Occupy Bath - Notes from the Past

Two years ago, the hot topic in the city was a small encampment in Queen Square. In six weeks, so much happened there. Many friendships were made, many people decided that enough was enough and made the decision to make a stand, and many people were inspired - and this legacy still continues today.

A few weeks ago, a friend informed me that they had received a mysterious package with my name on it, and finally got round to giving it to me earlier today. Inside was a wire-bound notebook and a card from someone I hadn't heard from in many months, the person who without a doubt spent more time at the camp than anyone else. Inside was a collection of thoughts, questions, statements, a camping rota and some loose pieces of paper with messages of support from members of the public - all written during the time of the original camp. As we have now reached the second anniversary of Occupy Bath, I thought I might share some of the contents, so that people can be reminded of exactly what the camp meant to the citizens of Bath.

Comments from the Public

The majority of these comments were simple - things like "good luck" and "keep going" - but here's a selection of the more interesting ones from the 100 or so comments. At least one is from a very well-known person, but I'll leave it to you to guess who it was and what they said...

"Very happy you're here!"
"This is great! Time for the silent majority to speak up!"
"Well done to you all - good luck and hope the weather gets better soon!"
"Keep the presence going - it's time the majority in this country had a voice"
"Excellent. There's a need for a voice!!"
"Politics is about the personal - it's about the people"
"Speaking for many"
"Keep going and be very much more ambitious"
"Well done - hope you link with the strike on 30 Nov"
"Thank you, you're speaking for many of us"
"Don't let the bastards grind you down! Support and solidarity to Occupy!"
"Let's get talking!"
"Be the change you want to see - Occupy everywhere!"
"We need to be heard!"
"Very grateful to you for being here"
"You are my heroes, I'm so heart-warmed by your commitment"
"Democracy only works with a level playing field - so state funded campaigns by parties means also no vested interest or lobbying by big money!! Governments are in the pockets of big business"
"The web widens!"
"Down with central banking!"
"Freedom is a valuable thing!"
"You are representing so many people who can't be here"
"Good to see you here. Solidarity from an NUT member"
"Thank you for representing me!"
"Sack the bankers!"
"Good luck, solidarity from Wales!"
"Hopefully the Occupy Movement can keep going and get stronger. Keep up the good work!"
"Thank you for making this statement and taking this action - do it IN MY NAME! With love"
"Sorry I can't join you all but keep it up please, you're speaking for us all!"
"I'm supporting every peaceful movement towards the better"

Questions

The following questions were put forward to be considered to give to the BRLSI for a debate on the Occupy Movement. Most are still relevant today, perhaps more so. If you weren't there, these are some of the things we were talking about at the camp:

1. Is it time for a legal ratio between minimum wage and a maximum wage?
2. Do we need more women in politics?
3. Should manifesto pledges be legally binding (at least key ones)?
4. Should we consider a universal allowance/credit ensuring food and energy for citizens?
5. Will the virtual removal of legal aid make society fairer?
6. Should MPs have a genuine local connection to their constituency (i.e. long-term residency)?
7. Should Bath have a local minimum wage as in London?
8. Do we want American insurance companies running the NHS?
9. What defines growth and competitiveness in a global economy?
10. 80% of the world's population do not have freedom of movement across all borders - is this right?
11. Does the bombing of a country for their resources influence immigration?
12. Is there a link between poverty, wars, inequality, economic instability and climate change?
13. Is growth and international competitiveness conducive to human happiness?

Ideas for Placards

Most of these suggestions came from visitors to the camp.

- We are the 99%
- Stop the Traders Gambling with Our Money
- XXX Cities Occupied Around the World
- Education for All
- Are You Happy About Minimum Wage?
- Is Your Rent Eating All Your Income?
- Slaves of the Banks
- We Didn't Vote for Traders
- There's Enough for Everyone's Need, But Not for Everyone's Greed
- 1 Job for 50 People... Are You One of the 49 Left Over?
- "The Future Isn't Inherited From Our Ancestors, It's Borrowed From Our Children" - Native American Proverb
- There's Enough For 2 Tennis Courts Per Person of Land in the UK
- Maldives, Bangladesh, Philippines Overflown By Global Warming.... Should Bath Host the Climatic Refugees?
- Having a Job = The Most Important Thing in Life?
- No, We Haven't Found a Magic Solution For Global Warming
- You Don't Change Things By Fighting the Existing System, Instead Design a New System Which Makes the Old One Obsolete
- Non-Violent Resistance Does Not Seek to Defeat or Humiliate the Opponent, But to Win His Friendship and Understanding
- We Can Have Democracy in This Country, Or We Can Have Great Wealth Concentrated in the Hands of a Few, But We Cannot Have Both
- If Not Now, When? If Not You, Who?

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Occupy Bath Occupies the Royal Crescent

Occupy Bath - Royal Crescent

And so, after weeks of planning, on the day that Occupy Bath returned for an anniversary camp to highlight the fact that we all still give a shit about all the issues we campaigned against last year, the council decide to close off our old base of Queen Square (along with several other parks) several hours before we were due to set up camp. True, we could have just jumped the railings and set up camp anyway, but that would mean that few would visit us.

