Uncategorized

7.30pm Wed 2^nd May: ‘For richer, for poorer? Trade Justice after Brexit’ by Guy Taylor

Guy is an excellent speaker. He will be able to bring us up to date with the current situation and will tell us what actions we can take.

As we know, our government is lining up new trade deals behind closed doors. Not even our members of parliament will be able to scrutinise them. We are particularly concerned that trade deals with India are likely to force India to accept tight intellectual property laws thereby making it too costly for them to continue replicating medicines at prices affordable to those who desperately need them around them world, with the US are likely to allow Trump to get his hands on our NHS, and talks are being held with regimes known for their humans rights abuses.

Tues 20^th March: ‘A Discussion about ‘the Violence of Borders’ at The Outlook Pub, 76 – 78A Kings Road, RG1 3BJ

at 7.30 pm

Look at the following links:

1.) ‘7 reasons why we should have open borders’ by Aisha Dodwell

https://newint.org/blog/2017/11/29/why-open-borders

2.) ‘The Surprisingly Compelling Argument for Open Borders’ by Rutger Bregman http://fortune.com/2016/04/17/immigration-open-borders

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.