RADICAL WORKERS’ BLOC AT TOLPUDDLE 2019

Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival and rally 2019 Friday, 19th to Sunday, 21st July 2019. View map No stall this year, apparently they were “oversubscribed”. Nah we don’t either, more time to get drunk then.

On the plus side the IWW are back, with a new improved stall run by Dorset branch.

Wob kitchen will run from Friday evening to Sunday lunch, next to the Big Tent; you’ll hardly notice the difference. Wessex Solidarity will make some of our literature catalogue available on the day. We’ve lots of new stuff that isn’t in the reference library as we’re running out of storage space – it hasn’t been updated for years. Why not get in touch now if there’s a subject you’re particularly interested in.

Catering Cadre: Comrade Les, our Wob kitchen chef is offering free training on outside and event catering for Radical Workers and groups who want to feed their members, homeless or unemployed workers in a safe and cost-effective way. Topics including:

• Basic Health safety and hygiene.
• Basic budget and Menu planning.
• Basic dietary requirements.
• Basic safe use of LPG and Butane gas cookers.

Let us know if you’re interested or come and see us about it at the festival.

Safe Space Policy: “don’t be a dick”.

This year we ask Radical Workers to be especially kind to members of the Prison Officers Association, as they are ever so sensitive, and easily upset by loud noises and rude words.

Bloody hell it was hot! Tolpuddle R.W.B. 2018

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SOS NHS public meeting in Bridport Wednesday 8th February 2017.

Wednesday 8th February, 7pm for 7.30pm Bridport Town Hall.

FREE open public meeting about what is happening to the NHS in West Dorset

Speakers include:
WENDY SAVAGE  President of the national organization Keep Our NHS Public
JON ORRELL  GP and ex-member of the Clinical Commissioning Group
CLAUDIA SORIN  local NHS campaigner
NAOMI PATTERSON  founder member of the campaign to save the Kingfisher Ward
and Special Care Baby Unit at Dorchester Hospital

There will be Q & A when local residents will have the chance to share their experience and concerns. There will be copies of the Questionnaire issued by the Clinical Commissioning Group, to be completed within their ‘consultation’ period by the end of February.

March to save Kingfisher and SCBU at Dorset County Hospital! Saturday 17 September in Dorchester

Note date has changed to avoid clashing with the county show.

“Again we need to show the CCG that they can’t play with our children’s lives we need Kingfisher and SCBU, not forgetting maternity. Please join us at 1pm at top o town car park with a view to be setting off at 1.30pm. Speakers TBC.  After the March the Dorchester Round tables have their cider festival with live bands and plenty of entertainment for your children, we will finish the March at the borough gardens in time for the festival to start.”

facebook event

The entire N.H.S. is under siege from this parasitic regime, we need every bastard we can get out for this, come on!

RED FLAGS OVER BRIDPORT

A retired bus-driver waves a UNITE flag in Bridport’s main square during a solidarity event in support of the busworkers strike.

Photo by The Invisible Photographer

UNITE Community’s Cartoon Action Theatre at work in Bucky Doo Square in Bridport on Saturday 13th August. Their play, written in conjunction with local busworkers, shows a driver in a tug of war with the boss of First Bus Group, in a struggle for decent pay and conditions. £253 was collected for the bus drivers cause.

Photo by The Invisible Photographer

Photo by The Invisible Photographer

Photo by The Invisible Photographer

From Dorset Eye: Public Fury As Homeless Man Denied Entrance To Wetherspoons in Weymouth

If you’re homeless, gay, an Irish traveller or anti-fascist, you are not welcome in the ‘spoons, if you work there, you will be treated like shit. Time we shut down this anti-working class elitist racket. Re-posted from Dorset Eye

Local people are extremely angry following a local Wetherspoons’ declaration that they do not allow homeless persons in to be served. This has lead to a letter being sent to their CEO John Hutson. Below is the letter and details of the incident.

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to you not only out of frustration and anger but also of hope.

I frequented one of your establishments last night with a couple of friends looking forward to an evening of food and beer and good times at a branch that will remain nameless for the moment.

