Ever wanted to build yourself a treehouse? Dig yourself a tunnel? Make yourself a lock-on? Now is your chance!

Mainshill Solidarity Camp in south-west Scotland has been occupying woodland due to be obliterated for an open-cast coal mine. They are under imminent threat of eviction and so are hosting a gathering to intensify the building of defences from Saturday 23rd to Tuesday 26th January.

Anyone who wants to be a part of resisting the expansion of coal-burning, anyone who wants to fight corporate greed, corrupt government and the feudal land ownership, and anyone who wants to defend a community from the self-interest of the few, should come.

What to bring:

* Warm clothes and waterproofs
* sleeping bag

Tasty vegan food will be provided, but bring any supplies you can. Any building materials, tools, climbing equipment, bedding or anything on their wish list you can spare please bring it along.

For more information and directions, see:
http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/?p=1055

For the wish list, and how to donate money to the camp, see here:
http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/?page_id=415#Support%20Us

For three weeks in January 2009, the bombs rained down on Gaza. At the end of Israel's brutal bombing campaign and ground offensive over 1400 Palestinians had been murdered, including 314 children.

In Brighton EDO-MBM/ITT manufacture some of the weapons components that devastated so many lives. All over the world thousands of people watched appalled at the carnage on the streets of Gaza. Thousands marched and raged at the destruction of peoples' homes and lives.

On January 18th 2010, the anniversary of the final day of Operation Cast Lead, we will come together to remember the people of Gaza.

We will not allow those who supported their pain and profited from their suffering to go unchallenged. We will not let this genocide be forgotten. On the first anniversary after their deaths, we will rise up. We will take to the streets. We will remember...

Assemble in Brighton at 1pm, wear black. More details, including the precise meeting place, will be published on the smash EDO website closer to the date.

http://www.smashedo.org.uk/remember-gaza.htm

Alternatively you can sign up to receive a text when the location is announced - email your phone number to smashedo@riseup.net or text your number to 07538093930

On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life will march through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all.

Part of a global series of public actions, The Wave will call on world leaders to take urgent action to secure a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the danger threshold of 2 degrees C.

# Assembly & rally: 12pm, Grosvenor Square
# March sets off 1pm (please see route below)
# Climax: 3pm Encircling of Parliament
# Dress code: Blue! Please bring blue gloves if you have them, or paint your hands blue for the 3pm climax!

There are coaches coming from all over the UK, and Megabus are doing a special deal so it's only £2 return on their coaches.

For more info, see http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

for a full schedule of events on the day, see http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/full-schedule-for-the-wave

Work has started at Mainshill in South Lanarkshire, where Scottish Coal want a new coal mine but the community does not. Huge areas of plantation are being felled and JCBs have moved in. This gathering will strengthen the campaign and give new energy to the established Solidarity Camp.

See the gathering and actions to stop work video

Join us at Mainshill Wood for the weekend of the 31st October & 1st November or longer if you can.

Events over the Weekend:

* Saturday 31st October, 13:00: A walk of the area with people from surrounding and affected communities, visiting areas that have been destroyed by Scottish Coal and areas that we can still save. A discussion on the campaign so far and where we can take it will follow.

* Climbing, treehouse building and tunneling workshops

* A “work day” to build the Solidarity Camp some new defences

* Evening camp-fire entertainment

* Plenty of chances to stop a beautiful area of Scotland’s countryside from being turned into an opencast coal mine

What to bring:

* Warm clothes and water-proofs, a tent, sleeping bag and mat
* Any food, building materials and tools you can
* Most importantly, bring yourself and your friends

Contact us on: mainshill@riseup.net / 07806926040

The Solidarity Camp has been doing its best to stop work on the site, but now we need your support and solidarity to win this fight against Scottish Coal, Lord Home and South Lanarkshire Council!

See this Coal Action Scotland page for more information.

Every two years a big chunk of public money is spent subsidising DSEi, Europe's largest arms fair.

Held in London, it allows arms manufacturers to tout their wares to a range of regimes, many with very dubious human rights records.

