23 people were present from across Wales representing different anti cuts campaigns, local People Assembly groups and some parties of the left.
At the start of the meeting we were informed of the sudden and sad death of Andrew Price a socialist and trade union activist of long standing in Cardiff. Our thoughts went out to the family
1. Proposed structure of the day
The chair for the morning session Sian A put the proposed agenda that had been circulated at the meeting: this was agreed.

2. Briefing on the proposed cuts in Wales for 2015-16
Len A from the People’s Assembly RCT/Bridgend group had produced a paper which was also available on their group’s web-blog: http://pafightback.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/peoples-assembly-wales-against.html
The case was made that the Welsh Government was faced with a real terms cut in the grant from the UK government for the financial year 2015-16. Moreover, since 2008, each year a real terms cut had taken place and this was likely to be around 18% by 2018. The proposed increased spending on NHS Wales was happening at the expense of all local authorities in Wales: it was robbing Peter to pay Paul. We have little option to now say enough is enough and challenge the Tory government directly.
A general discussion took place where further questions were asked about the financial situation and additional options were suggested such as arguing that reserves and the borrowing power of local authorities should be used as an interim measure. Points were made about the role of the different parties represented in the National Assembly in relation to the cuts. It was suggested that more powers should be devolved to Wales. It was noted that PFI schemes had been discouraged in Wales although it was reported that a few existed.
A campaign against the cuts had to mobilise as many people as possible and both community organisations and trade unions were important. There was a danger that people believe there is no political alternative being offered and will find right wing organisations like UKIP filling the gap. It was proposed that the People’s Assembly could help provide an alternative that was opposed to the politics of austerity.

3. Report from the Welsh fightback experience
Powys reported how important Facebook was to organising the campaigns locally. The number engaging has declined over time and the cuts affecting children have generated campaigns with most support, often leaving those affecting older people to just go through unopposed. There is real fear among workers affected by the cuts being really worried about being seen to be campaigning.
In Cardiff successes have involved stopping a school from closing, keeping play centres open and youth clubs going. Unfortunately cuts have taken their toll with Splott pool closing. The council has encouraged private and social enterprise but these are subject to tendering and the difficulty of taking on large companies. The experience of fighting council cuts is that people directly engage in politics and it is important to generalise across campaigns arguing that one cut is a cut to all challenging any NIMBY type approaches. We should focus on the wider government of the UK and in Wales.
In RCT it was reported that day centres, paddling pools, youth service, museums, libraries arts centres and social services had all been hit. Facebook had played an important role in the campaigns and it was important to engage with the political debate about who is to blame in this media. There were two successful judicial reviews over the process of consultation which have currently stopped the cuts in nursery provision and kept one library open. Some community councils were using their funds to help support other services.
It was reported in some counties up to a third of all jobs had done and workers experiencing zero hour contract and a wage freeze. Uniting service users and workers was critical in local campaigns.
In north Wales in the Wrexham area leisure centre and a pool have been kept open through a community trust. Libraries and day centres have closed.
It was reported that the cuts have also affected all Wales provision such as the CLIC programme for young people and the services provided by the Wales Refugee Council. It was also pointed out that the UK government direct cuts through welfare and other benefits have hit Wales almost to the extent of £1billion.
It was important that local campaigns make the most vulnerable visible and link all the anti cuts campaigns together across Wales.

4. Action plan
Peter J from north Wales took over the chair for the afternoon.
A proposed plan of action had been circulated before the meeting and was available in hard copy at the meeting.
This moved and extensively discussed with amendments being propsed.
The final plan was agreed as follows and is also available on this web-blog: http://pafightback.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/peoples-assembly-wales-statement-on.html
Statement agreed at the People’s Assembly Wales conference in Cardiff 4 October 2014. (Subject to final confirmation by those present)

This conference agrees
1. To campaign for support across Wales for the public sector strike due to take place on 14 October. Leading up to the strike our action will include motions and public declarations of support from trade union and anti-cuts organisation, together with use of all media and social networking to this end. Support on the day of strike by encouraging attendance at picket lines and any demonstrations that may be organised in Wales.

2. To campaign for support across Wales for the 18 October TUC London demonstration Britain Needs a Pay Rise. In addition to public declaration all supporters of this conference will be urged to maximise attendance at the demonstration and help fill and advertise the available transport. The Wales TUC will be contacted for details.

