In some areas of the UK just 1% of rooms advertised for rent are affordable and available to young people claiming social security, according to research carried out by the Social Security Advisory Commitee (SSAC). Manchester was not included in the SSAC’s results so The Meteor repeated their research method and extended it to cover […]
HSBC’s arms investments haunt them as campaigners for Palestine stage die-in
The high street bank HSBC’s investments in the arms trade came back to haunt them on Tuesday when pro-Palestinian activists occupied their branch in St Ann’s Square, Manchester, chanting: “your profits are covered in Palestinian blood”. The activists lay on the floor alongside child-size coffins to represent the multitude of Palestinians killed and injured over the […]
Anti-racist campaigners to oppose Football Lads’ Alliance rally on eve of Arena attack anniversary
The Football Lads’ Alliance (FLA) is to march through the streets of Manchester on Saturday, just three days before the upcoming anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack. Stand Up to Racism, an anti-racism campaign group whose president is Diane Abbott MP, have organised a counter demonstration to the FLA, who they accuse of being a […]
McStrike comes to Manchester on May Day
McDonald’s workers in Manchester have had enough of their poor & unequal pay, lack of union recognition and zero-hour contracts. To remedy the situation they are going on a ‘McStrike’ with other Mcdonald’s workers at selected outlets around the country. Workers supported the action by a 95% vote in favour for a strike on 1 […]
Campaigners collaborate to call for an end to Universal Credit based evictions
Members of four community campaign groups from Manchester joined forces yesterday to take part in a national day of action against Universal Credit. The paving stones of St Peter’s Square were covered with chalked slogans denouncing the controversial social security payment system, and a letter was presented to Manchester Town Hall demanding an end to […]
‘Murder anyone, anytime, broadly anywhere’ – the US & UK drone strike assassination programme
The latest US & UK air strikes against the Syrian regime in response to the chemical weapons attack in Douma have dominated the headlines and political discourse. And rightly so: with Russia’s involvement in Syria, there is the potential for escalation into a nuclear war. But the US and UK’s drone strike program into Syria, […]
Disabled People Against Cuts are calling for an end to the ‘conscious cruelty’ of Universal Credit
Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) are calling for Universal Credit (UC) to be stopped and scrapped due to its multiple flaws, and old welfare payments to be reinstated. This report covers DPAC’s talk at this years Lush Summit where they explained the devastating effect UC is having on people claiming it. DPAC’s #StopAndScrap Universal Credit […]
Shake off your digital chains: choose software that liberates you
The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal has shown the danger of putting our data and trust in platforms running proprietary software. Richard Stallman thinks the solution is free software. Software that liberates people. First in a series of stories reporting on the Lush Summit 2018. Our lives are becoming increasingly enmeshed with and dependent on digital software, […]
The Meteor in print: pick up your copy today
The Meteor is proud to present our first special edition in print, which covers our latest exploration into the increasing crisis of homelessness in Manchester. The growing problem is obvious to anyone walking through the streets of Manchester where rough sleeping has increased 13-fold since 2010. Greater Manchester’s Mayor,Andy Burnham, described the rising numbers as […]
Endemic avoidance of payments to councils by property developers revealed, while affordable housing is sacrificed for profit
A comprehensive report on the huge sums of money fuelling the housing development boom in the city centre has revealed the scale of non-payment of development funding to the council: only 8% of housing development in Manchester City Centre included in the study had any Section 106 agreement at all. The lack of money collected […]