Porto Alegre - World Social Forum 2002

Global Exchange is a human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around the world. Since their founding in 1988, they have been striving to increase global awareness among the US public while building international partnerships around the world.

Speaking out for Trade Justice Over 12,000 people descended on Parliament to talk to their MPs about how developing countries are being ripped off by unfair trade rules. In what was the world's biggest mass lobby of politicians on trade, people came from all parts of the United Kingdom with constituents from Northern Ireland, the Scottish isles and Cornwall...

Despite the mounting evidence of problems (see Soil Association and ISIS further down this page) with genetic engineering, the EU, except for France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Luxembourg and Denmark who still put common sense ahead of profit at all cost, has caved in under intense pressure from the likes of trans-national corporations Glaxo Wellcome, Cargill, Aventis and Monsanto. It is now down to NGOs and concerned citizens to restore some semblance of democracy and sanity to this run-away, profit driven novel process - without sound regulation and even sounder science, our health and environment could be doomed. Click here for a mini-list of links to sites dealing with genetics actions in the UK.

On the sharp end of the above are the coffee farmers who will be destroyed by the advent of GM coffee - check the facts at Action Aid and join the incredible coalition of NGOs at the 'Five Year Freeze Campaign'.

Positive News 'publishes a quarterly international newspaper reporting on the people, events and influences that are creating a positive future' with a 'focus on what is breaking through - not on what's breaking down.' See also Peace News which is about radical social change - "nonviolent revolution" - and their aim is to support and connect movements for radical change around the world. Re-energise yourself. It's not (quite) all doom and gloom!

Corporate Europe Observatory, is a European-based research and campaign group targeting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice and the environment posed by the economic and political power of corporations and their lobby groups. This site also has a comprehensive set of links to organisations combatting the present global economic madness.
A new, multilingual and interactive alternative can be found at Transnational.org and there's another source at Responsible Shopper.

www.boycottbush.net 'has been set up to allow individuals to influence the global politics of climate change. In March, President George Bush abandoned the USA's commitment to the Kyoto climate agreement, attracting worldwide condemnation...This site lists the top twenty corporate donors to the Republican Party with consumer brands, while at the same time noting more ethical alternatives.' In other words, a very powerful tool to enable even the meekest of 'consumers' to have a genuine effect in the war to save global democracy and the very air we all breathe.

Ever wondered what organic pie throwing was all about? Find out how to exercise your conscience, raise a laugh in this bleak and increasingly valueless new world certain corporates are attempting to create AND secure media attention! See also Operation Dessert Storm for recent just desserts, including Clare Short and James Wolfensohn.

WTO? Just say NO! All you never wished to know about the World Trade Organisation and the Bretton Woods duo (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) that helped spawn it, and more...(Caveat lector :)

- "As citizens look for a foothold in the struggle between democracy and corporate rule, Adbusters presents key strategies for bringing corporations back under civil control."

"Davos is the past. Porto Alegre is the future." - Walden Bello

"The Earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses". Regular paper publications and online updates. Linked from this site is their very comprehensive interactive map of genetic engineering centres and test sites throughout the UK.

Global Issues.org - This site looks into global issues that affect everyone. Over 3000 links to external articles, web sites, reports and analysis are used to provide credence to the arguments expounded here.

cyberjournal.org "If popular prosperity could be sacrificed, there were many obvious ways Western capital could be made more competitive. Production could be moved overseas to low-wage areas, allowing domestic unemployment to rise. Unions could be attacked and wages forced down, and people could be pushed into temporary and part-time jobs without benefits. Regulations governing corporate behavior could be removed, corporate and capital-gains taxes could be reduced, and the revenue losses could be taken out of public-service budgets. Public infrastructures could be privatized, the services reduced to cut costs, and then they could be milked for easy profits while they deteriorated from neglect..."

"THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE!" and... "Anyone who, at the age of 29, still uses public transport should consider themselves a failure" - Margaret Thatcher.

