Just to let you know next week I will be back at theFrontline Club to take part in this event along with Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS:
“After the recession, now come the cuts. The UK is facing some of the most stringent public sector budget cuts since the Second World War. The Tory-Liberal coalition says budget slashing is inevitable, but already public service unions are threatening strike action that could cripple the country and threaten a fragile post-recession recovery.
“How far away are we from scenes in Greece where national strikes led to riots on the streets of Athens? Will the UK population en masse accept the austerity measures being ushered in or take to the streets to oppose them?
“Join us at the Frontline Club with an expert panel to investigate if seeds for civil unrest are being sowed that might happen in the months and years ahead.”
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 25.03.10. Brian Caton, General Secretary, Prison Officers Association (left) and Dave Nellist, Coventry Socialist Party councillor and former Labour MP at the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) general election launch rally on Thursday 25 March 2010 in London, England. The TUSC aims to challenge the three main parties in the general election and opposes all public spending cuts and privatisation, fight for the repeal of all anti-trade union laws and the renationalisation of the privatised utilities. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.
LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 04.01.10. A Conservative Party general election billboard – with party leader David Cameron on it – in Luton, Bedfordshire on Monday 4 January 2010. Eric Pickles – Chairman of the Conservative Party – joined local party members in Luton as David Cameron launched the Party’s health manifesto in London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.
Clients: Pictures are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.
LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 04.01.10. A Conservative Party general election billboard – with party leader David Cameron on it – in Luton, Bedfordshire on Monday 4 January 2010. Eric Pickles – Chairman of the Conservative Party – joined local party members in Luton as David Cameron launched the Party’s health manifesto in London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.
Clients : Images are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 28.11.09. Unemployed people, students, union activists and socialist campaigners – from across the UK – congregate in central London to demonstrate and demand jobs as the rate of youth unemployment stands at a record high on Saturday 28 November 2009 in London, England. Unemployment in the UK totalled 2.46 million in the three months to September. Youth unemployment – measuring the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work – rose by 15,000 to 943,000. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 29.07.09. Vestas workers, family members and supporters march from the Vestas wind turbine factory to the local County Court on Wednesday 29 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers represented by RMT lawyers argued successfully that a possession order had been incorrectly served and that Vestas could not be granted an eviction order – the judge adjourned the case to Tuesday 4th August 2009. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs and close the factory. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. General view – at night – of the Vestas wind turbine factory occupation on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory for the last four days after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. Vestas workers, family members and supporters march from St Thomas’s Square to the Vestas wind turbine factory on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory for the last four days after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. The occupation of the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight enters day four on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 16.02.09. Photographers stage a mass photo taking event outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February 2009 in London, England. The event, called by the National Union of Journalists, marked the enforcement date of section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 which could prevent the media and public from taking pictures of the police . (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
Photographers are under attack – job losses in local and national media, picture rate cuts and police repression on the streets. It’s time for photographers to come together and plan and build the best way to defend our profession. NUJ London photographers are meeting on Thursday 16 July 2009 at 6.30pm at Headland House (MAP) to start the process of setting up a NUJ London Photographers Branch. If you live or work in London – freelance, agency or staffer – and an NUJ member this is the meeting for you.
If you are a photographer and not yet an NUJ member – join us and be part of this new branch.
Update (17.07.09): The meeting of NUJ photographers in London last night voted to set up a London Photographers Branch (LPB). A historic moment for the NUJ. There were 31 people at the meeting and the vote for a ‘nationwide’ branch was defeated by 19-7 with 4 abstentions. The vote for a London branch was carried by 26-1 with 1 abstention. The branch must now be approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NUJ and the next LPB meeting will be in September to elect a interim committee.
It was agreed that the LPB will be open to NUJ members who “work as photographers or as other lens based journalists” and whose work is “carried out in London”. It was also agreed that the new branch will campaign against job cuts, rate cuts and restrictions on photography as well as campaign against attacks on media workers across the world.
Here is a link to a Comment is free post I wrote for The Guardian yesterday on journalists and the G2O protests. Plus the National Union of Journalists is considering legal action over the treatment of photographers and journalists by the police.
Also, here is some good news, Kent police have apologised to my friend and colleague Jess Hurd, who was stopped and searched four times while covering last year’s climate camp. I was stopped and searched with Jess two of the times. You can see this for yourself below in Jason N. Parkinson’s film Covering Climate Camp.
Plus, take a look at The Guardianinvestigation into police surveillance of journalists and protesters that I worked on with Paul Lewis to get a better context of the events surrounding the policing of the climate camp.
