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DIS-CONNECTED

CITY'S AESTHETIC CLEANSING CONTINUES

Neo Labour is well chuffed that there's only 100,000 homeless people in the world's fourth richest nation. The Rough Sleepers Project in Brighton, in a Stalinist statistical fluke, found that only six people were sleeping rough in the city! Nevertheless, Brighton Council is determined to stem the flow of homeless people into the City and is turning the heat up with its ‘Local Connection' policy. Now you've got to prove how ‘local' you are before getting any rights to support. The Catch-22-ish twist means unless you've got proof of your recent tenancy in the City, or convincing certified family tree documents, you get diddly squat. The homeless now aren't allowed to use the First Base day centre to get a cheap meal, have their post delivered or take a shower, unless they've got the contractual evidence of their tenancy in the town for 6 months out of the last 12, or 3 years of the last 5, or have had family here for 5 years!

Being homeless isn't a simple as not having a roof over your head. As a homeless person, in order to get help, you've got to be technically homeless: an easy one you may think – but not so. In one recent case a man who had his mobile home stolen was deemed not to be homeless! He should have just rented another one with all that lovely lolly you get on the dole you see! If you think that's unfair, under pressure from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the council withdrew Brighton Housing Trust's funding, which was being used to successfully challenge local authority homelessness decisions. Was the largest provider of housing advice in the city involved in developing Brighton 's homeless prevention strategy? Of course not!! Defending the rights of the poor is not very high up on the list of priorities for B&H City Council plc.

Even if you are officially homeless, step two is to demonstrate that you're in ‘priority need'. As the temperatures dip this month, being in priority need does not mean you're sleeping rough and might die of hypothermia. In fact in Brighton , if you're not so severely ill as to be about to die anyway or single, not pregnant and under 18 or over 70 – tough. You're not a priority. Stage three is to prove that you're not ‘intentionally homeless'. So if you've been paying loan sharks for fear of getting your legs broken instead of your rent –you could be found to be intentionally homeless too! Obviously foreigners can bugger off, but what's really cracking us up over here at the RM loft apartment is the very concept of ‘local connection'.

In the city that calls itself ‘The Place to Be!', paints itself like a trollop and flings its legs wide open to the wealthy and fashionable elites of London, hankers after the tourist dollar and pants after the merest whiff of Brad Pitt taking up residence, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the poor are turned away from the bright lights of the City by the Sea. They spoil the view from the loft apartments you see. Brighton will gladly take the moneyed, wherever they come from - but the poor should stay put in whatever godforsaken hell-hole they've left. Why should homeless people be given the right to choose where to live, after all?

Despite a research project, published in Housing Studies back in 2003, which found that the new local connection policy would not deter single homeless men coming to the City, the council pressed on with its draconian measures. At the same time, its original idea of building 40% affordable housing with every new building constructed was quickly ditched. Only the rich should get to live in the Argus Lofts or swanky new developments opposite the Pavilion. Brighton & Hove Council Regeneration Partnership was planning to build a whopping 14 new units of affordable accommodation but bureaucracy got the better of the plans, which never came to fruition.

This policy is operated and seems to have been formulated by a private organisation called the Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI) which runs the Rough Sleepers Street Services Team. Brighton and Hove Council, however, say that “rough sleeping, sofa surfing, squats, Bed and Breakfasts, temporary accommodation, hostels, night shelters, night cafes, tents, beach huts, cars or other vehicles, abandoned vehicles or any other accommodation where there is no contract” do not count to establish a local connection.

The only way a ‘local connection' can be established in a city with ballooning house price inflation and sky high rents is if you've got money.

Perhaps the Council should just be more honest and ask vagrants at the city gates whether their favourite aperitif is Martini on the Rocks or Special Brew. People wanting to live in the city could be asked where they can purchase the best frappicino or cheapest sui-cider. That'd sort the wheat from the chavs.

THE THICK BLUE LINE

THE DEMO THEY TRIED TO BAN

In a major blow for Sussex Police's policy of government-approved-democracy, SMASH EDO succeeded in holding a 300 strong march through Brighton without prior approval of their overlords.

The 10th December 2005 demo followed on from the heavily policed 30th August march which was prevented by aggressive police action and several arrests. Organisers refused to communicate with the police despite a constant flurry of e-mails and phone calls. Stickers appeared on lampposts round town advertising the Mass Demo. Letters in The Argus made it clear that protesters only intended to march from Churchill Square to the Level but were not willing to negotiate away their right to freedom of assembly. Eventually the plod resorted to letters to a list of usual suspects pettily warning that entry was forbidden to Churchill Square for those who were not ‘bona fide' shoppers.

