Another Green World

Climate campaign trade union report back

2009-11-08T20:17:00.002Z

Campaign against climate change trade union committee meeting for P.Murray, gracias Pete, more on the green jobs pamphlet when I have a moment.

The Conference on 7/11/2009 was generally agreed to have been fairly successful. Favourable mention made of Jonathon Hari’s contributions.

Report back from Vetsas the camp on the ‘magic roundabout’ continues. Vestas is building a new ‘facility’ nearby. The campaign for reinstatement continues and there will be an event on 21/11 in Newport .

Green Jobs pamphlet now available sponsored by CWU, PCS, UCU & TSSA (RMT had withdrawn at last minute) P.Murry has copies for sale@£2 ( if purchased from me part of proceeds to GL and GPTU). A part 2 would be published in new yr.

Emails of support from TU branches needed for Copenhagen demo (12/12/2009) (details on Cacc site.( http://www.campaigncc.org/))

Also maximum support from unions for 5/12 demo needed, large turnout expected.

Meeting to discuss aftermath of Copenhagen and future strategy discussed , some support but GL and friends may have to organise it themselves.

Suggestions for speakers for Cacctu conference 13 march (probable venue Kings College ) needed.

Next cacctu meeting sun 17/1/2010 venue tba

Statement against criminalization of Amazonians

2009-11-08T18:13:00.003Z

My understanding from reading the Aidesep website is that Alan Garcia has retreated from his attempt to dissolve the people in the Amazon, I mean from attempting to dissolve Aidesep, nonetheless excellent article on the situation from Green Left Weekly.

GLW remains essential, all serious Greens should take a look at it for good information on the global struggles against climate chaos, other ecological threats and for social justice.

Peru: Government attacks indigenous organisation

7 November 2009

November 4, 2009 --The government of Peru has launched a massive attack on Indigenous peoples through a request to dissolve the Amazon Interethnic Development Association of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), Peru's largest and most representative Indigenous organisation. AIDESEP groups numerous regional organisations, representing 65 ethnic groups and has led the struggle against the Garcia governments neoliberal decrees (which are part of the US Free Trade Agreement) aimed at opening up huge swathes of the Amazon to exploitation by transnational logging, mining and oil companies.

Since the Indigneous uprising in Bagua in which an unknown number of Indigneous people were massacred by Peruvian police on June 5, 2009, the leaders of AIDESEP have been facing political persecution, some have been arrested and its president, Alberto Pizango, has been forced to flee and seek asylum in Nicaragua.

Below is a statement below by Andean and Amazonian peoples protesting against the government's attempt to dissolve their organisation. It has been translated by Kiraz Janicke. Janicke maintains a blog on Peruvian politics.

* * *

Pronouncement by the Andean and Amazonian peoples: For our rights and in defence of organisational autonomy

Against the request by the public prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice to order the dissolution of the national organisation of Indigenous peoples that make up the Amazon Interethnic Development Association of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), the community organisations and Indigenous peoples of Peru, and various civil society organisations, express the following:

1. That continuing with its policy of silencing the organisations representing Indigenous peoples, the government through the public prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice has requested the dissolution of the Interethnic Association for Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP), as notified October 15, 2009, by the 37th Criminal Court of Lima. This act corresponds to the interests of ending the representative organisations ofIindigenous peoples and communities, and at the same time aims to sharpen social discontent promoting new mobilisations and uprisings, in order to later blame others.

2. Once again the government implements its policy of double standards, because on one hand it announces the installation of spaces for dialogue with Indigenous organisations and the other seeks to dismantle the organisations that have spoken out against the unconsultative application of a series of public policies and legal measures that undermine our legitimate rights to self-determination, land, consultation and others. This shows it is putting economic interests before our rights as Indigenous peoples.

3. We denounce this practice that is not unique to the incumbent government, but habitual of the regimes in recent decades. It seeks to silence and destroy existing organisations or generate other parallel entitites using individuals or organisations that lack representation and legitimacy. This and other situations have led to a series of recommendations by international agencies that monitor compliance with treaties and conventions as in the case of CERD, CEACR-ILO, High Commissioner of United Nations and others.

Read More Here

Dark Clouds Gathering Over Copenhagen

2009-11-08T17:47:00.003Z

Phil Gasper keeps sending me useful things, much appreciated! This is on Copenhagen and the mounting calls for a Tobin Tax, they can save the banks but saving the planet is just too expensive for them, we need to be making some noise in the run up to what is likely to be a carbon circus that shovels more money into the open mouths of the bankers.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49182

*CLIMATE CHANGE: Dark Clouds Gathering Over Copenhagen*

Analysis by Sanjay Suri

ST. ANDREWS, Nov 7 (IPS) - It has been a bad week for the climate change
summit in Copenhagen next month. During the week the last meeting in the
formal round of pre- Copenhagen talks collapsed in Barcelona. Then, meeting
here on the weekend, the G20 finance ministers put the seal on that failure
by failing to agree a financial package.

The G20 is clearly a platform, not a group. And inevitably, the developed
nations as they are labelled, and the emerging economies, stuck to their
positions, that have conflict and differences built into them.

It is in the nature of these summits that - after all this - everyone still
announces an agreement.

"We committed to take action to tackle the threat of climate change and work
towards an ambitious outcome in Copenhagen, within the objective, provisions
and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC)," the G20 ministers declared.

"We discussed climate change financing options and recognised the need to
increase significantly and urgently the scale and predictability of finance
to implement an ambitious international agreement.

"To deliver this financing, coordinated equitable, transparent and effective
institutional arrangements will be needed. Coordination of support for
country-led plans and reporting of this support should be ensured across all
financing channels, multilateral, regional and bilateral. We discussed a
range of options and, recognising that finance will play an important role
in the delivery of the outcome at Copenhagen, we commit to take forward
further work on climate change finance, to define financing options and
institutional arrangements," announced the ministers.

The bureaucracy attached to these things is clearly not new to the business
of producing language to defy facts.

The meeting in St. Andrews in fact "turned out to be a mostly irrelevant
sideshow on the way to the talks in Copenhagen," says Richard Dixon,
director of WWF Scotland. "This is a group that can throw money at
collapsing banks but cannot find adequate figures for the far worse
challenge to the global economy of a collapsing climate system."

The collapse came after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stepped into the
meeting to make what many considered a bold, if carefully worded,
suggestion.

Brown spoke sharply against the culture of banks, saying, "it cannot be
acceptable that the benefits of success in this sector are reaped by the
few, but the costs of its failure are borne by all of us." He then mentioned
a financial transactions tax as a possibility, that would also tax banks.

"I believe we should discuss whether we need a better economic and social
contract to reflect the global responsibilities of financial institutions to
society. There have been proposals for an insurance fee to reflect systemic
risk, or a resolution fund, or contingent capital arrangements, or a global
financial transactions levy."

