On 7 – 8 February 2015, Reclaim the Power held a national gathering in Manchester with around 80 people in attendance. Below is a summary of the key decisions made.
As you can tell, the details of these plans for 2015 are yet to be decided. Our next meeting to flesh out these ideas is on Saturday 21st March in Leeds (location tbc). All welcome.
Decisions made:
- AGREEMENT: As Reclaim the Power, we will organise an event happening around 31 May contingent and linked to the response from the Lancashire working group and responses from other groups outside of Reclaim the Power. The event will incorporate social, economic and electoral issues. This could be another satellite event, solidarity or regional support.
- AGREEMENT: Reclaim the Power agree to empower a working group to contact, discuss and coordinate with local Lancashire community groups on what’s happening in Lancashire including what they need and what would be the most helpful way to mobilise around the immediate threat of fracking in their area. This working group will also engage other groups and campaigning organisations around the issue including Frack Off, Earth First and Occupy.
- AGREEMENT: Reclaim the Power will organise an action or event around the COP21 this year. The type and location of this event (e.g in the UK or Paris) has not been decided yet.
- AGREEMENT: A small group is empowered to explore with Earth First and Frack Off on how we could work together this summer regarding their summer camp. That group would feed back into the national spokes system for Reclaim the Power.
- AGREEMENT: Reclaim the Power will sign on to the international anti-fracking camp in the Basque Country this summer. A working group will look in more detail at what level of support can be offered.
- AGREEMENT: Reclaim the Power will sign onto the anti-coal, climate action camp in the Rhineland 14th – 16th August. A working group will look in more detail at what level of support can be offered.
- AGREEMENT: A ‘Spokes’ (meaning spokespersons of regional groups and working groups) meeting will take place in 4 weeks time (around 6 March) and a national gathering 2 weeks after that on Saturday 21 March in Leeds.