On the day, Churchill Square bussed in its own security to push activists onto the pavement. The Reliance rent-a-thugs were ignored and the crowd held its ground and held a rally where EDO, Sussex Police and bizarrely the Samba band were all given a taste of Rough Music .

As the demo moved off it was surrounded by well over a hundred police. A section 14 order was imposed; threatening demonstrators with arrest unless they went down… er... the route they had chosen in the first place. Police with video and stills cameras continually monitored the march. Coppers from Surrey and the Met were happily snapping away as a helicopter hovered above. This display of force amazed punters out Christmas shopping. Over 5000 leaflets were handed out and the day ended with no arrests.

Since then, the cops have refused to say how much the whole thing cost suggesting that to do so would be of ‘assistance to potential law breakers'. The police then copped a slating in The Argus with a whole SMASH EDO special letters page. Leaping to their defence, one Bent Kodfish (retd. see below), scribbled off a rant congratulating the police for their ‘frank' response to the protest and suggested that, unless people organize demos with the police, it is ‘inevitable that they will turn up in strength'. Not one other letter supporting the boys in blue was stuffed into The Argus letter box. See also www.smashedo.org.uk

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Rough Music Gig List

• Jan 27th (Fri)- Brighton Critical Mass - reclaim the roads with bikes - 6pm , The Level. There is a Critical Mass at this place and time on the last Friday of every month. www.tinyurl.com/dfkc2
• Feb 1st - Screening of Bury My Heart in Palestine and SchMOVIES 2005 – the new DVD collection of SchNEWS short films from 2005. (Benefit night for SchNEWS and Smash EDO campaign) 6.30 pm Duke of York cinema, London Rd. 01273 602503 www.picturehouses.co.uk Event sponsored by www.brightonpalestinecampaign.org To order a copy of SchMOVIES 2005 see www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies
• Feb 12th - The fifth Seedy Sunday community seedswap is a chance for all gardeners and allotment holders to meet and swap or buy seeds. Getting bigger each year, and a great opportunity to kick start this year's crops. The Old Market, Upper Market Street , Hove, ( 10am – 5pm ) Free. For further info see www.seedysunday.org Tel 01273 381686 or email seedysundaybrighton@yahoo.co.uk
• Feb 13th - Jose Julian Penunuri, a worker from the Argentinian occupied tile factory, Zanon , will be speaking in Brighton at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road at 7.30pm. Jose is visiting the UK on a speaking tour, organised by No Sweat and the Argentina Solidarity Campaign as part of a national week of action against sweatshops. For more on the week of action visit: www.nosweat.org.uk/article.php?sid=1444
• Feb 14th - Bell-ringing demo at EDO arms factory , 4-6pm at EDO MBM, Home Farm Rd, Moulsecoomb, Brighton. Bring bells to toll.Call 07891405923 or email smashedo@hotmail.com for more details. www.smashedo.org.uk
• Feb 23rd - Music for a free Palestine @ The Polar Centra, 11-12 Queens Rd. , Brighton £5/4
• March 18th - Seedy Saturday - Whitehawk Community Food Society are having a seed swap and plant sale. This event includes a free food kitchen, with bouncy castle, snail racing and crèche plus a live music talent contest. This free event goes from 12pm-12am , at the Whitehawk Community Centre, Findon Rd behind library.

What's On At The Cowley Club

12 London Road , Brighton
Tel:01273 696104
Web: www.cowleyclub.org.uk

Regular events:

• Migrant English Project: Every monday 1-4pm. Free English lessons and drop-in conversation for asylum seekers and refugees. Information, support and advice. Children welcome. Also see www.migrantenglishproject.org
• Welfare Rights Advice: On Fridays there is welfare rights advice 4pm - 6.30pm , after the cafe is closed. Free and confidential advice on issues to do with claiming benefits, housing and work issues.