The fact that he mentioned the last of these is significant, arising as it
does from ideas of the Tobin tax. Proposed by economist James Tobin, this
would be a tax on all currency trade across borders. Brown spoke beyond that
of a "global financial transactions levy."

The yield could be massive. A tax of 0.05 percent on financial transactions
could produce 700 billion dollars a year, Oxfam estimates. This would be
enough to pay for climate change mitigation and adaptation actions, and a
good deal of development work besides.

It is as significant that the proposal came from Britain, which has long
wrapped that kind of suggestion in cold silence. Oxfam estimates that 60
percent of the kind of financial transactions Brown spoke of take place in
Britain, where the City of London - the financial district of the capital -
is a global centre for bank and currency transactions.

Brown’s proposal did not get anywhere during the meeting. "Talk of a
financial transaction tax has the potential to raise hundreds of billions in
new funding every year, but turned out to be a red herring without solid
political support," Dixon stressed.

Germany and France have supported such a tax. But, with financial powerhouse
Britain now indicating that it should be considered, this opens up a new
division between major European economies on one side, and the U.S.
principally on the other - the U.S. very clearly is not supportive of this
family of tax proposals.

This was not the only possibility raised, and dumped. At the London G20
summit in April the developed countries spoke of action against tax havens,
to enable developing nations to use money saved for development. The
communiqué from St. Andrews, ActionAid points out, speaks only of "the
possible use of a multilateral instrument" to that end.

The possibilities here are huge, Martin Hearson from ActionAid tells IPS.
"What is needed is for developed countries to set up a system and to force
tax havens to participate. At the moment information is available to
developed countries bilaterally, but developing countries often lack
information or the means to protect their money."

The implications for development, including action on climate change, can be
huge, Hearson says. "We believe that potentially 160 billion dollars a year
can be saved for developing countries through action on tax havens, and that
money can be used for development and for actions over climate change. It’s
a sum of money that dwarfs aid budgets."

Campaigners are now looking more for such collaborative actions, and for
actions on suggestions such as Gordon Brown’s, rather than hoping for
governments to dish out money directly.

Several campaigners believe these proposals will bear fruit later, even if
they did not find instant agreement during the course of a day. "Gordon
Brown today signalled that payback time for banks could be just round the
corner," says Max Lawson, Oxfam senior policy adviser. "A tax on banks would
be a major step towards clearing up the mess caused by their greed."

Mercenaries plague our planet

2009-11-08T14:23:00.002Z

Mercenaries are increasingly being used to seize land from local communities so that it can be exploited by elites for oil and mineral wealth.

Sandlines who were being used in Papua New Guinea are one example. The Mark Thatcher coup in Equatorial Guinea which was to be carried out by Simon Mann is another example.

The use of right wing para militaries in Colombia to free up land from indigenous people and farmers for minerals or biofuels is another.

Resources as we see time and time again come with added blood. Resources are stolen, the environment wrecked at the same time and human rights abused. We need an agenda of environmental justice.

I would have thought, not withstanding the repressive nature of the elite he was paid to over throw, that Simon Mann should go back in prison for a very long time.

However the British government do greed not justice.

No more war for oil and no more stolen land, its not a slogan for New Labour.

Just seen by the way this article arguing that the coup in Equatorial Guinea was more like a comedy routine than anything else.

Coup, Betty!
Friday 06 November 2009 Paddy McGuffin
It was supposed to be Wild Geese but it played out more like Some Mothers Do Have 'Em. Yes, that's right, this week saw the release of old Etonian gun-for-hire Simon Mann, mastermind - and I use the term in its loosest sense - of the 2004 "wonga" coup in Equatorial Guinea.

Mann was freed from his Black Beach gulag having served a gruelling 15 months of his 34-year sentence. I've heard of time off for good behaviour, but this is ridiculous.

Though for once the penal system does appear to have had a rehabilitative effect. Mann emerged blinking into the daylight and immediately pledged to shop all his co-conspirators to the authorities. There's no honour among thieves, as the old addage goes, and that apparently goes double for blood-soaked mercenaries banged up in chokey.

Hell hath no fury like a hired killer scorned - or one who's just found out that the cheque bounced.

It seems like only yesterday that a rag-tag team of around 70 "crack" mercenaries were hauled from a plane in Zimbabwe during one of the most ill-advised stop offs since Roman Polanski got a craving for Toblerone.

Less the A-Team than the under-21 third-string reserves, these bold warriors were thwarted in their noble mission to line their pockets and made to look, well, a bit pathetic really. But then what can you expect when you look at the calibre of some of those involved in the attempted coup?

Mann himself was a former officer in the SAS before leaving for more lucrative pastures and teaming up with Tim Spicer in Sandline International.

Remember them? The Korporate Killers cut a bloody swathe through Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and Angola, propping up corrupt regimes with one lascivious eye on their conflict diamond profits.

Tellingly, one of the claims made by Mann in his attempts to worm his way out of trouble this time round was that the planned coup had actually just been a security operation for mining interests in the region. If in doubt rely on the old fall-back, eh?

More here/leer mas

Blair loses Tescos £1 m deal

2009-11-07T11:40:00.000Z

John Nicholson has sent me this via Peter Allen, thanks amigoes

UK: Blair Fails To Secure £1m Tesco Deal
Tony Blair negotiated with Tesco about helping the group open supermarkets in the Middle East for a fee of up to £1m, it was reported over the weekend. However, discussions between the former Prime Minister - who is a peace envoy to the region - and the supermarket chain ended after the two sides failed to agree terms, the Mail on Sunday said.

Blair's proposed role for Tesco would apparently have been to act as a figurehead for the group's bid to break into the Middle East market. Tesco is said to have wanted Mr Blair to use his international political and diplomatic connections to "open doors".

Responding to the report, a spokesman for Mr Blair said, "Tesco is a great British company. However, Tony Blair and Tony Blair Associates have never done any work on behalf of Tesco. Tony Blair does not have any commercial relationship with Tesco and has not made any representations on their behalf”.

Mr Blair's business venture, Tony Blair Associates, was formed for him to provide advice on political and economic trends to various bodies such as governments and companies. A statement from Tesco said, "We wouldn't comment on which advisers we may or may not talk to or speculation about potential markets for Tesco." According to the Mail on Sunday, the talks were not thought to have broken down over the issue of money, but the reason was not given.

Tesco has more than 2,000 stores in the UK and has also been expanding rapidly overseas, including into US, China and South Korea. Its chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has been a government adviser, and was knighted under Mr Blair's premiership.

Chris Harman dies of a heart attack

2009-11-07T09:42:00.004Z

Sad to hear the British socialist Chris Harman died yesterday of a heart attack.

He was attending a conference in Cairo.

He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party.

I would be dishonest to say that I am a fan of the SWP however....

I have got Explaining the Crisis, one of dozens of introductory books on Marxist politics and economics written by Chris on my book shelf.