And every time, the fair is met with protests and direct action to stop delegates from attending. Roads get occupied, trains have people scramble up on the roofs, and some resourceful souls get inside the exhibition and trash or occupy stalls.

This time there is to be a concerted effort to obstruct exhibitors as they try to get their weapons to the fair in the first week of September. The police operation at the fair will be large, but with over a thousand exhibitors there will be a wealth of low-security targets. And as they're spread around the country and beyond, it means you can take action near where you are at the time of your choosing instead of having to get to London.

There has been a callout for a concerted effort to take action against these companies. There is a list of exhibitors here
http://www.dsei.org/exhibitors

Our country is awash in arms manufacturers. The shackles round the ankles of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are made in the West Midlands. When we are at liberty, we have a duty to defend those who are not. When we see crimes being planned, we have a duty to stop them. It's happening near you, and you can simply walk out there and lock yourself to their gates.

As well as obstructions around the country, there will be an action in the City of London on the day DSEi opens, 8th September. Exact details have yet to be announced. Keep an eye on the Disarm DSEi site for more info
http://www.dsei.org/

The government proudly announces its low-carbon roadmap and talks of a Green New Deal. Yet it's happy to bail out high-carbon dinosaur companies like Land Rover whilst standing by as the UK's only wind turbine factory goes bust.

Production at the Vestas factory on the Isle of Wight is due to stop on 31st July. But active resistance has been growing, and now workers have occupied
the factory.

Only last week they said they would create 400,000 green jobs. How can the process start with 600 of us losing our jobs?

Now I’m not sure about you but we think it’s about time that if the government can spend billions bailing out the banks – and even nationalise them – then surely they can do the same at Vestas.

The people of Vestas matter, and the people of the island matter, but equally importantly the people of this planet matter. We will not be brushed under the carpet by a government which is claiming to help us.

We have occupied our factory and call on the government to step in and nationalise it. We and many others believe it is essential that we continue to keep our factory open for our families and livelihoods, but also for the future of the planet.

If you can get to the Isle of Wight

They'll be happy to see you at the gates, and there are also several demonstrations planned on the island. The factory is off Dondor Lane, Monks Brook Newport, Isle Of Wight, PO30 5WZ (Google map)

Meeting: Wednesday 22nd July, 6.30-8.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall, Quay Street, Newport. Setting up a campaign for Vestas workers’ families and Isle of Wight residents to show their support for keeping jobs at Vestas. The families and communities campaign will be very important in keeping spirits up through this stressful time. For more details call 07775 763750.

Demonstration: St Thomas Square in Newport at 5:30pm on Friday 24th July

If you can get to London

There is a demonstration planned for tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd, called by Campaign Against Climate Change.

Wednesday 22nd July, 6.00 pm
Outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change, No 3 Whitehall Place,
London (off Whitehall, Charing Cross tube)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=99987963950

It's possible that more will follow next week (keep up to date on the Save Vestas site).

If you can't physically be at either place

You can still help pile on the pressure and save the factory. The Vestas workers call on us to

Bombard the energy minister Ed Miliband with phone calls and emails. Tell the government that this closure cannot go ahead!

Ed Miliband’s e-address is ps.ed.miliband@decc.gsi.gov.uk
His phone number in his Doncaster constituency is 01302 875 462 and at Westminster, 020 7219 4778.

Flood him with calls for the Government to take over the Vestas factory and keep it producing, under new management.

Friends of the Earth have an easy auto-email thingy to petition Lord Mandelson

Messages of support can be sent to the workers at savevestas@gmail.com

There have been so many chances for action against the causes of climate change, here's a chance to fight for a solution.

There are only days to go, and we can still win if we act fast. Do it right now.

Last year thousands of people camped at Kingsnorth coal fired power station, casting a big question mark over new coal in the UK. Then in the spring of this year thousands of people swooped on the city whilst the G20 was meeting in London: tents were pitched and the carbon trading centre in the hub of the financial district shut its doors for the day.

This summer there will be camps in Scotland on 3-6 August and in Wales on 13-16 August before the Camp for Climate Action returns to London to prepare for an autumn of mass action in the run up to the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen this December.

