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9 March 2016: Beyond Fair Trade – Stopping Corporate Exploitation’.

Once again the people of Reading expressed their concern about TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) as 70 people crowded into RISC’s hall to hear Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now, speak.

Nick outlined the problems with TTIP and a new generation of trade deals that give disproportionate powers to large corporations but he said “We have stopped similar trade deals before. Three and a half million people don’t want this treaty and if we all join together, we can stop this one.”

Despite the state of emergency in Paris after the bombings on 13 November, tens of thousands of people gathered near the Arc de Triomphe. They brought red flowers to honour the victims of those who have already died because of climate change. Then, with red material, red umbrellas and the red clothes they were wearing, they made red lines to symbolise the red lines we cannot cross if we want a planet which is liveable for everyone.

John Oversby said: “We could not miss the opportunity to be part of an amazing gathering of climate change activists from across Europe, and even further afield, with the common purpose of pledging support for radical reduction in emissions from burning fossil fuels causing our earth to overheat. Our political leaders were under no illusion that we wished for a swift change of direction, including more energy from renewables, and changes in the system that puts corporate profits before careful use of the world’s finite resources. The solidarity of our actions showed that we were not alone but we know that another world is possible. Positive thinking that we wished to share was all around. It was an exciting day.”

Could the challenge of climate change give us the opportunity to create a world that is more equal, more ecologically sustainable and where the majority of people are better off than they are now?  Come along to our next meeting to discuss the possibilities.

Yash Tandon told us how ‘free trade’ has destroyed the African Economies. In Uganda not only domestic industry has been destroyed, but agriculture has also been hit hard. In supermarkets in Kampala one buys European chicken legs, which are being dumped as a result of EU subsidies. Ugandan tea farmers receive only two percent of the final proceeds of their harvest. The refugee problem won’t go away as long as we cling to this ideology.

Global free trade is a sinking ship. We need to launch a thousand new ships: self-sufficient communities that trade on the basis of the actual value of goods and services. Through regional cooperation and with the combined strength of social movements around the world, we can bring about change.

16 of us turned up to present the No TTIP petition to Reading East MP, Rob Wilson. It was a wonderful show of solidarity. This, together with the 804 signatures from 38 Degrees members in East Reading, showed the strength of feeling among the public. Rob Wilson came out to speak to us as his small office could only accommodate a few people! We all wanted to join in! There was an obvious strength of feeling, with many points being mentioned by different members of the group.

It was a most successful day. Even the sun shone down on us!