "the right thing" on these issues. What is "the right thing" anyway? Is it letting the government and the banks walk all over you while they pay each other a fortune in bonuses on top of their extortionate salaries, and not making a fuss about it? Is it staring at a TV screen watching endless reality TV and soap operas while neglecting the bigger (and even smaller) issues going on in the world? Is it shouting at someone for attempting to make a positive difference - even if you think they are doomed to fail and possibly going about it the wrong way? Maybe, if your name is David Cameron, George Osborne or Boris Johnson.

In my view, "doing the right thing" is not a simple matter, and sometimes personal sacrifices have to be made. I've only got so much time, and the day is never long enough to fit in everything I want or need to do, or spend time with the people I want to spend time with. Sometimes by doing "the right thing" I end up neglecting other "right things". Sometimes by trying too hard to do "the right thing", I've ended up doing the wrong thing. 

"Doing the right thing" is subjective - certainly Mr Cameron and myself do not see eye-to-eye on his proposed NHS reforms and the economic and environmental policies of the coalition government. To me, "doing the right thing" involves standing up for yourself and your fellow humans and other animals. It involves finding the path of least harm - or most benefit - to all concerned. I occupied Bristol, Bath and London because I did not think our government was "doing the right thing". I still don't. 

RBS, Barclays, NatWest and all of those other high street banks that the public have grown to hate due to their risky investments, investments in unethical businesses and huge bonuses have, by my definition, not done "the right thing". They have created inequality, funded arms dealers and companies involved in environmental devastation - and then the people responsible have rewarded themselves for doing well. Definitely, definitely, definitely not "doing the right thing". But banks such as the Co-operative/Britannia and Triodos and many credit unions have done "the right thing" (or at least not nearly as many "wrong things"). They invest in ethical businesses and put money towards environmental initiatives and community projects. They share profits with their customers. They don't fund wars. So this blogger salutes those banks that have done "the right thing" - and is going to reward them moving their money to one of them. At least, what little money I have. It all counts.

Meanwhile, The Bath People's Assembly, with the support of Occupy Bath, have got on board with the national Move Your Money campaign and organised a petition to try and persuade Bath and North East Somerset Council to Move their Money from NatWest (owned by RBS) to an ethical bank. The petition can be found here - do "the right thing" and sign it! Or, if you're not from Bath, set up your own campaign.


The petition: http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=5&RPID=4813932&HPID=4813932

Previous post on Occupy Bath: Occupy Bath and Bristol - January 2012
Next Post on Occupy Bath: Moving Beyond this Representative Democracy

Further Reading

More info on the Move Your Money campaign can be found here: http://moveyourmoney.org.uk/

Indymedia article on the B&NES Council Move Your Money campaign: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/707610

Now Bath article on the B&NES Council Move Your Money campaign: http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/call-for-council-to-bank-ethically-42630/

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Occupy Bath and Bristol - January 2012

Occupy Bath/Bath People's Assembly

Occupy Bath may no longer have a presence in Queen Square, but the movement lives on in Bath in 2012. At the beginning of January we organised a meal in Queen Square. We set up a gazebo and banners and brought a table, a cooker, pans and food and sent out an invite on facebook for anyone to join us. Despite the heavy rain, about 25 people turned up and had an excellent meal. This was not only a gathering for those who were at the camp, but was also a public display of people getting together to share and cook together to save energy and money, while creating a social environment.

The Occupy Bath meal in Queen Square, January 2012

Many of us have met up since the meal and we are currently working on some ideas, which will hopefully be rolled out in the near future. However, Occupy is not exclusive, and I encourage others to come up with ideas also - and you can share them with the other 400 or so people on the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OccupyBath

The Occupy-inspired Bath People's Assembly is still going strong, and now includes non-occupiers as well as those from the camp and/or the movement. We currently meet twice-monthly and the meetings are open to everyone. We've even had local councillors attend, and occasionally invite guest speakers, such as one of the organisers of the local Bath currency "The Oliver" and a councillor from the Independence for Frome, a local democracy group that now have the majority on Frome council. We currently have several projects in the planning stage, including a meeting of all of the groups in Bath to see how they can work with each other. The website is www.bathpeoplesassembly.org and the minutes of our meetings are on there (latest minutes coming soon). Occupy Bristol are now in the process of setting up a network of People's Assemblies and have attended our meetings to see how we do things. The meeting format is one all of the Bath Occupiers are familiar with (hand signals etc.) and it has now caught on amongst the non-occupiers.


Occupy Bristol - Eviction and Phase 2

Occupy Bristol have now been evicted from College Green. After efforts to clean up the camp, the last few remaining structures were removed this morning. Newspaper reports suggest that there was just one person left, with a number of others having left when they were told they would be evicted. I've been back to visit several times since Occupy Bath packed up, and although they had their problems, they were determined to stay, and I was always met by familiar friendly faces who had been there since the start. The shacks they built when it got cold were amazing, warm and cosy with burners and kettles, and I was always offered a bite to eat or a cup of tea. I'll miss that, and I'm going to rant for a minute (it's my blog and I can do what I want on it):

It is a pity that some people in Bristol couldn't see beyond their noses and realise that these people weren't just doing this for the sake of it. Yes, it was a bit muddy and a bit untidy, but really - SO WHAT? If the loss of a small area of, frankly, dull and boring mown grass, happens to send a message to the government and the financial institutions that we are not happy with the situation, while simultaneously creating a vibrant atmosphere and a community of likeminded individuals, then I'm more than happy for it to be sacrificed. GRASS GROWS BACK!!! The Occupy camps were (and in some cases, still are) places where anyone can turn up 24/7 and be with people who are also concerned or affected by the the mess the country and the world is in. Having places like this is important. They were fun and there was a mix of people from many backgrounds. Sure, there were homeless people, but, again, SO WHAT? They are part of the 99% too, and in many cases the reason for their homelessness is out of their hands. If I were in control, I would have let them stay, and told the public that they have genuine concerns and should be free to express them - and that people should head down and hear what they have to say and make up their own minds. I would have had weekly meetings with them in the camp to find out what their concerns were and what I could do about them. Instead, Barbara Janke agreed to a lame "ethical banking policy" that effectively means the council don't have to do anything, despite banking with RBS. This is one blogger calling for her immediate resignation and replacement with someone with a conscience. Rant over.


However, like Occupy Bath, Occupy Bristol are not just about camping out. Their Move Your Money campaign idea has spread to other Occupations (and Occupy Bath are looking at it seriously). They are starting up a network of People's Assemblies and are also looking at coming up with an alternative to the council's Bristol 2050 project. Good luck to them, and I'll help where I can. They are meeting on 4th Feb to discuss these projects further (see Occupy Bristol website below)

Previous post on Occupy Bath: Occupy Bath - The End of the Beginning
Next Post on Occupy Bath: Do the right thing - Move Your Money!

Further Reading

Bath People's Assembly website (includes all minutes): http://www.bathpeoplesassembly.org/

Article on the Occupy Bath Meal: http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-return-for-meal-41979/
Occupy Bristol Website: http://www.occupybristoluk.org/

Guardian article on the Bristol eviction: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/31/occupy-bristol-camp-cleared?newsfeed=true

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