The Terrorism Act - note that it is no longer called the Prevention of Terrorism Act. "Despite its name, the Terrorism Act 2000 isn't focused on terrorism: much political dissent, even if it was not illegal before the Act, is caught due to its reactionary redefinition of 'terrorism'." And you thought you lived in a tolerant, caring democracy? Better look at New Labour's assault on Civil Liberties whilst you're at it and Amnesty International's commentary and their recent News Release for a resounding condemnation of this travesty of a legal Act. Now the govt have posted their 'preliminary list of proscribed organisations' it is instructive to note that most of them come from places that we are either busy bombing, sanctioning against or providing arms to oppressive dictators of their countries. Odd that...! For in-depth considerations see the article from Le Monde Diplomatique, translated and reprinted here

Globalise Resistance brings together groups and individuals opposed to the global growth of corporate power.

"It's a matter of educating people," Jim Mohn, (email him at the Democracy and Corporate Accountability Project) said. "If you approached people and said, 'Do you think corporations are screwing us,' they'd shake their head yes. If you asked them, 'Do you think you can do something about it,' they'd shake their head no. "Ordinary people think corporations have too much power and are abusing it," he said." But they think there is no alternative. That's where people are.
A group of political activists in New Jersey, the Corporate Accountability Project, is looking to rein in corporate power by creating a mechanism by which corporations can be stripped of their state charter.
Alternatively citizens could just Secede! 'At least 5,000 ethnic, linguistic and racial groups are lumped together into only 189 nation states. Most of the world's violent conflicts are related to struggles for dominance within or independence from some large, multi-national nation state. A large portion of the world’s people would choose to secede from their respective nation states if given the opportunity.'

"The Tobin Tax is a small tax on international currency transactions. British charity War on Want believes that if it is introduced by Governments around the world it will calm financial markets and generate billions of dollars for international development. $2 trillion dollars a day is exchanged on world financial markets. 95% is speculative. When markets crashed in East Asia in 1998 ten million people were thrown into poverty. A Tobin Tax of 0.25% would make most transactions unprofitable and thus calm markets. It would also generate revenue of $250 billion which could be used to eradicate world poverty." Sadly, it is but a sop and does not really solve the underlying problems of the global financial 'market' - The ATTAC site (Association for the Taxation of financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens) goes somewhat further. A good place to start is their presidents opening speech at the 'Another world is possible' international meeting in 1999.

'The explosive globalization of economic processes and trade is threatening to spin out of control.' 'The Treaty of Noordwijk aan Zee,which will be offered to the political leaders in the world, is an important step towards a truly new economy - an economy where people matter.' - Those of us with a terminally jaundiced view of bankers and all they represent on the present world stage might have difficulty coming to realise that this excellent treaty is being developed with the aid of bankers - the caring, aware sort, that is!? (Yes - one or two do seem to exist! Like Triodos and the Co-op) For those who care, seems that Brian Eno is involved in this one. And then there's the New Economics Foundation - a recent offshoot of the Jubilee 2000 campaign.

Who are the CEOs responsible for helping make the global economy more unfair? Here's a look at 10 CEOs who received out-of-this-world compensation packages while their business strategies contributed to growing global inequality and destabilized their own corporate cultures.

- Leading the fight against Biopiracy, nuclear ecocide, greed and sloth.

Friends of the Earth - plugging away slowly but quite surely at all the less glamorous absurdities forced upon us all by corporate globalisation.

The Argus Project Environmental Data Service - a free public service providing data on background gamma radiation levels throughout the UK - 24 hours a day, every day.
 

"Al Giordano's NarcoNews is known for its hard-hitting reporting, especially when it comes to exposing the myths of the drug war and government and corporate involvement in drug trafficking." - quoth Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
So, if you've ever wondered why Latin America seems to be permanently screwed (every which way, including...) up, work through this site carefully and all will be revealed.

Although this is not in the original remit for this site, Mike Ruppert on his From The Wilderness website has laid conclusive and verifiable evidence before us that the appalling events of 9-11 were somewhat "manipulated". Only detailed examination on your own part will convince...

At Greg Palast's site - For the first time: "secret and confidential" details of the agreement between the State of Florida and the computer firm DBT... which show exactly how Al Gore was cheated out of 23,000 votes. See Gregory Palast on the BBC.  Read the transcript.

