Tomorrow's Meeting will be fairly informal as it is intended to be an opportunity for everyone to introduce themselves and for us all to set the agendas for further actions as well as to assess what is actually happening in Southport at the moment. The extent of the cuts may not be clear until we have information from a variety of people and sources, so the first step is to gather information.
The Windmill will be concurrently holding a darts match on the other side of the pub (from the dining room) - please respect the other pub users. The pub environment may prove to be difficult if a lot of people come but we need to start somewhere, so please be prepared to be accommodating and patient as we get organised! Please also do speak to me if you have any concerns.I would like the group to be run as democratically and fairly as possible and transparency is very important so please do ask anything you would like to know about Nina and I or SACC.
I intend to hear briefly from everybody who attends, if possible, and collect contact details for a mailing list as well as a brief outline of people's interests, skills and experiences.
There are few main points which will need discussing and decisions making:
1. The TUC have suggested the possibility of funding for a meeting room. I would like people to have input into the contributions made to the group and not feel as though the group is being run by any other organisation.The independence is fundamentally important. Some people may feel uncomfortable with taking union associated funds and prefer to remain entirely independent. If this is the case we need to discuss options for funding a room ourselves - the windmill may not be an ideal environment for future meetings. Unfortunately Danny McGowan from TUC cant make the meeting and sends his apologies but I will liase with him if we decide to enquire further about the funding.
2. The dates and regularity of future meetings.
3. What goals do we have for the next month? Also, setting the Agenda for the next meeting.
Some important points to remember are that this meeting, and the group, is not about slinging mud at political figures, opposing political parties e.t.c. It welcomes involvement from anybody of any political view and will not get involved in telling people or groups what they should think or should get involved with. Conversely please feel comfortable in representing yourself and your views honestly. There is no requirement for a consensus and I believe despite possible difficulties the group will benefit greatly from having a wide range of contributors with different skills and agendas.
SACC is designed to be impartial and apolitical and to provide information, support and networking for anybody working against cuts and privatisations that are not in the interests of the people of Southport. My intention is to try and get everybody united and working together, instead of separately in unco-ordinated efforts. Also, to connect people who would not otherwise be connected.
Everybody must offer respect to everybody else. It is possible you will encounter views which you may not agree with which may be difficult for people who feel passionately. If this is the case please remember the aim of SACC is not to get everybody to agree just to get people to form connections and involvements with people on things on which you DO agree. I hope local councillors and politicians will get involved too. We should have representatives from Southport Conservatives, Lib Dems, Labour, the Greens and the Southport Party as well as local business owners, individuals, carers forum, various unions, the NHS, education and ordinary individuals.
Many thanks for getting through all that, with nervousness and excitement, we will see you tomorrow evening!
In the meantime and if you cannot make the meeting, please get involved by sending contridutions to the blog. We need links to relevant information, websites e.t.c. as well as, and possibly most importantly, inside perspectives on what is happening in Southport and how people will be affected. I intend to publish these perspectives, you can remain anonymous if you wish, on the blog to help build a picture of what is happening from the inside. Information is key - email anything relevant, big or small to southportanticuts@hotmail.co.uk
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