Fortunately we were tipped off about the park closures and sent a small team down to investigate alternative sites. Two hours before our announced meeting time, work began on setting up the new camp in a more upmarket location - the grass in front of the Royal Crescent.

Once the camp was set up, and those who came to the meeting point in Green Park Station on time had been met and brought to the camp, a regular cook at the old camp made us a hot dinner, and we had our first General Assembly, with the main focus on the action we were to take the following day. We decided to target Starbucks over their taxes, and arranged security watch for the night. The rest of the evening was spent by the fire, talking about possible future actions and catching up with old friends. A resident from the Royal Crescent came down and joined  our camp, and many people came over to talk.

In the morning, we were greeted with the sight of bus loads of tourists, many of whom ignored the Royal Crescent entirely, and photographed our camp - that's bus loads of tourists from all over the world photographing Occupy Bath and putting the pictures up on Facebook, showing their friends that this movement is still alive, and that the reasons why it exists are still relevant. The Bath Chronicle, the BBC and several freelance journalists and photographers came to visit us, each one another opportunity to get press coverage of people actively demonstrating against austerity and a corrupt political and economic system. One year on and we were more experienced with dealing with the press, and managed to get most of our points across in the finished articles and news pieces.

At 2pm, some of us set off for our demo, with the rest looking after the camp. With a huge banner reading "$TARBUCK$ PAYS LESS TAX THAN YOU", a megaphone (and the Bath Protest Gorilla), we marched down to Starbucks on Milsom Street. We had a minor conflict with an angry security man, but there was nothing they could do to stop our protest. We then made our way over to the other Starbucks, on the High Street. Two PCSOs came over, but they only just asked us to keep the noise down. On the return to the camp we passed the Milsom Street Starbucks and did another brief demonstration.

More photographers were at the camp when we returned. After a few discussion sessions, South West Food Not Bombs cooked a community meal at the camp - the very first meal cooked by them, and hopefully the first of many. People from other Occupations, including Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol had come down to give their support, and some even joined us for the night. The final GA of the camp was focused on the future of Occupy Bath - and we have several things now in the works. The Sunday morning we awoke to frost. The tents were stiff as cardboard, and we had to wait until around 11pm before we could take them down.

We did not intend to use this location initially, but on reflection it was a better choice. Although not all flats in the Royal Crescent are inhabited by the super-rich, many of them are, but more than this, the image of a protest camp before one of the most famous addresses in South West England was an iconic and powerful one. Hopefully this camp has brought the issues of cuts and the banking system to the forefront once more, and will inspire others Occupations to regroup and do something again.

Occupy Bath has done much more than set up a camp - see my list here. Much of what we have done since we set up camp last time has gone largely unreported, except for on this blog, The Shittro and the BARF blog. We know that a few tents won't change the world, but it may just make people think, and consider whether or not its right that corporate-sponsored governments, out of control investment banking and the widening gulf between rich and poor are worth making a stand against and opposing at every opportunity.

See our article in the Bath Chronicle here: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-group-holds-cuts-protest-Royal-Crescent/story-17392745-detail/story.html

My favourite piece on the old camp, and the reasons why it was set up, is here: http://www.headheritage.co.uk/uknow/features/?id=107

Links to all press coverage on Occupy Bath here (to be updated shortly):  http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/occupy-bath-links-news-and-resources.html

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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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Political Perspectives #3: Some Thoughts on the Olympics Opening Ceremony (Guest Blog)

This is the third in an occasional series of posts on the various political perspectives of those involved in activism in the Bath/Bristol area. The views expressed are those of the respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of Standing Stone.

Some Thoughts on the Olympics Opening Ceremony

by Katy Gent

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you will, in some way or another, have witnessed the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics last night.

Many have taken the Olympics this year as a beacon of hope and celebration amongst hard times, much like the Jubilee earlier this year. Whilst others have decreed it a waste of money and a complete farce to disguise the turmoil that is reaping our green and glorious Earth.

Firstly, I'd like to talk about the ceremony itself. I watched it at my boyfriend's house with his dad. I had intended to watch it, purely out of curiosity and for the fact that it's a part of history. Regardless of the tax evasion, regardless of the fascist police forces and the blatant disregard for human rights; it is a part of history. I have to say that the ceremony itself was fantastic. It was funny, it was impressive and it was British. Danny Boyle did a fantastic job (although like all Doctor Who fans I was a little disappointed to see that David Tennant did not carry the flag into the stadium but I digress...). The inclusion of children's literature, James Bond, Mr Bean and many others highlighted what it means to be a part of this country. I was very happy to see the suffragettes involved too and also that this is the first Olympic games where all participating countries have a female team. To quote Jacques Rogg "it's a brilliant step for gender equality". I also don't think anyone could have predicted a 50ft inflatable Voldemort either.