One thing the SWP are good at and in this regard Chris will be sadly missed is producing some excellent education material, I was thumbing through his Zombie Capitalism book in Bookmarks a couple of days ago

Lenin's Tomb notes:

Before his death, he edited the International Socialism journal, and had written an accessible critique of mainstream economic theory, Zombie Capitalism. I personally owe a considerable portion of my Bildung to the man, as it was trawling his back catalogue - Explaining the Crisis, Economics of the Madhouse, etc., plus innumerable articles for International Socialism, (sophisticated polemics against high theorists such as Ernest Mandel and Alec Nove among them) - that enabled me to first get a basic grip of some economic theory. In addition, his historical work, culminating in the magisterial A People's History of the World, provided an invaluable introduction to the topics I would later have to deal with in my degree. Generations of socialists will owe a similar debt, I expect. He is also one of the few such writers to have his work recommended in an album sleeve.

News of his sad death here

Peter Tatchell responds to more abuse from Andy Newman

2009-11-06T22:45:00.002Z

There seems to be a full on hate campaign against Peter Tatchell, one of the most honorable Green Party activists I know, disagreement is one thing, a full scale assault on the truth is another.

Andy Newman’s post (12.) repeats the false allegations against myself and OutRage! by a group of African LGBTI activists.

Most African LGBTI activists refused to sign the letter denouncing us.

Please read our side of the story (below), which is very different from the allegations against us.

We have always worked in cooperation with, and at the request of, African activists. We did exactly what they asked us to do.

Then, one African LGBTI activist did not like the fact that we also credited and quoted activists from rival LGBTI groups. So, this activist spread lies against us in revenge, and persuaded others to sign the letter denouncing us.

Here is our version:

African Coalition and campaign disagreements

OutRage! responds to false, sectarian smears

London – 20 February 2007

On 30 January 2007, a group of African activists issued a news release headed:

“African LGBTI Human Rights Defenders Warn Public Against Participation in Campaigns Concerning LGBTI Issues in Africa Led by Peter Tatchell and Outrage!”

Here is the response of OutRage! and Peter Tatchell.

Kizza Musinguzi, African Affairs spokesperson for OutRage! and a Ugandan gay rights activist, said:

“These are untrue, sectarian allegations. They are made mostly by people who have never had any contact with Peter Tatchell or OutRage! Since we have not run any campaigns concerning their countries, how can they accuse us of treating them badly?

“They have been fed lies about us by more conservative gay activists in Africa and the US who hate OutRage!’s radicalism and are jealous of our effective campaigns.

“Those who signed the anti-OutRage! statement did so on the basis of allegations that are entirely false. Some signatories signed in good faith, but they were hoodwinked by people who are out to destroy OutRage!

“OutRage! has always acted in response to appeals for help from Nigerian and Ugandan LGBTI groups. We supported their struggles. Most African groups recognise this. Only a small minority signed the letter denouncing us. We continue to work with all the Nigerian gay groups and two of the Ugandan gay groups. We enjoy their confidence and support. If we had done anything wrong, they would not still be working with us. Even some of the people who signed the letter criticising us are now working with us again. They now realise the allegations against us were unfair.

“Nigerian and Ugandan gay groups are divided, with different groups pursuing different agendas and tactics. It is partly a divide between well-funded groups and volunteer grassroots activists, and between reformists and radicals. OutRage! supports them all, but works most closely with the grassroots radicals. The more reformist groups resent this. They don’t like the fact that we work with the radicals, who they see as rivals. They want exclusive control of the gay rights movement in their country. Many do little or no work with progressive / left African political parties and human rights groups, whereas OutRage! and its African allies advocate cooperation between gay rights groups and left parties, trade unions and civil society movements.

“Some of this dispute is also about money. There is competition for funding. Certain organisations see others as competitors. They want to be seen to be doing all the important work, so they can get the lion’s share of the funding.

“According to the mostly conservative African LGBTI groups who condemned us, the proposed new Nigerian anti-gay legislation was dead and there was no need to campaign against it. This lulled everyone into a false sense of security. Acting on warnings from our Nigerian activist allies that the legislation was likely to be revived, OutRage! urged a global campaign against the new law. Some of the conservative groups saw us as challenging their power and authority. That is why they denounced us and tricked others into signing their statement, based on lurid untrue allegations. In fact, OutRage! and our Nigerian allies were proven correct. The legislation was revived and the international LGBTI movement was caught napping,” said Mr Musinguzi.

His views are echoed by Peter Tatchell:

“I have supported every African liberation movement struggle for nearly 40 years – in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eritrea, Darfur and the Western Sahara,” said Mr Tatchell.

“For two decades, I have worked in solidarity with African gay groups. Indeed, I initiated the first international campaign to support the newly emergent African LGBTI movements in the early 1980s, fund-raising for their cause. Until now, no African LGBTI groups have complained or criticised my work. All have appreciated the support given to their campaigns.

“Contrary to the allegations made against us, our news releases do not contain untrue information, we do not exaggerate homophobic repression, our campaigns have not caused damage and we have never put anyone’s life in danger. These smears are being spread by reformist political opponents in Africa and the US who are trying to discredit OutRage! to advance their own agendas.

“I challenge anyone to show where OutRage! news releases are inaccurate, exaggerated or reckless – or European chauvinist. Such claims are politically-motivated smears.

“Our critics are nearly all paid professional NGO officials. Some are funded by the west. Some are full-time lobbyists who oppose grassroots activism and direct action protests. They say all campaigning should be left to them. Their denunciations look like a bid to maintain their exclusive control over the LGBTI human rights movement in Africa. A number of the signatories resent the fact that OutRage! works with and supports African grassroots groups that they see as rivals.

“A week before these activists denounced us, we halted our Nigerian campaign. We have not campaigned on Uganda for five months. So why did they denounce us?

“This vendetta has nothing to do with gay rights. Certain groups seem more interested in fighting other activists than in fighting homophobia. Their petty jealousies and political sectarianism is undermining the campaign for gay equality in Africa,” said Mr Tatchell.

Ends

Climate justice not carbon con petition here

2009-11-06T21:37:00.002Z

To United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) leaders / Heads of Government,
At the UNFCCC talks in Copenhagen in 2009, we urge you to reach a just and sufficient international agreement on climate change, which will secure our futures and those of generations to come. The agreement should recognise that rich countries have done the most damage to our climate and they should take action first. In addition, the agreement should:

Commit wealthy industrialised countries (listed in “Annex I”) to at least 40% cuts in emissions domestically by 2020, by using green energy, sustainable transport and farming and cutting energy demand.
Not allow cuts to be achieved by buying carbon credits from developing countries or by buying forest in developing countries to 'offset' ongoing emissions in the industrialised world.
Commit rich countries to providing additional money for developing countries to grow in a clean way, and to cope with the floods, droughts and famines caused by climate change while ensuring that this money is distributed fairly and transparently.
We will not accept anything less from our international representatives in the climate negotiations.

