Back to index of Nerve 21 - Winter 2012

Over the last ten years Nerve has been involved in many local and national campaigns; below is a roundup of a few.

NERVE 10 Years on - Campaigns roundup

If you've nothing to hide why have net curtains?

By Maria Ng (extract from NERVE 5 - Spring 2005)

Public fear of terrorism and prejudice about immigration are being exploited to make us go along with the introduction of ID cards and other repressive measures like detention without trial. Saying "I have nothing to hide" is short-sighted, complacent, and naïve - it is an extremely poor argument for giving away your rights. Civil liberties are much more than abstract principles. Consider this: if you have nothing to hide, why bother with curtains on your windows? A right to privacy is integral to our personal dignity & freedom. Let's look at it another way - if you have nothing to hide, then you'll be happy for the police to come and search your house any time of the day or night without a warrant. No? If you have nothing to hide then you don't stand for the state treating you like a criminal.

Attempts to take away our Freedom of Expression have been big campaigning issues at NERVE. Echoing plans put forward before the Capital of Culture year Liverpool City Council recently tried to curtail the right to busk (see calendar image for December).

"Busking becomes sanitised"

(from August 2005)

In an outrageous move (which totally misses the point of why people busk) Liverpool City Council are to license busking.
They say this is to make sure shoppers are entertained by regulated performers. Ten city centre sites have been designated open air stages for musicians, magicians and mime artists.
In a bid to make Liverpool the capital of UK street entertainment, performers will have to pay around £100 to be licensed and given regulated time slots. Competitions will be held to attract the best artists to the city.
How sanitised and controlled is that? You will have to book to perform!
The Capital of Culture team seem to have little idea that this plan will destroy culture and prostitute art.

Still Fighting for Justice

By Sheila Coleman (extract from NERVE 4 - Autumn 2004)

The Coroner's Court ruled that Kevin Williams was dead or had gone beyond the point of recovery by 3:15pm on the day of the disaster and that his was amongst the worst cases of traumatic asphyxia amongst the dead. Anne Williams knows differently. She knows that having been carried across the pitch by fans on a makeshift stretcher, Kevin was given the kiss of life by an off duty Merseyside police officer who was appalled at the cordon of police standing idly by whilst people died in front of them. Anne also knows that at 4:00 pm in the gymnasium at the Hillsborough ground, her son, whilst in the arms of a special police constable, opened his eyes and said "MUM" before dying. Her son was alive forty-five minutes after so-called British justice says he was dead.
Moreover, rather than him being one of the worst cases of traumatic asphyxia, the truth was that he was one of the mildest. Also three eminent Home Office forensic pathologists have gone on record as saying that he died due to the small fractures in his throat, which, because he was not given a tracheotomy, led to a lack of oxygen. Anne says: My son was alive at 4:00 pm on that day. He would not have died had he received a simple procedure to save his life. But because the police never implemented the Major Disaster Plan or let the ambulances on the ground, Kevin was left to die.

Sonae Censorship!

(NERVE 10 - Spring 2007)

"Freedom is the freedom to say 2+2=4." George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

Not content with damaging the health of workers inside their factory and residents outside, Sonae is now trying to stop criticism of its conduct from being published.
Yes, dear readers, Nerve is officially dangerous. That doesn't mean you're going to get formaldehyde poisoning from reading it or there's a pop-up knife in the centre pages. It's just that certain rich people don't like the truth about their business to be widely known.
In December last year, Kirkby's own mass polluters Sonae put pressure on our website's hosts, trying to get our site taken down! Apparently, a 2004 article by Steve Tombs and Dave Whyte was "having a damaging effect" on their reputation.
Us x you = more!
And NERVE is still here!

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