Weekly Links - 21/10/2007

Green Blogging
I blogged a few days ago about the "top 20 green blogs" poll being run by Jim at Daily (Maybe). The Tory blogger Iain Dale who has compiled the book in which Jim's piece on green blogs in these islands appears has recently posed the question of "what is the point of the greens", which attracted the usual comments from cranks like the "9 percent growth" freak Neil Craig (that Derek Wall recently crossed swords with) and a nasty conspiracist rightwinger calling themselves "Verity" (sic). Jim has blogged in answer to Dale's original post here.

Europe
With the Referendum on the "Reform" treaty a hot topic, there is a public meeting to follow the Campaign Against Euro-Federalism (the left/labour movement Euro-sceptic group) CAEF AGM in Birmingham next week.
From CAEF -

The AGM is next Saturday 27 October from
11.00 to 1.00pm

The public meeting in the afternoon will take place from 2 to
4pm. The speakers will be:

Alex Gordon from Trade Unionists against EU Constitution (Alex
is a member of RMT Executive Committee)

and

John Boyd - CAEF Secretary and Democrat Editor.

The public meeting will be chaired by Denis Anderson, CAEF
Chairman.

These speakers will be making the case for a Referendum on
the renamed EU Constitutional Treaty agreed in Lisbon on
Friday.

The meetings take place at the Social Club in Gough Street not
far from New Street Station and just off the Express way
(A38(M)) linked to J6 on the M6.

Waste & Incineration
Interesting news this week that Ken Livingstone, the London Mayor, has said that the government (of his own party) is far too close to the incineration companies and this may affect policy. More from Recycling and Waste Management News - here.

Health Service
Preparations for the big NHS demonstration on 3rd November are continuing. Transport is being arranged from various parts of the country. More information from Keep Our NHS Public. (KONP)

Meanwhile KONP have circulated details of a range of other events around the country -


Public meeting - Merseyside Keep Our NHS Public
Thursday 18 October 7pm. Friends Meeting House, School Lane, Liverpool.
Speakers:
Prof. Wendy Savage, KONP
Karen Reissmann, UNISON Manchester
Dr. Andrea Franks, Dermatology, Countess of Chester Hospital
Ritchie Krueger, Maghull KONP
Chair:
Dr. Alex Scott-Samuel, KONP, Amicus/UNITE


Conference - Keep Our NHS Public, Oxfordshire and PFI Alert
Saturday 20 October 10am - 3.30pm. North Oxford Association Community Centre Summertown
Speakers to include:
- Dr. Julian Tudor-Hart
Author of The Political Economy of Health Care - A Clinical Perspective.
- Dr. Sally Ruane
Health Policy Research Unit De Montford University Leicester.
The Conference will review what has happened in the NHS since the last conference in 2005 but will focus on looking forwards, showing how public services can be developed to maximise the public health of the population. Whilst announcements from Gordon Brown have said that the NHS is a priority organisers feel that vigorous campaigning will still be required to ensure we reach the 60th anniversary in 2008 with the NHS still intact and improving its status as a truly world class public health service.
Please email PFIAlert@gmail.com if you would like to attend

March and rally - Bridlington
Saturday 20 October 10.00am.
Assemble Bridlington Business Centre. March to grounds of Bridlington District Hospital.
Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group www.savebridlingtonhospital.co.uk


Public meeting - Shropshire NHS SOS!
Thursday 25 October, 7.30pm. Hobbs Room, Shrewsbury Library.


Public meeting - "Save our Mental Health Services" Manchester
Wednesday 31 October, 12.30pm, Manchester Town Hall.

Public meeting - Tower Hamlets Keep Our NHS Public
NHS, public or private? Patient care or profits? What’s the Government doing to our NHS?
Wednesday 31 October, 7pm. Old Anatomy Lecture, Old Medical School (Behind Accident and Emergency at corner of Stepney Way), Royal London Hospital Whitechapel.
Speakers:
- Dr Julian Tudor Hart,
retired GP, emeritus Professor, writer ,former local Councillor from Wales
- Dr Chris McCullough
Renal Registrar North Thames, Chief Executive Officer RemedyUK
- Ms Karen Reissmann,
Community Psychiatric Nurse, and Unison Chair, suspended by her Trust in Manchester for opposing privatisation
- Dr Kambiz Boomla,
Chair, East London GPs’ Local Medical Committee
- Councillor Motin uz Zaman,
Labour Cabinet Lead for Health and Wellbeing, Tower Hamlets Council.
Organised by Tower Hamlets Keep our NHS Public c/o Unison Office, Mile End Hospital E1.


More information from the NHS Support Federation

Biofuels
The serious questions about biofuels as an answer to climate change were raised by a demonstration at a major trade fair and conference in Nottinghamshire as reported on Indymedia here.

Climate Change/Contrarians
Finally this week, I have blogged on the Dimmock court case over the Al Gore film here and here . A very good examination of the links and networking of climate change contrarians, put together by Medialens, was posted on Indymedia here.