Great stuff, I have signed this Friends of the Earth petition, please join me and spread the word

http://www.foe.co.uk/climatetalks/petition.html

glad they are pointing out we need climate justice, a green new deal and support for the indigenous.

Communist University

2009-11-06T21:21:00.002Z

I am giving a briefing on climate change tomorrow at Ruskin House, Croydon at the Communist Party of Britain university event, 4pm to 4.45pm

and 10pm sunday, thats early for a sunday, on the economic crisis at the same event.

The food from the Chilean chef is always good and the Communist Party always have some veggie choices.

More details here

'EDL c*nts' batter C18, apparently

2009-11-06T13:37:00.000Z

From SchNEWS

Also last Saturday, an array of demonstrations and counter-demos were due to assemble in central London for something akin to a three-sided football match around the planned rally at Downing St by the Muslim fundamentalist group Islam4UK, who are calling for strict sharia law in Britain. Directly opposing them was to be the Islamophobic assemblage of EDL, Combat 18 and other assorted fascists. And countering them - and also not too keen on the Islamic fundamentalist nutters - was to be an anti-fascist mobilisation. Added to the mix was the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD), a liberal group opposing Islam4UK, but probably not big fans of the racist fascists either.

In fact the Islam4UK demo at the centre of it all was called off because of threats of violence from the far right; the BMSD and supporters still took to the streets for a rally. On the anti-fascist side there was no UAF mobilised demo on the scale of the EDL counter-demos - they were probably all up in Leeds. That left the far-right...

There were apparently around 300 from the far right out on the streets looking for a barney, and when one wasn't coming from their political enemies they managed to have one with themselves: it seems that the 200-odd EDL/Casuals United group and the 60-odd collection of proper fascists coming from the ranks of the NF, Combat 18, RVF and Blood & Honour all had one thing in common - hate - but they didn't quite hate the same things.

It started when EDL lads milling outside a pub started chanting anti-German songs in their English nationalist football-fan idiom.

This evidently wound up those with Neo-Nazi leanings - who look at Germany with some admiration - and a group of fifteen C18 boneheads approached the EDL and started calling them 'EDL c*nts'

and 'Jew lovers'. They were outnumbered by EDL, who started throwing pint glasses, fire extinguishers and other objects at them. A chase ensued, which headed across Trafalgar Square, with C18 getting a battering and one smashed across the head with a fire extinguisher and left unconscious in a pool of blood by his comrades, who promptly left him to be sorted out by police.

You might think the left are fragmented and divided, but at least we don't wage violent street battles against one another, as our common enemies look on and laugh.

Prime Minister says the government will not dissolve aidesep

2009-11-06T13:32:00.002Z

just had this from my amigoes in the Peruvian Amazon, another win I think.

AIDESEP, 05 November 2009. It turns out that Javier Velásquez Quesquén premier says the government has no intention of closing AIDESEP and that our organization must be assured that the Executive will not encourage or demand that is dissolved, however, Saul Puerta, national secretary of the organization, recalled that it was this government that made all the arrangements and that this change in attitude is due to international pressure.

leer mas/read more

CLIMATE CHANGE AND MULTINATIONALS – A VIEW FROM THE GRASSROOTS IN COLOMBIA

2009-11-05T19:52:00.000Z

just got this from Colombia Solidarity, gracias amigos!

World leaders and activists are preparing to descend on Copenhagen to discuss climate change, but have we fully understood its structural causes? Colombian social movements argue that multinational oil and mining corporations, especially BP and other British based companies, have destroyed their environment, their human rights and social fabric. This raises vital questions linking environmental justice with international solidarity.

As Colombian communities struggle to defend their territories against corporate plunder, what can be done to build links with those affected by the seemingly unquenchable thirst for profit? How can corporations like BP be made accountable? And how do we connect our common concern to stop climate disaster with the issue of the global North’s ecological debt to the South?

‘CONSCIENTISATION’ TOUR 10th - 15th November 2009

Isaac Marín is a grass roots campesino leader from Eastern Colombia. His first organisational and political space was with the National Association of Peasant Farmers (ANUC), holding several positions at the regional level for a period of 12 years. He is a founder member of the group Corporación COS-PACC, a civil organisation with national reach since its inception into social and political life 7 years ago. From this space, they contribute to the construction of different political and organizational processes with rural communities, neighbourhoods, student groups, women’s associations, environmentalists, trade unions and organizations defending human rights.

Alongside these movements COS-PACC work to defend their territory and the enforceability of political, social, cultural and environmental rights of the communities and the Colombian people.

NB we may be able to add one or two extra events to the tour. If there is not an event near you and you want to organise one, even at short notice, please contact us at info@colombiasolidarity.org.uk

TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER - LIVERPOOL

7:30 PM AT EL RINCÓN LATINO, ROSCOE STREET, LIVERPOOL

A public meeting on OIL, THE ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA

with ISAAC MARÍN (a representative of communities affected by oil exploitation and repression) and a video on the "Minga" process of popular resistance.

Admission free (donations requested)

Organised by Colombia Solidarity Campaign (Merseyside)

WEDNESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER - BRISTOL

What Does Climate Justice Look Like? Copenhagen and the Energy Crisis: The Case of BP in Colombia

6.30-9pm At the Department of Law, University of Bristol, Old Council Chamber in Wills Memorial Building, BS8 1RJ.

Guest speaker Isaac Marín from COSPACC, Colombia introduces and explores the situation on the ground in Casanare. The leader of this grass-roots organisation looks at the social and environmental effects of BP in the region. Yasmine Brien (Rising Tide) re-contextualises climate change in terms of climate justice and unravels global energy politics, including a look at the role of biofuels.

Organised by Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Bristol Rising Tide and Espacio Bristol-Colombia.

Chaired by Alice Cutler from popular education collective Trapese as part of Environmental Justice Week in Bristol, see below for more details (*)

THURSDAY 12th NOVEMBER – BRIGHTON, SUSSEX
Visit by Isaac Marin, leader of Amazonian pueblos where British Petroleum is implicated in assassinations and displacement.
5-6 pm University of Sussex, Falmer, Arts C Room C133 and
6:30-7:30 pm. Cowley Club,12 London Road, Brighton,
Organised by Sussex Colombia Solidarity and Latin America Research Group, University of Sussex
http://sussexcolombiasolidarity.wordpress.com ; sussexcolombiasolidarity@gmail.com

SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER - LONDON

3pm-6pm School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) room tbc
University of London Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Isaac Marín in discussion with Cristian Domínguez, who has been at the forefront of environmental justice campaigns in Bolivia, opposing water privatisation and working for the nationalisation of natural resources. The organisation he represents, the CSUTCB, is one of the main social movement organisations which brought president Evo Morales to power.

