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Home
| 17th May
1996 | Issue
74
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S
YER WATERTIGHT...
SchNEWS
SPLASH & GRAB
WATER JOKE (and it's
not even funny!)
"What became very
clear last year in Yorkshire was how essential water is. Not just
for humans. It's essential for everything, everywhere. It needs
to be valued, not squandered, not least by private companies with
a monopoly over its supply"
- Diana Scott,
co-ordinator, Yorkshire WaterWatch.
This Friday, the inquiry
into last summer's Yorkshire Water fiasco will give its findings.
It is unlikely that the conclusions will be too scathing, as the
inquiry was funded by... Yorkshire Water! But the damage has been
done. After years of shortages and plenty of warnings of impending
disaster, people joined together in disgust of the drips who couldn't
run a bath and formed Yorkshire WaterWatch. Parts of the county
were close to introduction of rota water supplies, and tankers shipped
in water from other areas.
Fat water bills have
been bombing trough letter boxes as the privatised utilities become
more greedy. The average bill this year is £226, based on the rateable
value of the property (pre-Poll Tax style) - with no account taken
of ability to pay. For claimants this works out at £8.69 a fortnight!
The head of Southern Water said, "The system is due to be changed
by the year 2000, but we don't have any plans for what will replace
it."
SchNEWS contacted OfWat,
the industry watchdog, who told us: "There's no way you'd use as
much water as you pay for in a year, but the only way to cut the
bill is to get a water meter - and they cost £99! But the company
cannot physically disconnect the supply in most cases (especially
in flats) and no-one has ever been jailed for non-payment."
The maximum a court can take out of your benefit for ALL debts/bills
is £6 a fortnight, so non-payment would mean you'd be £2.69 a fortnight
better off! "The worst they can do is send the bailiffs round, but
there are plenty of ways round that" OfWat told SchNEWS. (You can
get a form for 50p to transfer your possessions to a trusted friend/partner/member
of your family.) It has also been revealed that a third of Welsh
people on pre-payment meters cut themselves off through poverty.
However, there is an even worse plan on the horizon:
water companies are now
trying to install pre-payment systems into houses, especially into
those of low income families, which means that the taps may dry
up without any warning at all.
Stuart Derwent, boss
of Southern Water, told SchNEWS they had done some experiments the
key meters of 100 people. Pressed on whether they were a good idea.
he told our dry witted scribe:
"I'm not going to win
this argument, am I?" Ask a stupid question...
This summer the underground
water tables will be depleted more than ever, and less rain will
fall to replace it. Basically, we're gonna run out, and lots and
lots of people will be very angry when they've paid their bills
and still gone thirsty. They might became a tad angrier when they
see golf courses and bowling greens still sprinkling with glee.
* If you want to contact
OfWat call 'em on 0345 581658
WATER: LEAKED INFO
* In the UK we use 150
litres of water per person per day in our homes. Every time a toilet
is flushed, five gallons goes down the khazi
* Every day 300 million
gallons of raw or virtually untreated sewerage is pumped into the
sea around the coast of England and Wales. One stretch of the River
Lea near Luton, consists of 90% sewerage effluent.
* Welsh Water has the
worst record in the UK for leakage's from pipes - a staggering 37.8%
of water supplies are wasted through old pipes. Even though Wales
exports half its ample Water supply to England, the continuing dry
weather could even mean shortages there this summer.
* In 1992, 14.3 million
people in England & Wales were supplied with drinking water
with illegal levels of pesticides.
* The Baltic is one of
the most polluted seas in the world: 140,000 square miles of it
has been turned into an ecological wasteland, devoid of all life
below 80 metres.
WATER WORLD
(The crisis not the
crap film)
"Every year, more
and more water is needed... This has led to massive over exploitation
in many parts of the world. In India, ground water levels in many
states have declined by 5-10 metres. In die state of Maharashta
some 23,000 villages are now without water while in Gujarat, 64,500
villages suffer the same fate."
- 5000 Days
To Save the Planet, by the Ecologist.
