Lorraine on the bus: click here for the video
Lorraine on the Bus has increasingly become a Facebook and Twitter phenomenon since the day the South London secretary told people on the number 109 bus just why they should come to the national anti-cuts demonstration organised by the TUC for Saturday 26 March.
Planned Government spending cuts, which are due to bite in April, are expected by the TUC to put more than a million out of work and damage public services.
This is the demonstration the Government is going to have to listen to. Even the police are talking about joining in.
It has been preceded by several other, smaller demonstrations around the country, including the regional march in Bristol on 19 February which was organised by the Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance, and supported by the Bristol Trades Council, of which NUJ Bristol Branch is a member. Several members of the NUJ went on the demo and the Branch banner was there too.
Now the NUJ is calling on all members to come to Hyde Park on Saturday 26 March. Bring family, friends, colleagues. The aim is to give a national voice to all those affected by the cuts, and to show that people reject the notion that ‘there is no alternative’.
As well as TUC members and trade unions, the march will include a broad coalition of other groups opposed to the drastic public spending cuts and job losses being imposed on Britain.
They are calling for an Alternative to cuts which will hit poor and lower-income people, and working people, disproportionately harder, and which they say are politically, not economically, motivated.
The Alternative would be to insist that rich people and companies stop dodging and avoiding tax, but pay it fairly and fully; to insist on a ‘Robin Hood tax’ on the banks; and to make proper efforts to create jobs and boost sustainable economic growth.
This view is supported by the NUJ.
Campaign and demo materials, and further details, are on the NUJ website and the False Economy website.
Coaches from Bristol have been organised by several unions. These are mostly now full, but the Bristol Branch executive is still organising joint transport, so anyone who wants to go should get in touch with Branch Secretary Simon Chapman at bristol (a) nuj.org.uk.
The demonstrators will gather on Saturday 26 March at 11 am, Victoria Embankment, London WC2N 6NL. The NUJ, as part of the Federation of Entertainment Unions, has been allocated assembly point 13 along the Embankment, next to the east end of Temple Place. At the assembly point we will have NUJ flags and t-shirts to hand out before the demonstration starts at 11am.
If you can’t get to London or take part, you can still show support and join a virtual march. Find out how here.
The Twitter hashtag is #26March. Allied hashtags are #Demo2011 and #UKuncut.
Tweets will be sent from @26march, so follow that for updates.
There’s a Facebook event page here, and a Pledge widget for bloggers here.
Twibbons to decorate your online avatar, or larger profile pictures, are available at the March for the Alternative website.
See you on 26 March!
