Pupils chase hated Gove around their school

By Chris Moore, Gloucestershire Socialist Party
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/17946/13-01-2014/pupils-chase-hated-gove-around-their-school
Education minister Michael Gove recently accused 'left wing academics' of using Blackadder Goes Forth as propaganda in the teaching of the First World War. On reflection, he may regret his decision to visit the schoolof a former pupil who played the part of one of the characters, Captain Darling.

Current Stroud school students angry at gormless Gove's education policies, chased him for over an hour around Marling, a Gloucestershire grammar school that recently benefitted from a £3.7 million refurbishment. "Education shouldn't be elitist, it should be for everyone, that's why I'm protesting" said Janneke Bax-Pratt.

Hundreds of students were waiting for one of the most despised members of the coalition cabinet. He was left cowering in a classroom with a few officials and the local Tory MP, while students circled the building chanting 'Gove out'.

A handful of teachers tried to hold back students from getting too close to Gove, but were brushed aside by a wave of young people determined to make their anger heard. Other teachers clapped or smiled as Gove was hounded. Several agreed with Socialist Party members who suggested building support with students for their next industrial action against attacks on pay and conditions.

Janneke spoke for many when she said: "Gove is pathetic and cowardly; he should have the guts to come out and speak to ordinary students. I'd like to know if he's making visits to any comprehensives in the area". Will, a sixth-former at Marling school, added: "why doesn't Gove take a cut out of his own salary instead of cutting education and our future".

The coalition government is continuing the dismantling of comprehensive education and replacing it with a tiered elitist system based on ever more testing. Education will be increasingly about teaching students to regurgitate facts for exams. Those in power see no point in spending resources on a decent education for all young people when there will not be enough decent jobs needing highly qualified people. Free Schools and Academies are a way of taking schools out of local authority control and for the private sector to further get their claws into the education system.

Teachers face attacks on pay through divisive performance-related pay and a squeeze on pensions, while workloads and stress increase. Further strike action this year by teachers could get wide support from students and could be part of coordinated industrial action with other trade unions, building to a 24-hour general strike.

Local victory in the fight to save the NHS - but mass action will be needed

Local campaigners have stalled the decision to hand out the management of NHS Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust to a private contractor - see report on the BBC here and get the latest updates from Stroud Against Cuts.

However this will not be enough to stop the 'hand grenade' of privatisation in Stroud, in Gloucestershire or anywhere else. There is a now huge mood for action to save the NHS but unfortunately so far this has not been provided with a leadership. The trade union leaders have not called a mass demonstration in defence of the health service which, if it was properly built for around clear slogans and an on-going programme of struggle, could get a phenomenal response, given the mood of rage on the issue. An indoor evening lobby in March is not sufficient. The Socialist Party calls for a massive Saturday demo as a start of a determined united campaign to save and rebuild our NHS, with trade union strike action at its heart. Local campaigns should also link up and support this action.

All of this will deal a huge blow to ConDem plans to disamantle our health service, but will not address the issue that all the main political parties are basically in agreement on this issue. We need a a mass workers' party whose representatives would stand to defend the NHS and oppose all privatisation. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is an important step towards this and should be supported by all who wish to save our NHS.

Read this weeks' editorial from the Socialist on this issue here: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/13694/08-02-2012/save-the-nhs

Forest of Dean: Tory MP Harper calls public meeting with only a day's notice

Circulated today by the Bristol & District Anti-Cuts Alliance:
HARPER CALLS PUBLIC MEETING WITH ONLY A DAY'S NOTICE!
In a shock announcement today Mark Harper MP has said in the press today he will be holding a public meeting at 7.00pm in the Main Place (the Library building) Coleford this Friday 4th February.
He has always said he will visit us and tell us what the government's plans are in a public meeting - in itself hardly consultation - but to give the people of the Forest only a few hours notice and to hold the meeting in a venue that only holds a few dozen people is not treating us with the respect we deserve.
Mark Harper is hardly living up to his promise - which is prominent on his web site - to represent the Forest in Parliament, not represent Parliament in the Forest.
Come along and tell him what you think. Sell off includes woodlands around Bristol

Stroud Against the Cuts

Demonstrations on Saturday 29th Jan 2011 - Manchester, London, Stroud, Devon...

There is a whole host of demonstrations against the ConDem cuts coming up this Saturday the 29th - not just against cuts to education budgets and EMA, but to all job cuts, to the health service, to public services, and against the rising cost of living. Workers and students unite to defeat all cuts!


Manchester - There is a students and workers demonstration involving the Trades Union Congress, the National Union of Students, the lecturer's union UCU, the civil servants union PCS and others. The demonstration will march from Manchester Museum to join the TUC & NUS rally in Platts Field, starting at 2pm.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170799172958208
http://www.youthfightforjobs.com/article/7113
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-19053-f0.cfm


London - Another demo to defend education and defend public services. Leaving from University of London Union at 12pm. 
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184694258211136

Stroud, Glos. - Protest Against cuts & privatisation, called by Gloucestershire anti-cuts groups. Assemble 10am in Stratford Park car park, march to Stroud Sub Rooms for Rally at 11.30am.
http://www.anticutsglos.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gloucestershire-Anti-Cuts/169145176431708


Barnstaple, Devon - North Devon Rally Against the Cuts – Assemble at Guildhall, Barnstaple, 2pm to 4pm.
http://northdevonanticuts.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191785420835626

Hands Off Our Forest - Rally Jan 3rd 2011