"A mere 250 years
ago the River Mersey and its estuary were abundantly stocked fishing
grounds. However, since British Industry began to emerge in the
late 18th century, Merseyside, often considered the cradle of European
industrial nation - has been a by-word for industrial pollution,
providing shaming evidence of one of modern societies worst habits
- the abuse of rivers as cheap disposal systems for production waste.
By the mid 1980 s, and probably well before that, the Mersey was
judged to be to all intents and purposes, biologically dead"
- Greenpeace
Book of Water.
98% of the world's water
is locked up in polar glaciers, and a very good job too, or else
there'd definitely be an end to the drought situation in Yorkshire.
In fact, Yorkshire would turn into a modem day Atlantis according
to most recent predictions of impending global warming. Only 1/5000th
of the world's water is available for human consumption, and yet
we still insist on treating this tiny proportion, on which we all
depend, abominably. Industry, particularly the chemical, steel,
engineering and textile sectors, use and pollute far, far more than
domestic customers, yet all the guilt trips about saving water are
laid on Jo(anne) Bloggs, rather than the Fat Cats.
* Yorkshire WaterWatch
is the main grassroots campaign to address issues of water quality
and ownership. Perhaps it's time something similar was set up in
your own area? Contact them at: 259 South Street, Rotherharn, S61
2NW. Tel: 01709 558561.
* Friends of the Earth
are doing work to identify sources of pollution. They have a wicked
Internet site (Chemical Release Inventory) which identifies sources
of pollution in your area: FoE home page - http:www.foe.co.uk. Their
Local Groups Hotline is 0990 224488.
* Hands Off Our Water
- the campaign against water privatisation in Scotland 0141 552
1179
*For more information
on toxins, contact Toxic Alert: c/o Toxcat, PO Box 29, Ellesmere
Port, S. Wirral. L66 3TX. Tel: 0151 339 5473.
CRAP ARREST OF THE
WEEK
For being a terrorist!
Last Sunday, a Lyn Davies cycled - with multi-coloured balloons
scrawled with felt-tipped slogans - onto the yet-to-be-opened Severn
Bridge in protest at its no bike policy. He sprayed a slogan and
took a label from a packing case just to say he'd been there before
coppers nicked him, held him overnight, charged him, searched his
house. He is up in court on June 18 for criminal damage and theft
of the label!
|
Cost
of policing animal export demos during the whole of last year:
£7,746,225! (Police Review)
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DROUGHT!
And it's not just water!
There's been hundreds of rumours as to why there is an acute hash
shortage in the UK - in the words of one dealer: "the worst drought
in 15 years". Some rumours include: "It's a conspiracy by the breweries";
'There's been big busts in Gibraltar"; "3,500 Moroccans have been
nicked after someone shot a copper" and "It's political motivation
to replace hash with smack". Send us yer conspiracy theories.
* SUNLIGHT SYSTEMS who
sell gro-bulbs and cannabis seeds have supplied their mailing list
to the Old Bill, resulting in the arrest of several home gardeners.
You've been warned.
PARTY ON?
Yer party lovin' SchNEWS
scribes have received new Home Office guidelines aimed at local
councils and police forces regarding the 'health and safety of young
people at dance events and clubs'. Amongst the predictable blurb
about drug control, the circular advises that "at all night events,
long events and during hot weather [organisers should] ensure that
there are several adequate breaks with no music'. Are they serious?!
The circular also includes advice to organisers to liase with police
to assist them with surveillance including the possibility of installing
video surveillance equipment to monitor partygoers. Is it us or
is the long arm of the law getting longer? It also advises licensees
NOT to provide information or facilities that 'suggest that drug
misuse is tolerated'. Does this include Ecstasy testing, positive
drug awareness and information strategies? In light of widespread
confusion about the dangers of drinking water when taking E (too
much or too little?) and the blind refusal of the government to
introduce a comprehensive Ecstasy research programme, surely we
should be trying to educate rather than deny drug use.
