Carnegie library - occupy!!

[enjoy]

Please come and join us!

We keep the library open as long as we can!

http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2016/03/in-photos-carnegie-library-occupation-thurs-31st-march-2016/

SOLIDARITY WITH THE JUNIOR DOCTORS STRIKE

8am Breakfast on the steps. Supporters! come and collect our special banner at 8am for

breakfast and then head down to support the Junior Doctors Strike at Kings.

7pm Candlelit vigil

Thursday 7th April

4pm Poet Jemima Foxtrot

4.30 Sian Berry Green Party Mayoral candidate visits

7pm Candlelit vigil

Friday 8th April 7pm Candlelit vigil

Saturday 9th April March for Lambeth Libraries Assemble Carnegie Library

11.30am

[JaneAusten]

Lovely little film of the occupation by the Artist Taxi Driver:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob-lOQGV8k0&feature=youtu.be

[enjoy]

Picket line here at 6pm tonight!

Please come and support us in our peaceful protest!

[Blah Blah]

You have my support. Can't be there due to work but totally disgusted that a Labour council are doing this.

[bodsier]

What a shame just saw this. Was ringing the fiends if Carnegie library today to find out if anything was going on. I will take a stroll over tomorrow. Good on you!

[JMK]

Picture on front page of the FT today and article on page 4, the editor of the FT lives in Dulwich so perhaps the reason for the coverage, unfortunately probably too late, a dreadful shame that Lamberh are doing this, such a short term view

There is an ever growing need to tackle the inequality in society (which is increasingly intergenerational) for many reasons not least for giving children, teenagers, younger, middle and future generations opportunity and the skills to overcome today's and tomorrow's challenges

Carnegie Library came into being from a redistribution of wealth (it is possible to argue how that wealth came into being). To my mind, it's closure (and that of other libraries) is symbolic of where we are in the cycle and questions what future we are creating for ourselves and future generations. The arrival of "big data" or the Internet of Things has the potential to transform (or disrupt or change) life to an extent that many jobs will no longer be performed by humans and swathes of current segments of employment will not exist. Much of this is happening already. Equally, many new jobs and professions which don't yet exist will be created, will add value and will be great fun for people.

Managing such change is a huge challenge for society as a whole and a big part of the solution is education because it creates the possibilities (but not certainties) that this will give or form the basis for skills to overcome such challenges.

Carnegie and other libraries are a key part of this. The focus should be on getting the best value and productivity from them for all generations.

A redistribution of wealth and a fundamental reform of our tax system can assist in this which will greatly benefit everyone in society. Some of that can be government led but it can also be driven from the bottom up and may not just be the transfer of asset or financial wealth. Time, knowledge, experience are also part of the solution.

concentrating the tax base in three primary areas of income tax, NI and VAT and then seeking to widen the tax base primarily through immigration (of all types of nationalities, ethnicities, Religions or creeds) is clearly insufficient

There are many other inequalities that could be addressed (eg non-Dom tax status, the money laundering that occurs in prime London real estate, low marginal tax rates rather than progressive tax rates for private equity or similar, the regressive effect of "green taxes" on energy bills that hit the least well off the most (and in part have subsidised the excess and tax advantaged retuns often made by the middle and upper class who have put solar panels on their property and or invested in savings vehicles that finance such poorly designed pieces of regulation)

No government or council of any persuasion wants to recognise and or action the fact that part of the solution is a need to tax higher the older generations that have captured significant wealth through their lifetimes in order to reinvest in the education and future of younger generations. Free education including university, final salary pension schemes, more generous tax breaks for pension saving/saving that have been consistently reduced for the past 20yrs, Buy To let system considerably more favourable than today on many levels, tax free windfall gains (Some realised, some unrealised) from absurdly high property prices (having perhaps also benefitted from mortgage interest relief and little to no stamp duty and certainly a fraction of the cash cost borne over be past years by rising prices), free healthcare, free bus passes etc... They can fairly and rightly argue that they worked hard and paid their taxes, they had no control over the social contract that was in place post WW2 and the utopian desire for the welfare state etc...they will rightly be concerned over the need to provide for retirement etc... but they should also recognise that there are very large unfunded pensions in both the public and private sectors and there is a risk that those past promises are not met in full from current and future generations. Sensible reform can preserve a greater value of such future benefits than will be available if or when a permanent loss occurs. There have been isolated examples of this, let's hope it doesn't become more widespread but is a high impact risk (which government, councils, the mainstream press and many others don't want to recognise)

Carnegie, all other libraries and educational establishments are key to helping to deliver the solution for today's and tomorrow's challenges so such short term decision making is and will likely be counterproductive. Blank cheques are not the solution either, society must get value and it is difficult to quantify and measure but perhaps an implicit bias towards investing in education over other areas within overall budgets is preferable to other equally challenging decisions on welfare, NHS, overseas aid etc... which are all protected from cuts

Don't wait for central government or local councils to take lead

[Wottajoke]

Going there after game at Dulwich Hamlet.

