Open letter to Birmingham Board of the Labour Party:

Regardless of your views on the leadership election and the movement around Jeremy Corbyn, it is clear that the Labour Party faces a huge task locally and nationally. The polls are unlikely to be that out of kilter with reality and if there was a general election tomorrow in all likelihood the Labour Party would lose, and badly.

More specifically, here in Birmingham we also face big challenges. With the Midland Metro Mayor election next year and “all-up” council elections in 2018, we will need a large, motivated and dynamic ground operation to achieve the results we want. In particular with the Metro Mayor, the Conservative candidate, Andy Street, is clearly no fool and the contest will be a very tough one. Without a significant Labour presence on the streets and in our communities, we won’t win.

The Tories have vast amounts of money and plenty of friends in the media to help put their case. The Labour Party has the overwhelming case that exists for a democratic socialist society, obviously, but more prosaically, it’s huge membership, which has more than trebled nationally in just over a year.

That membership will need to be mobilised. And in order for it to be mobilised it will need to have a say in how the party is run.

It was therefore with huge disappointment that we learned that the Birmingham Board of the Labour Party voted to exclude all members who had joined in or after July 2015 from selecting our candidates for the 2018 local elections.

Two thirds of Labour Party members have been disenfranchised at a stroke. It is also worth bearing in mind that the next local elections after 2018 will be in 2022, so selection will take place in 2021. Therefore if you joined the party in July 2015 you will face a six year wait to select a council candidate. The national Labour rule is 6 months.

This cannot be right. There needs to be a freeze date, but the one imposed by the Birmingham Board is ludicrously excessive and smacks of cynical gerrymandering.

It is also self-defeating.

How do we expect to have a motivated membership knocking doors, delivering leaflets and taking the case for Labour candidates into our communities if we won’t even let that membership select those candidates? How will we build the big, lively, well-resourced campaigns that we will need to get Sion Simon elected in 2017?

Momentum South Birmingham calls on the Birmingham Board of the Labour Party to overturn the decision and instead have the usual six month freeze date. It is in our party’s interests to do so.

In solidarity

MSB

MSB Newsletter 19/06/2017

Welcome to the latest Momentum South Birmingham newsletter – your unmissable weekly digest of all the interesting things going on politically in our area and beyond.

In the city of Birmingham at least it has been a comparatively calm week politically. Although there is plenty going on it isn’t happening at the manic pace of the last couple of months….. for now.

But of course, in London we had the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire where the death toll continues to mount. There have been arguments that the left are politicising the event but when the disaster is the fault of political decisions made by politicians at local and national level over the course of a generation it is hard for any response not to be…….. political. We are witnessing the human consequences of what happens when an ideology that treats working class people as a nuisance at best, and at worst cattle, comes to dominate. Hopefully the Corbyn surge is the beginning of a process where that ideology is challenged and then consigned to the dustbin by a socialist Labour government.

We also heard the terrible news this morning of events outside Finsbury Park mosque – which brings the counter-demo against a mobilisation by Britain First next Saturday into sharper relief. More details below.   

James

 

New to the Labour Party?

Many of us are fairly new to the Labour Party and it can be quite an intimidating environment with labyrinthine rules and procedures that are at times baffling – with all the different abbreviations and structures it can be like learning a new language! Momentum Sheffield (who look almost as amazing as MSB…..) have produced a very helpful guide for newcomers that explains the structures, rules, terms and puts things in day-to-day language. It’s worth a read even if you are an experienced old hand! A pdf is attached and a link to the document is here.

Screening of ‘Dispossession’ and Q+A, 22^nd June

For some people, a housing crisis means not getting planning permission for a loft conversion. For others it means, quite simply, losing their home. Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle is a feature documentary directed by Paul Sng (Sleaford Mods – Invisible Britain) and narrated by Maxine Peake, exploring the catastrophic failures that have led to a chronic shortage of social housing in Britain.

The film focuses on the neglect, demolition and regeneration of council estates across the UK and investigates how the state works with the private sector to demolish council estates to build on the land they stand on, making properties that are unaffordable to the majority of people.

Dispossession is the story of people fighting for their communities, of people who know the difference between a house and a home, and who believe that housing is a human right, not an expensive luxury.

Following the screening there will be a Q&A discussion featuring Paul Sng (Director), Dr Lisa McKenzie (London School of Economics), Robert Clayton (author and photographer of Estate), Tim Morton (housing consultant) and host Tom Murtha (Social Housing Under Threat). It starts promptly at 8pm and there are more details here.

UAF counter-protest against Britain First, Saturday 24^th June

Unite Against Fascism Birmingham have called a counter-demo against a planned Britain First mobilisation this Saturday in town. It starts at 12 noon. More details to be confirmed – check the facebook group for updates and a link to a flyer to print out or share online is here: UAF Brum Britain First A5

Corporate immigration briefing,

Saturday 24^th June, 1pm

If you fancy something slightly more sedate than the UAF counter-demo our friends at Right2Work UK are inviting you to join them to explore corporate immigration, an important area of law to help protect and preserve the right to work for migrants. There will be expert speakers – including a couple of members of MSB. It starts at 1pm and is being held at Unit 4, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 5RT (we had an all-Birmingham Momentum meeting there a couple of months ago). Here is a link to the flyer with full details: refugee week event

Birmingham Humanists Meeting, Tuesday 27^th June

Birmingham Humanists have organised a discussion meeting on Tuesday, 27 June – Jeremy Rodell speaking: ‘The changing landscape of religion and belief in the UK: a Humanist response’, 7.30 – 9.30pm @ Moseley Exchange, 149–153 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JP.  Below is a link to the flyer and their upcoming programme of events.

Birmingham Humanists DiaryJun2017

Birmingham Against The Cuts meeting, Wednesday 28^th June: ‘Come Together To Campaign Against The Cuts in Birmingham’

BATC are bringing together 4 campaigns opposing austerity and privatization on the 28^th for an evening of speakers and debate. 7pm at the Council House. Speakers include John Lister from Health Campaigns Together. Below is (another) flyer – just think of all the paper we are saving!

The Great Get Together – until the 2nd July

Attached below is a programme of events promoted by our friends at Hope not Hate as part of the “The Great Get Together” – a collaborative project involving organisations in Birmingham, the Black Country and Dudley.

MSB stalls committee meeting: 3^rd July, 10am

Our stalls co-ordinator Chris has organised the next meeting of the stalls committee on Monday the 3^rd July, 10am, at Loco Lounge, Kings Heath High Street. Chris is always on the lookout for people to join the committee. Stalls and campaigning have been crucial to the development of the group. You might even get your picture taken with John McDonnell! Email Chriskuriata@live.co.uk for more info.

Northfield constituency dates for your diary

• Nothing in the diary this week – everyone is very tired after an absolutely herculean effort in the last few weeks!

Edgbaston constituency dates for your diary

• Nothing in the diary this week – everyone is very tired after an absolutely herculean effort in the last few weeks!

Hall Green constituency dates for your diary

• Nothing in the diary this week – everyone is very tired after an absolutely herculean effort in the last few weeks!

Selly Oak constituency dates for your diary

• Brandwood Forum meeting (this is a public meeting, apolitical, and not a Labour Party event but it obviously focuses on the effects of government and council policies on the area): Wednesday 21st June at Monyhull Church 7- 8.30pm.

 

Burton Unite members in dispute with Argos –

let’s support them!

While of course the eyes of Momentum South Birmingham were mostly fixed on the general election and ensuring our city’s constituencies returned Labour MPs, we should not forget that there are industrial disputes going on that can and should be supported. One of those is just down the road in Burton where Argos workers organised by the Unite union are on strike.

There is much more information here: please offer any help you can at this very busy time for all of us. 

Fundraising survey

Our fundraising co-ordinator, Nicky, has drawn up a quick survey for members and supporters to fill in to canvass our views on what we want. If you have a spare couple of minutes please fill it in here.

MSB statement on the July 2015 ‘freeze date’ decision

The Birmingham Board of the Labour Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to retain the July 2015 freeze date for members to participate in the selection of candidates for the 2018 local election elections. We have published a statement that you can read here and rest assured it will not be the end of the matter. Momentum seeks to get Labour members elected to public office. Labour will only succeed in doing that if it engages with its new members and gives them a say. The decision is a monumental act of folly.