* After the Tribal Gathering
fiasco when Thames Valley police refused to grant a licence for
the event, a petition is being circulated aimed at gathering over
half a million signatures. A spokesperson said. "As anyone who has
seen the Home Office proposals for the new legislation aimed specifically
at dance clubs will realise the Tribal Gathering licence refusal
is only the thin end of the wedge". Wake up and smell the coffee.
Free parties are being curbed and trashed on a regular basis. it's
your turn now.
* Hot off the party grapevine
is the sad news that the Cambridge Festival of Fun at the end of
July has been cancelled. We don't know why but we can hazard a guess.
ARC ACTION
Work was stopped at Tarmac's
ARC quarry in Chichester at the beginning of the month when 21 Earth
First activists D-locked the main gate shut and stormed the site,
halting every lorry, crane and digger in their path. A chopper was
mobilised and police gave chase, but no arrests were made. Tarmac,
main suppliers of road stone to the Newbury Bypass, have plans for
two more quashes in the area. Outraged locals are opposed to this
destruction and EF! are planning actions. Last Tuesday, EF! returned,
but police were waiting and made 9 arrests. All were released without
charge. Contact Chichester EF! on 01243 771 640
NEWBURY UPDATE
There are currently 120
people still on route at Newbury in nine camps, and rests are still
occurring daily. Donington Castle, major symbol of the Civil War,
was occupied by the 3rd Battle posse for 5 days, who handed the
keys back to English Heritage last Saturday. To cap off a busy week,
a contractors meeting in Bristol on how to deal with protesters,
was trashed. Those naughty protesters just won't go away!
* The horrendous task
of trying to gather witnesses to assist people nicked at Newbury
is underway. If you saw anything, have photographic/video evidence,
anything you feel is relevant ring the Third Battle Office 01865
45544. It's time to get the bail rolling for civil cases - assaults,
wrongful arrests, illegal evictions, Health and Safety aspects,
etc. Again ring the Third Battle Office for advice. Time to get
on the case and not let the bastards get away with it.
CARRY ON SQUATTING
The 10th edition of the
legendary Squatters hand-book is now out - published by the Advisory
Service for Squatters. With 864,000 empty homes in Britain, squatting
is a solution to homelessness and high rents, also creating space
for needed community projects. Remember, boys and girls, squatting
is still legal, necessary and free. £1 + 38p+p from ASS, 2 St Pauls
Rd., London. N1 2QN.
* Meanwhile the court
case for the land occupants in Wandsworth has been adjourned. Watch
this space. Contact Land is ours 01865 722016
ALBERT MELTZER
Albert Meltzer, founder
of the Anarchist Black Cross, died last Tuesday. A.B.C is a network
of autonomous groups supporting anarchist and class struggle prisoners.
This was only one achievement of a lifelong political commitment
beginning at the tender age of 15. Meltzer's autobiography I Couldn't
Paint Golden Angels and the classic floodgates of Anarchy by Meltzer
and Stuart Christie - are both published by AK Press & Distribution,
PO Box 12766, Edinburgh. Scotland, EH8 9YE
ABC publish a quarterly
mag Taking Liberties. Contact- London A.B.C. c/o 121 Railton
Road, London SE24 0LR
*HAVEN DISTRIUTION has
become a 'free books to prisoners' service aimed at framed &
class struggle prisoners. They need funds and zines. BM Haven. London,
WC1N 3XX.
HACKNEY ANARCHY WEEK
24th May - 2nd June
A celebration
of subversion in east London - bands, films, cabaret, football,
workshops. discussions, critical mass, Exploding Cinema + more Info
+ programme details:
BM Active, London.
WC1N 3XX
e-mail: anarchy@phreak.intermedia.co.Uk
Thurs 30 May ROADBLOCK!
Meet 730am. Outside Chats Palace, Chatsworth Rd. Hackney, London.
Contact 0171 281 4621
GROUNDSWELL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
Saturday 25th May at
Sheffield Co-ordinating Centre Against Unemployment, 73 West St.
