New Website

Please be aware that this blog is no longer updated.

All things occupation-related can now be found at http://roscoeoccupation.com

Tea party and lots of contact information.

So, we’ve bedded in and bedded back out again (there was a law lecture in our bedroom so we’re in the foyer at the moment). We’re looking forward to get some cool events sorted out and we’re proud to announce our first. Today there’s going to be a talk in Lecture Theatre B at 11am on Debt Generation. Come along to that if you fancy it.

But if that’s a bit hardcore for you in the morning, pop along to our tea party in the same room from 3pm onwards. Hopefully we’ll have sorted out some free drinks, tea and cucumber sandwiches by then. All terribly British. (Have to work on that. Bring falafel!) We’ve invited the Manchester Riveters to have their hustings here this afternoon too, but it’s probably too short notice.

There’s also going to be a film showing this evening. It’ll be something with a feminist/LGBT vibe if we manage to get in contact with either society in time, but if not, we have Fight Club and Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine waiting in reserve.

As for contact details, you might have noticed the Contact tab at the top of the homepage. If not, here’s a link: http://www.roscoeoccupation.com/contact/

Each of the email addresses on there will contact specific people here at the occupation. If you email, can you also send a copy to info@roscoeoccupation.com please? Just so we have a central location for all communication.

Cheers, love you all, and can’t wait to see you x

Network X

This is going to be really, really big. On the weekend of the 15th and 16th of January networks and anticut groups from all over the country will be meeting in Manchester at the Manchester Metropolitan University Students Union to discuss the future of the movement, as well as unifying the groups around the country and looking at some working together with other similarly minded groups, networks and individuals. Over 35 separate networks, groups and organisations are expected to attend, made up of hundreds of people. Network X is primarily an autonomous, non-party affiliated gathering, looking to create solidarity between all groups with a single aim – to overcome the foul social cuts imposed on us by the coalition government.

Throughout the day there will be a childs space allowing people with kids to come along, as well as food laid on, sleeping space provided for both the Friday and Saturday nights, and other support provided for those in need of particular specialist assistance.

See networkxuk.wordpress.com for further details.

What parliament can do the movement can undo!

The Christmas holidays have seen a small break in action for some, but now term is restarting and there are actions and demonstrations planned around Manchester throughout the coming weeks.  This Monday 28 students and education workers from across Greater Manchester gathered at an Education Activist Network meeting to discuss the next steps in the campaign.  There was discussion regarding the 29^th January when students across the country are mobilising for a major march again.  In London EAN, NCAFC and the UCU have organised a march to continue the student movement into the new year.  In Manchester the TUC have called a rally against youth unemployment and education cuts together with NUS and UCU in Platt Fields park.  We decided to support the rally in Manchester but to put a call out for there to be a march from the rally into the centre of Manchester.  The students have so far been at the head of this movement.  We have organised three marches in Manchester and taken hundreds to march in London.  We welcome the support of the TUC and NUS for our movement but will not allow ourselves to become sidelined in the movement.  We have taken a lead and called for everyone to leave the rally at 2pm and march into town.

We also discussed the next day of action over EMA on 26^th January.  The college students their called for a protest starting after college had finished to see students marching into the city centre from all their schools and colleges across Manchester.  The day of the vote on EMA has since been announced so the date of this action may change.

The Roscoe occupation has formed as an official society within the university of Manchester, although members are welcome from across the city. Meetings are planned throughout the month, keep your eyes on the facebook account for details!

The next term will see an already unpopular government push on making even more cuts every week.  We call on students to continue the fight every week there are more lives destroyed by these cuts and more people to join the fight.  The lecturers union the UCU will be balloting for strike action we fully support the lecturers in their fight urge them to vote yes to taking strike action and will be doing everything we can to win support for the lecturers in the student body and wider society.

With the restarting of term we will be holding two meetings in the University to continue to build the campaign.  20^th January at 5pm we will be holding an organising meeting and on Thursday 3^rd February 5pm we will be holding the first meeting of the term.  We urge as many people as possible to come to our meetings and help us build the biggest campaign possible.

Key events

15th-16th January all weekend – Network X, MMU Students Union.