‘Regional’ Momentum co-ordination

Cecile Wright, one of our elected NGC reps for the large ‘region’ that Birmingham and the West Midlands sits in, would like to keep in touch about how she can best open communication with us to better represent us on the Momentum Council. She wants people to feel free to get in touch with her and her email is c.wright230@ntlworld.com. As things develop further post-conference we’ll keep you informed.

School cuts

The NUT have set up a school cuts website providing information on what is going on and the likely effects. You can email your MP through the website, it only takes a minute. Please click here. Since the New Year a number of parents groups have sprung up across the country to fight for more funding for our schools. It is an important development that parents have started to organise because Governments cross parents at their peril. Please visit their website.

South Birmingham Momentum T-Shirts

Not before time in our view, wear it with pride: MSB t-shirts are going to be ordered: £10 red with South Birmingham Momentum on it. If you would like one email

nicky151289@gmail.com

MSB social media classes and blog pitches

Nicky Brennan, one of our social media managers, has started running classes if you are uninitiated in Facebook and Twitter etc. and want to learn more about how to make best use of them – they are crucial part of modern political campaigning and you are never too old to learn something new! If you’re interested get in touch with Nicky: nicky151289@gmail.com

We are also looking to get more original content on our blog – it is a somewhat underused resource for discussing ideas and giving our members a platform to write about the issues of concern to them. Drop Nicky a line if you have any ideas – particularly if they are about local issues and our campaigning – or things you think we should be doing more on and want to draw attention to.

Ward and CLP meetings

If you want the group to publicise upcoming local Labour Party activities and branch and CLP meetings to encourage attendance, please let us know either by emailing me direct or the group account below; our wonderful social media managers Kate, Lucy, Nicky and Sam will do the rest!

https://www.facebook.com/momentumbirminghamsouth/

https://momentumsbham.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/@MomentumSBham/ 

MomentumbhamSouth@hotmail.com 

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/momentum-south-birmingham

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/wall-of-fame

MSB Newsletter 12/06/17

Welcome to the latest Momentum South Birmingham newsletter – your unmissable weekly digest of all the interesting things going on politically in our area and beyond.

I feel like I’ve said this quite a few times in these newsletters in the time I have been sending them out but it has been an extraordinary few days. The general election results were absolutely stunning and we are now in a position to start genuinely talking about the Labour Party, headed by Jeremy Corbyn, taking power at the next election, which will surely be far earlier than in five years’ time. A pact with the loathsome DUP probably won’t last very long. There is so, so much to do but there is also so much to be hopeful about now and there are some serious lessons for the West Midlands Labour Party to learn from developments over the last few months. Let’s hope they are taken on board.

The officers of MSB have produced a statement that can be read here. We’ve also been publicising activities in Wolverhampton South West and I am happy to report that Eleanor Smith held the seat for Labour and increased the majority to over two thousand. Many congratulations to Eleanor!  

It was an incredible collective effort – an enormous thank you to everyone who came out to support their local Labour candidate and in many cases travelled all over the city and region to help others in marginal constituencies. In Birmingham both Edgbaston and Northfield were held with significantly increased majorities, a huge well done to both campaign teams.

It’s a shorter newsletter this week but full of interesting stuff nonetheless – enjoy! I’d like to say that we can relax now but I think we all know that would be foolish prediction……..

James

 

The Great Get Together – 14^th June to 2^nd July

Attached to this newsletter is a programme of events promoted by our friends at Hope not Hate as part of the “The Great Get Together” – a collaborative project involving organisations in Birmingham, the Black Country and Dudley. In particular there is a picnic at Cannon Hill Park on the 18^th June:

“South Birmingham Hope not Hate would also like to invite you to a Hope Picnic on the 18th June in Cannon Hill Park (by the swans) from 12.00-3pm. This is part of the Great Get Together weekend, celebrating that we have more in common. More information about the weekend here. We’re asking everyone to bring their friends, family, favourite food and as many games as you can carry! The picnic will be an opportunity to share food with old and new friends and family. The event will be child friendly so do bring your kids along for some sharing of food and games. You can sign up to the event yourself on Facebook here.”

 

Anti-DUP protest, 17^th June

‘Love Activists’ – a radical direct action group, have organised a protest against Theresa May and the Tories forming a coalition with the DUP – who it’s fair to say are a fairly unsavoury organisation and who have views that appal even many Tories. More details here.

 

Screening of ‘Dispossession’ and Q+A, 22^nd June

For some people, a housing crisis means not getting planning permission for a loft conversion. For others it means, quite simply, losing their home. Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle is a feature documentary directed by Paul Sng (Sleaford Mods – Invisible Britain) and narrated by Maxine Peake, exploring the catastrophic failures that have led to a chronic shortage of social housing in Britain.

The film focuses on the neglect, demolition and regeneration of council estates across the UK and investigates how the state works with the private sector to demolish council estates to build on the land they stand on, making properties that are unaffordable to the majority of people.

Dispossession is the story of people fighting for their communities, of people who know the difference between a house and a home, and who believe that housing is a human right, not an expensive luxury.

Following the screening there will be a Q&A discussion featuring Paul Sng (Director), Dr Lisa McKenzie (London School of Economics), Robert Clayton (author and photographer of Estate), Tim Morton (housing consultant) and host Tom Murtha (Social Housing Under Threat). It starts promptly at 8pm and there are more details here.

 

Northfield constituency dates for your diary

• Nothing in the diary this week – everyone is very tired after an absolutely herculean effort in the last few weeks!

Edgbaston constituency dates for your diary

Saturday 17^th June

• Harborne ward Labour Party meeting, 11am, Moor Pool Lower Hall, 37 The Circle, Birmingham B17 9DY. Preet Gill will be speaking and the meeting is also open to members of Edgbaston ward.

Monday 19^th June

• Harborne ward meeting (please note this is a public meeting for all residents of Harborne not a Labour Party event and therefore officially apolitical), 7pm the Community Room, Harborne Pool and Fitness Centre Lordswood Road B17 9QS.

Hall Green constituency dates for your diary

• Moseley and Kings Heath/Hall Green post-election social/campaign thank you: back room of the Hare and Hounds Pub on Kings Heath High Street, Friday 16^th June, from 6:30pm onwards.

Selly Oak constituency dates for your diary

• Brandwood Forum meeting (this is a public meeting, apolitical, and not a Labour Party event but it obviously focuses on the effects of government and council policies on the area): Wednesday 21st June at Monyhull Church 7- 8.30pm.

 

Burton Unite members in dispute with Argos –

let’s support them!

While of course the eyes of Momentum South Birmingham were mostly fixed on the general election and ensuring our city’s constituencies returned Labour MPs, we should not forget that there are industrial disputes going on that can and should be supported. One of those is just down the road in Burton where Argos workers organised by the Unite union are on strike.

There is much more information here: please offer any help you can at this very busy time for all of us. 

 

Fundraising survey

Our fundraising co-ordinator, Nicky, has drawn up a quick survey for members and supporters to fill in to canvass our views on what we want. If you have a spare couple of minutes please fill it in here.

 

MSB statement on the July 2015 ‘freeze date’ decision

The Birmingham Board of the Labour Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to retain the July 2015 freeze date for members to participate in the selection of candidates for the 2018 local election elections. We have published a statement that you can read here and rest assured it will not be the end of the matter. Momentum seeks to get Labour members elected to public office. Labour will only succeed in doing that if it engages with its new members and gives them a say. The decision is a monumental act of folly.

 

‘Regional’ Momentum co-ordination

Cecile Wright, one of our elected NGC reps for the large ‘region’ that Birmingham and the West Midlands sits in, would like to keep in touch about how she can best open communication with us to better represent us on the Momentum Council. She wants people to feel free to get in touch with her and her email is c.wright230@ntlworld.com. As things develop further post-conference we’ll keep you informed.

 

School cuts

The NUT have set up a school cuts website providing information on what is going on and the likely effects. You can email your MP through the website, it only takes a minute. Please click here. Since the New Year a number of parents groups have sprung up across the country to fight for more funding for our schools. It is an important development that parents have started to organise because Governments cross parents at their peril. Please visit their website.

 

South Birmingham Momentum T-Shirts

Not before time in our view, wear it with pride: MSB t-shirts are going to be ordered: £10 red with South Birmingham Momentum on it. If you would like one email

nicky151289@gmail.com

  

MSB social media classes and blog pitches

Nicky Brennan, one of our social media managers, has started running classes if you are uninitiated in Facebook and Twitter etc. and want to learn more about how to make best use of them – they are crucial part of modern political campaigning and you are never too old to learn something new! If you’re interested get in touch with Nicky: nicky151289@gmail.com

We are also looking to get more original content on our blog – it is a somewhat underused resource for discussing ideas and giving our members a platform to write about the issues of concern to them. Drop Nicky a line if you have any ideas – particularly if they are about local issues and our campaigning – or things you think we should be doing more on and want to draw attention to.