3. To campaign for the National Assembly of Wales to vote to reject the implementation of an austerity cuts budget for 2015-16 and co-ordinate councils, NHS trusts and fire authorities to use reserves, borrowing powers and other means to save services and jobs in the short term while a campaign for more funding is built.
Such a campaign should involved action such as:

a. Mass demonstrations at the Assembly when the UK autumn statement is being made and when the Assembly votes on the 2015-16 budget.
b. Intensive lobbying of all AMs from today using the information provided and all other forms of supportive arguments that we can develop.
c. Securing support for this proposal from as many anti austerity and cuts organisations as possible across Wales.
d. Local meetings and demonstrations to argue for support together with the production of a briefing and other collectively produced arguments of support.
e. We will campaign widely using mass and social media, and available multi-media platforms, including video.
f. Linking of local and specific interest campaigns across Wales.
g. Direct action including industrial action and occupations including the development of support for these actions such workshops and legal training.
h. Launch a Wales wide petition as soon as possible after this meeting calling on National Assembly members to refuse to vote for cuts this year. An explanation and arguments for the petition to be published in support of the petition.
The wording of the petition will be:
“We call upon all the elected members of the National Assembly for Wales to vote no to the setting of a budget for Wales for 2015 – 16 that involves a real reduction in revenue or capital allocations in any of the devolved services, compared with the financial year 2014-15, and compared with the need requirements of these services.”
Discussion to also take place with 38 Degrees about how we could also ask people from outside of Wales to support the petition.

4. To state that we are only prepared to support candidates in any election who are committed to vote against austerity cuts or who have done so.

END
5. Name of organisation
It was agreed that the all Wales campaign should be called the People’s Assembly Wales.

6. Organisation and administration
i. It was agreed that the next meeting of the People’s Assembly Wales would be held after the campaign at the National Assembly level unless a pressing need arose in the meantime. This would be early January 2015.
ii. An email list would be established, initially composed of people at the meeting or who had given firm apologies. Then involving others when the minutes had been confirmed the agreed 38 Degrees petition was underway.
iii. A Facebook group already exists and will continue to be used and will be supplemented with a web-blog and Twitter account.
iv. Len A as secretary of People’s Assembly RCT/Bridgend would act as convenor and provide administrative support until the next expected meeting in January.
The meeting closed at 15.00.

My thanks to Liz Hughes from Porth, who took the trouble to track down my phone number to talk to me about Brofiscin Quarry, next to Groes Faen, near Llantrisant. To be honest, I had never heard of Brofiscin Quarry before, which surprises me as it has been called “The most polluted place in Britain” by the Guardian and The Ecologist.
Liz wanted my opinion on the possible impacts of the test drilling proposed behind the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, and any more widespread fracking in the future on the horrendous site. She has friends/relatives in the area that she is worried about, having only recently stumbled on information about Brofiscin Quarry herself.

For those that don’t know anything about the site, like me until today, this is what Wikipedia has to say:

Brofiscin Quarry is privately owned, and was leased to waste contractors for use as a landfill, as is common with spent quarries. It was used as a waste site from about 1965 to 1972 and accepted waste from BP, Veolia, and Monsanto. A 2005 report by Environmental Agency Wales found that the quarry contained up to 75 toxic substances, including heavy metals, Agent Orange, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).[Prior to its remediation, The Guardian described the site as “one of the most contaminated places in Britain.”
In February 2011 The Ecologist and The Guardian reported that Monsanto had agreed to help with the costs of remediation, but did not accept responsibility for the pollution. A webpage at the Environmental Agency site put up at around that time states: “We have completed our extensive enquiries to identify those we consider should be held responsible under the contaminated land laws and be held liable for the cost of remediating Brofiscin Quarry. We are at an advanced stage in our consultations with BP, Veolia and Monsanto to provide them with the opportunity to help remediate the land on a voluntary basis. We expect to make further progress on this matter in the next few months. If this approach is unsuccessful, we have the power to carry out the work needed ourselves and recover our costs. The three companies have been identified under the legislation as inheriting the liabilities of companies who were associated with depositing wastes at the quarry.”
In 2011 Environment Agency Wales and the Rhondda Cynon Taf council announced that they had decided to place an engineered cap over the waste mass in the quarry and stated that the cost would be 1.5 million pounds; previous estimates discussed in the media had been as high as £100 million, which Environment Agency Wales had dismissed. The site was cleared of vegetation and engineering work began in October 2011, and was completed in 2012.

