"We won't rest until there're kicked out of office and austerity is history" Sam Fairbairn, National Secretary of the People's Assembly
The Tories are back in Manchester for their annual conference and to 'welcome' them there's loads of events, daily protests and one massive national demonstration on Sunday 1st October, which goes from Castlefield Arena at noon.
Before and during the Conference, there's also a Take Back Manchester Festival, organised by the People's Assembly Against Austerity, and packed with events ranging from public meetings and talks to comedy, music and film screenings.
"The General Election result showed that people have had enough of this Government and its relentless policies of austerity" says actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, who is also President of the Greater Manchester People's Assembly.
"Cuts to our public services and welfare state have had a terrible effect on people in Greater Manchester" she explains "Most people around here didn't vote Conservative and we can't believe they are having their conference here for the second time in two years.
"We are arranging a full programme of events so that people can protest against the Government, discuss issues that are important to them, and, in true Manc style have a good time" she says "It's a really exciting and varied few days with loads of great people involved, and I hope lots of people from our great city will be able to take part. Manchester is a fantastic city, a city of music, art, theatre and industry, but also a city famous for its history of protest and resistance."
Sam Fairbairn, National Secretary of the People's Assembly, adds: "This government's time is numbered. They've presided over years of cuts, privatisation and deteriorating living standards for the majority. We have a crisis in virtually every service because the Tories have slashed funding across the board - from our NHS and Education to Local Government and housing. But they're weaker than ever and have lost the trust of the public. We won't rest until there're kicked out of office and austerity is history."
The full programme of events...
FRIDAY 29th SEPTEMBER
6pm-8pm - Public Sector Pay
Hosted by TUC NW (Public Sector Unions)
Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS
7pm-9pm Speak Out Against Austerity
Spoken word and poetry night
TriBeCA, 50 Sackville St, Manchester M1 3WF
SATURDAY 30th SEPTEMBER
11am-6pm A Future to Win
Day School: Manchester youth groups
The English Lounge 64-66 High St, Manchester M4 1EA
12noon-4:30pm Working for a World Without Austerity
Day School: hosted by Manchester Trades Council
Partisan Collective 19 Cheetham Hill Rd, Manchester M4 4FY
1pm-3pm Fighting Unemployment, Poverty and Austerity
Public Meeting: hosted by the Mary Quaile Club
Speakers: Sean Mitchell and Charlotte Hughes
Working Class Movement Library, 51 Crescent, Salford M5 4WX
4pm-6pm Trump: Taking The World To The Brink Of War?
Public Meeting: hosted by Stop the War Coalition
Speakers: Lindsey German, Alan Gibbons, Louise Regan, Maz Saleem
Central Hall Manchester, Oldham Street
5pm-9pm Panel Discussion hosted by Momentum
Partisan Collective 19 Cheetham Hill Rd, Manchester M4 4FY
6pm-7pm Unwelcome the Tories - Flash Mob
Piccadilly Station
7pm-11pm F**kTheTories Pre-Protest Party
Partisan Collective, 19 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M4 4FY
7:30pm-9:30pm Saturday Night Live Event
Theatre/Show: Guests include Maxine Peake, Jolyon Rubinstein and Heydon Prowse.
Dancehouse Theatre
SUNDAY 1st OCTOBER
12noon-5pm: NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
NO MORE AUSTERITY | SCRAP THE PAY CAP | FOR DECENT HEALTH, HOMES, JOBS AND EDUCATION
Castlefield Arena/Liverpool Road, Manchester
6pm-11pm Official Demo After Party
Gig: Captain Ska and special guests
Manchester Academy
MONDAY 2nd OCTOBER
12noon-3pm No Privatisation Protest at Pushdoctor
Protest: hosted by Health Campaigns Together
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6ET
1pm-3:30pm No to Fracking, No to Climate Change
Protest: Hosted by Campaign Against Climate Change
Outside Manchester Central Library
2pm-4pm A Media For The Many Not The Few
Public Meeting: hosted by Media Reform Coalition & others
Speakers include Julie Hesmondhalgh, Justin Schlosberg
Unison, Arena Point
16:00 - 18:00: The Fight Against Fracking And Climate Change
Public Meeting: with Tina Rothery, Fracking Nanas, Andy Burnham (Invited)
Unison, Arena Point
5pm-6pm Meditation Flash Mob
Hosted by Manchester Awakening
location to be announced on the day. For notification sign up on Facebook
5:15pm-6:45pm Avoiding Apocalypse: Alternatives to a war-based foreign policy
Public Meeting: Hosted by Greater Manchester Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Partisan Collective, 19 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M4 4FY
7pm-9pm How to Resist the NHS Cutbacks
Public Meeting: hosted by Health Campaigns Together
The Old Monkey pub, 90 Portland Street, Manchester city centre, M1 4GX
7pm-9pm An Economy That Works For All
Public Meeting: In conversation with John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor
Hosted by The People's Assembly
Manchester Cathedral - Register your place here
TUESDAY 3rd OCTOBER
2pm-4:30pm Dispossession: The Great Housing Swindle
Film Showing: followed by Q&A
Friends Meeting House - Tickets available here
5pm-7pm Don't Let The Racists Divide Us
Protest: hosted by Stand Up To Racism
At Tory Party Conference
7:30pm-9:30pm Ten Takes On Resistance
Theatre: 10 new specially written pieces tackling some of the big issues of our day
Hosted by Take Back Manchester Theatre Collective
Central Methodist Hall, Oldham Street - Tickets available here
WEDNESDAY 4th OCTOBER
11am-1pm End The Housing Crisis: Grenfell, Homelessness and Insecure Homes
Public Meeting
Friends Meeting House
1pm-3pm Wall Of Sound Around The Conference Centre
Protest during Theresa May's speech - bring pots, pans, drums, whistles and megaphones
Outside Friends Meeting House, Mount Street
In the run up to the Tory Party Conference, the Salford Star will be running articles on many of these events plus daily reports throughout the Conference.
The events programme is being updated daily, so check on the People's Assembly website for these and further details on all events – click here
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