"It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere passengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and the myths that surround it" - So says John Pilger - author and presenter of the excellent documentary 'The New Rulers of the World' - not pleasant viewing but should shake and awake some more folk to the outrages being perpetrated by our western governments.

George Monbiot says in his website introduction: "Most of the press is owned by multi-millionaires. Most political parties are funded by multi-millionaires. What multi-millionaires want is a better world for multi-millionaires. A better world for them tends to be a worse one for everyone else..." and:
"...Writing is just one means of pursuing what I regard as the honourable calling of professional trouble maker. Trouble making is the means by which both our dispossession and the laws enforcing it are challenged. It is a costly nuisance, a drain on public resources, an impediment to the smooth functioning of government. It is also the sole guarantor of liberty." There are over 400 of his very revealing and empowering articles on this site - ignoring them (or his recent book 'Captive State') will be your loss...

 Indymedia is a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists worldwide offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage. Indymedia is a democratic media outlet for the creation of radical, objective, and passionate reportage of truth. It needs careful nurturing and support as the only realtime alternative to the corporate-dominated mainstream media.
 

The Ecologist - 'Produced monthly, it is read in over 150 countries by those with an interest in diverting our society from a path that has proven to be environmentally, socially and economically unsound.'

'While the corporate world advocates "free trade" Resurgence questions trade without responsibility and money without morality. While our governments define the "national interest" and its politicians pursue power at all costs, Resurgence argues for politics with principles. While technology invades our lives in the name of speed and efficiency, Resurgence advocates science with a soul...'

Earthscan is a great resource for books full of Global Justice Movement brainfood. They stock what must be the clearest vision yet for an equitable post-corporate society; Localisation: A Global Manifesto - by Colin Hines. [This book]'details self-reinforcing policies to create local self-sufficiency and shows clearly that there is an alternative to globalization – to protect the local, globally.'

Big Business Sacks the Global Village! - How are corporations tightening their grip on the global political economy? How does this affect you? Read Mokhiber and Weissman's Corporate Predators and find out...

Common Courage Press was founded in 1991 and publishes books for social justice on race, gender, feminism, economics, ecology, labor and U.S. domestic and foreign policy. The Press seeks to provide an analysis of problems from a range of perspectives, and to aid activists and others in developing strategies for action.

Rainforest Action Network "works to protect the Earth's rainforests (which are now disappearing at the rate of 2 acres a day, or was that 2 acres a minute?) and support the rights of their inhabitants through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action." - See also the Digital Freedom Network for corporate skullduggery against the Ogiek people in Kenya.

The Earth Island Institute - a US-based organisation dedicated to 'saving the planet'. Julia Butterfly Hill of Giant Redwood saving fame recently joined them.

A debt free start to the new millennium for a billion people - The idea was to cancel the debt of the poorest nations. - Problem is, many of the major signatories have back-pedalled big time, so yet more help is needed to combat the 'broken promises brigade'. The fight moves South. See also www.worldbankboycott.org - the URL says it all, really...but just to add a little piquancy:-
"No socially-responsible investor would touch World Bank bonds with a ten-foot pole." - (Simon Billenness, Senior Social Research Analyst, Trillium Assets Management, April 5, 2000). To underline the horrific gravity of this 'issue', here's a positive approach - Gro Harlem Brundtland's Reith Lecture 2000

Cuban President Fidel Castro was one of the few world leaders [at the United Nations' first World Food Summit in 1974] to challenge participants to look squarely at reality. "Hunger," he said, "is the offspring of injustice and the unequal distribution of the wealth in this world.... What kind of magical solutions are we going to provide so that in 20 years from now there will be 400 million instead of 800 million starving people?... Let the truth prevail, and not hypocrisy and deceit." - from "The Politics of Hunger" by Anuradha Mittal

Okay, that's quite enough of looking at the problems for a moment - here's a couple or three of the solutions that are already transforming lives into something worthwhile and meaningful at the grassroots level...

Fair Trade - guarantees a better deal for 'Third World' producers. "International trade may seem a remote issue, but when commodity prices fall dramatically it has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of small scale producers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land and their homes.". Also check out the comprehensively linked website of 'The Trade Justice Movement' who are organising a carnival at 12.30pm on Sat, 3rd November 2001 - assemble outside the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London (how whimsical!).