Events January-February:

• Tues Jan 24th, 6pm : Talk and Films : Venezuela - Bolivarian Revolution, Coal Mining and Indigenous Resistance. with report back from recent travels there.
• Sat Feb 4th, 12-4pm : How Home Education Works. Day of activities, presentations, Q&A and information around home education. With presentations by and for children.
• Sun Feb 12th: Fundraising meal for Brighton Anarchist Black Cross (prisoner support). 2-6pm , Cowley Club, 12 London Road , Brighton . For more about ABC see www.brightonabc.org.uk

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WOOLLY TAGNUTS

Rumour has it that Woolworth's may be the first high street store in Brighton to be using the controversial RFID technology. RFID chips are pieces of electrical wizardry only millimetres across with an antenna that transmits data from the chip to a reader. Up front they seem to be just a way of quickly totting up the cost of your basket. But here's the dodgy part - each chip has a totally unique number, so if someone knows the number of the chip embedded in your shoes or your Loyalty card, they will be able to track exactly what you do. So a supermarket could know when you enter their store, how long you spend in each section, and what you buy. “The Auto-ID Centre is designing, building, testing and deploying a global infrastructure ... that will make it possible for computers to identify any object anywhere in the world instantly,” happily burbles the Auto-ID Centre press release (the bastards who came up with the idea in the first place).Now we're not saying that Woolies is about to have us all tagged up and shipped off to the Gulag but it's all part of a creeping surveillance system that needs to keep track of everybody and everything. So if you wanna avoid Big Brother in Brighton don't go to Woolies - shop down the open market instead.

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EB4U II

After keeping you in suspense for a whole two months, RM returns with part two of our eb4U saga. Last time we introduced you to the middle class manager job creation scheme known as East Brighton For You (eb4U). Just to recap; the government's spending £47,000,000 in East Brighton which is supposed to fund resident led projects in one of the poorest areas in the country. Of course, what happened was that half the money was siphoned off to line the pockets of bureaucracy and, despite thousands of pounds being spent on a propaganda campaign, most residents don't even know what eb4U is.

Wanna know where the loot was buried? A good place to start is the Haven One Stop, a drop-in service run by residents for residents located in the heart of Whitehawk. ‘A great project' said consultants brought in by the eb4U bureaucracy. 'Fund it'. But eb4U responded by saying that it didn't have enough cash to keep the service going; it'd blown £6,000 on the consultants- more than the actual cost of the Haven project!

Ebits, the computer recycling service helping get PCs to low income families, gave up when it saw the amount of red tape to cut through to get funding; a familiar pattern to any volunteer project trying to get off the ground in east Brighton. “Once I spent twenty quid on paper which I hadn't put in the budget in my original application for funding a year ago”, one former project manager told RM . “In order to allow for the money to be spent in this way, eb4U had to put the issue before three committees. I reckoned that it would cost more than £2,000 in staffing and related costs to decide whether we could spend £20 on paper! I just paid for it myself – it seemed the cheaper option.”

Of course, actually funding community projects came a pretty poor second place to important considerations- like what to name this gravy train. Obviously, “New Deal for Communites”- with its overtones of self organisation for the rabble- had to go, sounding as it did almost communist. Image-conscious managers eventually plumped for the now infamous text speak eB4u, but only after gleefully pissing £40,000 up the PR wall. In one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city, where three quarters of residents are on Housing Benefit, eb4U blew forty grand on deciding what to call themselves. That's the equivalent of 14 years worth of giros!

The plot thickens. The eb4U bureaucracy is actually a project itself. Just like all the other projects, eb4U 's Appraisal & Development Team (motto: ‘the natives can't be trusted') - to which all projects must go cap in hand - gets to assess itself to decide whether it should continue to receive funding. What this means is that the same managers who decide to chop local projects also decide whether their own jobs should be cut or not. Conflict of interest, anyone? In the same year that eb4U axed more than 100 projects the ‘Appraisal & Development Team' project remains pretty much intact. Of course, as the number of projects falls the team will have to shrink, but just where will the redundancies fall? Who on the Team is for the boot- the managers or the local residents? Silly question.

Stay tuned - there's more to come. Next time we'll see how YOU- the local resident- can regain control of eb4U . What steps do YOU need to take to be able to have a proper say and to stop the bureaucrats blowing the rest of the cash? Looking at eb4U 's so called ‘sustainability strategy', we'll see why it's so important to act now before the luxury flats start popping up on Whitehawk Hill and price local residents out of the last bit of affordable housing in the City.

By the way – thanks to one reader who told RM that when eb4U managers left the council to work at eb4U they got a bonus on their pensions to boot! Nice little earner – add that to the £70,000 wage slip.

To read part one of this article click here

STOP PRESS
24th January - eb4u project director Graham Maunders has resigned. Rough Music will keep up posted.

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Bent Kodfish

BATTERED KODFISH FINALLY GETS HIS CHIPS

We at Rough Music are always happy to stick the boot into a man who's down - especially when it's a Wankers' Corner regular - in this case our fave Ken ‘Kodfish' Bodfish, the Neo-Labour gobshite at the helm of the Council - until last week. Just as we predicted: old Kodders has gone – and good riddance! Bullshitting to the last, only last week he was denying stepping down, but now he's off to chair the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.