Unfortunately, although the opening ceremony was a fantastic display of British culture and history, that is all it was. Why the pointless Queen had to be involved is beyond me. I am the last person who would support Cameron but at least he's elected and he SHOULD have been the one to have opened the games. Not some tax avoiding anachronism. Usually I will keep quiet about my blatant republicanism on occasions like this because I feel it's unnecessary. To highlight her involvement would overshadow the fantastic job that the performers did. But I couldn't help myself. She didn't smile once, she didn't even watch the ceremony, she didn't give a fuck. Phillip and she sat there with a disinterested look on their faces throughout the entire evening. They don't give a toss about these Olympics. Just like they don't give a toss about this country. They did not deserve to play a part in it.

Much like the jubilee, it was fantastic to see so many people united behind one cause. To celebrate something that unites us all in a time when the entire world is suffering under a less than ideal economic climate. However, it is under this economic climate that thousands are losing their jobs, their pensions, their welfare and their union rights. Why on Earth were we celebrating the NHS when there's nothing left of what it used to be?! Why pretend to maintain this charade of Britain as the factory of the Earth and the green and lush pasture of times past?! A better portrayal of this country would have been the Occupy movement surrounded by homeless people with a giant inflatable pig shadowing everything. That would have been a better representation of what this country is about at the moment.

So, do not think for a second that I am a cynic. I found the opening ceremony a fantastic celebration of what it means to be British. I thoroughly enjoyed every second. But it is a shame, that underneath this celebration of the best of humanity's abilities, is a murky swamp of poverty, greed and despair. It is a shame that we cannot celebrate our unity as a country. Our unity behind equality, liberty, gay rights, gender rights and democracy. That is what this country should celebrate. That is what this country needs to do to show the rest of the world how fantastic we are. Take the first step forward out of the swamp, into a new Britain, that stands for something that we WANT to celebrate. Something that the rest of the world can follow in making our Earth, our planet, a better place.

Thanks.

Political Perspectives Series:

Part 1. What is Anarchism? (B.A.R.F.)

Part 2. What is the Zeitgeist Movement? (Bruce Galliver)

Part 4: Thoughts on Cambodia (Dave Stephens)

Part 5. Thoughts on Meditation and Revolution (Simon Jilley)

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Occupy Bath - Move Your Money Street Theatre

That's right - Occupy Bath is still alive and well, and had a lot of fun today with some street theatre in Bath City Centre.

Three money bags danced around outside the "Big 5" high street banks and also in our spiritual home of Queen Square. We all took turns wearing the bags (which were see-through) and danced around to a selction of folk, indie and rock music, handing out flyers on the Move Your Money campaign and the B&NES Council Move Your Money petition. We generated a lot of interest and were only told to move on once, by Lloyds. We made sure that the bank staff had flyers about our campaign before moving onto Santander, just a few shops up. RBS had closed by the time we got there, so we had plenty of time to dance around outside there and spoke to a lot of members of the public.

A video camera was present throughout the day - the video is here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/occupy-bath-move-your-money-street.html

We certainly attracted a lot of attention and hopefully made people think about who they bank with. The "big 5" - RBS (which owns Nat West), Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays and Santander speculate on food prices, avoid tax through tax havens, invest in oil, nuclear and other polluting industries (including tar sands extraction in Canada and Madagascar which has destroyed rare habitats and poisoned drinking water), pay themselves huge bonuses for failure, and of course some - in particular RBS - were a key player in causing the credit crunch. The alternatives? Local Credit Unions and ethical banks and building societies, such as the Co-operative, Triodos and Nationwide. More info on the Move Your Money campaign is here: http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk/

You can sign the petition to get B&NES Council to Move Their (Our!!!) Money from Nat West to an ethical bank here: http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=5

Occupy Bath will next be appearing at the Visions for Change event on 28th April at the Friends' Meeting House, York Street, organised by the Bath People's Assembly. More info on the events tab here: http://www.bathpeoplesassembly.org/

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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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Occupy Bath - Links, News and Resources

Here are all the links I know of relating to Occupy Bath - it's incredible how much has been written about our small camp! Hopefully this will be of general interest to those at Occupy Bath and the rest of the Occupy Movement, and also to researchers and those who want to find out more about us.

I'll update this as more comes to light and as Occupy Bath progresses (it's not over yet, keep an eye on our Facebook page for more news, coming shortly). When I get chance, I'll scan in a few other bits and pieces. If there's anything missing, leave a comment below or e-mail standingstonesblog@hotmail.co.uk.