[ratty]

Maybe the labour council have no choice. Maybe they have to choose between housing the homeless and closing libraries because of the cuts. Or between funding adult social care and closing a library.

[andrewc]

[Burbage]

ratty Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Maybe the labour council have no choice. Maybe

> they have to choose between housing the homeless

> and closing libraries because of the cuts. Or

> between funding adult social care and closing a

> library.

It's a point. Though Lambeth isn't planning to close the library. They're planning to spew a bunch of money hollowing it out and turning it into a mechanized refuge for spandexed yoganauts and similar irritants.

There's a debate to be had, possibly, about whether there's a need for shelves for dead-tree books, but there's no debate about whether a community needs a safe, accessible, public space where people of all ages can safely read and learn without having some nork scheduling a treadmill class in the middle of it.

[camberwell70]

whats a nork, cuz?

[Blah Blah]

I agree with Burbage. If Lambeth council were closing one to keep another open, I think we could accept cuts as part of the reasoning. But what is happening is turning it into a gym with a side room labelled as a 'neighbourhood library'. I'm guessing the proceeds from the gym will fund the side room - except I've heard it will be staffed by volunteers, so not even a paid librarian. Lambeth council don't use the word 'gym' though. They use the words 'healthy living centre'. It's not a huge building. It's clearly the imposition of a commercial interest in place of a public service.

[Bic Basher]

Lambeth Labour is apparently being run by a right-wing faction of the party called 'Progress' who have voted through these extensive cuts to library services.

[camberwell70]

who are the norks?

[enjoy]

Occupy - night 3

Bedtime now but this -see image- was my best moment of the day.

Checkmate!

[camberwell70]

where are the norks?

[camberwell70]

nork by norkwest?

[camberwell70]

norkandoo?

[Blah Blah]

Bic Basher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lambeth Labour is apparently being run by a right-wing faction of the party called 'Progress'

> who have voted through these extensive cuts to library services.

That might also explain why they are trying to demolish Cressingham Gardens and Central Hill estates too instead of considering alternate proposals for refurbishment.

Equally baffling is why in the leadership election, Camberwell and Peckham CLP voted to support Liz Kendall - the candidate that I would say least represented the social makeup of those wards.

There does seem to be a disconnect between some local Labour CLPs and the people they represent.

[Mugglesworth]

Councils can say gym = tackling obesity epidemic. They can outsource operations to Fusion / Holmes Place etc. and not employ anyone themselves. There is no "illiteracy epidemic" highlighted in the Daily Mail so libraries do not cut it. Council can cut its costs and be seen to be dealing with the crisis of the month at the same time.

[bodsier]

There was a proposal for the library to be run by the co,munity as it doesn't cost much to run. The council refused to meet and have not answered many vital questions. None of these cuts are necessary, so it isn't a case of ridding one to fund another. public services are being privatised or parts inaccessible unless you can pay (Battersea and possible peckham rye adventure play ground? I wouldn't be suprised if Go ape showed up there.....Wgatajoke, the hamlet stadium may be making room for 155 flats...... We are becoming like America. It sucks, and if we are too old and cynical to do something about it, the disaffected youth, with no where to go certainly will...

[PennyDreadful]

Disappointing that local councillors Rezina Chowdhury and Matthew Bennett have been indulging in some unpleasant 'divide and rule' tweeting: both tweeted a photo of the library occupiers, accompanied by the words 'Library occupation looks fun. Wonder what kids living in temporary accommodation in Lambeth will make of this.' (Rezina Chowdhury) and 'While they knock back wine in the library, almost 5000 homeless Lambeth children go to bed in temp accommodation...' (Matthew Bennett)

(There have been some choice replies, including: "you're right mate, if they hadn't poured out that bottle of Pinot you'd have housed all those kids, surely")

Anyway, those of you who use twitter might like to respond to @CllrMattBennett and@RezinaChowdhury ...

[Loz]

Bic Basher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lambeth Labour is apparently being run by a

> right-wing faction of the party called 'Progress'

Lambeth Labour has a 'right wing faction'? Don't you mean a 'not as lefty as Corbyn faction'?

[bodsier]

Maybe just a that it is not serving the working class, as Labour used to do, and as Jeremy does.

[PennyDreadful]

I've been genuinely shocked by the response of some local councillors to those who dare to question their plans. Further to my earlier post about councillors Rezina Chowdhury and Matthew Bennett perversely trying to claim that supporting libraries somehow equates to attacking homeless children, another councillor came out with an even more extreme response. Councillor Alex Bigham (@alexbigham) replied to tweets expressing concern about library closures by posting pictures of cats yawning: http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2016/04/lambeth-labour-cllr-takes-to-twitter-to-post-pics-of-cats-on-treadmills-to-mock-local-library-campaigners/ ...this is an elected official effectively behaving like a stroppy teenager saying, 'Talk to the hand'! Unbelievable.

Obviously, the cuts are being passed down from central government who can then handily weep crocodile tears over local crises and blame local councils. We all know it. But still an' all, surely local politicians have to do better than this.