Monday, August 3, 2009

Pool, Church, Bank and Brains

"AS Dudley Council shuts schools, libraries, museums and swimming pools around the borough, councillors agreed to give themselves a 25 per cent pay rise during a heated meeting of the full council on Monday.

As angry protesters from Unison and residents demonstrating against the proposed closure of Pensnett High School and Coseley Baths gathered on the council house steps, councillors voted to increase their allowances by nearly £2,000.-- http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/4493348.Council_chiefs_vote_themselves_25__rise/



How does Dudley Council and the human beings that influence social political policy in the area of Dudley get away with their actions as Dudley MBC. Why have the POLICE not been called to protect the PEOPLE of Dudley from mismanagement and outright criminal activities as they were called to protect Dudley MBC from the PEOPLE at the recent Dudley Council meeting of late July 2009? Well, in my opinion anybody who grew up in and around the Dudley area will know that the Police are not really protecting the people, or any rights of the people, they are their to preserve the order set by the Government, the councils and the private corporate sponsors of the urban programing. Don't get me wrong, they may just be doing their job, but i think in the case of the recent Dudley Council meeting incident where the police were called in because of - protesters - who were bringing the WORD from the people on the street to the council - highlights how the council and governments in general function: the abuse of power and the blatant un-democratic actions they take.

I feel like widening my criticism of what started with a swimming pool. The decision to pull the pool down in Brierley Hill, and now the same disaster all over again with Coseley Baths under the same circumstances brings me to conclude that no matter which way you look at it the local council and by default the national government act in a crooked way, for private interest and against the will of the people. In my opinion and from my experiences with Dudley Council and the political figures in the area, after attending more than 10 local Dudley political - council - meetings; that the People might consider organizing for themselves based upon there own resources and vision of a better way to do community, and encourage more efficient and fair methods to co-organize large groups of people, societies, health, wealth and wellness centers of human activity.

No doubt that this organizing can be a difficult activity, democracy is difficult and it is hard to get the whole thing moving in the right directions for everybody, and to pay attention to all-humanity while designing their own habitat. Co-operative and co-operation between individuals and the means to gain agency to change in their community. A two way street. I'll scractch your back if you'll scratch mine, a waltz, a co-creation etc. We have to work together and with all the good metaphors for open source, clear communication between groups of people and a decentralized government, made up of internetworked groups and individuals - connected - and equally holding a piece of the pie (the community, humanitas). How much longer can we sit and watch baffoons running around in packs, like Wolves - and soaking up our cultural inheritance and our natural resources? When we could do a better job ourselves, to mean 20 Million minds and hearts working together will be far more efficient than roughly 500, who are all of a generation out of touch with the open source networking revolution and dinosaurs that feed on young and old peoples blood like master Bob Dylan say.

Nothing new here really, people have been saying this for hundreds of years, power to the people - you know - but this swimming pool closure highlights how the council in Dudley operates. How many CHURCH roofs have been saved in the last 10 years? how much money spent on RELIGIOUS facilities for a few BELIEVERS? How many skate parks were built, how many authorized GRAFFITI areas, how many speak easy cafe's and POETRY centers? How many ROAD's were built? How much was spent on CCTV cameras? Security? How much did the council make by selling off LAND to private interests? Like Tesco, ASDA, Automobile manufacturers, Petrol, Oil and Gas firms? How much? And the list goes on, i don't wish to begin ranting and raving, i have more than enough at this blog already.

Please, if your reading this do a little research and do some math, and ask yourself how Dudley can behave in this way, against the will of the people. My message to them is to go and dunk yourself in swimming pool, get out the church for a day, and bank on your brain!

--Steven Pratt

Dudley campaigns protest at council

by Paul Bolton

Campaigns to prevent the closure of Coseley Swimming Baths and Pensnett High School, and sort out the single status pay agreement for council workers, protested outside Dudley council’s meeting on Monday of last week.

The Unison, Unite and NUT unions, with parents, school students and local campaigners, supported the demonstration.

Protesters stormed into the public gallery after the demonstration. They heckled the Tory mayor and leader of the council when they tried to justify their attacks upon our services.

The meeting was suspended by the mayor, the police were called and protesters were forced to leave. All three campaigns are determined to continue their fight. - http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=18520


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