That you are required to attend a training course, undergo a criminal record check and take an examination if you wish to become a nightclub doorman.

But anyone can set themselves up as an estate agent, regardless of who they are or what they have done?

Juan Haro, a speaker from the Movement for Justice in El Barrio will talk in Dalston, E8 about their struggle against displacement by gentrification in Harlem, New York City.

The meeting is nn Saturday the 24th of May @ Passing Clouds, on Richmond Rd, just off Kingsland Road in Dalston, 10 mins from Dalston Kingsland Station. Buses: 149, 242, 243, 67.
Free or donation entry to talk from 7.00pm

Followed by Latin bands and DJs hosted by Movimientos at around 9pm “From folkloric to electronic Movimientos is the sound of London’s Latin alternative”. (£5 entry)

Dalston, like many other parts of London is undergoing development that will mean rent rises for tenants already struggling to pay extortionate London rents. When an area becomes appealing for investors and “regeneration” it’s those people with money who end up enjoying the new housing, expensive cafes and shops, and the people with less money who end up having to move further away from the centre of the city or who, if they stay, lose the shops, cafes and resources they rely on.

Movement for Justice, the organization of tenants in Harlem, New York that have been struggling against the landlords that want to price them out of their area say;

“This displacement is created by the greed, ambition and violence of a global empire of money that seeks to take total control of all the land, labor and life on earth. Here in El Barrio (East Harlem, New York City), landlords, multi-national corporations and local, state and federal politicians and institutions want to force upon us their culture of money, they want to displace poor families and rent their apartments to rich people, white people with money. They want to change the look of our neighborhood, with the excuse of “developing the community.”

The talk will explore issues around resisting gentrification and the model of organization that Movement for Justice have used to work with each other – an inspiring and educational example from across the Atlantic that we could learn from in London.

“Together, we make our dignity resistance and we fight back against the actions of capitalist landlords and multinational corporations who are displacing poor families from our neighborhood. We fight back locally and across borders. We fight back against local politicians that refuse to govern by obeying the will of the people. We fight back against the government institutions that enforce a global economic, social and political system that seeks to destroy humanity.”

Talk organized by Hackney Solidarity Network, Hackney Independent, Haringey Solidarity Group and London Coalition Against Poverty.

Contact: hackneysolidarity[at]hotmail.co[dot]uk

All is not well in Europe's Capital of Culture. Our Liverpool correspondent writes:

The organisers of the Capital of Culture award have boasted that it will be the greatest event that Liverpool has seen. But being a resident of the city, I say, where is the evidence? We are three months into the so-called 12 month festival and all there has been is the opening concert on the 11th February, which was a shambles in itself.
Apparently the events taking place this year that will benefit Liverpool are the European Amateur Boxing Championship, the Open at Royal Birkdale and Sir Simon Rattle to conduct the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

These events will not only cost a fortune to attend, therefore mostly benefiting the rich, but with the exception of the boxing it is more likely that tourists will attend than the residents of the city. How exactly is the award going to benefit the average Liverpudlian?

The 08 campaign presses the issue of the much needed regeneration in the city. However it only focuses on the city centre. The new £900 million Grosvenor project will provide two million square feet of new leisure and retail space with 30 new buildings including two department stores and two hotels. Not forgetting the £400m Kings Waterfront development which will include a concert arena (with over-priced tickets), conference facilities (for all those yuppie business meetings), hotels (5 star of course) and residential and leisure uses to the banks of the Mersey. Another construction project is underway for a new £19m state-of-the-art cruise liner facility.
So again I ask myself who is this going to benefit? Do we really need more shops and 'leisure space?'

Residents of the city are angry at this award because it is focused only on the city centre and leaving the ‘dangerous’ ghost towns of Kensington and Anfield to rot. Liverpool has been let down by its council over and over again and there is no trust in the city. It seems the main beneficiaries are the organisers that have left the CoC project with big fat-cat send offs.
These organisers include Sir David Henshaw (£360,000) Robyn Archer (£375,000) and most famously Jason Harborow (£250,000) renowned for the Matthew street fiasco and his suspiciously long sick periods.

Lastly the cost of the Capital of Culture has taken its toll. Local councils have been told to provide budgets and to suspend any over-budget payments in basic council services. Tax has increased over Merseyside in an attempt to make up for the
£20 million pound shortfall. Other major implications include increasing charges at council-owned car parks, reducing opening hours at some sports centres, cutting the number of new library books released, transferring some social services work to private agencies and closing a day nursery attended by 12 children.

Liverpool city council is still holding out hope that the government will give it permission to borrow the cash via capitalisation to make up for the missing £20 million. To rub salt into the wound, Liverpool has been named and shamed as the worst performing council in the country. The city finished bottom of the national list. Liverpool’s humiliating performance was blamed on the council’s handling of taxpayers’ money.
Ultimately the capital of culture award may show a city's cultural background to the world for a year, however the only people that will benefit after are the investors and companies that have moved into the city. The people of Liverpool are angry and disappointed. Yet again they have been let down and their trust betrayed.

Thanks to Liverpool website The Nihilist for this article.

Thanks to the Hackney Gazette of 6 March for reminding us of this little gem, from 20 years ago.

"The anger and fury of a group of Stamford Hill squatters boiled over into savagery at the town hall.
They invaded the building during a council meeting and beat up housing chief, Cllr Brynley Heaven. The violence followed the eviction of about 200 youths from a besieged Stamford Hill estate. They then took over an empty building owned by the Salvation Army next to Barclays Bank in Mare Street.
About 15 youths stormed past police and burst into the council chamber as members met to discuss the budget. They rained punches and kicks on Cllr Heaven before other Councillors leapt in to defend him. Squatters in the public gallery threw fireworks and missiles while the brawl continued. The fighting lasted about two minutes before police - on duty outside as trouble was expected - moved in to rescue Cllr Heaven.
He was not seriously hurt, although he was badly shaken and his glasses were broken."


Hackney's Councillors, who recently ignored a tenant consultation exercise and increased rents by 6.7%, had better hope residents have forgotten parts of the borough's recent history.........

Filmed live on the streets of Notting Hill November 3rd 2007

Ahead of Class War's day of action against Foxtons on Monday March 3rd, there's lots to do!

A few ideas as to just what, can be found on the Fuck Foxtons website. Have a look at it here.

After booing the Police Federation March, several
Class War members were unable to resist the temptation
to pop in to two nearby Park Lane estate agents. After
all, how often do you see two sets of despised
'professionals' in one day?

Here are some pictures of the days second demonstration!

2008 sees Liverpool as the European Capital Of Culture.

The excellent Merseyside Anarchist Bulletin Shout! asks just who will benefit from this. Certainly the city's politicians and bureaucrats have their noses deep in the trough already.........

You can contact Merseyside Anarchists here.