As I rounded the corner, sat outside your pub was a guy who was clearly homeless and down on his luck and I’m one of those people who can’t just walk by without helping if I can, in any way shape or form. I would hope you too would be of similar mind set.

I sat down with him on the pavement and started to chat to him and he told me of how he’d become homeless and had just lost his father, all the while fighting back tears, this man was clearly very upset and in need of support or maybe just someone to talk to which I was more than happy to help with.

He wasn’t begging, just sat outside your establishment.

As we were sat, the bouncer for this particular branch came over and informed us that we’d both have to move on which, I can kind of understand as you couldn’t possibly have people (especially the homeless kind) sat outside of your classy chain of pubs now can you, what will the neighbours say?

I obliged, stood up and offered to take the guy into the pub so as to remove him from the street and to give him a hot meal as, I’m sure you are aware, winter is upon us and the nights are very cold and only going to get colder.

Nope. Not allowed the bouncer told me.

I’m sorry, but why not? I am paying for the meal, he is a member of the public. We weren’t causing problems and were therefore perfectly and legally entitled to enter your establishment and eat a meal.

Nope. Not allowed. Manager said so, the bouncer replied.

Again I told him I am a paying customer and we’d like to get some food just the same as anyone else in the world is allowed to do at your pub.

Nope.

Why not?

BECAUSE HE’S HOMELESS … Read more

Save SCBU and Kingfisher at DCH Demo at Vespasian house, Dorchester 15th July .

Family-friendly demo outside meeting of Clinical Commissioning Group, 15th July at 14:00 Vespasian House Barrack Road, DT1 1TG Dorchester, Dorset, to save paediatric services at Dorset County Hospital. Get there if you can.

Facebook event

If you can’t Email CCG   Phone: 01305 368900

Working class kids’ lives matter!

Demonstration for Kingfisher and SCBU at Vespasian house, Dorchester, Friday 19th June 2015.

 

11:00 at Vespasian house, Bridport Rd Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1PX MAP

Due to us girlies fancying a picnic we thought we’d share with the C.C.G. and show we are still here. To coincide with their lunch breaks, come along and bring a friend 🙂 picnics welcome xx

Mass march for kingfisher and SCBU at Dorset County Hospital, 13th June 2015

A good start – Kingfisher rising!

Just got back from Dorchester where a couple of thousand people marched against the closure of the Kingfisher children’s ward at Dorset County Hospital; estimates vary between one and three thousand. Unless you believe the Echo who put it in the hundreds, odd since they are publicly supporting the campaign.

Conspicuous by his absence was ‘Evil Oliver’ Letwin, who has been hedging his bets, he would not have had a pleasant experience, we think. The march was good-natured but shows the strength of feeling in West Dorset about keeping our health services local, it was organised in a week and people required little prompting to turn out.

This is a grass-roots phenomenon bubbling up from the ground. The left are running to catch up; what will it take to get the unions to put their weight behind this? The workers at the hospital would be a good place to start. It’s all very well going to the capital a couple of times a year and trudging round in a giant police kettle, which just confirms the centralisation of power and frankly, is an exercise in hand-wringing. Here is an opportunity to strike back against austerity and let’s face it, save lives.

A couple of things have occurred to us and need to be widely appreciated:

• It’ been pointed out by a comrade who is a practising midwife that the loss of Paediatric services and the Special Care Baby Unit will make the maternity ward untenable.
• Next to close will be A & E.
• They can then have another go at shutting the pathology lab which was only saved after a similar public outcry last year.
• Then why not just sell off the rest?
• We are under no illusions. This is a planned, progressive asset-strip. Letwin would not dream of associating himself with this campaign if he didn’t personally believe it was doomed to failure, so the decision has already been taken, somewhere, and the consultation exercise is just to soften up the public.

That doesn’t mean we are going to allow it to happen, if enough people get out to stop it. The health service is a pyramid with a three-cornered base. At its apex are the managers, politicians and ultimately, their corporate masters. At the base are the medical staff, support staff and the patients – all workers and taxpayers. Unite the base and we will cut the top off!