20^th January 5pm Organising meeting for cuts group in Man Uni all welcome

26^th January 4pm save our EMA protest all colleges across Greater Manchester called by Greater Manchester EAN

29^th January 1pm assemble Platt Fields park for rally against cuts and youth unemployment and education cuts called by TUC, PCS, NUS and UCU

2pm march from Platt Fields Park to Manchester Town Hall called by Greater Manchester Education Activist Network

30^th January National student assembly London transport tba

3^rd February 5pm first meeting of new anti cuts society in Manchester University all welcome

26^th March National march against the Cuts.  London.  Called by Trade Union Congress

Message of support from Turkey

Hello from Turkey to the brave student activists in UK!..We, the members of the public laborers in the universities, want to declare that we are in solidarity with your resistance in the name of emancipatory struggle on education rights.

We are excitedly following the protests by students and teachers throughout Europe and most willingly supporting them. We believe that these protests could be resulted with a new epoch in overthrowing the capitalism.

The capitalists create crisis and the solving the criris was expecting from the labour. This is basically unfair. We won’t pay the price of the crisis! Neoliberalism and its officers would not take over our universities.

They would not be able to close down the university doors to the workers’ kids. We are watching over you and celebrate you in resisting to that capitalist monsters.

Viva la revolucion!

Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture Laborers, Universities Section in Ankara

15 December 2010, Ankara / TURKEY

Message of Support from Manchester Philosophy Department

“To everyone at the Roscoe Occupation

Staff from Philosophy would like to express their support for the
peaceful demonstrations by University of Manchester students against
the proposed cuts to Higher Education funding. We, the undersigned,
oppose the removal of government funding for the teaching of the Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences. We believe that the proposals will
have detrimental consequences for Higher Education Institutions in
Britain and that they seriously misrepresent the value of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences in fostering independent and critical
thought. We also believe that the raising of tuition fees will place
unfair financial burdens on graduates and that this is likely to
increase social inequality.  We support our students in their
resistance the government’s proposals and in their occupation of the
Roscoe Building.

CatharineAbell
Chris Daly
Julian Dodd
John O’Neill
Joel Smith
Thomas Smith
Graham Stevens
Ann Whittle”

Statement of Solidarity from Staff in the Faculty of Humanities, Social Science and Law at MMU

DEFEND EDUCATION FOR ALL- Statement of support

“We sent a statement of support for the students peacefully occupying the Roscoe Building and would like to add the following names to the list:

Dept of Sociology

Prof. Chris Allen, Prof. Scott Poynting, Dr. Christian Klesse, Patrick Williams, Dr. Susie Jacobs, Dr. Andrea Hollomotz, Jac Eke, Liz Cain, Rob Ralphs, Dr Joanne Massey, Dr. Kathryn Chadwick

Dept of Politics and Philosophy

Dr Keith Crome, Dr Mark Sinclair, Amir Barik, Dr Gary Banham, Dr Ullrich Haase, Dr. Steven Hurst, Jonathon Rodwell, Dr Mike Tyldesley, Dr Janet Mather, Don Milligan

Dept of History & Economic History

Dr Melanie Tebbutt, Prof. Neville Kirk, Dr. Tony Adams, Sam Johnson, Prof. David Nicholls.

Obviously the result on Thursday 9^th December 2010 on tuition fees was disappointing, however, it did highlight how divided the Liberal Democrats are and what an unpopular bill tuition fees has been.  We would therefore urge you to continue to support any cuts in education whether in Higher Education or elsewhere.   Newspapers have stated that revenge is a dish best served cold and this will no doubt be true when the next General Election happens

Yours in solidarity

Staff in the Faculty of Humanities, Social Science and Law at MMU”

Message of support from Manchester Community & Mental Health UNISON

Message of Support to Occupying Students at Manchester University

&

Further and Higher Education Students who have opposed fees hike and abolition of EMA

 

Congratulations on your occupation of the Roscoe Building at Manchester University.

 

The recent demo’s on DayX and Day X3 in London and the demonstrations around the towns and cities of on Day X2 have been large, vibrant and impressive.

 

The colossal rise in University Fees from £3,000 a year to £9,000 a year is unacceptable and will definitely deter students from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

 

This UNISON Health branch is appalled at the shocking rise in fees and the level the coalition government has gone to in terms of it’s austerity measures.  The proposed and recent cuts in higher and further education, reduction in teaching staff and closure of many subjects limits access to higher education and also seeks to establish education as a means to future earnings potential rather than a way of learning.