Kodfish resigned following a housing committee meeting in mid-January. Here's how yer prophetic RM saw it last year (RM issue 2 Feb/March 2005) ‘Bent Kodfish our very own Julius Caesar got knifed in the back by fellow councillors… Odds on him being around come the Ides of March?' Your soaraway RM spot on again!

And it was the council house privatisation issue which did for him. The Council, under Kodders' fuhrership, has been hellbent on doing the government's will and flogging off our social housing stock to private Housing Associations. Tenants who oppose this are threatened with non-investment in their already badly-neglected homes.

Kodders has been under investigation since January 2005, when a last-minute letter from the government saw the dramatic withdrawal of the item from the agenda of a full council meeting. Councillors complained that the eventual decision was changed as a result of the delay, and a scrutiny panel is investigating whether the government and Kodders interfered with procedures.

And guess what? Kodders resigns three days before the scrutiny panel was due to conclude its investigation. Of course, that's more than likely just a coincidence…

“Bodfish's resignation is great news for us…” said Ruth Arundel of Defend Council Housing. “This is just the tip of the iceberg and it stinks to high heaven, but we're just glad he's gone.” Kodders is out of the picture - just pity those requiring the NHS mental health, learning disabilities and drug abuse services where the Kod will now be doing his fishy business.

For more see www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk

BOMBERS DROP BOSS?

As if Kodfish's resignation wasn't enough, Anti-arms trade activists received a surprise Christmas present when news that David Jones - EDO MBM's Mr Burns-a-like managing director – had resigned spread up and down the picket line on January 18th's Drums not Bombs demo. Bomb-builder Davey Jones – who handed his notice in on December 31st ( ..and a Happy New Year!) - has been coy about his reasons for going and EDO have made no public statement. So why now, just when EDO 's biggest customers are gearing up for another war in the Middle East and there's a killing to be made? Jonesy was part of the original management team who bought out the company and then two years later flogged it for vast profit to US arms giant EDO Corp. Has he just developed a conscience and decided to spend more time with his garden or could it be that D.J.'s resignation was of the more forced variety.

As the managing director, Jones was responsible for the disastrous strategy of taking out an injunction against protesters – and in fact the injunction was taken out in his name not the company's! But not only has the injunction totally failed to prevent protests outside the factory but it's swelled numbers and brought the campaign a lot of national and untold local press coverage. The letters page of The Argus is rarely without its EDO Corner these days, and EDO 's experience in court has been humiliating with its directors forced to confront the bloodshed caused with the equipment they manufacture in Moulescoombe. Not only that, but if they lose the High Court battle they could end up with a legal bill of £2 million. Not the merest dent in EDOs corporate billions we're sure - but not exactly good management either. Step up Paul Hills EDO 's new MD - How long are you gonna last?

So with Kodfish off to the great glass bowl in the sky and Davy Jones safe in the locker…. Rough Music warns all enemies of the people..your day will come.

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Rough Music takes great pleasure in putting the first ‘Wanker' crown of 2006 on the rotund shoulders of PC Sean McDonald of Hove nick. Familiar to Brighton activists his hobbies include sidling up to protestors and trying to wheedle out information with nauseating bonhomie. Sean is a jovial Captain Birds' Eye lookalike set up as the user-friendly ‘Piggy-in-the-middle' between protest groups and the iron will of Supt. Lance Gray, draconian Fuhrer of local anti-activist policing. “Things can be changed by a variety of methods. Peaceful change is my preferred method. Ghandi, Dr King…” says Sean, seemingly unaware of the dim view cops of the day took to these gentlemen's activities.

“I am sure we can work together” he enthuses in e-mails to the EDO campaign. “We can both help each other.” Sounds disturbingly, er, Sicilian in its tone, eh? “If you don't wish to interact with us then we will encounter similar problems to last time.” Last time? Why, the EDO demo of August 16th, of course- hundreds of coppers, dogs, helicopters and 6 people nicked. Sean has some ‘friendly advice': “Can we come together to try and ensure that participants on the march will conform? Supt. Gray has personal experience of a march at the Aquarium roundabout where some people decided to sit in the road and we do not want this- does neither of us any favours.” Sean's sure we'll do the sensible thing and follow his sage advice. After all, “The reality is we are big enough to accept this contact as a first step to allow us to collaborate.” As Hitler said to the French government, perhaps. Diehard cynics might not want to take up Sean's offer of a friendly pint: “Supt Gray has requested that we have a meeting, in confidence, venue of your own choice, where we GUARANTEE there will be no covert follows or filming or Special Branch.” Not the sort of reassurances you feel you have to seek from mates before a night out, really. But maybe we're too hard. He DOES have the occasional insight: “Trust is often an abused state” he laments. “Perhaps you may not trust the intent of this communication?” You said it, Sean! Now, fuck off.

