Early on Monday 29 October, sixteen activists occupied West Burton gas-fired power station, shutting it down for a week in protest against the expansion of gas-fired power stations. Lawrence Carter explains his involvement.
The first Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Northern Ireland will open this week in the face of draconian legal restrictions and threats by anti-choice groups to see it shut down. South of the border, around 4,500 women each year are forced to travel to England to access an abortion. An upcoming documentary, “Why Women Travel”, is to tell their story.
The masterplan for a dramatic overhaul of St Peter’s Square, including controversial plans to gate off and glaze Library Walk, was rubber stamped by Manchester City Council’s executive on Wednesday. Friends of Library Walk campaigner Morag Rose ventured into the Town Hall to witness local democracy in action, and was unimpressed by what she saw…
The success of campaigns by London Citizens and others have raised fresh interest in the idea of a living wage. As Manchester City Council bump up the minimum wage for their lowest paid workers to £7.15, with Trafford following suit, living wage activist Barney Wakefield gives his take on its strengths and weaknesses.
In 1972 24 trade unionists were arrested in the wake of the first ever national building workers’ strike. Six were jailed, in circumstances which union activists have long alleged were the result of political pressure from the then Tory government. Forty years on Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson, who was imprisoned for two years for his involvement, explains how fresh evidence has led to a new campaign to overturn their convictions.
Referendums on whether or not to have directly elected mayors will take place in 10 English cities this week. Underlying the political gamesmanship, the elected mayors issue reveals a delusional approach to the north south divide.
A fortnight ago, MULE reported on the arrest of six people who had squatted the disused Kro2 bar on Oxford Road against plans to turn the site into a Tesco – and more broadly against the steady “corporate takeover” of the city centre. How do incoming proposals to criminalise squatting in residential properties relate to Manchester’s shifting character? And what are the underlying forces behind these changes?