So our old ‘friends’ at BP, Veolia and Monsanto are involved! That’s enough to make my blood run cold for a start!
Further details:
http://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/relateddocuments/publications/publicrelationsstrategy/brofiscinquarry-non-technicalsummaryfinalissue.pdf
http://www.theecologist.org/The_Brofiscin_Monsanto_Files/777777/burying_the_truth.html
And when you see how close this site is to the village, it gets very alarming, even before we start thinking about the possible implications of fracking nearby: (Click on image to enlarge)

The quarry is that horseshoe of trees just to the north of the residents of Heol Brofiscin. This aerial photo was taken in 2014 and close up of the bare ground in the top half of of the quarry shows some interesting installations that I will try to have a closer look at. (Click on image to enlarge)

As for test drilling implications, the nearest currently proposed site is the one behind the Royal Mint and is 5km or 3 miles away from this site, as the crow flies. I cannot imagine the test drilling having any possible impact on this site, but looking at the analysis of what has been dumped in there by those notorious companies, and looking at the geology of the area and the supposed remediation of the site, there would have to be serious concerns about any activity that could increase seismic activity in the area at all.
Nightmare!!
This is certainly something we need to keep an eye on – so thanks again to Liz Hughes.

Escaping the establishment: why I defected from the Lib Dems to the Greens

By Cllr Andrew Baldrey

Link: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/10/escaping-establishment-why-i-defected-lib-dems-greens

I’m all for Lib Dem defections, so long as they are defecting because they see that Liberal Democratic neoliberal politics is a failed system and ideology and not just because they think it’s their best chance of re-election. Should he resign and seek re-election?

Hi everyone

We’ve underestimated the time it takes to walk from Penarth and the Castle to Y Senedd. Quite a few of the potential walkers are likely to be a bit slow. Also, the choirs might like to sing as they march, which takes a bit more oxygen still. And if the weather’s dry and we are chalking, that’ll inevitably slow us down a bit too. So, to make it a bit more relaxed and easier on everyone, can we meet at 11 and get the walks started by 11.15 at the latest? FoE Cymru will hold back on starting the speeches at Y Senedd till 12.15 at the earliest…

Walkers should spread out but stay together but to give the best visual impression of numbers

Anyone who has any spare hi-viz jackets or hard hats, please bring them along

Looking forward to Saturday

Hwyl

Kelvin

PRESS NOTICE: FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CYMRU
WALES AGAINST FRACKING RALLY, CARDIFF BAY, SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 12.00 – 2.00 PM

Hundreds expected at Senedd to demand ban on fracking in Wales

Hundreds of people are expected to gather in Cardiff Bay this Saturday (11 October), calling for a ban on fracking in Wales. The event is being co-ordinated by Friends of the Earth Cymru, and will coincide with anti-fracking protests across the world for Global Frackdown Day [1].

Many campaigners will be dressed in hard hats and hi-viz jackets, with banners, placards and flags representing groups from around the country, and two campaigning choirs – Côr Gobaith and Côr Cochion – will lead the singing.

Speakers at the event, planned for the steps of the Senedd, will include AMs Bethan Jenkins, Mick Antoniw and Bill Powell, and representatives of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Frack Free Wales and affected communities.

Thousands of postcards and signatures on petitions gathered from across Wales will be delivered to the Senedd, demanding the Welsh Government bans the controversial process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground.

More than a million people in Wales live in areas at risk from fracking [2], and there have already been a number of applications for test drilling.

Gareth Clubb, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:

“With buses coming to the rally from as far as Aberystwyth and Pembrokeshire, fracking is clearly a hugely important issue for people in Wales. Pumping water and chemicals under our houses, towns and countryside is deeply unpopular, as well as being terrible news for climate change and risky for the local environment.

“Even the fracking companies admit it won’t lower fuel bills [3]. Instead of chasing the last drops of fossil fuels we should be cutting energy waste and developing Wales’ huge potential for clean energy from the sun, wind and waves.

“We’re asking the First Minister to call a moratorium on fracking. The Welsh Government has full control over planning, so they could put a stop to it in an instant.”