 

Ward and CLP meetings

If you want the group to publicise upcoming local Labour Party activities and branch and CLP meetings to encourage attendance, please let us know either by emailing me direct or the group account below; our wonderful social media managers Kate, Lucy, Nicky and Sam will do the rest!

 

https://www.facebook.com/momentumbirminghamsouth/ 

https://momentumsbham.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/@MomentumSBham/

MomentumbhamSouth@hotmail.com

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/momentum-south-birmingham

 

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/wall-of-fame

Statement of the officers of Momentum South Birmingham on the General Election results

The officers of Momentum South Birmingham note and welcome the positive general election results for Labour.

This election has seen the return of two crucial things: the masses, and hope.

Nationally, a positive campaign combined with a superb, socialist manifesto have led to a quite incredible surge in support for our party and offered a route map to take us back into power. Huge numbers of Labour activists all over the country have played their part in turning around what looked, just a few weeks ago, like an impossible task. CLPs have reported levels of activism at this general election simply never seen before.

Huge numbers of young people registered and then voted, many enthused by Labour’s socialist programme. We have offered hope in the post-Brexit referendum doom and gloom. We have shown that boldness, radicalism and unapologetic socialism are the way forward for the party and Jeremy Corbyn has been completely and totally vindicated as our leader.

Despite the positivity today it remains galling to think that we could have been in an even stronger position had the PLP and party bureaucracy got behind their democratically elected leader from the outset. Those issues are for resolution on another day but be in no doubt that they have not been forgotten.

Turning our attention to Birmingham, it is heartening to see that all 9 of Labour’s seats in the city stayed red. It is also noteworthy that turnout across the city was significantly up and Labour’s share of the vote increased dramatically; our leader, and manifesto, offered something for the people of Birmingham to believe in, alongside many excellent local campaigns.

In particular, we offer warm congratulations to Preet Gill and Richard Burden who have held the seats of Edgbaston and Northfield respectively despite the two being the Tories top targets in the city – and who both received less than enthusiastic support from Labour’s West Midlands Regional Office, which appeared to have determined early on that both seats were already lost.

The result in Edgbaston was absolutely stunning, with Preet tripling Labour’s majority to seven thousand. An extremely impressive and equally unexpected performance.

The Northfield result was similarly excellent, with a huge, friendly and superbly well-organised campaign leading to Richard doubling his majority and ensuring the large numbers of UKIP voters in 2015 did not get added to the Tories 2017 total in sufficient numbers to take the seat. We would like to place on record our thanks to Northfield CLP for the warm welcome our activists received when we came over to help – and also thank Momentum activists from the other branches across the city and region who did so much as well.

The election demonstrates once and for all that the path that the Labour Party has taken since the election of Jeremy Corbyn in 2015 is the right one. It also demonstrates that the party has an incredibly powerful resource that can lead us back to power – our hundreds of thousands of members. It’s the work of those members, volunteering their spare time to work flat out for the party in the last few weeks, that have brought about this revival.

The members will determine the future of the party. Which means that the members in Birmingham need to start being treated with more respect and afforded their democratic rights. The general election has postponed once again the selection of candidates for the local elections next year. It is simply unconscionable that members who only joined before July 2015 (i.e. probably a minority of the current city membership) will be able to participate. We call on the Birmingham Board to rectify this immediately and to rebuild the local party structures that have withered so badly in recent years (the continuation of ‘special measures’ for several decades in four of our ten CLPs being but one example).  

Whilst the results in Birmingham have been excellent, across the wider West Midlands region they have not been, and the dismal performance of the party at the West Midlands Mayoral election just a few weeks ago (which the Regional Office has to take full responsibility for) has shown that there is a problem that is not going away. The current lack of even rudimentary local party democracy is untenable.  

 

In solidarity

 

MSB        

MSB Newsletter 05/06/2017

Welcome to the latest Momentum South Birmingham newsletter – your unmissable weekly digest of all the interesting things going on politically in our area and beyond.

It’s been an odd weekend. Our final #SuperSaturday in Northfield was a huge success with something like 80 people turning up for the campaigning and was followed up by some more excellent opinion polls but the horrific terrorist attack in London on Saturday night brought things back down to earth with a bump. A lot of the campaigning was suspended yesterday as a mark of respect but has re-commenced today – it all means that the next few days are going to be really intense.

Clearly the big push will be on Thursday, polling day. Getting people to remember to vote is harder than you think! In line with the rest of the election campaign Momentum Birmingham’s focus will be on helping Northfield get Richard Burden re-elected, so if you are available, even if it’s only for a couple of hours, to get across and help and you have no pressing duties in your own CLP please do. More details below.

There is also a big GOTV rally planned in Birmingham city centre tomorrow at 7pm (but aim to get there for 6) with Jeremy Corbyn speaking – to RSVP click here – and bring a rain jacket!   

Also included are the campaigning dates for Wolverhampton South West again. It’s a bit out of the way for us in South Birmingham but they have a Labour majority of merely 801 plus the Labour candidate – Eleanor Smith – a nurse for 30 years who is being supported by Unison – is new due to the retirement of Rob Marris. The CLP campaign team are reporting a significant move towards Labour due to Tory policy on social care so it’s not a ‘lost cause’ although UKIP had 4310 votes last time. It is definitely worth getting over if you can. Session and contact details are below our usual four CLP schedules.

Polling day: Thursday 8^th June

The focus of Birmingham Momentum’s efforts on Thursday will be in helping to get Richard Burden re-elected in Northfield. While the CLP has run an absolutely brilliant campaign the result is still on a knife-edge. They will have four separate “campaign centres” – one in each of the constituency’s wards, running a Get Out the Vote operation: door-knocking, phone-banking and arranging lifts to the polling station. We are already dividing our activists around the four and if you are available please drop northfieldlabour@gmail.com or drop us a line and we can direct you where you will be of most assistance. The 4 locations are:

• Kings Norton (and main HQ) – The Old Grammar School (near St Nicolas Place), B38 8RU.
• Longbridge – 10 Rednal Mill Drive, B45 8XX.
• Northfield – 8 Innage Road, B31 2DX.
• Weoley – 5 Ramsden Close, B29 4JX.

All four will be open from 9am to 9pm. Any help, even if it’s for just an hour or so, could be crucial.

 

KONP Birmingham meeting, 7^th June

KONPB do a huge amount of brilliant work but are always in need of more help. For those who are interested in supporting and/or joining KONP and contributing to campaigns their contact details are btuchcc@hotmail.com.

Meetings are 1st Wednesday of every month (except August), so people can drop in any time at The Wellington, 37 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, B2 5SN. The next meeting is this Wednesday, the 7^th, at 19:30pm. Currently KONPB have campaigns on the STPs in Brum/Solihull and Black Country. the Midland Metropolitan Hospital (PFI/2) and they are looking to do some more work on the mental health arrangements for young people 0-25 years in Birmingham – currently ‘red risk’.

Please get involved in and support KONPB in any way you can.

 

General election, June 8^th.

MSB are under no illusions, this is going to be the fight of our lives and we have a few weeks to change a lot of minds. Many of the sitting Labour MPs are not particularly to our liking, to put it mildly, and we should have been given a chance to vote for our candidates, but we are where we are.

There will be plenty of information about campaigning on our social media and also, hopefully, on the Birmingham Labour Party website. We’ll try and keep everything as up-to-date as we can and this newsletter will serve as a snapshot of everything coming up that we know of. The individual CLP sections are below and we’ll be keeping a spreadsheet with everything we know about here.

The officers of MSB have produced a statement that can be read here and if you want to get involved in campaigning please drop us a line at momentumbhamsouth@hotmail.com.

Momentum nationally have also produced lots of information that can be read here.

Birmingham Labour will also be running a semi-permanent phonebank at one of their offices at the city centre – for more details and to book a session please click here to find them. You can pick the constituency you wish to focus on when you go.

June 9th – Post-election drink

After what has been an absolutely exhausting few weeks MSB will be relaxing to digest and hopefully celebrate the results at 19:30 at the Prince of Wales in Moseley. It’ll be a great opportunity to take stock and hopefully switch our brains off for a bit, and for our inveterate plotters senior members to have a night off plotting campaigning.