Note: Last updated 26/4/12

General

• Occupy Bath Info Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OccupyBath
• Occupy Bath Twitter: https://twitter.com/Occupy_Bath
• Occupy Bath Occupii page: http://occupii.org/group/occupy-bath
• Occupy Bath Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Bath
• Bath People's Assembly Website: http://www.bathpeoplesassembly.org/
• Bath People's Assembly Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bathpeoplesassembly
• Bath People's Assembly Twitter: https://twitter.com/BathPAssembly
• Bath People's Assembly Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_People%27s_Assembly

Petition

• B&NES Council Move Your Money petition: http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=5

News Articles

Bath Chronicle (News)

• Talks on 12-day occupation of Bath (27/10/12): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Talks-12-day-occupation-Bath/story-13678201-detail/story.html
• Bath could be next city to be 'occupied' (27/10/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Bath-city-8216-occupied-8217/story-13677094-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath protest (31/10/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/pictures/Occupy-Bath-protest/pictures-13713006-detail/pictures.html
• 'We're expecting more at Occupy Bath protest camp' (1/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/expecting-Occupy-Bath-protest-camp/story-13722582-detail/story.html
• Call for protesters to leave (3/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/protesters-leave/story-13744832-detail/story.html
• Update: Occupy Bath group hopes for numbers boost as council issues warning (3/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-Occupy-Bath-group-hope-numbers-boost/story-13711969-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath group may stay longer in Queen Square (7/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-group-stay-longer-Queen-Square/story-13779523-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath protesters demonstrate their boules prowess (9/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-demonstrate-boules-prowess/story-13798742-detail/story.html
• Saturday meeting to decide the future of Occupy Bath protest (15/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Saturday-meeting-decide-future-Occupy-Bath/story-13852930-detail/story.html 
• Occupy Bath answers questions from the public (21/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-answer-questions-public/story-13910509-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath camp staying as protesters join union march through city (22/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-camp-staying-protesters-join-union/story-13919822-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath launches new public meetings (1/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-launches-new-public-meetings/story-14007776-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath group moves across square to protect the grass (8/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-group-moves-square-protect-grass/story-14081839-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath protesters leave Queen Square (10/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-leave-Queen-Square/story-14093223-detail/story.html 
• Occupy Bath protesters will 'seed new grass' (16/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-8216-seed-new-grass-8217/story-14156621-detail/story.html
• Bishop of Bath and Wells to echo Occupy economic concerns (23/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Bishop-Bath-Wells-echo-Occupy-economic-concerns/story-14219752-detail/story.html
• Bishop in warning over unjust society (29/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Bishop-warning-unjust-society/story-14270283-detail/story.html
• Petition to swap bank (23/2/12): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Petition-swap-bank/story-15298083-detail/story.html 
• NEW Groups share visions of the future (12/4/12): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Groups-share-visions-future/story-15793624-detail/story.html

Bath Chronicle (Letters)

• I'm not an anarchist - I've worked hard all my life (17/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/m-anarchist-ndash-ve-worked-hard-life/story-13875063-detail/story.html
• We need to educate ourselves about situation (17/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/need-educate-situation/story-13875378-detail/story.html
• Don't just camp, get involved! (24/11/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Don-t-just-camp-involved/story-13942559-detail/story.html
• Occupy Bath believe passionately in democracy (1/12/11): http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2863414063591193583
• Pride of Occupiers (22/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Pride-Occupiers/story-14210342-detail/story.html
• It's all a question of income distribution (19/1/12): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/s-question-income-distribution/story-14975423-detail/story.html

Bath Impact

• Public Sector Strikes (4/12/11): http://bathimpact.com/2011/12/public-sector-strikes/

BBC

• Occupy protests across the UK as St Paul's demonstration continues (1/11/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15540224
• Action 'could be taken' against Occupy Bath protesters (3/11/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15571084
• Occupy Bath protest 'to continue' (21/11/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15816767
• Occupy Bath protesters to hold public debate (2/12/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15988562
• Occupy Bath protesters prepare to dismantle camp (10/12/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16125415
• Occupy Bath protesters dismantle Queen Square camp (11/12/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16132675
• Occupy Bristol repairs 'to cost £100,000' (15/12/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16193782

Breeze (Bath)

• Occupy Bath - "We are staying" (6/11/11): http://bath.thebreeze.com/news/baths-news/occupy-bath-we-are-staying-104/
• Bath MP Don Foster supports Occupy Bath (8/11/11): http://bath.thebreeze.com/news/baths-news/bath-mp-supports-occupy-bath-113/
• Occupy Bath to close camp this weekend (9/11/11): http://bath.thebreeze.com/news/baths-news/occupy-bath-to-close-camp-this-weekend-184/

Guardian

• Occupy London: St Paul's Protests - Wednesday 2 November 2011 (2/11/11): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/nov/02/occupy-london-live-coverage-of-st-paul-s-protests?INTCMP=SRCH#block-20
• Occupy UK converges on London (19/11/11): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/19/occupy-london-protesters-ideas-bank
• Occupy Bath Protesters Quit Camp (10/12/12): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/10/occupy-bath-protesters-quit-camp

Indymedia (Bristol)

• Occupy Bath status (14/11/12): http://www.bristol.indymedia.org.uk/article/706644
• Occupy Bristol & Bath Updates (15/11/12): http://www.bristol.indymedia.org.uk/article/706662
• Bath and North East Somerset Council - Move Your Money campaign (15/1/12): http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/707610 
• NEW Occupy Bath Move Your Money Event This Saturday (29/3/12): http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/708155
• NEW Visions for Change: Inspiration for a Batter Bath and Beyond (19/4/12): http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/708404

Indymedia (UK)

