Global Justice Now is holding a day of action against corporate courts on Saturday 21 May. Our bit of the action in Cambridge will be a campaign stall on Rectory Terrace, Cherry Hinton High Street (between Tesco Express and the junction with Chelwood Road), 10:00-12:00. We had a stall in the same place, and for the same cause, last September.
That action was successful in its own terms. We gave out leaflets and engaged people in conversation. But corporate courts are still a thing, and still enabling large firms to take legal action against any climate measures by governments.
Since Global Justice Now started campaigning on this, there’s been success on two of the demands. The UK has dropped corporate courts from the bilateral trade deals it’s been negotiating with Australia and Canada.
The present petition calls for the UK to exit the Energy Charter Treaty and not join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Energy Charter Treaty (signed in 1991) is an investment deal between more than 50 countries, focused specifically on the energy sector. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a deal involving states around the Pacific rim.
Corporate courts are among the provisions of both deals.
Italy has pulled out of the Energy Charter Treaty, and several other European countries are also considering exiting.
Let’s see how much pressure we can put on the UK Government to do the same!
