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Reading campaigners visit Matt Rodda MP at the House of Commons demanding democracy in post Brexit trade deals

Five members of Global Justice Reading joined others from around the UK in London yesterday to raise awareness about the Trade Bill currently going through parliament. The Bill currently gives MPs no power to scrutinise, guide, amend or stop trade deals being signed, and fails to mandate public information, consultation or impact assessments.

We started with a tour round the finance City of London, with many stops to hear specialist and inspiring speakers. At an Art Gallery in the evening, we were informed by Caroline Lucas MP, Barry Gardiner MP, Cecile from Brussels, and Guy from Global Justice Now of the background and current state of the Bill, about to go to the House of Lords. After a demo outside the Department of International Trade, we met with Matt rodda, MP for Reading East, and John Hilary, Trade Adviser for The Labour party, for a very productive meeting on making positive progress on the Trade Bill.

Overall, a very successful and uplifting two days.

Due to inclement weather, this meeting is cancelled.

Due to inclement weather, this meeting is cancelled.

A new trade deal, negotiated with the US in secret, could include privatisation of our NHS and the addition of chlorine-washed chicken to our menus. Hear from Mark Dearn, senior trade campaigner of War on Want, how we can challenge this anti-democratic agenda and call for the new UK Trade Bill to contain polices which ensure greater scrutiny by the UK Parliament of trade deals that affect us all.

7.30pm Friday 2^nd March refreshments/free/donations

More info Jackie Oversby: 07745310794 / jackieoversby@gmail.com

On Friday 1^st December 2017, World Aids Day, we set up a ‘Free Sick-Health Lottery’ in Reading. If people took a card they had a one in three chance of ‘winning the medicines they needed’!

While people were looking at the cards, we took the opportunity to explain that millions of people are denied access to vital medicine because of the extortionate prices set by the pharmaceutical companies: Almost two billion people world wide lack access to essential medicines. About 10 million people die every year because they can’t afford medicines.

STOP AIDS and Global Justice Now  have written a new report, Pills and Profits: How drug companies make a killing out of public research . It is backed by over 20 health and patient organisations. It calls for attaching strings to taxpayer funding, greater transparency in drug pricing, and for a radical overhaul in the way the research and development of new medicines are funded.

Wednesday 1st November

The pharmaceutical industry is hugely profitable, yet millions do not have access to medicine because the prices drug companies charge are so high.

Sibongile Tshabalala, national chair of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa, gave us a moving and inspiring talk. She said she thought she was going to die in 1996 when the Western pharmaceutical companies and governments aggressively blocked access to low-cost AIDs drugs for the countries of Africa and the global south. At that time, ten million people died unnecessarily, including her husband and many of her friends. However a group formed the TAC. They took the pharmaceutical companies to court and managed to get them to provide the drugs at reasonable prices. She said,

‘We fought for access to HIV drugs in South Africa, and now we’re fighting for access to essential breast cancer drugs, just as people here in the UK are, because the NHS can’t afford the rip off prices the companies are charging. We have a common struggle against the greed of Big Pharma.”

James O’Nions, campaigner with Global Justice Now, said,

“The extortionate prices charged by pharmaceutical corporations, even when drugs have been developed using taxpayers’ money, is a symptom of a broken system. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and demand drug development for people not profit”

Wednesday 25^th October 2017

As part of Reading’s International Festival, The Director of Global Justice Now, Nick Dearden, inspired a packed audience of over 70 people ,with his talk, ‘Putting People Before Profit – Building a New Global Economy’.

After the talk, the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Reading, Councillor Rose Williams said, “I’m proud of Reading being an international town. Nick’s talk tonight made me feel hopeful for the future, especially after all the bad news that we hear every day. I believe most people have a good heart. That helps us to look ahead.”

Nick Dearden later commented, “Reading is an extraordinarily internationalist town – the international festival is testament to how strongly the town cares about the rest of the world. This spirit is going to be vital in coming years, because we need real change in this country to create a more equal and harmonious Britain. We can’t do this by pulling up the drawbridge and pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist. This country made so much of its wealth from the rest of the world, our governments helped fashion the global economy, and now it’s vital that we help to undo some of this damage. We can start by adopting a welcoming attitude to migrants, by creating a fairer and more democratic form of trade, by regulating and controlling big corporations – including making them pay their fair share of tax. We will only build a fairer Britain if we also help create a fairer world.”

Nick with Mayor Councillor Rose Williams and local activist Mariana