NOTES

1. See www.globalfrackdown.org

2. Government announcement: https://econsultation.decc.gov.uk/decc-policy/consultation-env-report-further-oil-gas-licensing/
Map of affected areas: http://www.clickonwales.org/wp-content/uploads/Fracking-map.png

3. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/29/browne-fracking-not-reduce-uk-gas-prices-shale-energy-bills

CONTACT
Friends of the Earth Cymru: 02920 229 577
MEDIA INTERVIEWS CAN BE CONDUCTED IN WELSH OR ENGLISH
www.foecymru.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/foecymrucydd
Facebook: www.facebook.com/foecymrucydd
_____________________

Gareth Clubb CEnv MIWA

Cyfarwyddwr – Director

Cyfeillion y Ddaear Cymru – Friends of the Earth Cymru

Hapus i gyfathrebu yn Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg

Ffôn – Tel: 02920 229577

www.foecymru.co.uk

We would like as many as possible to follow the arrangements below, but if not, then please just show up outside the Senedd building. Events there are scheduled to start at noon.
Global Frackdown Day

Basic info

Meet: 11.15 am at the Penarth end of the barrage to walk together to the Senedd

Wear: Hi-Viz Jackets and hard-hats (we’re masquerading as fracking crews)

Bring: your banners, globes, placards, flags, whistles, drums, loud-hailers…

Get: Chalk to make fracking cracks to the Senedd and flyers at the 11.15 am meet

Rally: 12noon – 2pm outside the Senedd, Cardiff Bay – speakers, choirs…

Further details about Cardiff event: https://www.facebook.com/events/502908483178483/

Global Frackdown Day: http://www.globalfrackdown.org/

Sori neges yn Saesneg yn unig

7.00pm Thursday 9th September 2014 at theThe Pencoed Social Club, Hendre Rd. Pencoed (1 minute walk from the station – across the level crossing)

ALL WELCOME (Especially new members!)

AGENDA:

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Minutes and matters arising
4. Officers Reports – including membership update
5. Councillor feedback
6. Campaigns Update- fracking/anti-austerity in particular
7. Elections – General Election candidates/ Council target seat/ WGPC & leadership elections
8. WGPC meeting feedback
9. AOB
10. DoNM

REMINDER – If anyone needs a lift to any of our meetings, let Andy know (andy.chyba) and we will organise it for you.

Click on images to enlarge:

Venue map Venue photo

Welsh Government (WG) published its draft budget for the next financial yearn 30 September 2014. The following analysis is based on a a background prepared by Len Arthur for yesterday’s Wales Against Austerity & Cuts Conference in Cardiff (minutes and reports to follow).

Fot those (relatively few) who may not know Len, he is the driving force and Secretary of RCT/Bridgend People’s Assembly, and therefore someone I have grown to hugely respect over recent years. He combines a 30 year academic career, including two PhDs, in management, organisational analysis, sociology and social history, with direct experience of trade union and social movement organising. His credentials for this sort of analysis are beyond reproach.

The budget documents can be found here: http://wales.gov.uk/funding/budget/draft-budget-2015-16/?lang=en

SPENDING POWER

The whole budget is consists of a grant from the UK Government, based on the infamous Barnett formula.
The WG has no borrowing or tax raising powers.
Allocated for 2015-16 = £15.333 billion
Final budget 2014-15 = £15.374 billion

Difference = £41 million less for next year. (These figures include capital and revenue)
Once inflation is factored in, this represents a real terms cut of 3.7%

Every budget since 2008, the year of the baking crisis, has had a real terms cut. The WG minister for finance concede that since 2010-11 the WG budget will have been cut by around 10% in real terms by next year.

If this continues in similar fashion to 2017-18, as all main parties are indicating it will, it will lead to a massive 18% real terms cut in the WG budget for the decade following the banking crash.

Combining this reduction with the direct cuts from UK Government, such as Bedroom Tax and benefits cuts, it amounts to a yearly loss of around £1300 p.a. for every man, woman and child in Wales, or put another way, a £5,200 cut for the average family. This is the true financial cost of austerity in Wales, and, of course, the impacts will much harder on low income families that the wealthy.

IMPLICATIONS

These will be many and varied, but the NHS is a key devolved matter, so the implications here are particularly pertinent. The NHS is usually funded on a three year cycle, and what has happened is that this has a led the NHS to incur annual deficits that it has been forced into in order to try and maintain services. This has come home to roost this year as the WG has been forced to bail out our NHS with an additional £200 million this year and and a promise of an additional £225 million next year. Without this additional funding the NHS in Wales would have faced collapse.

These additional costs barely cover the the inflation in NHS costs, and do absolutely nothing towards meeting the cost of increasing demand or the costs of medical innovations. It leaves NHS trusts having to contemplate hospital closures, service cuts and denying people expensive life saving/extending medications. People that could be saved are going to die.

Where has this extra but inadequate money for the NHS come from? Peter is paid by robbing Paul.

