We are winning, keep the pressure going (see link inside to video of council chambers occupation)

Video of Council House Occupation:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc1dsn77BlQ 

After leaving Birmingham city council chambers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-11877270) , I have been pleased to find some changes have taken place at Birmingham guild of students.

Solidarity has returned to Birmingham’s students union!

For my entire time at university, I have never heard a guild officer (other than myself) utter or write the words “in solidarity”, for too long solidarity has been treated as something that only far left fringe activist would strive for.

When in fact, I think it is a beautiful thing, one thing that constantly strikes me about the students that I am meeting in anti fees and cuts campaign, is their desire for greater awareness and understanding of other people positions and needs. The students today in the council house demanded that Birmingham’s refuse workers, who balloted 96% percent in favor of action and are having around £4,000 pounds taken off their wages are listened to by the council. I have never seen a student lift a finger to help a refuse worker let alone seen a roomful of students with a working understanding of refuse workers issues.

In the words of Lilla Watson “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.  But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” this is what built the student movement and the welfare state, the desire to look out for others and there needs not just our own. Solidarity is noble sentiment that we all share and we should voice it as loudly and as regularly as possible.

So I’m delighted to see the guild officer team ending their messages with “in solidarity”

And what a change of line by the guild, after failing to endorse properly previously actions the guild finally got round to supporting the peaceful rally in town today sending out messages on fb and putting it on the guild website. They also didn’t send officers down to criticize the action in front of the press! this I can only describe a productive behaviour by the guild and we should continue to encourage it.

 “There is also a rally taking place in the City Centre today (by the Bullring) at 12:30pm. The Guild of Students continues to support students who wish to protest peacefully and attend the rally. This event is not organized by the Guild or NUS, and has been organized by members of the Education Activist network who are expecting hundreds of students to attend.” – from the guild of student website

Additionally the guild has set up its own fb group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=267045825745 (join it)  for the stop fees and cuts campaign on Birmingham campus, obviously it has a long way to go in building up the kind of networks it needs, which the “stop fees and cuts in brum” group has already done, but it is finally on the right route.

However, we should still encourage the guild to engage with other social media like twitter and phone trees, e-mail lists and e-mail discussion lists.

And the guild still needs to take the following steps and announce on one of their blogs that they also endorse these five points which Aaron porter backed on Sunday at UCL

• to publicly support all student occupations- on the frontpage of the NUS website and all available media.
• to call immediately for a new wave of occupations as a legitimate form of protest against fees and cuts.
• to organise financial, legal & political aid for all current and future occupations.
• to call a national day of action on the day of the parliamentary vote on tuition fees.
• to officially support any staff taking further industrial action on cuts in the education sector.

So the guild will…

• publicly support all peaceful student occupations- on the frontpage of the guild website and all available media.
• The guild will call immediately for a new wave of occupations as a legitimate form of protest against fees and cuts.
• To organise financial, legal & political aid for all current and future occupations.
• To call a national day of action on the day of the parliamentary vote on tuition fees.
• To officially support any staff taking further industrial action on cuts in the education sector.

if you are not on the phone tree already

Text “No fees” To 07988056867 to receive updates of anti fees and cuts protests and stunts in Birmingham.

In solidarity

stop fees and cuts in birmingham