Groundswell is a network of claimants and workers fighting against
the introduction for the JobSeekers Allowance (coming your way in
October) Info from: PO Box 446 Sheffield, S1 1NY
SchNEWS and Conscious
Cinema on tour
20 May Land is Ours!
Occupation, York Rd, Wandsworth
29The Peacock,
Newbold Rd, Rugby 8pm
30 Morris's Riverside Pub, Sheffield 7pm
31
Bridge St Tavern, Manchester 7.30pm
1 June Solidarity
Centre, Glasgow 7.30pm
3 Casrock Cafe, Edinburgh 8pm
5 Tap & Spile
Pub, Newcastle 7pm
6 1 in 12 Club, Bradford ?pm
8th Strawberry
Fayre, Cambridge All pm
SchNEWS In Brief
* Wanna take control of
your life? Break the habit of job-pay-bills-stress-frustration?
Learn about housing co-ops, credit unions, workers co-ops, jobseekers
allowance, home education, permaculture, homebrew (that's got yer
interested now) and loads more? Then get to the Slade Lane Neighbourhood
Centre, 642 Stockport Rd., Longsight, Manchester on Saturday 25th
May 10am - 6pm. More info 0161 248 9224
* A Shout to DJ Arms -
nearly there, mate. Can't wait to see ya!
* Don't forget Brighton
Water Fight this Saturday, meet at noon on the Level weather permitting,
otherwise Sunday 26th May
* To mark the anniversary of an anti-fur
action in Finland (3 people released 600 foxes, received huge fines
and in two cases, prison sentences). Demo: Finnish Embassy, 38 Chesham
Place, London (nearest tube Hyde Park Corner) at 12 noon Wednesday
29th May. Info 0171 837 7557
* Tears all round at the Shell AGM
on Wednesday. Mounting a robust defence of its activities in Nigeria,
the company ruled out a withdrawal from the country. It was instead
time for "reconciliation". There followed a moment of "quiet reflection"
in memory of Ken Saro Wiwa, long-term critic of Shell and hung with
eight other land rights activists last November. Makes ya wanna
puke!
And Finally....
Last Tuesday those disgraceful
paint throwers - otherwise known as the Mawhinney 4 - received their
sentences. Turning the tables on Tory whitewash by whitewashing
a Tory in protest at the Asylum and Immigration Bill, three of them
got 24 hours community service. The other, in his fifties, was given
128 hours, because the judge said that he was old enough to know
better! In throwing the paint in the first place, they have already
done a few moments of service to the community! The brown-nosers
at the National Union of Students responded to the expulsion of
one of the paint-throwers from Kingsway College by telling SchNEWS,
"We don't support violence?" (Does that mean they are for the
abolition of the army? Opposed to Trident?) And it was always going
to be an open and shut case with the Crown Prosecution Service allocating
resources usually reserved for terrorist and murder cases - including
a special case worker and carrying out forensic experiments on pots
of paint and shabby suits! Was this anything to do with police embarrassment
at taking 20 minutes to respond to a 999 call by an MP outside Parliament
on the day of the Queens speech? Do the victims of race attacks
have their cases investigated with the same diligence? What do you
think...?
DISCLAIMER
The SchNEWS
warns all readers not to attend any illegal gatherings or take part
in any criminal activities. Always stay within the law. In fact
please just sit in, watch TV and go on endless Xmas shopping sprees
filling your home and lives with endless consumer crap. you will
then feel content. Honest.
Subscribe! Keep
SchNEWS free! Just send 1st class stamps (eg 20 for 20 issues) or
donations (payable to Justice?) Mark 'Original' if you plan to copy:
SchNEWS c/o on-the-fiddle PO Box 2600 Brighton East Sussex BN2 2DX.
SchNEWS is free to prisoners tel/fax: (01273) 685913. email:
justice@intermedia.co.uk e-SchNEWS: http://www.cbuzz.co.uk
Next Justice? meeting:
Henry Law 'The Price of Vacant land is Unemployment' - Land right
& use @ Brighton Unemployed Centre off Canton Hill behind
Amex
Send us your jokes for
this space!
Thanx Mrs. S for help
on the SchLIVE tour
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