ROUGH MAKEOVER

When we heard that New Insight was turning into Insight City News and coming out every two weeks we thought hold on there's an idea here. So RM will now be coming out every two months and be rebranded as Rough Music City News Express and Star. You'll only be able to get your all new, all singing RMCNES at Starbucks and Costa Coffee outlets. In our first issue due out in March we'll be giving away a BMW 5 series to the first reader who comes into our offices (newly-based at our penthouse suite in the Brighton Argus lofts) dressed in a unisex black roll neck GAP sweater and loafers. Sorry, are we on the right lines? Apparently New Insight has been bought out by dodgy developer, Michael Holland, who's bought Stanmer House and who's also mates with David van Day. We can't wait, put the Chablis on ice darling.

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FIGHT CLUBBED

Green Councillor Keith Taylor's crusade against anti-social behaviour reached new heights as he threw his hat into the ring and squared off against a Brighton cage fighter - Sol Gilbert. Sol runs the fearsomely titled ‘Zero Tolerance' Fight school. He was planning to stage the Ultimate Fighting Exhibition in Hove Town Hall , attended by talent scouts from CAGE RAGE. Zero Tolerance fighting – a mixture of boxing, jiu jitsu, sudoku and old-fashioned sticking-the-boot-in is often practiced informally throughout the city's leisure districts, but has not been seen at the Town hall since Ken Bodfish (retd) forced through a controversial proposal to sell the entire city's housing stock. Although initially behind on points a surprise third round K.O by green heavyweight Keith left Sol reeling and the show was cancelled. Disappointed cage fighters are suing Keith for ‘emotional distress'. Also now hanging in the balance are plans for Death Race 2006 in the North Laine one-way system and the annual Rollerball derby on Hove lawns.

N E Questions

In all its, admittedly, colossal wisdom Brighton council has just given the full planning go-ahead for the New England Quarter (NEQ) office, hotel, and piazza development that we so desperately need on the Brighton Station site.

The development is now known by as Blocks A to K (K presumably for knifed-in- the-back low wage Brighton dole-scum who ain't ever gonna afford one of our delightfully bijoux apartments).

Look out a new supermarket, five storey three-star hotel with 243 bedrooms, a four storey office block, 1200-odd luxury flats and houses and a piazza with formal landscaped gardens.

NEQ is symptomatic of over-development and corporate business takeover - there are no redeeming features however it's glossed up. Remember when the site was earmarked for a wildlife corridor and community centres? So do we - BUDD (Brighton Urban Design and Development) had the right idea.

But what we have is a Sainsburys-led affair with luxury hotels and yet more focus on attracting outsiders with money to burn.

Soon we'll be looking out on a canyon of buildings similar to the City of London and kids in neighbouring Ann St primary, who were cruelly suckered into designing pics on the hoardings nearby, will be spluttering even more thanks to the queues of lorries befouling the air as they deliver to all those new retail-opportunities.

Two-Jags, Free Dinners

So ol' Two-jabs Prescott has been accused of conduct unbecoming a minister – who'd have thought it from a thug who hits out at egg-chuckers. Apparently Johnny, who can't refuse a free feed, was the welcome guest of Dick ‘Day'n' Knight, Albion chairman - while the planning permission for their new stadium was still being contested.

Prescott wined and dined in the boardroom following the Albion v Hull match back in December - eight days after Lewes Council lodged an appeal against the recent decision in the High Court.

If the appeal is successful (we should know by the late Spring), the case would be referred back to two-jags for reconsideration in his role as the final arbiter in planning disputes. Norman Baker, Lewes MP, is calling for Prescott to be taken off the case altogether.

He said: “The whole thing is outrageous. If a local councillor behaved in this way, taking hospitality while a case is live, he could be barred from office under the rules established by the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister.”

Now we've nowt against Albion fans - and, yes, a footie team should have a decent ground - but not on the Downs. The site is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Falmer has already suffered two universities and a dual carriageway and should be left to enjoy what's left of its rural tranquillity.