 

We need the whole of society to come together and fight the austerity measures being imposed against us and students have lead the way to show us how to do this.

 

It is of course extremely disappointing that the coalition won the vote last Thursday but we must remember that it is possible to defeat legislation after it has been passed through Parliament.

 

The abolition of EMA will without doubt be destructive to the chances of many young people not only to go to University, but indeed to continue any education after leaving school.  The Government are wanting all young people to remain in education until 18 years of age yet taking away their lifeline to doing so.

 

This branch would like to offer support to all higher and further education students leading the way against the struggles and also to offer a financial donation of £500.

 

We need education provide us with qualified Doctors, Nurses and Allied Staff in the Health Service for decades to come and also for the health and well being of future generations.

 

In Solidarity

Manchester Community & Mental Health UNISON

La lutte continue

On Thursday we saw the limitations of our democracy.  Inside parliament MPs voted to increase fess despite pledging not to in order to be elected.  Outside Parliament the police battered and horse charged thousands of school and university students in order to protest the liars and theives inside parliament.  We lost the vote that day but the campaign is far from over.  Poll tax was made law but was still defeated the CPE laws in France were passed then repealed.  Again and again movements have show if we carry on we can force the government to back down.

For just over 16 days students have occupied Roscoe B lecture theatre in Manchester University.  From the beginning we issued national demands seeing the point of being there as a base from which to build the biggest possible campaign against cuts, against fees and against attacks to EMA.  Using this space we held alternative lectures discussing how we can beat the cuts and what education should really be like.  Societies as diverse as the hiking club and socialist worker student society held events in our space.  Perhaps most importantly we used the space to design many different posters and leaflets and held mass organsing meetings bringing in around 300 to the biggest.  We also received messages of support from hundreds of academics at the University and many other people beyond.  We sent speakers out to trade union branch meetings across Manchester and in return got donations of over £1500 to send people to London marching against fees as parliament voted.  Overall the occupation has massively increased the profile of the anti cuts movement across Manchester repeatedly getting students onto local radio and put a spark of hope in many who were downbeat about the cuts.

Following on from the vote this week it is clear that our movement is not over, however we do need to pause and regroup our movement for a longer battle.  Following on from a mass organising meeting on Friday evening it was decided to leave the occupation for the time being.  Students will be meeting next week to plan action to stop the bill in the Lords and show the lib demo betrayers what we think of them.  We also decided to call a anti cuts teach in early next term to get everyone back together and plan our next steps.  The lecturers will be balloting for strike action then and it is vital we support them in their fight as they have supported ours.

We would like to thank everyone for their messages of support, money and food.  This is not the end of our fight, keep following the blog, keep marching in the streets we can still win this fight.  There will be a meeting of all occupiers, wannabe occupiers and supporters at some point in the next week to plan our next step and so we can finally have a drink together.  As they said in 1968 La Lutte Continue.  We will keep up the fight till the government has fallen and until education is free for all who want it.

Letter from Tony Lloyd MP

This is a letter from Tony Lloyd, the MP for Manchester Central, to  UoM Lecturer Jerome de Groot.

“Dear Dr de Groot,

Thank you for your correspondence about Tuition Fees. I have delayed responding to you because I wanted to see what the possibility is of the Government being defeated on this issue. What is clear is that Labour and all the other Opposition parties will vote against the trebling of Tuition Fees. However, it would require the Liberal Democrats, not simply to abstain, but to vote in significant numbers themselves against these proposals. As that now seems to not be the case, this originally Conservative policy is de facto being supported by every single Liberal Democrat MP who doesn’t vote against this legislation.

Such high fees are not necessary. They are going up so much because the Government has chosen to cut funding for university teaching by 80%. This will put Higher Education and access to Higher Education in serious jeopardy.

The Government will provide concessions to the poorest students, but students from quite poor or modest income households are likely to be the worst affected by these proposals. These high fees are not fair because graduates will now have to pay much more over a longer period. Graduates will be forced to pay the whole cost of most degrees (to replace the cut in funding), instead of sharing the costs with the state. As a result, graduates will pay much more overall, and pay back for up to 30 years. The talk of generous fixed rates of repayment is nonsense as real commercial rates of interest are being introduced.

None of this can remotely be justified even on the most spurious grounds on the state of the economy, as by its very nature and in the short term, it will increase indebtedness in our society.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Tony

Tony Lloyd MP
Manchester Central”