Organised by Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Latin American Workers Association, Polo Democratico UK and Bolivia Solidarity Campaign.

SUNDAY 15TH NOVEMBER - CAMBRIDGE

The human rights and environmental costs of resource extraction in Latin America.

Late afternoon, details tbc. For latest information contact markos@riseup.net

Organised by Cambridge Action Network.

(*) BRISTOL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WEEK

3 events with one foot in Latin America and the other in the environment: linking issues at home and abroad. A film, a discussion on environmental justice and culminating in a look global energy politics with a focus on Colombia.

1. Tuesday 10th November - 8pm

Cinema Klandestino present Our Oil and Other Tales

As the first film of their Cine Rebelde mini-season, Cinema Klandestino show this film about oil extraction in Venezuela. With introduction and discussion afterwards led by Mark Ellingsen (Bristol Solidarity with Venezuela) and Thomas Muhr (University of Bristol). For venue details call 07747 833376 to hear the brief answerphone message with directions. £2 donation. info and trailer.

2. Wednesday 11th November - 1.30-4.30pm
Environmental Justice seminar
Exploring the concept of environmental justice as the human right to a healthy and safe environment, a fair share of natural resources and access to environmental information and participation in environmental decision-making. With Bolivian trade unionist Cristian Domínguez, Professor Malcolm Eames (Low Carbon Research Institute, Cardiff University) and Judy Ling Wong, CBE (Director, Black Environment Network, UK).
University of Bristol, LT1, 3-5 Woodland Road, BS8 1TB.

RBS: Low-paid Workers Pay The Price For "Fat Cat" Banking Crisis

2009-11-05T18:32:00.002Z

just had this from Jerry, thanks Jerry!

Royal Bank of Scotland releases its quarterly results to the city after two shocking days for the workers where earlier this week RBS announced that 3,700 jobs are to be cut from UK branches.

Whilst large areas of the business are to be separated and sold off, including insurance, card payments, and over 320 branches, with no guarantees for the jobs of the tens of thousands of employees involved.

This is in addition to the 9,000 global job losses announced in April across RBS’s manufacturing division – the "back-office" operation of call centres, data processing and IT.

4,500 of these losses will be in the UK, and 600 have already gone in the UK IT department (roughly 20% of staff).

Piling on the pain, RBS’ decided in August to freeze the value of its "final salary" pension scheme at current levels of pay. With negligible recognition of any future pay rises.

This has been what the Government’s £45.5 billion bail-out has meant for call-centre agents, processing clerks and operational staff. Despite the bank’s image, the vast majority of the workers impacted by these attacks are low-paid and vulnerable.

Where has the money gone? Most of the money has been used to stop RBS going bankrupt, by improving liquidity and providing reserves of capital to offset against bad debt.

Yet the Government has stubbornly refused to intervene in the running of the bank, to leverage their 84% stake to make the bank serve society’s interests through and beyond the recession.

Even now, Alistair Darling will not guarantee that the Government’s modest targets for lending to families and small businesses will be met.

It is less well known that RBS plans to spend £10 billion over the next 5 years in a huge and highly risky investment programme to reduce operational costs through further job losses. RBS is targeting cost reductions of £2.5 billion per year, and it would seem to be our public money that is funding this aggressive attack on vital jobs, at a time of high and growing unemployment.

Jerry Hicks said "It is RBS’s workforce who are paying the price for the banking crisis, not the banking ‘fat cats’ who are already popping champagne bottles across the City again, while their staff will have to fight to protect their jobs, pensions and conditions."

Unite is calling for a "Yes" vote in a consultative ballot over industrial action to stop the pension freeze, following on from a 98% vote amongst Barclays staff to protect their own pensions.

Jerry Hicks calls on the Government to "stop this jobs massacre by nationalising the bank, making it a public utility to serve the public interest, and one that continues to provide employment across the community. It has never been more obvious that we need a bank driven by social need rather than private greed."

Jerry Hicks: Can be contacted on: Tel: 078 178 279 12

Friends of the Earth say carbon trading is sub-prime

2009-11-05T17:53:00.003Z

Very pleased with Friends of the Earth's statement today challenging carbon trading, we could do with a bit more of this from the Green Party and from other environmental organisations.

Its been a long campaign for me and other ecosocialists and I have just been writing a book chapter on what I describe as the 'real climate swindle' i.e. dodgy carbon trading.

I think although Elinor Ostrom's paper released earlier in the week is not an explicit criticism of carbon trading Elinor wonderful conservative radical and respectable anarchist that she is, asks a simple question 'Have we tested climate policy to see if it works?' It doesn't work for climate change.

I think this work from FoE is a also real break through, I am a bit of an ngo sceptic sometimes, which is a product of working with indigenous activists who win in the Amazon! Environmentalists in the rest of world sometime forget people live in the Amazon and are fighting for and winning and getting shot for their troubles...

Any how I think this excellent research from FoE pushes in the direction of urgently introducing policies from indigenous protection to carbon sinks to an effective green new deal that will work.

This is what Rosemary at FoE sent me, ta Rosemary!

Carbon trading 'the next sub-prime' - new research

5 November 2009

Plans to expand carbon markets at UN climate talks this December could trigger a second ‘sub-prime' style financial collapse and fail to protect the world from global warming catastrophe, a new report from Friends of the Earth warns today (Thursday 5 November 2009).

‘A Dangerous Obsession' focuses on the buying and selling of a new artificial commodity - the right to emit carbon dioxide - which the UK and other developed country governments want to see expanded into a massive worldwide market and are pushing in the negotiations running up to the big Copenhagen climate talks in December.

The trade in carbon permits and credits, mainly based in Europe, was worth $126 billion in 2008 and is predicted to balloon to $3.1 trillion by 2020 if a global carbon market takes off.

But the majority of the trade is carried out not between polluting industries and factories covered by carbon trading schemes, but by banks and investors who profit from speculation on the carbon markets - packaging carbon credits into increasingly complex financial products similar to the ‘shadow finance' around sub-prime mortgages which triggered the recent economic crash.

This risks the development of sub-prime carbon and the possibility of an eventual collapse in confidence in the market, with catastrophic consequences for the global economy and also for our prospects of avoiding runaway climate change.

Friends of the Earth's report warns that the Government's obsession with carbon trading as a solution to climate change is high risk, irresponsible and dangerous.

Existing carbon trading schemes are not delivering the emissions cuts promised, and relying on this mechanism to reduce emissions globally is gambling with the health of the planet and the future of billions of people.

Carbon trading is also being used as a smokescreen by rich countries to avoid their legal and moral commitment to provide money and technology to developing countries to grow cleanly and adapt to climate change. The green campaign group is calling on the Government to use simple, direct and proven policy tools like regulation, a carbon tax, and major public investment in greening the economy to reduce our emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020, without offsetting.