It is not commonly appreciated that Council Tax revenues only make up about 13% of local authority budgets. 87% comes from grants from the WG budget.
WG cut this funding by 3.4% in 2014-15 and another 3.5% is expected next year (2015-16)

The Welsh Local Government Association has warned of a projected £900 million funding shortfall to LAs by 2018. Service failure will be inevitable. We are already seeing Councils making choices between libraries and feeding the elderly, for example.

Wales Against Austerity & Cuts Conference was clear that none of this is necessary at all and that there are alternatives. More to follow.

From Billy Miller

(CAN ANYONE SHED LIGHT ON THE ORIGINS OF THIS FLAG?)

(Appears to be of Kurdish origin – the flag of the Kurdish Workers Party – AC)

About eighteen months ago, the ‘Socialist Unity’ blog asked the question ‘Can the Green Party become the main party of the left?‘. To be honest, I kind of expected some kind of ‘yes, it can… but really what is needed is our kind of socialism’ etc – not at all, and apologies for my own prejudice. Mind, the comments below the article are pretty vituperative! In a thoughtful and generous piece, the editorial team outline a significant change in focus for the Green Party from total – ‘depressing and misanthropic’ – focus on the environment to the incorporation of social justice:

‘Green politics and social justice are fundamentally dependent – without environmentalism, the planet will become uninhabitable; without social justice, the planet isn’t worth living on.’

The article ends with ‘Watch this space.’

Well, there’s no doubt that the Green Party is clear that this indeed is the direction of travel for the party – the recent conference in Birmingham called for a Wealth Tax (on the top 1%) and for the minimum wage to rise to £10 an hour by 2020. On top of this, there are moves to reverse the calamitous privatisation of the railways and bring the network back into public ownership, as well as keeping the NHS free – no prescription charges, free eye tests and dental care. And opposition to TTIP. And an extremely progressive set of policies on Peace and Defence.

Above all, for me, every time I see Natalie Bennett or Caroline Lucas in action, I am just totally convinced by their passion and authenticity – they genuinely believe in what they say and have the courage of their convictions to stand in solidarity with vulnerable and disadvantaged people country-wide. And this is in such disappointing and marked contrast with the leadership of the Labour Party, who obsess so much on focus groups and sound bites that they forget how to be themselves, trying to mould themselves into something the media might find acceptable. That is not healthy for them as persons, and it is not healthy for our politics. And it’s not for me. After many years holding on to some hope of socialism from the Labour Party, I just let go. It’s not happening. The Effing Tories and Noo Labour are really just two cheeks of the same arse (© George Galloway) and – look away! – their pants are down showing their true face to the world.

Having met and been impressed by a similarly authentic Green Party member here in Great Grimsby, and then hearing about the startling new policies for social justice, I simply went online and joined the party. And it seems I wasn’t alone – during the course of the conference, a number of announcements gave national membership as 17,000 and then 17,500, then 18,000 and then 18,500 … a near-record. And now there is a new record national membership – 20,000.

I have attended my first local meeting and am very happy to be a part of this growing and very human movement.

Billy Miller – London Greens

… join us for a protest at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. View this email in your browser Saturday, Oct 11th, 12-2pm, The Senedd, Cardiff Bay. Friends of the Earth Cymru and Frack Free Wales are organising a demonstration at the Senedd next Saturday as part of a Global Frackdown event, which will see co-ordinated anti-fracking protests across the world. We need a huge turnout to send a clear message that Wales does not welcome the unconventional gas industry, and that we’re ready to stand and protect our beautiful, peaceful country. Please help us make it a huge event: – Save the date and bring all your friends. – Tell everybody you know. – Join the Facebook event. – Invite all your Wales-based Facebook friends. – Talk about it at work, at school, at home, in the pub, in church, wherever you go. – Sign Friends of the Earth Cymru’s petition to our First Minister, Carwyn Jones, which we’ll deliver on the day. Either come to the Senedd at 12 midday or meet us at Penarth Pier at 11.15am to walk in over the barrage. We’ll be wearing hard hats and hi-viz jackets, and fracking the pavement with chalk as we go. Super-keen walkers can join Cowbridge’s Debbie Leigh at 8am on her Walk To Connect: a walk to the Senedd from the nearest drill site in the Vale – Dyffryn – mainly in silence to respect the loss the earth has already suffered from plundering of resources, climate change and extinction of species/habitats. Debbie says this is not an official walk so anybody joining her is to take responsibility for their own well-being, walking route and timing. Hope to see you there. Together we can stop this madness! Many thanks, The Vale Says No team

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