 

‘Turning activists into organisers’ course,

weekend of June 10th/11th

Our friends in Hope not Hate are hosting a free Campaign Course for activists in Birmingham who are interested in taking their campaigns to the next level. This course is designed to turn activists into effective community organisers. The contents for this free course are wide ranging, covering topics such as “how to avoid burn-out”, “understanding and mapping power” and “how to plan your campaign”, plus many others! These practical tools are being offered by community organisers from HOPE not hate, Friends of the Earth, Birmingham City University and Psychologists Against Austerity. The course is taking place on the weekend of June 10-11 so if you aren’t absolutely knackered after the general election please book a place! For more information, please click here and to apply for this course, please submit an application here.

Hope picnic, 18^th June

South Birmingham Hope not Hate would also like to invite you to a Hope Picnic on the 18th June in Cannon Hill Park (by the swans) from 12.00-3pm. This is part of the Great Get Together weekend, celebrating that we have more in common. More information about the weekend here. We’re asking everyone to bring their friends, family, favourite food and as many games as you can carry! The picnic will be an opportunity to share food with old and new friends and family. The event will be child friendly so do bring your kids along for some sharing of food and games. You can sign up to the event yourself on Facebook here.

Screening of ‘Dispossession’ and Q+A, 22^nd June

For some people, a housing crisis means not getting planning permission for a loft conversion. For others it means, quite simply, losing their home. Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle is a feature documentary directed by Paul Sng (Sleaford Mods – Invisible Britain) and narrated by Maxine Peake, exploring the catastrophic failures that have led to a chronic shortage of social housing in Britain.

The film focuses on the neglect, demolition and regeneration of council estates across the UK and investigates how the state works with the private sector to demolish council estates to build on the land they stand on, making properties that are unaffordable to the majority of people.

Dispossession is the story of people fighting for their communities, of people who know the difference between a house and a home, and who believe that housing is a human right, not an expensive luxury.

Following the screening there will be a Q&A discussion featuring Paul Sng (Director), Dr Lisa McKenzie (London School of Economics), Robert Clayton (author and photographer of Estate), Tim Morton (housing consultant) and host Tom Murtha (Social Housing Under Threat). It starts promptly at 8pm and there are more details here.

Northfield constituency dates for your diary

Contact northfieldlabour@gmail.com for more information

• Tue 6^th Jun, 10.30am – door-knocking in Longbridge, meeting on the Bristol Road by Longbridge Methodist Church (B45 9TY).
• Tue 6^th Jun, 3pm – school gate at Holly Hill Infant & Nursery School (B45 0EU).
• Tue 6^th Jun, 6pm – door-knocking in Frankley, meeting at the junction of Holly Hill Road & Savernake Close (B45 0DD).
• Wed 7^th Jun, 10.30am – door-knocking in Kings Norton, meeting on the Redditch Road by Campion House (B38 8QA).
• Wed 7^th Jun, 3pm – school gate at Wychall Primary School (B31 3EH).
• Wed 7^th Jun, 3pm – school gate at Bellfield Infant & Junior Schools (B31 1PG). Con
• Wed 7^th Jun, 6pm – door-knocking in Kings Norton, meeting at the junction of Wychall Road & Staple Lodge Road (B31 1AX).
• They have also got some ‘week of poll‘ deliveries to go out before Thursday. If you can help with these please drop them a line.
• On Polling Day they will be running Campaign Centres in Kings Norton, Longbridge, Northfield and Weoley from 9am to 9pm with the last door-knocking session going out at 8pm. Any time that people are able to give towards their Get Out The Vote operation on the day will be greatly appreciated – full details of locations are at the top of the newsletter!

 

Edgbaston constituency dates for your diary

Tuesday 6th June

• 10am – 8pm – Phonebank at 4 Greenfield Crescent
• 30am – 12.30pm – Street Stall and Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet on Harborne High Street (B17 9NT)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet at the Quinborne Centre (B32 2TW)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Rotton Park Road and Hagley Road (B16 8LA)
• 2pm – 4pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet at the Quinborne Centre (B32 2TW)
• 30pm – 4.30pm – Street Stall and Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet on Harborne High Street (B17 9NT)
• 3pm – 5pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Woodside Way and Pinewood Drive (B32 4LP)
• 3pm – 5pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Wellington Road and Sir Harry’s Road (B15 2ET)
• 6pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet at The Haven on Rilstone Road (B32 2NT)
• 6pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet at the corner of Woodview Drive and Springbank Road (B15 2HF)
• 30pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet at the corner of Ravenhurst Road and Moorpool Avenue (B17 9HN)
• 30pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet at the corner of Caynham Road and Hasbury Road (B32 4EU)

Wednesday 7^th June

• 10am – 4pm – Phonebanking at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet at the Quinborne Centre (B32 2TW)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet at the corner of Sandon Road and Poplar Avenue (B17 8EG)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet at the corner of Richmond Hill and Farqahar Road (B15 3RA)
• 30pm – 3.30pm – Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet at the corner of Selsey Road and Fountain Road (B17 8NJ)
• 2pm – 4pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet at the Quinborne Centre (B32 2TW)
• 2pm – 4pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet at the corner of Bristol Road and Barsham Close (B5 7XQ)
• 3pm – 5pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet at the corner of Glen Side and Stevens Avenue (B32 3EU)
• 30pm – 9.00pm – Campaigning Training at the Quinborne Centre (B32 2TW) – For those who are taking part in polling day (on the phones or doors), there will be a short training session on what to expect from polling day and the jobs they need to do.

Saturday 17^th June

• Harborne ward Labour Party meeting, 11am, Moor Pool Lower Hall, 37 The Circle, Birmingham B17 9DY

 

Hall Green constituency dates for your diary 

School gates leafletting
 
Tues 6 June, 3pm- Ladypool Primary School, Beechfield Road entrance (SPARKBROOK)
Weds 7 June, 3pm- Arden Primary School, St John’s Road entrance (SPRINGFIELD)
 
Phonebanking

Wed 7 June – 6-8pm Phonebanking (local and elsewhere) at 66 St Agnes Road, Moseley

Polling Day 8^th June

The campaign centre will run all day from 10am-9pm at 41 Clarence Road, Moseley, B13 9SZ. If you can, please drop in and offer your services at any point during the day, even if only for an hour, all help will be hugely appreciated. Refreshments will be provided.

They will be canvassing locally (Moseley and Kings Heath and parts of Selly Oak that border on our ward e.g. south of Howard Road, if you don’t want to go far) and in Northfield and Longbridge (transport available throughout the day). If you would rather stay at the campaign centre, we will need help there with admin. After 6pm our main focus will be in Moseley and Kings Heath.

Please book the day off if you can, and let them know if you can offer lifts to other volunteers or voters. (They will need your registration number for insurance purposes)

Selly Oak constituency dates for your diary

• Nothing in the diary this week, they seem to be organising general election activity on a day by day basis (and it appears to be working to be fair…..)

Wolverhampton South West dates for your diary:

Monday 5th June to Wednesday 7th June

• From 10:30am: Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Leafleting – Campaign HQ – The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR
• 6:30pm: GOTV Leafleting – Campaign HQ – The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR

Thursday 8th June – Election Day

• A large number of volunteers will be needed all day but especially in the afternoon & early evening. Again if you have any spare time at all this is a day on which your efforts will make a huge impact to the success of the campaign.
• As soon as election day plans are finalised (probably tomorrow) they will be circulated by the CLP but you can as always simply turn up at the Campaign HQ: The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR whenever you are able from 10am onwards.

Election Night Gathering:

Annie & Ray have very kindly agreed to host a night of “Films, Food, Solidarity, Friendship” (and possibly a beer or two we expect…) including a screening of Ken Loach’s “Spirit of ’45” from 10:30pm at:

St. Chad’s Vicarage

Manlove Street

Pennfields

WV3 0HG

Bring some food & drink to share if you can.

Transport:

By car: the best way is M5/J2 then straight up to Wolverhampton on A4123 (no matter what your sat nav says!)

Public transport: train to Wolverhampton Station or tram to city centre. A car isn’t essential but is helpful for travel to the various locations around the city where you may be working.

For all queries contact ian.s.mcnee@googlemail.com

 

Burton Unite members in dispute with Argos –

let’s support them!