Friends of the Earth's international climate campaigner and author of the report Sarah Jayne-Clifton said:

"Pushing a world carbon market as part of a global agreement to tackle climate change risks a double whammy of financial and environmental disaster.

"Carbon trading is failing dismally at reducing emissions, yet allows speculators to grow rich from the climate crisis and hands politicians and industry a get-out clause for polluting business as usual.

"Science tells us rich countries must act first and fast to cut their emissions at home if we are to avert climate catastrophe - and support poorer countries with adequate public money to grow cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change which they are already feeling.

"The credit crunch has taught us that Governments, not markets are best placed to safeguard our future - at this critical point in the fight against climate change Ministers must step in and lead the way with a new, direct approach to tackling carbon emissions to create a safe and green future for us all."

Friends of the Earth is demanding that the Government changes its approach to climate change with its Demand Climate Change campaign. The green campaign group is asking everyone to sign its international petition to world leaders for a strong and fair climate deal at http://www.demandclimatechange.org/ .

The full report is here

Tara Watch news

2009-11-05T13:09:00.002Z

well John Gormley has put forward Tara as a world heritage site but according to Tara watch the motorway continues to rumble on.

Dear TaraWatch supporter,

Thank you for your continued support of the campaign to save Tara from the M3. This week, a new Tentative List of Ireland's proposed World Heritage Sites was published by the Department of the Environment, and it includes Tara. The Hill of Tara landscape should be a World Heritage Site, but not with a motorway being built through the middle of it. UNESCO must demand a re-routing of the road, like they are at Stonehenge. Please write letters to the editor at: independent.letters@independent.ie in response to the article below. Also make your views known to John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, at minister@environ.ie and worldheritagetentativelist@environ.ie

Do link to Tarawatch and spread the word?

Cheers,

TaraWatch

Greens and Pirate Party protect internet users

2009-11-05T13:02:00.000Z

GREENS HAIL VICTORY FOR INTERNET USERS IN EURO-PARLIAMENT – BUT WARN ONLINE RIGHTS STILL UNDER THREAT

Green leader and MEP Caroline Lucas attacks Lord Mandelson’s “draconian” plans to disconnect filesharers The European Parliament and the EU Council (representing national governments) last night agreed on a compromise text regarding the protection of internet users' rights in cases of alleged copyright infringement via online file-sharing. Green MEPs have been working closely with a member of the Pirate Party, who also sits with the Greens/EFA Group in Parliament, to fight attempts to introduce a ‘three strike’ rule for people who illegally download material.

The proposals, which Greens believe are “excessive”, could see users’ internet connections being permanently disabled if they are found to be downloading content illegally up to three times. Lord Mandelson has been at the forefront of pushing this agenda in the UK and is one of those challenging due process and freedom of expression rights on the internet.

Greens/EFA MEP and UK Green Party leader Caroline Lucas commented: "Last night’s agreement was a victory for the Greens/EFA Group and for the thousands of citizens who have been campaigning to defend the rights of internet users through blogging and correspondence with their elected representatives.

“The message from this EU legislation is clear: access to the internet is a fundamental right and proper procedures must be followed when challenging internet users on alleged copyright infringement. It is now up to national governments to respect this.

“Lord Mandelson’s draconian anti-piracy measures, which mirror the French ‘Hadopi’ internet piracy bill, are excessive – especially given the complex dynamics behind filesharing. The European Parliament must continue to stand up to the Council's blatant attempts to erode citizens' rights and deprive people of an essential service. “I am satisfied that we achieved the best possible legal protection we could achieve at this stage. Once the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, the Parliament will have co-legislative powers to defend net neutrality. Sadly, this is not the end of the line when it comes to defending the rights of internet users.”

Greens/EFA MEP Christian Engström (Pirate Party, Sweden), commented: “I particularly welcome the insistence on a ‘prior fair and impartial procedure’, which puts up a strong line of defence against the ‘three strike’ Hadopi law in France and similar measures being pushed by Lord Mandelson in the UK. “While I welcome that the European Parliament stood firm on cutting an internet connection only under strict rules, I must stress that it is wrong for governments to cut people off from the internet at all."

LINE 'LENSES OF THE GREEN MOVEMENT'

2009-11-04T21:54:00.000Z

Salam, Peace,

Our November monthly forum will take place this Sunday. Details are below.

warm wishes

Muzammal - on behalf of the LINE team
----

LINE (London Islamic Network for the Environment) Monthly Forum:
LENSES OF THE GREEN MOVEMENT

Date: Sun 8th Nov 2009
Time: 2.15pm to 4.45pm
Venue:4th Floor, Muslim World League, 46 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4LU (entrance on the corner of Charlotte Street); Nearest Tubes: Goodge Street (Northern Line), Euston Square (Hammersmith & City, Circle, & Metropolitan Lines) & Warren Street (Victoria Line).

Streetmap:Click here

Reading & Discussion facilitated by LINE

This month's forum will include examining how our relationship with nature is framed through the lens of mainstream environmentalism, as well as through deeper approaches. To support this, we will once again read selected pieces from Andrew Dobson's book, 'Green Political Thought'. Questions we might reflect on include: To what extent is mainstream environmentalism transformative in its approach? Will real solutions to ecological challenges be solved with outer fixes and human beings as they are, or is there a need to also work on our 'self'? How might pressures that green groups face to gain popular support affect the values they hold? Our discussion will look at reformist approaches as well as more radical ones.

Also within the forum, we will hear feedback from past events and things in the pipeline, such as Copenhagen. There will as usual be a slot for Resource Cycle

No charge and open to all. Donations welcome.

For more information: www.lineonweb.org.uk; Tel: 0845 456 3960 (local rate)

__._,_.___

LINE is the UK's first local Islamic ecological activist group. We hold open forums in central London and engage in a transformative approach. Our activities include deep dialogue, educational talks and workshops, climate change campaigning, and nature outings. Find out more about us by visiting our website: http://www.lineonweb.org.uk

Young face of the Greens' future hopes

2009-11-04T19:15:00.002Z

Great article from John Millington who I had the pleasure to bump into at party conference with Alex Phillips who I have had the pleasure of working with to promote Caroline Lucas's election campaign....this saturday is action day in Brighton so come along to the eco centre opposite Brighton train station and help with Caroline's campaign. I had some problems with the link so may be just get 60p and buy the Star tomorrow

Young face of the Greens' future hopes
John Millington
Articulate, well presented, striking and passionate. These are some of the qualities we want from our politicians and Brighton and Hove Green Party councillor Alex Phillips is certainly not found lacking.

At the age of 24 she is the youngest councillor in the Brighton and Hove area.

As a self-confessed "normal" young person, Phillips is part of an increasingly confident and growing Green Party, which has a good chance of securing its first MP in Brighton at the next general election.

For someone so young, Phillips has had quite an intrepid political journey.

She recalls her first political memories of Nelson Mandela being released from prison and the death of Labour Party former leader John Smith.