Permaculture - designing an ecologically sound way of living. Also check out the Permaculure Magazine - a growing font of positive, practical knowledge on the true meaning of sustainability. They have a great book and tool store, as well...

- National Association of Farmers' Markets - 'Farmers' Markets are good news for everyone. They provide fresh, local and seasonal food to consumers. They raise farm incomes and give a much needed boost to the farming economy. And they should inspire consumer confidence in food production. But much more than this, they foster greater understanding between the town and the country by helping to re-connect people to the land.' They also enable anyone with a conscience to cut out the bloated and bio-piratic corporate middlemen.

BigBarn - 'BigBarn's unique mapping technology makes it easier to find the freshest produce as locally as possible. Anyone can checkout on-line which producers are within reach, simply by entering the first four characters of their postcode. From the BigBarn map each producer's web site is just a click away. By cutting out the middleman, consumers are likely to find that they pay less for better quality while supporting local producers. The BigBarn database also makes it possible to conduct specific product searches over a wider area, and to find specialists in the BigBarn mail-order shopping mall who deliver throughout the UK.'

L.E.T.Systems - a 21st century approach to putting value back into existence.

The Soil Association called for an immediate ban on all GM foods following the announcement [in February 2000] by twenty international scientists. They are supporting the research findings of Dr Arpad Pusztai into the effects of feeding GM potatoes to rats. Results revealed adverse effects to the rats' immune system and damage to vital organs after just ten days. Dr Stanley Ewen of Aberdeen University Medical School has since validated Dr Pusztai's preliminary research. The spin doctors have great difficulty chewing on this one.
Soil Association stance on GE crops

Ethical Consumer: The UK's only alternative consumer organisation looking at the social and environmental records of the companies behind the brand names.

"Here, in rich countries like Britain, decisions are made which can make or break the lives of people in developing countries. Unless we challenge exploitation and injustice we remain part of the problem. When we take action for change, we become part of the solution. The World Development Movement is part of the solution..."

"Science must be responsible to civil society, and hence independent of commercial interests or government control. The science that society supports must not be contrary to the interests of society." So say The Institute of Science in Society, a not-for-profit organisation whose aims are to promote socially responsible science, science for sustainability and the integration of science into society. They also represent a group of scientists around the world (currently 435 from 53 countries) who are extremely concerned over the actual and potential hazards of genetic engineering biotechnology which have emerged in recent scientific findings.

Kagyu Samye Ling - spare a thought for Tibetans in exile - they may help save us from ourselves...see also The International Tibet Support Group community at www.tibet.org

Say NO to Censorship - Campaign Against Censorship of the Internet in Britain

But perhaps censorship is no longer an option? The Free Network Project - "The problem is that the instant you grant anyone the power to control information, regardless of their remit, you grant them the power to manipulate opinion - and this is incompatible with democracy." - Ian Clarke - founder of the project.
See also a very refreshing new approach in the UK at www.m-o-o-t.org

The Green Party of the UK fired the opening shots in its 2001 general election campaign with a blistering attack on the unrestrained free trade policies of the Big Three parties.

In a key general election briefing - Global Justice, Not Globalisation - the Greens argue that globalisation is:

• Eroding democracy and sovereignty.
• Pushing for worldwide privatisation of public services including education and health.
• Threatening human rights and environmental protection worldwide.
• Exacerbating climate change.
• Exploiting poorer countries while threatening economic stability in industrialised countries.

If you're in the US - Vote Nader for President in 2004 too!
He received nearly 2,700,000 votes last time around with virtually no national media coverage, no funding beyond his incredible rallies and he was most shamefully barred from the Presidential Debates.
"Instead of government of, by, and for the people, we have a government of the Exxons, by the General Motors, and for the DuPonts." - "Concentrated corporate power is on a collision course with democracy"
 

Smiley's A to Z of radical campaigns - This site provides links to more than 170 radical campaigns in the UK

Worldwatch press release - It's a business keeping things in perspective...?