While of course the eyes of Momentum South Birmingham are mostly fixed on the general election and ensuring our city’s constituencies return Labour MPs, we should not forget that there are industrial disputes going on that can and should be supported. One of those is just down the road in Burton where Argos workers organised by the Unite union are on strike.

There is much more information here: please offer any help you can at this very busy time for all of us. 

 

Fundraising survey

Our fundraising co-ordinator, Nicky, has drawn up a quick survey for members and supporters to fill in to canvass our views on what we want. If you have a spare couple of minutes please fill it in here.

 

MSB statement on the July 2015 ‘freeze date’ decision

The Birmingham Board of the Labour Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to retain the July 2015 freeze date for members to participate in the selection of candidates for the 2018 local election elections. We have published a statement that you can read here and rest assured it will not be the end of the matter. Momentum seeks to get Labour members elected to public office. Labour will only succeed in doing that if it engages with its new members and gives them a say. The decision is a monumental act of folly.

‘Regional’ Momentum co-ordination

Cecile Wright, one of our elected NGC reps for the large ‘region’ that Birmingham and the West Midlands sits in, would like to keep in touch about how she can best open communication with us to better represent us on the Momentum Council. She wants people to feel free to get in touch with her and her email is c.wright230@ntlworld.com. As things develop further post-conference we’ll keep you informed.

School cuts

The NUT have set up a school cuts website providing information on what is going on and the likely effects. You can email your MP through the website, it only takes a minute. Please click here. Since the New Year a number of parents groups have sprung up across the country to fight for more funding for our schools. It is an important development that parents have started to organise because Governments cross parents at their peril. Please visit their website.

 

South Birmingham Momentum T-Shirts

Not before time in our view, wear it with pride: MSB t-shirts are going to be ordered: £10 red with South Birmingham Momentum on it. If you would like one email

nicky151289@gmail.com 

MSB social media classes and blog pitches

Nicky Brennan, one of our social media managers, has started running classes if you are uninitiated in Facebook and Twitter etc. and want to learn more about how to make best use of them – they are crucial part of modern political campaigning and you are never too old to learn something new! If you’re interested get in touch with Nicky: nicky151289@gmail.com

We are also looking to get more original content on our blog – it is a somewhat underused resource for discussing ideas and giving our members a platform to write about the issues of concern to them. Drop Nicky a line if you have any ideas – particularly if they are about local issues and our campaigning – or things you think we should be doing more on and want to draw attention to.

Ward and CLP meetings

If you want the group to publicise upcoming local Labour Party activities and branch and CLP meetings to encourage attendance, please let us know either by emailing me direct or the group account below; our wonderful social media managers Kate, Lucy, Nicky and Sam will do the rest!

 

https://www.facebook.com/momentumbirminghamsouth/

https://momentumsbham.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/@MomentumSBham/

MomentumbhamSouth@hotmail.com

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/momentum-south-birmingham

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/wall-of-fame

MSB Newsletter 29/05/17

Welcome to the latest Momentum South Birmingham newsletter – your unmissable weekly digest of all the interesting things going on politically in our area and beyond.

For obvious reasons campaigning was somewhat subdued last week but with election day now so close there is a huge amount of work left to do.

We got another great reception in Northfield constituency again this weekend and over the three days of the bank holiday we did an awful lot of campaigning! Thanks again to Northfield CLP and Richard Burden for another warm welcome, activists from across the city have been commenting on how much they have enjoyed helping out when they have gone over and it’s been a pleasure for MSB to be involved in such a friendly but also well-thought-through effort.  There are loads of pictures on our social media.

More details are below but we are planning another huge push in the constituency this Saturday – we hope you can join us to ensure that Northfield stays Labour.

Please don’t forget to take pictures while you are out campaigning and send them to our amazing social media team – it’s a great way of communicating what we are doing. The photos of the massive mobilisations in Northfield in recent weeks have caused a bit of a stir – in a good way!

I’ve also included the campaigning dates for Wolverhampton South West in this week’s newsletter. It’s a bit out of the way for us in South Birmingham but they have a Labour majority of merely 801 plus the Labour candidate – Eleanor Smith – a nurse for 30 years who is being supported by Unison – is new due to the retirement of Rob Marris. The CLP campaign team are reporting a significant move towards Labour due to Tory policy on social care so it’s not a ‘lost cause’ although UKIP had 4310 votes last time. It is definitely worth getting over if you can. Session and contact details are below our usual four CLP schedules.

Anyway, enjoy this week’s edition and thank you to everyone to has been out on the campaign trail – it has been tough but the last few weeks have seen MSB and Momentum Birmingham at our very best. One more heave though please!

 

Burton Unite members in dispute with Argos –

let’s support them!

While of course the eyes of Momentum South Birmingham are mostly fixed on the general election and ensuring our city’s constituencies return Labour MPs, we should not forget that there are industrial disputes going on that can and should be supported. One of those is just down the road in Burton where Argos workers organised by the Unite union are on strike.

There is much more information here: please offer any help you can at this very busy time for all of us.

 

Misty’s Big Adventure Gig, 30^th May

The band (which you can read about here) are putting on a ‘pay what you can afford’ last minute gig this coming Tuesday 30th of May at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath. Money raised will be donated to the Labour Party. So if you’re broke it’s free! If you can spare some cash it’ll be gratefully received. And there will be biscuits. Spread the word and there are a few familiar faces to MSB members so it’s definitely worth popping along if you can. More details here.

 

Rail Campaign Day, 1^st June

On Thursday 1 June Labour will be campaigning on the party’s offer for the railways.

Activists in Northfield are going to be involved on the day and they have planned the following session:

• Meeting at King’s Norton station, Pershore Road South (B30 1AA); Longbridge Station, Longbridge Lane (B31 4HG); Northfield Station, Station Road and Quarry Lane entrances (B31 2JH), at 7.30am to leaflet the rush hour passengers. Please contact regan@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

 

#SuperSaturday in Northfield: 3^rd June

It almost feels like a shame that it’s our last one as they have been such an invigorating experience but this weekend sees our final #SuperSaturday (#SuperSuperSaturday maybe?) and again we will be concentrating all our efforts in helping Richard Burden to get re-elected in Northfield.

The plan at the moment is for a repeat of what happened this weekend but hopefully on a slightly larger scale: meeting at 11am outside Boots on Northfield High Street; leafleting and door-knocking sessions being co-ordinated from there, as well as a street stall where we talk to the large numbers of people who walk by!

If you have any more questions feel free to drop the secretary of Northfield CLP, Joe Green, a line: northfieldlabour@gmail.com. See you Saturday!

 

Birmingham Schools Just Want To Have Funds Big Picnic,

4 June

You will be aware that this Government’s education funding policies has resulted in a schools funding crisis which will mean Birmingham schools will be £107,960,795 worse off by 2019/2020. This equate to a reduction 2898 teachers and a loss of £641 per pupil. In addition, the Government continues to promote the unnecessary expansion of selective education whilst it has done nothing to effectively deal with the teacher workload crisis, the teacher recruitment crisis and the unnecessary testing regime. Birmingham NUT are organising a programme of fun activities to mobilise against and draw public attention to the situation and are organising a picnic on 10.30-2pm at Kings Heath Park on the 4^th June- Bring your lunch, enjoy some games in the park and make a placard or two!

 

General election, June 8^th.

MSB are under no illusions, this is going to be the fight of our lives and we have a few weeks to change a lot of minds. Many of the sitting Labour MPs are not particularly to our liking, to put it mildly, and we should have been given a chance to vote for our candidates, but we are where we are.

There will be plenty of information about campaigning on our social media and also, hopefully, on the Birmingham Labour Party website. We’ll try and keep everything as up-to-date as we can and this newsletter will serve as a snapshot of everything coming up that we know of. The individual CLP sections are below and we’ll be keeping a spreadsheet with everything we know about here.

 

The officers of MSB have produced a statement that can be read here and if you want to get involved in campaigning please drop us a line at momentumbhamsouth@hotmail.com.

 

Momentum nationally have also produced lots of information that can be read here.

 

Birmingham Labour will also be running a semi-permanent phonebank at one of their offices at the city centre – for more details and to book a session please click here to find them. You can pick the constituency you wish to focus on when you go.

 

June 9th – Post-election drink

After what has been an absolutely exhausting few weeks MSB will be relaxing to digest and hopefully celebrate the results at 19:30 at the Prince of Wales in Moseley. It’ll be a great opportunity to take stock and hopefully switch our brains off for a bit, and for our inveterate plotters senior members to have a night off plotting campaigning.