Meet: Concerned about climate change? You’re not alone – join thousands of people from all walks of life to share ideas, make friends and start taking collective action.

Learn: Discover alternatives. Get up-to-speed with the science. Learn the skills you need, from composting your waste to talking to the media. Whatever your interest, with hundreds of workshops there’s sure to be one for you.

Build: Learn how to construct a wind turbine, erect a marquee, or cook for two hundred people. We aim to make the camp a model of sustainable living, and we need you to help us do it.

Take Action: Find like-minded people. Get trained-up. Make plans. Whatever you want to do, there will be people here to show you how. And get prepared to join people taking direct action all over the world, with the Climate Camp mass action against coal on 24 - 25 October 2009

Check your diary. Book the week off work. Whether you come for the whole camp, or can only come for a day, make sure you don’t miss it!

This year we will set up the camp together, with a mass swoop of people taking the site. Get down to London on the day before camp on 26 August and be ready for the action to start at any time. Join us on Facebook and sign up to twitter and text updates to make sure you stay informed about plans.

The camp is run at minimum cost, and excellent vegan food is available on site.

What to bring:
* Your friends: because the camp will be more successful with more people
* Everything that you’d normally take camping

What not to bring:
* Pen-knives: the police love to find a couple so they can go on TV and spread scare stories about Climate Campers
* Dogs (except guide dogs)
* Glass bottles

More info: http://climatecamp.org.uk/

See you there!

Every year in the UK a bunch of people get together in a field to share ideas, thoughts and plans for action to help people and planet.

The Earth First! Summer Gathering is the place where people involved in radical ecological direct action - or those who want to be involved - get together for five days of time and space to talk, walk, share skills, learn, play, rant, find out what's going on, find out what's next, live outside, strategise, hang out, incite, laugh and conspire.

Earth First! isn't an organisation, it's just a name used by those with common aims. It's a diverse thing with a wide range of approaches to action, so there should be plenty to interest and inspire everyone whether you're a seasoned eco-nutter or completely new to it all.

It's for people who understand that hierarchy and high technology are not going to solve it all, that the solutions will involve grassroots, human-scaled approaches.

The gathering runs for five days, but even if you can't make the whole gathering it's still worth coming for a couple of days. There's usually about 500 people there.

Entry is £20-30 (it's a totally non-profit thing, everyone pays the entry fee including all the organisers), and good cheap food is available on site.

The gathering is also a practical example of non-hierarchical low-impact living in action.

This year it's 18-24 August in the Lake District

What's happening?
Over 80 workshops, discussions, planning, strategy and 'where next' sessions

*Share and learn skills for kick-ass actions on land and water!
Small boat handling and blockading using kayaks / Direct action training – Tripods, lock-ons, Fences / Climbing skills / Action Reconnaissance / Security for Activists / Impacts of G20 and Nottingham 114 / Winning your climate campaign / How to research corporations /

*Network current campaigns against ecological destruction
Open-cast mining / Genetic engineering / Agrofuels / Saving Iceland / Climate actions / Pipeline resistance in Rossport / Anti-nuclear/ Airport expansion/

*Think about eco-centric ethics and alternative ways of organising
Deep green ethics / Anarchist economics / Anarchist history / Radical Politics / Working without leaders/ Consensus decision-making

*Practical skills for ecological restoration and sustainable living.
Introduction to Ecology / Restoration ecology / Flora and Fauna identification / Vegan Cake making / Power from solar and wind / wild food / Squatting / Bike maintenance

The programme also includes...
*A full day of water based direct action skills training on FRIDAY 21st August
Loads of campaigns are taking to the water in defence of the planet, like at Rossport where Shell are trying to lay onshore pipelines and the Great Rebel Raft Regatta at last summers climate camp. This summers EF! gathering will be building on these tactics with training in water based actions.

*An excursion to visit communities in the North East threatened by an expansion of coal mining on Monday 24th August. Visit beautiful valleys and strong spirited communities and make links for ongoing resistance.

As well as international campaigns round-up, networking and planning for future actions.