"He would be turning in his grave now, seeing what the government have done," she blurts out.

Through the course of the conversation, it is clear Phillips has very little positive to say about the government on the grounds of wars, social justice and climate change.

As a former member of the Labour Party she left after joining anti-war demonstrators against the Iraq war in 2003.

"I joined the Labour Party at the age of 16, but I felt I could not march against my party of government and continue to be a member," she recalls.

What will surprise most people is that Phillips is adamant that she did not join the Green Party for environmental reasons.

"What actually attracted me to the Greens was their policies on human rights and social justice," she explains.

"Yes, the environment was an issue, but not my biggest one at the time."

Phillips wears many political hats. As well as being a councillor she is the joint chair of the Young Greens and is the campaign co-ordinator for Caroline Lucas's parliamentary bid.

The prospect of Lucas becoming the first Green MP clearly means a lot to Phillips. She is in no doubt that a breakthrough for Lucas would signal the beginning of a sea change in British politics.

Our conversation eventually does turn to the environmental and economic crisis facing Britain and the rest of the world, though.

Phillips well and truly lays the blame for both at the foot of the government.

"The government know what they have to do but because they and all three main parties are backed by big business, they are walking a tight-rope," she says.

Emphasising the need for "a green new deal," Phillips sees the need to tackle climate change as inextricably linked with the economy.

"The green new deal would create energy efficiency and create skilled jobs for skilled workers at the same time.

"Since many under 25 year olds are signing up for JSA, this would be an ideal opportunity to train young people and tackle the recession."

Phillips believes young people have been neglected by society in a number of ways - demonised in the media, denied good jobs and loaded down with back-breaking tuition fees.

But she is very keen to emphasise that going to university should not be viewed as a "necessity."

"You can have success and a sense of achievement by not necessarily going to uni but by doing other things such as training to become a skilled worker," she explains.

"Unfortunately, apprentices and the skilled jobs themselves are hard to come by. That's why investment in the green economy is key."

Phillips's keen interest in the plight of working people certainly puts pay to the stereotype that Greens are only interested in abstract climate campaigning and vegetarianism.

Turning to the trade union movement, Phillips believes that unions have not had as much influence on the political scene as she would have liked.

"Look at the expenses scandal. Only a couple of unions have threatened or withdrawn funding for MPs over the issue," she says.

"But Vestas was an example where green and workers issues combined. That is a positive."

Despite the possibility of a catastrophe for the majority of the world's population if huge carbon emission reductions are not implemented, Phillips is enthusiastic about the future.

She emphatically admits to being a "socialist" and has radical views surrounding education.

Phillips wants to see private schools lose their charitable status and believes they are key to maintaining "the class system" which she opposes.

However she does believe that reform within capitalist economic relations is possible in being able to deal with the major environmental and economic problems facing the peoples of the world.

A key and immediate change in the political fabric would be secured by Lucas being elected MP for Brighton and Hove, Phillips argues.

But, she adds, "getting Caroline into Parliament would be a lot easier if the electoral system was fairer. The general public is in favour of proportional representation."

Phillips admits that green and climate change issues are still not resonating with the general public.

But she is adamant that, when the changes in the environment begin to impact more adversely on peoples lives, public opinion will change.

"That is why we need people in Parliament with the political will to argue for the policies people need."

Forever the optimist, Phillips sees no reason why the Green Party should not be forming a government in years to come.

Pressed to give a date, she predicts "within my life time, around 2050."

There can be no doubt that there is a crisis in working-class representation and clearly young, inspiring Green politicians like Phillips believe that their party can go it alone and achieve progressive change in the years to come.

As the battle to reclaim Labour rages on, it is inevitable that alternatives will appear on the political scene.

A question mark remains over whether the Green Party can overcome the problem of having no organic or historical link with the working class movement.

One thing is for certain, though. Phillips and the Greens are here to stay and will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

Get a record of your record with the police

2009-11-04T15:04:00.003Z

http://www.met.police.uk/information/request_forms.htm

get a record of your record with the met, gracias for Jenny Jones for letting me know about this.

Support the Posties in Bristol

2009-11-04T13:52:00.000Z

By Jerry Hicks, Bristol CWU Support Group.

The Bristol CWU Postal Workers Support Group met last week. Strikes go ahead and have been solidly supported in the Bristol and District Branch. Solidarity activities in the last week have included letters to the local press, collections and donations and invitations to meetings.

Window posters “I’M BACKING OUR POSTAL WORKERS. DEFEND OUR PUBLIC SERVICES” have gone down very well and up very quickly. Unite the union have again instructed postal managers in the CMA section of Unite that they should work normally and not scab by getting bussed around the UK to do CWU members’ jobs. The 2 suspended workers at Severn Beach RDC are out of the workplace indefinitely and need messages of support. This can be done through this e-mail, the CWU or Facebook.

On Friday 6th November there will be a “protest” outside the Severn Beach warehouse, ( Bristol RDC, Western Approach Business Park, Severn Beach, BS35 4GG) which is where the agency workers are being sent. We will meet at 1300 until 1415 to talk to workers about the true nature of the jobs being carried out in the centre. We will leaflet the workers going in for the 2pm shift and coming out from the 6am shift and give them the CWU’s position, they should not go into work, they should join the union and support the call for strike action to defend the Postal Service.

Next meeting of the Support Group will be Wednesday 11th November, 6.30pm, at CWU HQ 20 Church Rd. Lawrence Hill.

CWU Support Group Contacts
Linda Nunns: Phone 07806 772 682

Jerry Hicks: Phone 07817 827 912 or Email: jo@benefield.force9.co.uk

http://bristolforum.wordpress.com/news-2/support-the-postal-workers/

Battersea & Wandsworth WTUC Public meeting - Support the Postal Workers 09/11/2009 7.30pm

2009-11-04T10:56:00.000Z

Postal workers have been bearing the brunt of the public';s anger since beginning to take strike action. They are being blamed for the late delivery of mail and being portrayed in the press as the ones in the wrong.

But, what you have to remember here is that postal workers are not greedy, well paid workers trying to squeeze money out of an unprofitable company. They are over worked and underpaid workers who aren';t just fighting to protect their terms and conditions they are fighting to protect our Royal Mail.

What the public don';t see is that behind the scenes the government are trying to run Royal Mail like a business &- not the public service that it is. The government does deals with large, private companies to deliver their mail. The government then hand this over to the Royal Mail to deliver at 13p per letter as opposed to 35p. The only person that really benefits in all this is the private companies making a profit.
How can this be justified when the government took a pensions holiday for 13 years from postal workers pensions? The government are shamelessly allowing private companies to profit at the expense of ordinary workers.

