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Campaigns Update
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Where do we go now?
Well, the election is over, thank your prospective lords (whether it be God, Allah, Mother Nature or, that current new trendy one – ‘The Markets’). Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get on with the real work of campaigning to make this planet just that little bit nicer. So where do we stand on our key campaigns with this new government of new politics and general newness (though not New Labour of course…)?
In terms of Stop The Traffik – the situation is still dire, there is still a ‘modern slave trade’ illegally forcing people into sex work, labour and other horrible positions every day. The new government has yet to even really mention people trafficking, so it might be a good time to get in touch and bring up the issue.
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/
The wonderful Stop The Traffik still need lots of support, especially in setting up ACT/s (Active Communities against Trafficking) and raising awareness. Our new government has a fairly good record in terms of at least talking about combating people trafficking. For instance, David Davis might be a good person to contact: Former Shadow Home Secretary, the guy who got beaten to Leadership by Davy C, was a strong advocate for the ‘Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings’ which was only ratified this time last year- partly thanks to strong campaign to do so by Davis and others.
Could be useful to ask what Davis and others now propose to do considering they are in power.
There is also a decent history of anti-trafficking work within the Liberal Democrats. Nick Clegg proposed a ‘Phone line’ for trafficked people in 2009:
Could be a good time to ask him about honoring his commitments? Similarly, MEP Liz Lynne has fought for better funding to stop human trafficking, but in these cash-strapped times it will probably take some pressure to reverse decisions like closing the Metropolitan Police’s Human Trafficking Unit:
http://dudleylibdems.org.uk/news/000210/closure_of_human_trafficking_team_disgraceful_says_mep.html
It is interesting to think about how this campaign feeds into some of the key pledges of this new government: They may well argue that an ‘immigration cap’ and ‘tighter border controls’, which have been introduced for very different reasons, will also help the cause, but we know that a large number of trafficked people are brought in through ‘legitimate’ means, often with little idea of what awaits them. Labour may well still be advocating their ID cards from the opposition benches, as the only real way of keeping track of who comes into the country, but hopefully you can see the falsity of that too.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ is, as always, a great way of finding out about your new MP and getting in touch with them. There is still a lot to do in combating human trafficking in this country, so don’t get stuck waiting for the government, however positive their rhetoric may be.
Nuclear Weapons.
You might not have noticed, but right now, over in the Big Apple NYC, a bunch of leaders from around the world are deciding the fate of our planet. Yes, it’s the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Review Conference! Basically the NPT is an agreement between nuclear states: to reduce and eventually remove nuclear arsenals, and non nuclear states: to not start building any nuclear weapons. There’s a great update on Open Democracy about this conference (imagine Copenhagan but about nukes)
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/npt-conference-half-time-glass-half-full
The main thing to take from that is that-
- Obama’s ‘nuclear free world’ talk is not backed up by action – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/politics/14treaty.html. He’s spending more money on updating American nukes that Bush did.
- Our government’s commitment to renewing Trident is pissing off all the places that have actually, you know, honored the treaty and disarmed / not-proliferated.
- We need a nuclear weapons convention – http://www.icanw.org/securing-our-survival
Interestingly, South Africa, a place we’re going to be hearing a lot more about as the World Cup commences, has been very vocal in it’s annoyance with our hypocrisy- having disarmed itself totally in the 1990s, it knows how possible proper nuclear disarmament can be.
Perhaps there is an interesting campaign there which could link into the World Cup?
Our new Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, is particularly pro-nuke. A nasty piece of work indeed, but if we’re honest, not much different on this issue to his Labour predecessors.
Cleggmania
Now either you see Clegg and his watered down ‘No like for like replacement’ argument as a positive force on the coalition government, or you take the view that one of the few anti-Trident voices in parliament has been muzzled by the ‘compromise’ of this new new new politics. Libs have agreed to ‘make alternatives’, but not oppose Trident renewal en masse. Either way we need to mount a strong campaign, focused on Trident’s £97 Billion price tag, as the issue comes to the fore again.
http://www.cnduk.org/ is a great start.
On Nuclear Power, there looks like a little bit more chance of influencing government policy. Simon Hughes, energy spokesperson for Liberal Democrats states that “A new generation of nuclear power stations will be a colossal mistake, regardless of where they are built. They are hugely expensive, dangerous and will take too long to build.” - Here, here old chap!
