NGOs and Brussels Demo against austerity‏

"20million people in Europe are working poor", says Conny Reuter, General Secretary of Solidar - a European network of 52 NGOs working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide - in an interview with the BBC commenting on the participation of social NGOs in Wednesday's march against austerity:  "http://dl.dropbox.com/u/360552/Europe_protests_Conny_Reuter.wmv

Historic march in Washington DC today - For Jobs, Justice and Education for All‏

In the USA the One Nation Working Together movement, which is aiming to build on the gains of the Obama election in 2008, will today hold a mass national march and rally in Washington DC as well as rallies in other cities, to push back the right wing Tea Party Movement and mobilise support for is demands ahead of elections in November.

NHS White Paper - Model response deadline 5th OCTOBER URGENT‏

Our NHS, our future. Get your response into the Government's white paper. Tell them he drive to hand over large parts of the NHS to the private sector is driven by ideology, not by evidence. See below for a draft response.....

UNISON theatre nursing and practitioner staff oppose St George's cuts

UNISON theatre nursing and practitioner staff mounted a rally at St George's Hospital, Tooting, South London yesterday. They were meeting to oppose NHS cuts and discuss proposed changes to rotas. Management have now agreed to go to ACAS if UNISON is unable to secure agreement locally for 250 theatre staff. (of which UNISON represents over 200. Justice for theatre staff - Belong - Be Strong is their slogan.

General strike called in Portugal against austerity - 24 November‏

In Portugal public sector wages are being cut and state pensions frozen as yet another ‘Socialist’ led Government capitulates to EU demands to implement ruthless austerity measures –– Prime Minister Jose Socrates cravenly told the FT yesterday ‘we were being penalised by financial markets for the gradual pace of our deficit-reduction programme. We had to put an end to the uncertainty for once and for all”:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9c3a3ba6-cd57-11df-ab20-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss

CND Trade Union Conference, 6.30pm, Wed 6th October STUC‏

UNISON Scottish Secretary Matt Smith is one of the speakers at the CND trade union conference on Wed 6 October, 6.30pm, at the STUC, 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow. The ‘Trident, Jobs and the Economy’ conference will be the Scottish launch of a recently published CND report of the same name.

Liberty by Paul Eluard‏

On my notebooks from school
On my desk and the trees
On the sand on the snow
I write your name

UPDATE: Correa speaks out after Ecuador coup defeated

The military has freed Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa and the attempted coup in Ecaudor against the elected government is over. Troops loyal to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa have freed him from the military hospital where he was previously held hostage by right-wing coup police.

Resisting the NHS White Paper‏

Red Pepper provides a timely round up of campaigning against the Con Dem Government’s plans to dismantle the NHS. From the UNISON legal challenge to local campaigning alliances, the movement against the pro-market reforms is beginning to grow. http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Vital-resistance?

Right wing coup defeated in Ecuador‏

Prensa Latina reports that overnight Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has triumphantly addressed the nation from the balcony of the Presidential Palace, after being rescued by elite soldiers from the Metropolitan Police Hospital, where he had been sequestered by reactionary elements in the police: