action for extension of abortion rights to northern ireland

TAKE ACTION FOR EXTENSION OF ABORTION RIGHTS TO NORTHERN IRELAND, 7.45AM-9AM MON 20TH OCT

On 22nd October, MPs will vote on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. As well as several anti-choice, anti-women amendments, there are real opportunities to extend abortion rights – including access to abortion for women in Northern Ireland, an end to the two doctor rule, increasing the pool of abortion practitioners, allowing more local abortion services and banning misleading advertising.

Feminist Fightback are focusing on the extension of abortion rights to Northern Ireland, where currently it is is illegal to have an abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. Working class women suffer the most. As well as having to fund travel abroad, the procedure is £600, which means some women are forced to bear children against their will. Cathleen O’Neill of Alliance for Choice explains: “If I had a pound for every fundraiser I worked on to help working class women go to England for an abortion, I’d be a rich woman… Almost every other week. It’s bad enough for those who can afford to travel, but for poorer women it’s hell. It’s time those who claim to represent us to get a grip on reality and take steps to end this nightmare”

We will be taking direct action in London at the same time as Alliance for Choice activists in Belfast to heap on pressure to ensure our sisters in Northern Ireland have access to the same abortion rights as women in England, Scotland and Wales.

We want lots of feminists to get involved in non-arrestable (leafleting, legal support, press relations and demonstrating) or arrestable roles. We’re meeting at 7:45am tomorrow, Monday 20th, at the news-stand below the ‘elephant’ at Elephant and Castle (Bakerloo/Northern lines).

Phone 07971 719797 for further info (if you’re coming you may as well write it down in case you can’t find us and need to phone!)

You can also email feminist.fightback@gmail.com

last night’s meeting on the 1970 leeds clothing workers’ strike

by Chris Ford

Twenty-seven people attended the Uncaptive Minds forum last night for the exclusive showing of Leeds-United!, the 1974 Play for Today BBC film made by Roy Battersby, dramatising the story of the 20,000-strong Leeds clothing workers’ strike of 1970.  The vast majority of the audience were trade unionists, with members of RMT, UNISON, UCU, UNITE, CWU, NUJ and PCS present.

leaflet for uncaptive minds series on class struggle in the 1970s

click here for a pdf of the leaflet for the forthcoming uncaptive minds series on class struggle in the 1970s.

the first session, from 6:30pm on monday september 1st, will be on the upsurge 1968-74, with sheila cohen, author of ramparts of resistance and george shaw, a former vauxhall car worker and former member of solidarity.

communist discussion forums on class struggle in the ’70s

our communist discussion forum uncaptive minds begins with a series of discussions on class struggle in the 1970s, a decade which saw a wave of working-class militancy in britain and the rest of europe.

we will be debating the ideas developed by the workers’ movement of the era, its methods of organising, why it failed and the lessons for today. our guest speakers include participants in the battles of the time, car workers, leading trade union activists, revolutionaries and marxist intellectuals, and scholars who are studying the period.

provisional timetable (all dates are mondays, start time 6:30pm)

1st september: the upsurge 1968-74, with sheila cohen, author of ramparts of resistance and george shaw, a former car worker and former member of solidarity.

15th september: women in struggle. discussion of the 20,000-strong leeds clothing workers’ strike of 1970, reinventing the flying picket before miners and building workers picked up the idea. with liz leicester.

29th september: the debates on workers’ control. with david broder and ian macdonald.

13th october: insurrection at work. the industrial struggle in england and italy.

27th october: new methods of organising. a critical comparison of the unions with anton moctonian.

10th november: the ‘alternative economic strategy’ and its alternatives.

24th november: the great grunwick strike. film and discussion with pete firmin from brent trades council

8th december: where did it all go? with joe marino, general secretary of the bakers’ union

the venue is in central london. email uncaptiveminds@googlemail.com to register your interest and get more information.