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As coronavirus rips around the world, the race is on to find a vaccine for Covid-19. Following huge public investment in biomedical research and development, we hear that good progress is being made. But who will profit?
When a vaccine is developed, will it reach anyone who needs it, or just anyone who can afford it? If it is just for people who can afford it, will that threaten the world’s ability to stop the spread of this pandemic? What could make the system fair?
We had a panel of two expert and insightful speakers:
Heidi Chow, leader of Global Justice Now’s pharmaceutical campaign
Izzy from Just Treatment

‘For the last two Saturdays some of us have been giving out leaflets to explain to people why the US trade deal must be stopped – first at Reading Farmers’ market and second outside a Waitrose store. The leaflets were well received and some people even read them while they were queuing!’

On Wednesday 23 September we had our first meeting on zoom, ‘Stop the
Toxic Trade Deal with Trump: Why a US/UK Trade Deal must be opposed’
We had three excellent speakers. Jean Blaylock, campaign and policy manager
from Global Justice Now, explained that these days trade deals are all about
power. In the old days countries used gun boats to enforce their power in the
world; nowadays they use trade deals. They use these trade deals to entrench the
neoliberal way of doing things.
If we let the proposed trade deal pass, all the rules and regulations that are written
into the 32 chapters of the US/UK trade deal will get written into the rules of both
countries. Later when any activists want the government to improve things for
people or the environment there will be a simple answer,
‘Well, it’s interesting you should say that but we can’t do anything about that. It’s
written into the rules.’
Nikki gave us an idea of how the trade deal would affect workers’ rights and Gay
Lee was able to speak about the NHS and pharmaceuticals.
All three speakers agreed that there is every reason to hope that the US deal can
be defeated if we build a sufficiently large and diverse movement. For more
information see https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/campaigns/trade-justice

Shoppers in Broad Street Reading were shocked to see ‘Donald Trump’ promoting the range of food he wants to include in the new US/UK trade deal, including chlorine washed chicken and baby food containing arsenic and pesticides. Secret talks have already started between the US and the UK over a deal, and leaked documents have shown government officials discussing how to ‘sell’ American food standards to the British public.
Many people stopped to sign cards to the secretary of State for International trade asking her to oppose any US/UK trade deal that lowers our food standards or opens the NHS to US corporations.

A small group of us attended the Free For All Arts performance on the NHS and its challenges in the light of privatisation. We gave gave attendees cards on Save Our NHS.

Details to be announced