Cost and practical things
£20-30 according to what you can afford. Vegan food provided by Anarchist Teapot for £4 per day. The gathering is in Cumbria, the exact location will be announced the week before. Book your trains to Penrith now! More info available soon on the website

http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/
summergathering@earthfirst.org.uk

The recent furore over MPs expenses means many people will either abstain from voting in the European elections, or else will cast a protest vote against the mainstream parties.

The British National Party stands to benefit greatly. Unlike a general election, there is a system of proportional representation in place. A share of the vote of 8 percent could see the BNP get a seat. If they get seats, they get hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.

Last time turnout was 38 percent, and the BNP scored between 6 and 8 percent in the four main constituencies they're targeting. So it's easy to see how they could break through 8 percent this time, but would probably fail to if everyone voted.

Under the voting system - explained in this short animation - it's important to vote for a party that will score higher than the BNP. That's going to be Labour, Conservative, LibDem, UKIP and Green.

Especially crucial is the playoff for the final seat awarded in each constituency, likely to be between the parties coming fifth and sixth; ie likely to be between Green and BNP. An extra 3 percent on the Labour vote will probably make no difference, whereas that 3 percent going to the Greens would probably be the difference between a seat going Green or BNP.

If it sounds fiddly, or like the Greens are trying to scam for votes, check it out yourself. Here's last time's results.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/euro_uk/html/front.stm
Here's an online calculator that can translate any breakdown you type in into seats.
http://www.remy.org.uk/dhondt/dhondt.php

In the North West, BNP leader Nick Griffin is standing. Griffin has made an excellent job of changing public perception of the BNP. Like the party itself, he has his roots in the National Front. The party prohibits non-whites from membership.

'All black people will be repatriated, even if they were born here,' Griffin told Wales on Sunday in 1996.

In 1997 he produced a publication called Who Are The Mindbenders, alleging that the media is run by Jews. He proved the BBC was Jewish controlled by naming 17 Jewish employees from a total of over 23,000.

During his 1998 trial that saw him convicted of inciting racial hatred, he compared the belief that six million Jews died in the Holocaust to the belief that the earth is flat.

The BNP are not just a little bit right of UKIP. They are a party of extreme white supremacism and racism. Many of their officials, including Nick Griffin, have convictions for racially motivated crimes. A seat in the European Parliament will massively boost their funds and their platform.

A vote for a party likely to score more than the BNP is a vote against the BNP. Please - especially if you live in their target areas of North West, East Midlands, West Midlands or Yorkshire and the Humber - make sure everyone you know who's registered votes against them.

Nick Griffin's march needs to end here.

Next month London plays host to a meeting of the G20 (the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 20 economies: 19 of the world's 25 largest national economies, plus the EU).

As they throw money at the banks that couldn't be found for public services, as they refuse to question the inevitability of economic growth hitting a stopping point or the wisdom of ever increasing consumption, we need to show them that we can see a different - fairer, more sustainable, saner - world.

At the London Summit on April 1st , the G20 ministers are trying to get away with the biggest April Fools trick of all time. Their tax-dodging, bonus-guzzling, pension-pinching, unregulated free market world's in meltdown, and those fools think we're going to bail them out. They've gotta be joking!
We can't pay, we won't pay and we are taking to the streets

Many, many imaginative actions will be taking place across London on April 1st. One major focus will be four separate carnival parades culminating in direct action against (a) carbon trading and (b) other financial crimes in the City of London.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will lead themed processions starting at 11 a.m. from the following rail stations:

* Moorgate - Red horse against War;
* Liverpool St - Green horse against Climate chaos
* London Bridge - Silver horse against Financial crimes
* Cannon Street - Black horse against land enclosures and borders in honour of the 360th full circle anniversary of the Diggers

At 12 noon, April 1st, we're going to reclaim the City, thrusting into the very belly of the beast: the Bank of England. At 1pm there's a climate focused action at the European Carbon Exchange at Hasilwood House, 62 Bishopsgate.

Early a.m. April 2nd, we're going to bang on their hotel doors, @ the Excel Centre, Canning town to deliver our message of a world beyond capitalism.

http://www.g-20meltdown.org/