Otherwise before you can say ‘back of the net' there'll be no Downs cos a stadium will be followed by a retail park, will be followed by a luxury housing development... will be followed by...

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SERVICE WASHOUT

There always seems to be plenty of cash floating about for the latest rebranding or glad-handing exercise, there's even a bit of a nice gravy train based around ‘managing' voluntary services, but when it comes to the people who actually do the work, as usual there isn't a pot to piss in. Frontline women's services have taken a financial hammering this year as core funding mysteriously dries up.

Brighton Women's Centre, a volunteer project offering drop in services, complementary therapies and a pre-school crèche for £2 for two and a half hours is facing closure due to a combination of high rents charged by the Brighthelm Centre and a lack of funding.

Also threatened in this years round of cut backs is Threshold , a Brighton based national charity which offers a support service for women on low incomes who are experiencing mental health problems, emotional distress and isolation. Threshold services include counselling, drop-ins and creches for local women, as well as a national freephone service, the Women's Mental Health Infoline, which provides information and support for women across the UK.The services are low-cost and take place in a safe ‘women only' environment with free childcare alongside. Over the summer they lost their Eb4U funding, and were forced to close their east brighton services in June 2005. At the end of March 2006 the women-only drop-ins, activities and complementary therapies will have to close. And, unless the extra funds can be found soon, the local counselling, crèches. National Women's Mental Health Infoline and training programme may also have to be axed later in the year.

Get down to benefit gig at Joogleberry playhouse on 7th February with comedy and music (£6/5 concessions).

•  See also www.thresholdwomen.org.uk

Clouds of Doom

IT'S A CHOKER FOR NEWHAVEN

Incinerators kill – simple as. Toxic ash which gets into the atmo sphere is lethal. Now as you'll have heard we're facing having one – or nearby Newhaven is, anyway.

Brighton and East Sussex County councils will have us believe that this is safe technology and the only way to dig ourselves out of our waste disposal nightmare ‘cos all the landfill sites will be full before the end of the decade.

Here's what they don't tell you: incinerators are out of date, they need huge centralised plants to be economic and rely on heavy HGV traffic. They may burn shit, but you're still left with 30% by weight of ash and chemicals. The airborne ash is highly toxic, and contributes to global warming.

They need to operate at capacity 24/7, which puts a ceiling on re-cycling – and if the rubbish supply becomes low, then absurdly garbage must be imported from elsewhere to supply the fiery beast. And to show how un-green this process is, not only will the resulting heat not be used to generate energy, but resuable materials will be destroyed, most of which costs a lot of energy to produce.

The Newhaven incinerator is planned right next to school playgrounds, a residential area, an Area Of Natural Beauty and an SSSI. Government policy is that waste should be dealt with as near a possible to where it arises, but Newhaven will have to deal with waste from Brighton and Hastings .

The councils have ignored the tens of thousands of protest letters. Couldn't be because they signed a nice fat contract with Onyx before even hearing the ongoing Public Inquiry? Onyx must have wet themselves once they realised they'll be able to make even more readies when they without doubt start importing rubbish to burn.

The alternative is simple: “Zero waste” Reduce, Repair, Recycle, Redesign.

If we get to 70% reduction in waste to land fill, that is already equal to incineration. Countries like Canada , New Zealand , Holland and Germany are already well on their way to achieving this. By composting vegetable waste alone you get 25% reduction. Lewes and Wealden DCs have more than doubled their recycling rates in the last few years, so why not us?

Recycling generates employment and produces very little contribution to global warming in terms of Co2 and methane, especially if done at the local level. It does not need huge plants. What cannot be reused or recycled should be redesigned or phased out. It ain't rocket science now is it?

For more see www.dove2000.org

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OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS

Seven campaigners against the Occupation of Palestine are in the dock in Uxbridge as we go to press. Three Brighton activists, with four others from London, shut down the UK headquarters of Carmel Agrexco on 11th November 2004 with a non-violent blockade of the road. Agrexco is Israel 's largest importer of agricultural produce into the European Union, and it is 50% Israeli state-owned. It regularly imports produce from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The protesters will argue in defence that they were acting to prevent crimes against International law that are also illegal in the UK, under the International Criminal Court Act. Before taking part in this action many of the defendants had witnessed first hand the suffering of Palestinian communities under the brutal Israeli occupation, having served as volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), documenting human rights abuses by the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza, and taking part in non-violent civil resistance to the occupation organised by Palestinian civilian committees.

• See also www.palsolidarity.org

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