• Introduction to the Bath People's Assembly (30/11/12): http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/11/489521.html

Milk

• 2011 Bath News: Top 5 stories from Bath: http://www.milkonline.org.uk/2011-bath-news

Morning Star

• Occupy Bath packs up - but vows to fight on (11/12/11): http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/content/view/full/112978

Now Bath

• Updated: Occupy Bath gets underway (31/11/11): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-gets-underway-40418/
• Occupy Bath to make announcement (28/11/11): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-to-make-announcement-41032/
• Occupy Bath announces Bath People's Assembly (1/12/11): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-announces-bath-peoples-assembly-41249/
• Occupy Bath moves across square (5/11/11): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-moves-across-square-41331/
• Occupy Bath return for meal (5/1/12): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/occupy-bath-return-for-meal-41979/
• Call for Council to bank ethically (16/2/12): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/call-for-council-to-bank-ethically-42630/ 
• NEW Visions for Change: Inspiring Bath (9/4/12): http://www.nowbath.co.uk/local-news/visions-for-change-inspiring-bath-43253/

Western Daily Press

• Occupy Bath digs in with debate event (3/12/11): http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-digs-debate-event/story-14029934-detail/story.html
• Protest camp packs up as another prepares for winter (12/12/11): http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Protest-camp-packs-prepares-winter/story-14114705-detail/story.html

Blogs etc.


Bath Lib Dems

• Don Foster comments on Occupy Bath (15/11/11): http://bathlibdems.org.uk/en/article/2011/531843/don-foster-comments-on-occupy-bath 

Head Heritage/U-Know

• NEW THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: Personal Reflections, Origins, Actions and Future Intentions (26/2/12): http://www.headheritage.co.uk/uknow/features/?id=107

Hynd's Blog

• Occupy Bath (1/11/11): http://stevehynd.com/2011/11/01/occupy-bath/

Move Your Money UK

• NEW Move Your Money Action in Bath (31/3/12): http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk/events/15

Nicole A Murray

• Occupy Bath (4/12/11): http://nicoleamurray.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/occupy-bath/

Occupy Bath

• THAT Spoof Blog - we know it was you, RS!: http://occupybath.blogspot.co.uk/

Occupy Bath Queens Square Web Blog

• Occupy Bath to make announcement (29/11/11): http://blogs.occupybritain.co.uk/occupybath/2011/11/29/occupy-bath-to-make-announcement/
• Announcement: The First Bath People's Assembly (30/11/11): http://blogs.occupybritain.co.uk/occupybath/2011/11/30/the-first-bath-peoples-assembly/
• Announcement: Occupy Bath hibernating for winter (9/11/11): http://blogs.occupybritain.co.uk/occupybath/2011/12/09/28/

Occupy South West

• NEW Occupy South West Statement (25/3/12): http://occupysouthwestuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/occupy-south-west-statement.html
• NEW Occupy Bath at Visions for Change : http://occupysouthwestuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/occupy-bath-at-visions-for-change.html 

Open University/Open Learn

• Religion Occupied (8/11/11): http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/religious-studies/religion-occupied

Oz Warren

• Occupy Bath (21/11/11): http://ozwarren.co.uk/blog/?p=71

Positive Money

• Bath People's Assembly - petition to move council's money (24/2/11): http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/2012/02/bath-peoples-assembly-petition-move-councils-money/

Quakernomics

• The 'Occupy' movement (3/11/11): http://www.quakerweb.org.uk/blog/uncategorized/the-occupy-movement/  

Standing Stone's Blog

• Occupy Bath - Two weeks old today! (13/11/11): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/occupy-bath-two-weeks-old-today.html
• Occupy UK and Ireland Conference: (21/11/11): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/occupy-uk-and-ireland-conference.html
• Occupy Bath to make important Announcement following the trade union march (25/11/11): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/occupy-bath-to-make-important.html
• Occupy Bath Big Announcement - Further Details (30/11/11): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/occupy-bath-big-announcement-further.html
• Occupy Bath - The end of the beginning (11/12/11): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/occupy-bath-end-of-beginning.html
• Occupy Bath and Bristol - January 2012 (31/1/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/occupy-bath-and-bristol-january-2012.html
• Do the right thing - Move Your Money! (15/2/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/do-right-thing-move-your-money.html
• Moving beyond this representative democracy (3/3/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/moving-beyond-this-representative.html
• Occupy the UK. That's at least what The Shittro thinks (13/3/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/occupy-uk-thats-at-least-what-shittro.html
• NEW Occupy Bath - Forthcoming Action (29/3/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/occupy-bath-forthcoming-action.html
• NEW Occupy Bath - Move Your Money Street Theatre (31/3/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/occupy-bath-move-your-money-street.html
•  NEW Occupy Bath Move Yout Money Street Theatre: The Movie (5/4/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/occupy-bath-move-your-money-street.html
•  NEW Visions for Change: Inspiration for a Better Bath and Beyond (19/4/12): http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/visions-for-change-inspiration-for.html

