At 6am this morning 10 protestors blockaded access to EDF energy's nuclear sites at Hinkley Point, preventing the morning shift from starting work. 4 people in arm locks formed a barrier across the main access road at Wick Moor Drove in a bid to prevent further ground clearance work at the planned Hinkley C site and to protest at EDF's plan to extend the life of aging reactors at the Hinkley B station.

Sitting beneath a banner saying "Nuclear Power - not worth the risk" Bristol tree-surgeon Zoe Smith said, "We want the destruction of land at the proposed Hinkley C site to stop. EDF still don't have planning permission for the new nuclear plant, the governments energy policy is in tatters. With Centrica pulling out and the long awaited Electricity Reform Act delayed, there is not even enough investment to finish the project. If the tories fix the electricity price for nuclear so that the project can go ahead it will leave a radioactive waste dump here for hundreds of years." The early morning blockade caused long tailbacks for scores of workers contracted in to perform maintenance work on the the existing reactors at Hinkley B, EDF have signalled their intention to re-licence the reactor again in 2016.

Date: Thursday 22nd November, 2012
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Venue: Hydra Bookshop, 34 Old Market Street, Bristol, BS2 0EZ (0117 3297401)
Price: Donation
With: George Caffentzis

Resistance to Debt is increasingly the way that class struggle is being expressed today. But debt resistance is not new. In Ancient Rome the battles between debtors and creditors were real ones, fought to the finish. This kind of struggle has returned in the late 20th century in many parts of the world though in a less bloody manner. Caffentzis will discuss one of the largest debt resistors' organization in history, the El Barzon (or The Yoke) movement in Mexico in the 1990s. A number of common elements in these movements will be discussed and their strengths and weaknesses will be discussed. Finally, he will introduce the work of a debt resistors' organization that is forming in the US arising out of the Occupy movement in the US.

George Caffentzis is a philosopher of money and a participant in Strike Debt who lives in NYC. He is author of several works including: /Clipped Coins, Abused Words and Civil Government: John Locke's Philosophy of Money/ (New York: Autonomedia/ Semiotext(e) Press, 1989) and /Exciting the Industry of Mankind: George Berkeley's Philosophy of Money/ (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000).

On an ultra-low turn out of just 27.92% Bristolians overwealmingly shruged thier shoulders over the Tories much hyped Mayoral elections.  The red-trousered George Ferguson got around 31% of the vote, which given the low turn-out means that only 8.6% of the city activly choose him to be thier leader.  Bristol (via Avon and Somerset) also saw Police Commisioner elections, which saw independent Sue Mountstevens elected.  The elections were bad news for the ConDem coalition who were happed by the few electorate who bothered to turn up. The Tories came 3rd and the LibDems 4th with 9% and 6.8% of the vote respectivly.

Related Links: FBWL 28 - Bristol Mayor comiseration Edition | BCC Election Site | Woman winner! (Vowles the Green) | By-Election Watch (Ian Bone's Blog) | EDL's Kevin Carroll suffers massive defeat at PCC polls (EDLnews) |

“War is nothing like a John Wayne movie. There is nothing heroic about being blown up in a vehicle, there is nothing heroic about being shot in an ambush and there is nothing heroic about the deaths of countless civilians.

Calling our soldiers heroes is an attempt to stifle criticism of the wars we are fighting in.

It leads us to that most subtle piece of propaganda: You might not support the war but you must support our heroes, ergo you support the war.
It is revealing that those who send our forces to war and those that spread war propaganda are the ones who choose to wear poppies weeks in advance of Armistice Day.” – Ben Griffin, Ex-SAS Soldier, 2010, Wales online