On 22nd August, GJN South Lakes members, along with local 38 degrees and Stop TTIP members held a very successful action at the birdcage in Kendal. Over 300 people signed the European Stop TTIP petition.
A good day!
General Election Hustings
South Lakeland Global Justice Now will be holding hustings, concentrating on questions related to GJN issues such as world poverty, inequality, corporate power, food & trade justice, climate change, TTIP, international aid, human rights etc.
Monday April 13th
Venue : Sandylands Methodist Church, Sandylands Road, KENDAL (next to Sandylands Spar)
Doors open 6.45pm, for a 7.15 start.
Confirmed participants:
Tim Farron Lib Dem
John Bateson Labour
Chris Loynes Green
Ann Myatt Conservative
Alan Piper UKIP
If you would like to submit a question within the broad agenda of Global Justice please send in advance to the address below:
Global Justice Now, c/o 7 Grizedale Avenue, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6BQ
Tel: 01539 739119 or 07818 552841
Or email: andyandmaggie@talktalk.net
Or submit a question in writing before 7.10pm on the night.
Birdcage Action – Kendal
South Lakeland WDM group have booked the Birdcage in Kendal main street for a morning of action and information relating to the new WDM campaign – Stop the Corporate Takeover of African Food.
Saturday May 24th 9.30-1.30
More about the campaign
During the original ‘scramble for Africa’ in the 1890s, Europeans justified their colonialism as a benevolent mission to bring civilisation to the continent. Today, these colonial tactics are being deployed once again by rich country governments and big business who are colluding to take control of African land and resources. Initiatives with benevolent-sounding names like ‘New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition’ are resulting in control of land and resources being taken away from small-scale African farmers and handed to multinational companies – all in the name of poverty alleviation.
During the original ‘scramble for Africa’ in the 1890s, Europeans justified their colonialism as a benevolent mission to bring civilisation to the continent. Today, these colonial tactics are being deployed once again by rich country governments and big business who are colluding to take control of African land and resources. Initiatives with benevolent-sounding names like ‘New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition’ are resulting in control of land and resources being taken away from small-scale African farmers and handed to multinational companies – all in the name of poverty alleviation.
For more information on this campaign, click the link below;
https://www.wdm.org.uk/blog/g8%E2%80%99s-new-alliance-food-security-and-nutrition-instrument-control-african-agriculture.
Watch this space for more details regarding this action.
EU Hustings
South Lakeland WDM, along with SLACC (South Lakeland Action on Climate Change) will be holding hustings with the 4 main political parties on Monday 28th April 2014. 7 for 7.30 start at the Shakespeare Centre, Kendal.
A candidate from the Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and Green parties will be answering questions. Maggie Mason will be chairing the evening.
The focus of the hustings will be on trade justice and related issues and environmental and energy policies.
All are welcome to come along – tea and biscuits will be provided.
More details will be posted as we finalise party candidates details.
HSBC event
S Lakes WDM group picketed the Kendal branch of HSBC on 2 November about the banks investment and support for dirty energy projects around the world. 4 members of the group went into the bank and presented a cheque for 7p to the branch manager to represent the “compensation” for “renting” about 14 square metres of pavement outside the branch office. We explained that 7p is the equivalent amount paid to Indonesian villagers who have lost their homes and land to huge open cast coal mines, which also permanently destroyed the virgin rain forest which was the villager’s main source of food and livelihood, as well as polluting their water, and causing flooding. The bank manager and a colleague of hers were friendly and politely listened to our concerns, whilst not expressing any view in either way. (except a small acknowledgment that it would be awful if it were the Lake District National Park that was being destroyed.). Interestingly HSBC staff had clearly been warned that campaigners may turn up, and were content that we give them leaflets and booklets, and have our say, as long as we didn’t obstruct customers or take photos inside the bank.
In spite of heavy rain and a few thunderstorms, local WDM activists spent 4 hours in the centre of Kendal talking to shoppers, 53 of whom signed cards to be sent to Stuart Gulliver, the CEO of HSBC. WDM will deliver a piece of coal to HSBC for each card signed, so if you haven’t signed yet, get hold of a card.
Earlier in the week 31 local people attended a talk in Kendal given by an Indonesian campaigner who explained the shocking impacts of spiralling levels of unregulated open cast coal mining on the Indonesian environment and on both rural and city peoples. The impacts and scale of these Indonesian dirty energy projects, heavily financed through the London Stock Exchange, are not as well known as those of the Canadian Tar Sands, or Niger delta oil extraction, and have an even worse effect on climate change because of the loss of rain forest.
WDM’s aim is to get transparency about the sources of finance for dirty energy projects, and this should inform the current movement for “disinvestment” from fossil fuels. See also http://gofossilfree.org/europe/ and http://www.operationnoah.org/fossilfreetour.”