The government has said:
“We have agreed a process that will allow Liberal Democrats to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.”Libs have again agreed not to vote against the Tories on this, so again it’s worth getting in touch Lib Dem Mps and asking why, as an anti-nuke voter, your wishes have been ignored. The big crux with nuclear energy however, is the issue of state subsidy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7127202.ece
None at all, is the line from both Tories and Lib Dems. This is funny because a nuclear power station has never ever been built without state subsidy before, in like, the whole world. So we have got to hold the government to account on this one. They will try sneak in clauses about ‘extreme circumstances’ and ‘cleanup costs’, but basically if they honor their promise to not use taxpayers money for anything, they wont be able to build.
Even the energy companies agree this: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/related_reports/the_future_of_energy/article6907099.ece
Let us not forget our good friend – The Olkiliuoto Nuclear Power Plant – over in Finland. Still not finished, delayed until at least 2012 now, having started work in 2005 (THAT’S AT LEAST 7 YEARS FACT FANS), 2.5 billion euros overspent. And yes, just like the banks, the government is bailing them out.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/19/nuclear-power-gas-coal
Breaks it all down quite nicely.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/
For up to date news.
With all that in mind, it’s now a good time to start planning your summer and future with campaigning at the fore! These problems are not going to go away, and positive solutions take work, so never think that writing to parliament is enough. It’s a start, and it’s important to know one’s enemies, but real action is the only way forward.
Dates for your diary:
Earth First! Summer Gathering
4 -9th Aug 2010, Derbyshire
5 days of workshops, skill sharing and planning action, plus low- impact living without leaders.
http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/
Stop Bombing Afganistan / Anti Military stuff:
SATURDAY 26 JUNE: ARMED FORCES DAY
Meet 10.30am, Ministry of Defence, for a day of counter-recruitment activity in London.
SUNDAY 27 JUNE: UNARMED FORCES DAY
Meet 10.30am, Ministry of Defence, for the start of five-day walk to the military prison in Colchester where soldier Joe Glenton is in prison for refusing to fight in Afghanistan.
Peace News Summer Camp
23rd - 27th July
Oxfordshire
http://www.peacenewscamp.info/
No Borders Camp
Brussels
27th of September till 3th of October.
Seven days of action, movies, debates, information about migration and migration policy.
http://www.noborderbxl.eu.org/?lang=en
Climate Camp
There’s been a move towards more local based action, perhaps with a focus on Royal Bank of Scotland, over this summer.
29th-30th in Manchester is their next regional gathering, so find your local group and try and get over to that to see what’s on the cards.
The Big CND Nuclear actions are:
Date: Saturday, June 05, 2010 At 1PM
AWE Aldermaston
Nuclear Abolition Day
Saturday 5th June, 1pm
On 5th June, thousands of people across the world will take part in local actions responding to the outcome of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. Our message to governments is simple: it’s time to negotiate a Nuclear Weapons Convention banning all nuclear weapons!
Come to the Main Gate, AWE Aldermaston, near Tadley, West Berkshire for a peace picnic.
Visit http://www.nuclearabolition.org
Sunday June 06
Reclaim our Moor at Fylingdales
Fylingdales Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station
North Yorkshire National Park
A day to reclaim our moors and a call to keep space for peace!
Say no to nuclear weapons, US bases and Missile Defence!
Devonport Blockade
Date: Monday, November 01
Trident submarines undergo refitting, upgrades and maintenance at the Devonport dockyard in Plymouth. It is already home to many of Britain’s decaying retired nuclear subs and may become the dumping ground for them for decades to come.
Please come and join in the blockade. You can sit, lie down, lock-on or provide support for the blockaders. We need your committed nonviolent civil resistance. Please bring your friends and relatives and join the blockade that will start at 6 am and continue for as long as possible. We can create the changes we need for a better world.
The Devonport Blockade organised by Trident Ploughshares and supported by CND
For more information or to help contact :
Information available soon on www.tridentploughshares.org
I’ll also be updating the ZNA website soon, when we have a fuller picture of what this government intends to do about Nuclear weapons and energy in Britain.
And of course, we’ll be seeing you all at Blank Canvas, our first open event for young activists from across the spectrum and country:
http://www.spanthatworld.com/blankcanvas/
Go forth my friends! Organise! Take Action!
-
philip