 

Northfield constituency dates for your diary

Contact northfieldlabour@gmail.com for more information

• Tue 30^th May, 10.30am – door-knocking in Longbridge, meeting at the junction of Grovelly Lane & Wootton Road (B31 4TJ).
• Tue 30^th May, 2pm – door-knocking in West Heath, meeting at the junction of Turves Green & Willetts Road (B31 4BH).
• Tue 30^th May, 6pm – door-knocking in West Heath, meeting at the junction of Turves Green & Willetts Road (B31 4BH).
• Wed 31^st May, 10.30am – door-knocking in Weoley, meeting at corner of Castle Road & Weoley Park Road (B29 5HD).
• Wed 31^st May, 2pm – door-knocking in Allens Cross, meeting at the corner of Borrowdale Road & Trescott Road (B31 5QL).
• Wed 31^st May, 6pm – door-knocking in Allens Cross, meeting at the corner of Borrowdale Road & Trescott Road (B31 5QL).
• Thu 1^st Jun, 7.30am – rail station leafleting: details above.
• Thu 1^st Jun, 10.30am – door-knocking in Frankley, meeting at the corner of Ormond Road & Lismore Close (B45 0JE).
• Thu 1^st Jun, 2pm – door-knocking in Frankley, meeting at the junction of Hollymoor Way & Birch Avenue (B31 5HS).
• Thu 1^st Jun, 6pm – door-knocking in Frankley, meeting at the junction of Hollymoor Way & Sovereign Heights (B31 5DX).
• They are also doing phone-banking from the campaign office (near St Nicolas Place, B38 8RU) Tue/Wed/Thu 10am-4pm and have got the last few tabloid deliveries to get out this week – please get in touch if you can help with these.
• There is a hustings event this week: Thu 1st June, 6.30pm at Hillscourt Conference Centre, Rednal.
• Saturday the 3rd June: #SuperSaturday – meet at Northfield High Street at 11am until 1pm opposite Boots – there’ll be loads to do!

 

• Are you free on Thursday 8th June? They are going to need as much help as they can get on Polling Day, whether you can spare an hour or two or are available for the whole day. You can sign-up and provide some details at: http://www.labour.org.uk/w/polling-day-volunteers-qs or just drop them a line to let them know if you can make it.

 

Edgbaston constituency dates for your diary

Tuesday 30th May

• 10am – 4pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of Simmons Drive and Lower Higley Close (B32 2QH)
• 4pm – 5.30pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Rotton Park Road and Hagley Road (B16 9JH)
• 15pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Bristol Road and Barsham Close (B5 7XQ)

Wednesday 31st May

• 10am – 8pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of Quinton Road West and Moat Meadows (B32 2RG)
• 2pm – 3.30pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Woodcock Lane and Shenley Fields Drive (B31 1XH)
• 4pm – 5.30pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Gillott Road and Hagley Road (B16 9LJ)
• 15pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Senneleys Park Road and Barnes Hill (B29 5TX)
• All-candidates hustings at St John’s Church, Harborne, B17 9PT (next to The Junction, by Waitrose). The hustings are from 7.30 – 9.30 pm. Doors open at 7.15 pm. Written questions can be submitted at the start of the meeting.

Thursday 1st June

• 10am – 8pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of Faraday Avenue and Higgins Lane (B32 1LL)
• 15pm – 8.00pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Jiggins Lane and Ambleside (B32 3HS)

Friday 2nd June

• 10am – 4pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of West Boulevard and Ridgmont Croft (B32 2PS)
• 2pm – 4pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Scotland Lane and Balmoral Road (B32 4JH)
• 15pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet on the corner of Poole Crescent and Quinton Road (B17 0PD – the junction furthest away from the QE)

Saturday 3rd June

• 10am – 7pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Pershore Road and Wyatt Close (B5 7QR)
• 2pm – 4pm – Doorknocking in Harborne/Quinton – Meet on the corner of Tennal Lane and Northfield Road (B32 2JD)
• 5pm – 6.30pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Swinford Road and Burnel Road (B29 5SN)

Sunday 4th June

• 10am – 7pm – Phonebanking in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent (B15 3BE)
• 11am – 1pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Holloway and Ley Hill Farm Road (B31 1UB)
• 15-6pm: Leaflet Delivery in Bartley Green: Meet outside 40 Kingsdown Rd (B31 1AH)

 

Hall Green constituency dates for your diary 

Sparkbrook leaflet deliveries:

• Wednesday 31st May Leafleting – 7.00pm, meeting on the junction of Fallows Road and Abbotsford Road
• Thursday 1st June Leafleting – 7.00pm, meeting on junction of Long Street and Stratford Road
• Friday 2nd June Leafleting – 7.00pm, meeting on Junction of Vincent Street and Edward Road
• Saturday 3rd June Leafleting – 7.00pm, meeting on junction of Eastward Road and Edward Road
• Sunday 4th June Leafleting – 7.00, meeting at New Dadyal Restaurant: 284 Stratford Road, Birmingham B11 1AA.

Springfield/Sparkbrook school gates

• Monday 5th June School gates – 3pm, English Martyrs Primary School, Evelyn Road (SPRINGFIELD)
• Tuesday 6th June School gates – 3pm, Ladypool Primary School, Beechfield Road entrance (SPARKBROOK)
• Wednesday 7th June School gates – Arden Primary School, St John’s Road entrance (SPRINGFIELD)

Moseley

• Hustings on Thurs June 1, 7:30pm to 9:30pm: More details here

 

Selly Oak constituency dates for your diary

Tuesday 30 May Doorknocking

• 00 Brandwood: Meet at Manningford Hall, Manningford Road, B14 5TJ
• 00 Selly Oak: Meet at the junction of Strathdene Road and Widney Avenue, B29

 

Wolverhampton South West dates for your diary:

• Tuesday 30^th May, 6.15pm – Door knocking, Carlton Road /Lea Road, WV3 0LP
• Wednesday 31st May, 10am all day,– Mailshots/ sorting envelopes into rounds for delivery – The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR.
• Wednesday 31st May, 6.15pm – Door knocking, Wynn Road/Coalway, WV4 4AW
• Thursday 1st June, 10am all day,– Mailshots/ sorting envelopes into rounds for delivery – The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR.
• Thursday 1st June, 6.15pm, Leaflet delivery, Aspen Way /Owen Road, WV3 0UP
• Friday 2nd June, 6.15pm, Leaflet delivery, Hamble Road/Warstones Drive, WV4 4PN
• Saturday 3rd June, 10.30am, Leaflet delivery, Albert Road/Tettenhall Road, WV6 0AG
• Sunday 4th June, 3.30pm, Leaflet delivery, Manor Road/Penn Road, WV4 5PX
• Monday 5th June, 6.15pm, Door knocking, Cherry Street/ Gr Brickkiln St, WV3 0QW
• Tuesday 6th June, 15pm, Door knocking or final leafleting, Cherry Street/ Gr Brickkiln St,  WV3 0QW
• Wednesday 7th June, 10am all day, Final eve of poll leafleting – collect from The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR.
• Thursday 8th June, from early morning all day – getting out the vote – door knocking, telephoning or other help. Go to:
• The Elms Resource Centre, Manby Close (off Evans Street), Wolverhampton, WV6 0QR
• 35 Riches Street, Whitmore Reans, -WV6 0DP
• 75 Fisher Street, Penn Fields, WV3 0LF

For all queries contact ian.s.mcnee@googlemail.com

 

Fundraising survey

Our fundraising co-ordinator, Nicky, has drawn up a quick survey for members and supporters to fill in to canvass our views on what we want. If you have a spare couple of minutes please fill it in here.

 

MSB statement on the July 2015 ‘freeze date’ decision

The Birmingham Board of the Labour Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to retain the July 2015 freeze date for members to participate in the selection of candidates for the 2018 local election elections. We have published a statement that you can read here and rest assured it will not be the end of the matter. Momentum seeks to get Labour members elected to public office. Labour will only succeed in doing that if it engages with its new members and gives them a say. The decision is a monumental act of folly.

 

‘Regional’ Momentum co-ordination

Cecile Wright, one of our elected NGC reps for the large ‘region’ that Birmingham and the West Midlands sits in, would like to keep in touch about how she can best open communication with us to better represent us on the Momentum Council. She wants people to feel free to get in touch with her and her email is c.wright230@ntlworld.com. As things develop further post-conference we’ll keep you informed.

