[Campaignforrealdemocracy] TODAY - PA Network in London @ EAN Public Meeting at LSE at 6pm with eyewitness report from Egypt and working group for Feb 24 after meeting

[Mark Barrett]

Would be good to have some PA people at this - I know Mark Bergfeld who is a
convenor is keen on Assemblies and he told me that the main aim of the
session is to talk strategy and he encouraged me to ask if an Assembly
orientated person or persons could be there to suggest and remind.
Especially following Sunday 30th Nat Education Assembly, at which it was
proposed and resolved by the whole Assembly to encourage Education groups to
effectivelty join up across cities ie to convene with other campuses,
collges and anti-cuts groups City-wide Assemblies. Also, given the Egyptian
connectionit would be good to put the sense that this is a globally relevant
strategy that could start to direct globalisation in a genuinely
sustainable, democratic and equalising direction.

Unfortunately I can't make it but could some people from the PA Network
attend this event and put the idea forward in more detail ?

Would be great to see it happening soon!

Mark

PS One model that might be referred to useully is that of the University of
Toronto General Assembly - see
http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2011/01/university-of-toronto-general-assembly/


*Education Activist Network London Meeting*

* *

*Learning from the past, debating the future…*

*How can the government be stopped?*

* *

*Tuesday 8 February, 6pm, *

*The Quad, LSE, Houghton St.*



*The meeting will be followed by an open working group (from 7.45pm) to
discuss the organisation of the day of action ‘Day X4’ on February
24(facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=179166512120415).*



SPEAKERS: *Joana Oliveira Pinto, *Eyewitness report on the uprising in
Egypt;  *Stathis Kouvelakis* on the CPE struggles in France; *Aaron
Peters*from UCL Occupation/UK Uncut and
*Jess McDiarmaid* from Sussex University on next steps for the student
 movement;
*Jim Wolfreys* President King’s College UCU on building for the education
strike

INFO: As the Arab world is being shaken by mass movements which have ousted
dictator Ben Ali in Tunisia and are shaking the Mubarak regime in Egypt to
its foundations, the students’ movement in this country is discussing and
debating the way forward and asking itself: How can the government be
stopped?



Joana Oliveira Pinto from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts is
returning from Egypt today where she has spent the last week following and
participating in the events. The Education Activist Network has invited her
to give an eyewitness report on the uprising in Egypt.



There are concrete examples from the past that our movement can learn from.
The CPE laws which would severely attack young workers’ rights were passed
through French parliament in 2006. A struggle involving direct action by the
students’ and mass demonstrations organised by the trade union movement made
it impossible for Chirac’s Conservative government to casualise youth
employment.



As the increase in tuition fees and scrapping EMA have passed through
parliament there are obvious parallels between the CPE struggle and the one
we face. Stathis Kouvelakis will be addressing these and drawing out the
lessons they hold for our campaign to defend education.



One of the most prominent debates in the students’ movement has centred
around the use of twitter, facebook and other social networking tools as the
newly designed Sukey. Aaron Peters, from the UCL occupation and UK Uncut has
written several pieces on the movement and the internet. He says: “In 2011
we are beginning to have the tactics and the tools to not only discredit
governments and overturn individual agendas but also to stop the manufacture
of consent.”



As the lecturers in the UCU are balloting for strike action, Jim Wolfreys
will be explaining how the ballot and strike give a new focus for the
movement in defence of education. Whilst Jessica McDiarmaid will be speaking
on how Sussex students built concrete solidarity with their lecturers’
strike in 2010.


Speakers :
- Joana Pinto, just returned from Egypt & National Campaign Against Fees and
Cuts

- Stathis Kouvelakis on the CPE struggles in France
- Aaron Peters from UCL Occupation and UK Uncut
- Jess McDiarmaid from Sussex University Strike 2010
- Jim Wolfreys, President King’s College UCU
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