Stories from Bath

• Occupy (28/12/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/occupy/
• John from Occupy (17/1/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/john-from-occupy/
• Jamie from Occupy (26/1/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/jamie-from-occupy/
• Angus from Occupy (26/1/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/angus-from-occupy/
• Josh from Occupy (26/1/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/josh-from-occupy/
• John from Occupy (26/1/12): http://storiesfrombath.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/john-from-occupy-2/

The Shittro

• NEW By the people, for the people, an introduction to People's Assemblies (Issue 6, page 7) (14/3/12), available here: http://theshittro.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/shittro-v6-is-here.html

Ursula writes

• Occupy Bath (and the 28 million dollar house) (2/12/11): http://ursulawrites.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/occupy-bath-and-28-million-dollar-house.html

Videos

Occupy Bath

NEW Move Your Money Bath

Paul Skinner's Videos

 

Occupy Bath #1 (Interview, 1/11/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TQOHsfXQoQ

 

Occupy Bath #2 (Interview, 3/11/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-1wVmyBTi4

 

Occupy Bath #3 (Interview, 6/11/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf0EGGWENhs&feature=related

  

Occupy Bath #4 (Music Day, 13/11/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0GILyWI4b8&feature=related

  

Occupy Bath #5 (Public Debate, 19/11/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2YdE3ewhYA&feature=related

Occupy Bath #6 (Packing up camp, 10/12/11): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8es7tbKpMs&feature=related

Other Videos

Anonymous and Occupy Bath 'invade' Bath Xmas Lights (note that no-one from the camp was involved in this): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fl-iEFmxj0
 

Photography

Kilgore661 Gigapan (27/11/11): http://128.2.220.74/gigapans/93733
Kilgore661 Gigapan II (28/11/11): http://geolocator.gigapan.org/gigapans/93755

Taff's Photos: http://taffthephoto.co.uk/gallery_465342.html

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Occupy Wall Street - 6 Month Anniversary

Today is the 6 month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, and the moment that the movement with roots in similar protests in Spain and Egypt that went on to become the biggest international protest movement in history, was born. 6 months ago the encampment in Zuccotti Park was set up, inspiring thousands of similar camps and demonstrations across the globe calling for financial equality, people (and planet) before profits and an end to the practices of banks, governments and corporations that have led to the current global economic crisis.

Due to this one event, an international dialogue was started on the global economy and already it has impacted on local and national policies within the US and abroad.

As well as being a suitable time to reflect on the past and the achievements and impact of the Occupy Movement, it is also time to look to the future. The global economic crisis is still going on, leading to austerity measures affecting jobs and public services. Corporations are still influencing government policies worldwide. There's much more work to be done.

Occupy Wall Street will be holding a rally in Zuccotti Park today to celebrate the anniversary. Bringing these people back together again may inspire many to take further action. Action on 1st May this year is already being widely discussed, with a General Strike in solidarity with struggles already underway to defend the rights of workers, immigrants, and other communities who are resisting oppression planned. A former employee of Goldman Sachs, a large investment bank on Wall Street has recently left the firm and criticised its' practices in the press, stating “I can honestly say that the environment [at Goldman Sachs] now is as toxic and destructive as I have ever seen it." Occupy Wall Street are now attempting to get him on board.

Since the eviction in November, Occupy Wall Street has not gone away. There have been numerous marches, a re-taking of Zuccotti Park on New Year's Eve and the movement has been working with local communities and actively trying save jobs and homes, as well as working with other organisations and campaigns. The momentum surrounding OWS is on the rise, and a return to the streets could prove to be another peak for the movement.

After 6 months of thousands of people discussing the issues, learning and looking at potential solutions and ways forward, it is possible that we could soon be witnessing a more informed and focussed Occupy Movement in the near future. In the meantime, respect to OWS, and thanks for everything.

More news on Occupy Bath activity coming later in the month. We've been busy.

Previous post on Occupy Wall Street: The Occupy Movement - Occupy Wall Street


Further Reading

6 Ways to Get Ready for the May 1st GENERAL STRIKE (Occupy Wall Street): http://occupywallst.org/article/6-ways-to-get-ready-may-1st-general-strike/

Occupy Wall Street protests are ramping up again for spring (Nola): http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/occupy_wall_street_protests_ar.html

Occupy in America: looking back on six months of protest (Guardian): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/mar/16/occupy-america-looking-back

Occupy Wall Street revisited (LFPress): http://www.lfpress.com/comment/columnists/lorrie_goldstein/2012/03/16/19513191.html

Denouncing duo? Occupy Wall Street seeking ex-Goldman director for Manhattan march: http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20120316/FREE/120319920

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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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Moving Beyond this Representative Democracy

We live in a supposedly representative democracy, where we elect officials to govern us. There's no denying that this system reflects the wishes of the people more than the totalitarian regimes in other parts of the world, some of which are not elected, others of which rig the elections. But do our elected officals truly represent us?

In Bath and North East Somerset, our elected official is Don Foster, who famously campaigned against a rise in tuition fees and then voted in favour of them. Let me tell you about the time he came to the Occupy Bath camp on one evening back in November. That night he was invited to attend a meeting about the NHS reforms, hosted by Dr Wendy Savage. Around 200 people attended. Instead he arrived at Queen Square just after dusk, and just after a talk entitled "War and Capitalism". The person giving the talk immediately recognised him and gave him a big lecture on his voting record. Looking nervous, he then said loudly - and I quote - "I have no objections to this camp." He then made promptly for the exit, commenting on the way that he had a sports event to go to. Later, when interviewed by Breeze Bath, he commented "I think it is wrong that - as a country - we support banks, not only if they get it wrong in terms of lending mortgages but many other issues. The other thing we are trying to do as a government is to try and do more to support the least well off in society." Well said Don, now some actions would be nice.

Don Foster, Bath and North East Somerset MP (Lib Dem), giving the Occupy Bath camp his approval

The following morning, scores of people turned up at the camp - Dr Wendy Savage had expressed her support for the Occupy Movement and had recommended that people come to the camp to support us and find out more. When we told them about our visitor, they were appalled. Don had the time to visit Occupy Bath on a whim, but didn't show up to a meeting he was invited to weeks ago. Of course, he knew he'd be ripped to pieces, and probably thought he would have an easier time at the camp. I'm proud that we gave him hell too.

I don't recall Don talking about NHS reforms before the election. Like all other politicians, he was elected based on a manifesto and pre-election pledges. As far as I am concerned, in a representative democracy the elected official's job is to uphold these things. Unexpected things will almost certainly arise during their term, and in which case the democratic thing to do would be to consult the people - perhaps even hold a referendum. If there really is a good case for doing what they want to do, then surely the public would vote in favour of it.

On the subject of referendums, a simple yes/no is not always the best choice. Since 1973 there have only been 11 referendums in the UK, and most have been regional referendums on devolution. The most recent referendum - on the Alternative Vote - was a shambles. Not only was the Conservative smear campaign out of hand, but even the Liberal Democrats didn't really want it. Why were we not given the option to vote for other voting systems, such as some form of Proportional Representation?

Was the war against Iraq in Labour's manifesto? No. I was among the many thousands marching in the street back in 2003, and felt disgusted when Tony Blair didn't acknowledge us. If there had been a referendum, I am in no doubt that we wouldn't have gone to war. I also don't recall being given a vote on bailing out the banks - hands up who would have voted "NO!".

Now, in 2012, we are facing a potential war with Iran, privatisation of the NHS and the police force, and cuts left right and centre. Neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats won the election, so they have even less right than the previous Labour administration to go to war in our name without consulting us first. Rather than giving us referendums on the big issues that none of us voted for, they are even reducing our right to oppose them via our remaining options - the petitions service and protests.

There are many untrustworthy politicians, but even among the more honest ones there is another barrier to a true representative democracy - the three-line whip. When a party insists that all of it's MPs vote a certain way on an issue, they issue a three-line whip - which means that anyone who rebels against the party line is expected to resign from their position. So here's a scenario - what if an MP gives their constituents a vote on an issue, promising to vote whichever way the people decide. The party then issues a three-line whip requesting that they vote the other way. Through being democratic, the MP could potentially lose their job. Is this why we don't have referendums at the level of a constituency in this country?

This is 2012. We now have the technology to crowdsource and to use wiki platforms to create a new constitution (and a written one - this country doesn't even have one!) - this worked for Iceland. Let's bring in a new era using the tools we have available to us, tools we didn't have until recently, a new era where democracy is truly a government of the people and not run by elected officials who can go against the will of the people whenever they feel like it. Occupy, the Indignados, the Quaker Movement and many other groups around the world have advocated more direct forms of democracy. Let's move this forward this year, and make the old ways irrelevant.

Previous post on Occupy Bath: Do the right thing - Move Your Money!
Next Post on Occupy Bath: Occupy the UK. That's at Least What The Shittro Thinks (Guest Blog)


Further Reading
Don Foster visits Occupy Bath - http://bath.thebreeze.com/news/baths-news/bath-mp-supports-occupy-bath-113/

House of Lords report "Referendums in the United Kingdom" - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldselect/ldconst/99/99.pdf

Guardian article on the Iceland constitution - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/09/iceland-crowdsourcing-constitution-facebook


A major reference for the kind of democracy used in Occupy camps and by other groups worldwide - http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/free/consensus

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Occupy Bath big announcement - further details

Occupy Bath have released brief details of the "big announcement" at a speech prior to the union march today. Essentially we will be starting a People's Assembly at the Friends Meeting House in Bath from 7.30 this Friday. Further details and discussion after the big announcement at 4.30pm, Queen's Square, Bath.

Previous post on Occupy Bath: Occupy Bath to make important announcement following the trade union march
Next Post on Occupy Bath: Occupy Bath - The End of the Beginning

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Occupy UK and Ireland Conference

The Occupy LSX general assembly at St Paul's Cathedral

This weekend (19/20 November 2011), delegates from most of the UK and Ireland Occupations came together in London for the first UK-Ireland Occupy Conference. Starting in the early afternoon on the Saturday, delegates gave short speeches to the crowd assembled outside St Paul's Cathedral about how things have gone so far with their camps and the activities that they have been involved in.