Your posties job will have changed dramatically over the past few years &- with no consultation from management. They now work longer hours and under more pressure. They work in an environment where they face constant bullying and intimidation from a management who make their bonuses by enforcing cuts on the workforce.
709/11/2009 7.30 PCS hq
106 Falcon Rd Clapham Junction SW11
Contact Nadine Nadine (at) bwtuc.org.uk

The revenge of the Gombeen men and women?

2009-11-04T09:53:00.001Z

Just had this comment from Joseph, the FF hit squads are out to get me!

'I was reading a major Irish political blog yesterday and it is apparent that Derek's blog is being followed closely by both supporters and opponents of the Irish Greens. There were some very caustic attacks on Derek by government supporters there.

The Irish Greens at the moment are feeling very defensive and are not taking kindly to criticisms from the Left. They have even objected to Irish people in the Green Party of England and Wales making statements or even commenting on the situation there. The point is that we have every right to do so, and as I have said many times, the actions of the Irish Greens will immpact on Greens here. Green Left organised a fringe meeting at our autumn conference in September with Bronwen Maher, one of the founder members of the party, who resigned in disgust last January. She went through the process of what has happened to the party. At the time we met Bronwen she was a former Independent councillor, having lost her seat in the June elections - all of the Green councillors in Dublin also lost their seats. She has very recently joined the Irish Labour Party but told me that this was a decision she came to only recently. The problem is that she did not have the energy to go about completely starting up a new Green Party in Ireland.

However, there are some in the Irish Green Party who want to do this and the Donegal development seems to be part of that. My information is that about a third of the party membership is deeply disillusioned. And it seems that after they joined government two years ago, they were joined by a fair number of opportunists who have a very different agenda to those who were members for some time. What we are witnessing is a process which happens to many political parties. And it demonstrates the need for constant vigilance and ensuring that power does not become centralised.

Bronwen told me that one of the methods of ensuring loyalty is dispensing jobs with the party machine. This tradition of 'placemen' has a long history in Irish politics and dates back to the 18th century Irish Parliament which was encouraged to vote itself our of existence and pass the Act of Union in 1801 by a combination of bribery and appointments to sinecures.

The current party will suffer terribly at the polls but has made a Faustian pact with Fianna Fail which demands its soul. What remains after the next election is open to speculation. '

CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW! SPEAKER TOUR

2009-11-03T21:08:00.001Z

The climate crisis has been caused by rich industrialised countries, but
it is the world's poorer majority who are paying the highest price, as
extreme weather events become more common, freshwater glaciers melt, and
droughts increase. We believe that this means rich countries owe a climate
debt to the global south.

Speakers include:
* Md Shamsuddoha (Equity Bangladesh)
* Eriel Deranger (Indigenous Environmental Network) on tar sands
* Beatriz Souviron (Bolivian Ambassador to the UK)

Monday 16 November, NEWCASTLE, Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building,
University of Newcastle, 6pm

Tue 17 November, GLASGOW, 280 Bath Street, Renfield Centre, Bath Street, 7pm

Wed 18 November, LONDON, Khalili Theatre, SOAS, Russell Sq, London, 7pm

Thu 19 November, BIRMINGHAM, The Avon Room, University Centre, University
of Birmingham, 7pm

Fri 20 November, BRIGHTON, Community Base, Queens Road, Brighton, 6.30pm

Sun 22 November, MANCHESTER, The Scan, University Place, Manchester

University, Oxford Road, Manchester, 11am

Green Party refounded by Letterkenny man!

2009-11-03T15:44:00.003Z

Great news. 91% of members at a special meeting in Donegal have voted to split from the Irish 'Green' Party.

Thank god, real greens are active in Ireland and working for change. Greens across the world will be wishing them luck.

Fianna Fail has many a politician who has taken a back hander for some polluting project in the area and real greens really hate what they have done to the environment.

The Irish 'Green' Party voted to go into coalition government with Fianna Fail and things have gone from bad to worse, NAMA where bns is thrown to the pigs (i mean bankers, pigs as in the animal are great), the government continuing to build a motorway through Tara, cuts in the Dublin bus service, etc, etc.

Well politics involves compromises but for many people this went to far and if you think I am negative about them, I am nothing compared to irish voters who have deserted the Irish 'Green' party big time.

So Cllr Frank Gallagher and the good men and women of the Donegal Greens have voted to go independent and taken the brave step of building a new alternative green party.

good time for people to join the Irish Green Party and support moves to create a new green party.

With a bit of luck it will be John Gormley TD on his own and everyone else will be in a new Green Party...which is actually 'Green'.

If you know Frank Gallagher give him my kind regards, he is doing great work.

He is still up on the 'Green' party website, this is what it says
Frank Gallagher ( Cllr )
Contact information Phone: 086 3772913
Email: dlgreen (at) eircom.net

Postal Address: Rahan, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Frank lives in Rathan, Letterkenny and has been active in community politics for many years. He was chairperson of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed in Donegal and has been involved in trade union and anti-nuclear movement activities.

He took over from Neil Clarke as a member of Letterkenny Town Council in January 2009.

Sounds like a great guy give him an email and thank him, I am sure my mates in the Peruvian Amazon will be pleased that real greens are advancing not just in Latin America but in Letterkenny.

You may think Frank has the same name as the guy in Shameless but the shameless are those TDs who remain in government with Fianna Fail.

If you live in Donegal mail him and find out how to join the real Greens

Teach In: Is the Future Past?

2009-11-03T14:54:00.003Z

Great to be invited to do this UCU/NUS teach in next wednesday, great in particular to be on with James Heywood, I who teach New Radical Political Economy, he is a friend of the Socialist Voice people in Canada like Ian Angus and I am often citing his article on Thomas Sankara.

Wednesday, 11 November

An afternoon of workshops discussing how to win
our future back

1-2.30pm RHB 137
Angela McRobbie (Media and Comms): What is the future for feminism?
Talat Ahmed (History): Is the future Indian?
Rachel Moore (Media and Comms): Not just for children: Utopian playtime

1-2.30pm RHB 139
Alberto Toscano (Sociology): The future of utopia
John Foran (Sociology): The future of revolution
Branwen Gruffydd Jones (Politics): The future of imperialism
Matthew Fuller (CCS): The future of surveillance

3-4.30pm RHB 306
James Curran (Media and Comms): Technological futures – in whose interests?
Marianne Franklin (Media and Comms): Sci-Fi – representing whose future?
Ben Levitas (Drama): Back to the Futurists: Future, theatre and historical imagination

3-4.30pm RHB 139
David Mabb (Art): ‘Rhythm 69" Morris/Richter/Malevich. An Everyday Utopia
Richard Noble (Art): Art and its utopias
Terry Rosenberg (Design): Interference Patterns: Future Design?

Final Plenary: 5-6.30pm RHB 137
Campaigning for the future of:
The planet (Derek Wall: Politics)
Peace (Lindsey German: Convenor, Stop the War Coalition)
Education (Sally Hunt: General Secretary, UCU)
Students (James Haywood, NUS Executive)