 

School cuts

The NUT have set up a school cuts website providing information on what is going on and the likely effects. You can email your MP through the website, it only takes a minute. Please click here. Since the New Year a number of parents groups have sprung up across the country to fight for more funding for our schools. It is an important development that parents have started to organise because Governments cross parents at their peril. Please visit their website.

 

KONP Birmingham

KONPB do a huge amount of brilliant work but are always in need of more help. For those who are interested in supporting and/or joining KONP and contributing to campaigns their contact details are btuchcc@hotmail.com.

Meetings are 1st Wednesday of every month (except August), so people can drop in any time at The Wellington, 37 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, B2 5SN. Currently they have campaigns on the STPs in Brum/Solihull and Black Country. the Midland Metropolitan Hospital (PFI/2) and they are looking to do some more work on the mental health arrangements for young people 0-25 years in Birmingham – currently ‘red risk’.

Please get involved in and support KONPB in any way you can.

 

South Birmingham Momentum T-Shirts

Not before time in our view, wear it with pride: MSB t-shirts are going to be ordered: £10 red with South Birmingham Momentum on it. If you would like one email

nicky151289@gmail.com

  

MSB social media classes and blog pitches

Nicky Brennan, one of our social media managers, has started running classes if you are uninitiated in Facebook and Twitter etc. and want to learn more about how to make best use of them – they are crucial part of modern political campaigning and you are never too old to learn something new! If you’re interested get in touch with Nicky: nicky151289@gmail.com

 

We are also looking to get more original content on our blog – it is a somewhat underused resource for discussing ideas and giving our members a platform to write about the issues of concern to them. Drop Nicky a line if you have any ideas – particularly if they are about local issues and our campaigning – or things you think we should be doing more on and want to draw attention to.

 

Ward and CLP meetings

If you want the group to publicise upcoming local Labour Party activities and branch and CLP meetings to encourage attendance, please let us know either by emailing me direct or the group account below; our wonderful social media managers Kate, Lucy, Nicky and Sam will do the rest!

 

https://www.facebook.com/momentumbirminghamsouth/

https://momentumsbham.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/@MomentumSBham/

MomentumbhamSouth@hotmail.com

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/momentum-south-birmingham

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/wall-of-fame

Support the Burton Argos workers!

 

While of course the eyes of Momentum South Birmingham are mostly fixed on the general election and ensuring our city’s constituencies return Labour MPs, we should not forget that there are industrial disputes going on that can and should be supported.

 

One of those is just down the road in Burton where Argos workers organised by the Unite are on strike.   

Argos warehouse workers who prepare deliveries for the catalogue stores are fearful that a contracting out culture will lead to job losses and a deterioration in their terms and conditions.

Earlier in the year Argos revealed plans to transfer nearly 500 workers from its Lutterworth distribution hub in Leicestershire to Wincanton logistics in Kettering. Despite repeated requests by Unite, Argos has refused to give guarantees at all its distribution sites that workers’ terms and conditions will be safeguarded in the future.

Mick Casey, a member of Unite’s executive council, said: “Argos has been despicable in the way they are behaving. This affects people’s lives, their families and whole communities.”

Donations and messages of support should be sent to:

Unite the Union Branch WM7680

Care of Mick. Casey, 140 BRANSTON RD, BURTON ON TRENT, DE14 3DQ

For readers information we’ve also cut and pasted below a press release from Unite welcoming the failure of Argos to secure an injunction to bring an end to the strike. There is also a piece in the Morning Star that can be read here.

 

Unite Press Release

For immediate use: Friday 26 May 2017

Argos loses High Court bid as warehouse strikes continue

A High Court judgement thwarting a further attempt by the retail giant Argos to stop a two week strike was hailed as a ‘significant’ victory by Britain’s largest union, Unite today (Friday 26 May), as it urged the company to stop trying to use the law to ride roughshod over workers’ legitimate concerns.

Today’s ruling is the second to go against Argos and comes just over midway through a two week continuous strike in a dispute over jobs and terms and conditions which started on 17 May.

Set to finish at 05:59 on Wednesday (31 May), the ongoing stoppage is causing disruption to store deliveries and involves approximately 1,400 warehouse workers at Argos distribution centres in Basildon, Bridgwater, Burton-on-Trent, Castleford, Heywood and Lutterworth.

The warehouse workers, who prepare deliveries for Argos stores, are fearful that a culture of contracting out and the reduction in operating sites will lead to a deterioration in their terms and conditions.

Earlier in the year Argos revealed plans to transfer nearly 500 workers from its Lutterworth distribution hub in Leicestershire to Wincanton logistics in Kettering. Despite repeated requests by Unite, Argos has refused to give guarantees at all its distribution sites that workers’ terms and conditions will be safeguarded in the future.

Commenting Unite national officer Matt Draper said: “The retail giant would do well to start engaging constructively with Unite, rather than repeatedly trying to use the law to ride roughshod over workers’ legitimate concerns and prolonging disruptive industrial action.

“Having seen how Argos has treated colleagues who were transferred to Wincanton, Unite members are seeking reasonable guarantees about terms and conditions.

“They are justifiably concerned about being transferred to another company or being offered alternative employment on potentially inferior terms, if they are unwilling to travel to a new site.

“Argos needs to send its senior decision makers to negotiate meaningfully with Unite, if a resolution is to be found.”

Unite assistant general secretary for legal services Howard Beckett added: “For the second time, a judge has ruled against Argos and its attempts to stop legitimate and lawful strike action. This significant ruling deals a blow to those employers who seek to silence workers and use bogus TUPE procedures to cut costs and terms and conditions.

“This is a dispute which won’t be settled in the court room, but around the negotiating table. Unite urges Argos to start engaging constructively and offer the guarantees directly employed warehouse workers are seeking.

“Once again Unite’s legal services have demonstrated that Unite will not allow its members to be bullied and silenced by employers, such as Argos. Bad bosses should beware that Unite will use the full might of the law to defend its members and their lawful right to strike.

“Unite would like to place on record its thanks to Thompsons Solicitors and Richard Arthur, as well as Ben Cooper QC of Old Square Chambers in assisting with this matter. We would urge Argos to get around the table to reach a negotiated settlement.”

MSB newsletter 23/05/17

Welcome to the latest Momentum South Birmingham newsletter – your unmissable weekly digest of all the interesting things going on politically in our area and beyond.

Many of you may have noticed that there was a rather large mobilisation in Northfield on Saturday with over 100 people helping out with Richard Burden’s re-election campaign, a large proportion of whom were Momentum supporters from across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands – who turned out to help ensure that Northfield stays Labour. John McDonnell also came along straight from the rally in the city centre to say a few words and help out with a leaflet delivery. There are loads of pictures on social media of some very bedraggled activists – it was an absolutely fantastic day but a very wet one too!

 

A huge thanks to Northfield CLP for such a warm and friendly welcome and making sure there were plenty of things to do. It was an absolutely super #SuperSaturday!

Momentum officers from across the city collectively and unanimously decided over the weekend that the remaining time will continue to be focused on Northfield so the next two #SuperSaturdays will be in the constituency. Hope to see you at one or both of those or at the many other campaigning activities they have planned virtually every day between now and the 8^th.

Jeremy Corbyn in Walsall: 23^rd May, 1pm

Jeremy will be speaking in Walsall tomorrow at 1pm. Full details here. If it’s half as good as Saturday it will be a lot of fun!

Birmingham NUT Education Question Time: 24^th May

Education Question Time, Harborne Academy on 24/5/2017- 6pm: Ask the Edgbaston parliamentary candidates (including Preet Gill) what they will do about the school funding crisis. More details here. All welcome and there is plenty of parking.

#SuperSaturday in Northfield: 27^th May

Following a swift name change that yours truly isn’t entirely happy with, our next #SuperSaturday will again be in Northfield this weekend.

Full details will be publicised mid-week but keep the morning an early afternoon free for leaflet deliveries, stalls and door-knocking to help Richard Burden get re-elected.

If you have any more questions feel free to drop the secretary of Northfield CLP, Joe Green, a line: northfieldlabour@gmail.com. See you Saturday!

Birmingham Barks For Labour -29^th May

Do you have a photogenic pooch? Know a Labour labrador, a Jeremy Corbyn-loving Jack Russell, a socialist spaniel, a democratic dachshund or just like campaigning with canines? They’ll be a video/photoshoot for social media at 12 noon on Bank Holiday Monday 29 at Highbury Park with professional videographer Tim Mobbs. Do let us know at momentumbhamsouth@hotmail.com if you want to be put in touch with the organisers!