The Occupy Bath guest tent in Finsbury Square

Camps represented included Bristol, Bath, Peterborough, Plymouth, Glasgow, Isle of Wight, Cork, Brighton, Norwich, Birmingham, Liverpool, Northampton, Portsmouth, Exeter, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sheffield and London (and probably a few more that I've forgotton - I met a LOT of people this weekend).

The speeches were followed by a series of informative and sometimes moving talks from representatives from organisations and groups such as UK Uncut, Climate Justice and Women Against Rape.

In the late afternoon, we relocated to the quieter Finsbury Square camp and were allocated tents for the night. It was a bit of a cram (4 of us somehow managed into squeeze into one average-sized tent), but the tents were kitted out with decent bedding and REAL pillows - a luxury after many nights of using my rucksack as a pillow! After a cup of tea and much mingling between the delegates and the Finsbury Square camp, we reconvened to go as a group to visit London's third Occupation - The Bank of Ideas.

Occupy Finsbury Square

The Bank of Ideas, a derelict building owned by UBS, whose main office is situated just across the road, was repossessed by the public just last week. A huge building with numerous offices and large open areas is now in the process of being converted into a place where people can trade ideas through debate, discussion, talks, arts and music, not through money.

Dinner was served later that evening at Finsbury Square, and the camp General Assembly took place in the meeting tent, followed by a speaker bringing news from Wall Street.

The rest of the evening was free, and a bunch of us wandered back down to St Paul's and sat on the steps listening to music and talking to people. I struck up a long conversation with a few sixth-formers who informed me "even the chavs are talking about politics in the playground these days". I was reminded of my primary school days, when kids used to make up rhymes about Thatcher - "2, 4, 6, 8, who do we really hate? Maggie Thatcher, put her in the bin, glue the lid on, sellotape her in". It really hit me there that these times we are living through, and this movement that we have started, have got everyone talking.

The Bank of Ideas

The atmosphere at all three sites is vibrant, with late night tents serving tea, musicians singing protest songs, lively debate inside and outside of tents - and so many warm hugs from so many genuine people. As a certain senior politician once said: "We're in this together".

Finsbury Square was peaceful at night and despite having little space in the tent, I slept better than I have done in any night I've spent on Queen's Square, Bath or College Green, Bristol.

In the Bank of Ideas

On the Sunday, the real work began. A large discussion took place in the morning on welfare issues such as security, drugs and alcohol and burnout, with all of the delegates sharing ideas and experiences. After lunch, we broke up into separate groups to discuss various aspects of the movement, including government cuts, climate change issues and squatter's rights. After a small debate in the climate change group, a consensus was reached that climate change is directly related to the economic and political situation and the group decided to return to their camps and try to incorporate climate change issues into events and camp statements. A group dealing with communications debated at length the various ways that the UK and Ireland Occupations could keep in touch, work together and share ideas.


This blog entry presents a very brief overview of my experiences at the conference. I have omitted many details, mostly on purpose. All of the delegates present know what's going on and will be reporting back to their various Occupations. I now feel confident enought to state the following (as an individual, not on behalf of the Occupy Movement) to any doubters still out there:

We are now organised, our support is growing by the day, we are connected and we are one step closer to creating a fair and equal world. 

Watch this space...

Meanwhile at Occupy Bath, a debate was held on the Occupy Movement that was apparently enjoyed by most who came, with some commenting that they now have a better understanding of the Occupy Movement. Read about it in the Bath Chronicle link below. We will be supporting the trade union march in Bath on 30th November and some of our Occupiers will be marching with them in solidarity. Also, one of our number has been selected to go on Question Time this Thursday, and the Occupy Bath Info page on Facebook is asking for suggestions for questions - there will be a vote this Wednesday night at the General Assembly from 7.30pm. Oh, and our kitchen is getting a makeover this week - looking forward to dinner afterwards!

At Occupy Bristol they are organising a Move Your Money day on 2nd December, encouraging people to move their money away from the greedy high street banks to more ethical and democratic banks like the Co-operative and credit unions. Find our more on the link below. I shall be moving mine.

Finally, Occupy Bath have some potentially big plans that are currently under discussion (with a big announcement following the march on Weds 30th November) which are likely to be implemented in the coming weeks - again, watch this space...

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Further Reading

Guardian article on the conference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/19/occupy-london-protesters-ideas-bank?INTCMP=SRCH

Occupy London article on the conference: http://occupylsx.org/?p=1298

Bath Chronicle article on the debate: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-answer-questions-public/story-13910509-detail/story.html

Move Your Money Day: http://www.occupybristoluk.org/national-move-your-money-day-2nd-dec/

Disclaimer: All views and opinions above that are not stated facts are those of myself (as an individual parcipitant in the Occupy Movement), except where stated, and do not necessarily represent the views of a particular Occupy camp or those of the Occupy Movement as a whole.

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