Here We Stand, the NCIA Inquiry into local activism and dissent has now reported its findings. The Inquiry, carried out with Manchester Metropolitan University, documents how local activists exert an active democratic and egalitarian influence. We found growing resistance to cuts and austerity, with local people organising around what matters to them: safeguarding public … Continue reading
An inspiring video – ‘A Polite Revolution’ – from activists in Barnet shows how an alliance between occupy, trades unions and local people can make an impact that goes beyond the sum of the parts. Faced with the closure of Friern Barnet library, the building was occupied and kept open by local people. This forced … Continue reading
Over the summer and early autumn of 2012, Penny Waterhouse from NCIA gathered information about activism springing up locally and about the different models of radical support for this action. Read here. The results are encouraging: Active Dissent is alive and well, and sometimes works!
The Inquiry threw up a number of questions:
Where … Continue reading
October 15th marked a decisive moment for anti-privatisation campaigners when the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust announced that the county’s 8 community hospitals and health services (including 3000 nurses and other health workers would remain in the NHS. This reversed an earlier decision to outsource services by creating a ‘social enterprise’, in what would have … Continue reading
NCIA along with the TUC, Unite, Unison, NAVCA and others are organising a major conference in London on the 5th October. Entitled ‘Outsourcing and Austerity: Civil Society and the Coalition Government’, the conference will aim to examine the impact of cuts in public spending, Coalition Government attempts to abolish rights, entitlements and services, … Continue reading
A spirit of independence helps an older people’s project in Leeds keep going without council funding but it’s a struggle to provide the activities that people need
Stanningley and Swinnow Live at Home Scheme (SSLaHS) was formed in 1988 by St. Thomas’ Church Group and became part of a neighbourhood network system that was unique … Continue reading
Thursday 12th July 2012, 9.30am – 1.30pm including lunch
King’s House Conference Centre, Sidney Street, Manchester M1 7HB
How can small community groups survive and thrive in the current climate of cuts? Can new partnerships and peer support help groups become more resilient in facing these challenges? Or do we … Continue reading
Fancy a bit of networking and training in online activism? Register for this year’s Netroots conference on Saturday 30 June 2012 at Congress House in London. Visit www.netrootsuk.org or email becky@netrootsuk.org
It’s £5 / free for unwaged and incudes a post-event reception with a free drink (how could you resist?)
The event has a focus … Continue reading
Calling all Unite members! There is a free training course on 20 – 22 February for activists and youth workers in community groups and voluntary organisations.
‘Working together to fight the cuts’ runs from midday Monday 20 February to midday Wednesday 22 February 2012. The course covers:
John Seddon reflects on how a systems thinking method has improved public services but is now under threat from cuts, commissioning and ‘big society’ as the government fails to move beyond central control and large-scale initiatives.
David Cameron described the ‘big society’ as a ‘culture change’, where people are free and powerful enough to help themselves … Continue reading