General election, June 8^th.

MSB are under no illusions, this is going to be the fight of our lives and we have a few weeks to change a lot of minds. Many of the sitting Labour MPs are not particularly to our liking, to put it mildly, and we should have been given a chance to vote for our candidates, but we are where we are.

There will be plenty of information about campaigning on our social media and also, hopefully, on the Birmingham Labour Party website. We’ll try and keep everything as up-to-date as we can and this newsletter will serve as a snapshot of everything coming up that we know of. The individual CLP sections are below and we’ll be keeping a spreadsheet with everything we know about here.

The officers of MSB have produced a statement that can be read here and if you want to get involved in campaigning please drop us a line at momentumbhamsouth@hotmail.com.

Momentum nationally have also produced lots of information that can be read here.

Birmingham Labour will also be running a semi-permanent phonebank at one of their offices at the city centre – for more details and to book a session please click here to find them. You can pick the constituency you wish to focus on when you go.

 

Momentum women’s evening of action

Our women’s group are organising an evening of action. More details will follow on social media but if you need more information now drop nicky151289@gmail.com a line.

Edgbaston constituency dates for your diary

Tuesday 23rd May

• 9am – 5pm – Phonebank in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston (B15 3BE).
• 11am – 1.00pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of Simmons Drive and Lower Higley Close (B32 2QH)
• 15pm – 8.00pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet at the corner of Church Road and Carpenter Road (B15 2JU)

Wednesday 24th May

• 11am – 1.00pm – Doorknocking in Quinton – Meet on the corner of Welsh House Farm Road and Minton Road (B32 2NB)
• 12pm – 5pm – Phonebank in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston (B15 3BE)
• 1pm – 3pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Rotton Park Road and Hagley Road (B16 9HN)
• 15pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Harborne – Meet on the corner of Quinton Road and Poole Crescent (B17 0PB)

Thursday 25th May 

• 12pm – 5pm – Phonebank in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston (B15 3BE)
• 1pm – 3pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Portland Road and Clarendon Road (B16 9HN)
• 15pm – 8pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Middle Acre Road and Barnes Hill (B32 3AS)

Friday 26th May

• 12pm – 5pm – Phonebank in Edgbaston – Meet at 4 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston (B15 3BE)
• 15 – 8pm – Doorknocking in Edgbaston – Meet on the corner of Wellington Road and Sir Harry’s Road (B15 2EP)

Saturday 27th May

• 10am – 12pm – Street Stall in Harborne High Street (B17 9NT)
• 10am – 2pm – Leaflet delivery in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Glen Side and Stevens Avenue (B32 3RU)
• 10am – 2pm – Leaflet delivery in Quinton – Location TBC
• 3pm – 4.30pm – Doorknocking in Bartley Green – Meet on the corner of Genners Lane and Merritt’s Hill (B31 1HZ)

Sunday 28th May

• 10am – 4pm – Envelope stuffing at 4 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston (B15 3BE)

 

Hall Green constituency dates for your diary

Sparkbrook

• Leafleting on Tuesday 23rd May at 4.00pm – Meeting on junction of Abbotsford Road and Fallows Road.
• Leafleting on Wednesday 24th May at 4.00pm – Meeting at junction of Stratford Road and Long Street.
  
  Hall Green
• Monday 22nd – 6pm meet Baldwins Lane and Scribers Lane Junction
• Thursday 25th – 6pm meet Cole Valley Road junction with Highfield Road
• Saturday 27th – 10.30am meet Robin Hood Lane junction with Gresham Road

  Moseley and Kings Heath

• Saturday the 27^th: stall by the farmers’ market in the village, 10-12.

 

Selly Oak constituency dates for your diary

Tuesday 23^rd May:

• A special Get Out The Postal Votes Phone Bank: 11.00 to 13.00 and 15.00 to 20.00, at 204 Alcester Road South, B14 6DE, to book your place please click here.
• Doorknocking: 11.00, Brandwood: Meet at the junction of Brockworth Road and Mitcheldean Covert, (off Bells Lane) B14
• Envelope stuffing: 11.00 16 Jervoise Road, B29 5QU
• Doorknocking: 18.00 Selly Oak: Meet at the junction of Serpentine Road and Elmdon Road, B29

 

Northfield constituency dates for your diary

Contact northfieldlabour@gmail.com for more information

• Tue 23^rd May, 6pm – door-knocking in West Heath, meeting at the junction of Lilley Lane & The Grove (B31 3JU).
• Wed 24^th May, 6pm – door-knocking in Northfield, meeting at the corner of Bristol Road South & Hill Top Lane (B31 5AN).
• Longbridge branch are holding a phone-bank on Wed 24th May, 6pm at 10 Rednal Mill Drive (B45 8XX).
• Thu 25^th May, 6pm – door-knocking in Northfield, meeting at the corner of Bristol Road South & Chelston Road (B31 5BS).
• The first hustings of the election campaign takes place this Friday evening, 26th May, from 7.30pm – organised by Churches Together in Northfield, this will be held at Northfield Methodist Church.
• Phone-banking continues to take place from the campaign office – near St Nicolas Place, 81 The Green, Kings Norton (B38 8RU) – from 10am to 4pm, Mon to Thu.
• There are copies of Richard’s election newspaper to deliver across the constituency over the next few days – especially in the Longbridge and Weoley areas. Please get in touch if you can help with these at all, to either arrange a time to collect a delivery round from the office or for them to drop one over to you.
• Saturday the 27^th: #SuperSaturday – more details above and more on social media when we have it!

Fundraising survey

Our fundraising co-ordinator, Nicky, has drawn up a quick survey for members and supporters to fill in to canvass our views on what we want. If you have a spare couple of minutes please fill it in here.

MSB statement on the July 2015 ‘freeze date’ decision

The Birmingham Board of the Labour Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to retain the July 2015 freeze date for members to participate in the selection of candidates for the 2018 local election elections. We have published a statement that you can read here and rest assured it will not be the end of the matter. Momentum seeks to get Labour members elected to public office. Labour will only succeed in doing that if it engages with its new members and gives them a say. The decision is a monumental act of folly.

‘Regional’ Momentum co-ordination

Cecile Wright, one of our elected NGC reps for the large ‘region’ that Birmingham and the West Midlands sits in, would like to keep in touch about how she can best open communication with us to better represent us on the Momentum Council. She wants people to feel free to get in touch with her and her email is c.wright230@ntlworld.com. As things develop further post-conference we’ll keep you informed.

School cuts

The NUT have set up a school cuts website providing information on what is going on and the likely effects. You can email your MP through the website, it only takes a minute. Please click here. Since the New Year a number of parents groups have sprung up across the country to fight for more funding for our schools. It is an important development that parents have started to organise because Governments cross parents at their peril. Please visit their website.

KONP Birmingham

KONPB do a huge amount of brilliant work but are always in need of more help. For those who are interested in supporting and/or joining KONP and contributing to campaigns their contact details are btuchcc@hotmail.com.

Meetings are 1st Wednesday of every month (except August), so people can drop in any time at The Wellington, 37 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, B2 5SN. Currently they have campaigns on the STPs in Brum/Solihull and Black Country. the Midland Metropolitan Hospital (PFI/2) and they are looking to do some more work on the mental health arrangements for young people 0-25 years in Birmingham – currently ‘red risk’.

Please get involved in and support KONPB in any way you can.

South Birmingham Momentum T-Shirts

Not before time in our view, wear it with pride: MSB t-shirts are going to be ordered: £10 red with South Birmingham Momentum on it. If you would like one email

nicky151289@gmail.com

MSB social media classes

Nicky Brennan, one of our social media managers, has started running classes if you are uninitiated in Facebook and Twitter etc. and want to learn more about how to make best use of them – they are crucial part of modern political campaigning and you are never too old to learn something new! If you’re interested get in touch with Nicky: nicky151289@gmail.com

Ward and CLP meetings

If you want the group to publicise upcoming local Labour Party activities and branch and CLP meetings to encourage attendance, please let us know either by emailing me direct or the group account below; our wonderful social media managers Kate, Lucy, Nicky and Sam will do the rest!

https://www.facebook.com/momentumbirminghamsouth/

https://momentumsbham.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/@MomentumSBham/

MomentumbhamSouth@hotmail.com

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/momentum-south-birmingham

http://www.leftwardtendency.co.uk/wall-of-fame