October Issue Out Now

This won't be hitting the press for a couple days whilst we sort some ink out, but it's all here in PDF and text:

Autonomist October 2010 (pdf)

We've also done a 2-page A4 expanded directory, intended to be displayed at social centres and so on, but also useful if you like your roaching material to be a little more radical:

Autonomist Directory October 2010 (pdf)

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Local Anger as Tesco Application Crawls On

“We never expected the council to stop Tesco today”, reads an anonymous communique sent to the Autonomist after the council planning decision on the 22nd September. “Even though the members of the planning committee clearly wanted to oppose the development, they are mere puppets of the system, helpless beneath the wheels of capitalism.”

By now you probably already know what happened - the applications by Tesco were tentatively approved, with conditions, and a letter will be sent to the government complaining about the intricities of the planning system. PRSC are calling for a judicial review, but the fact remains that the store has all the permission it needs to open - this is just about rearranging the deckchairs.

Local feelings have always run high about the chain moving into Stokes Croft. Earlier in the year the former Jesters Club, where the store will be built, was occupied by squatters and turned into a community social centre for several months until it was evicted in what was dubbed “The Battle of Stokes Coft”. Campaigners have vowed to keep fighting the development. “We do not need our leaders to save us,” concludes the communique, “for we are willing to take whatever action is needed to drive [them] out of our community.”

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EDF-Off

Local campaigners blocked the road entrance to Hinkley B nuclear power plant for an hour last weekend in protest against EDF's plans to build a new nuclear plant there. Despite not having received planning permission, EDF have begun preliminary works, trashing wildlife-rich fields and woodland and cementing over badger sets.

If it goes ahead, Hinkley C will be the first in a line of new plants across the country. Nuclear not only presents serious health risks and leaves us with centuries of radioactive waste, it also commits us to a centralised model of energy production, unlike wind and solar which can be produced locally. It's a dangerous distraction that diverts funds from clean energy.

Bristol-based activists from several different groups plan to campaign against the new plant and take direct action where necessary.

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Disgraced former leader Tony Blair's planned book signing in Bristol was cancelled due to protests at other signings, a large anti-war demo outside the bookshop, and local activists sneakily moving copies of his book into the 'crime' section of the store.

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The Natwest branch on Gloucester Road has had its windows smashed and paintbombs thrown inside one night in late september. The action was dedicated to imprisoned anarchists in Chile, whose government has strong financial links to RBS, owners of Natwest.

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Residents in Ashton Vale have successfully had land near their homes declared a town green, protecting it from development into a football stadium. Meanwhile, Bristol council are planning to sell off more green space around the city, prompting a wave of petitions and complaints.

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Taking its first tentative steps towards the Big Society, the council has cut funding to Connexions, who help young people find employment, by £2million, resulting in 55 more people looking for employment in the city.