GREENS BACK BRITISH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST ARRESTED IN ICELAND

GREENS BACK BRITISH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST ARRESTED IN ICELAND

Twenty three year old British Saving Iceland activist Miriam Rose has
been arrested by the Icelandic police. She was protesting against the
Icelandic government's support for heavy industry, in particular Rio
Tinto Alcan's Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. Reports
suggest she is still being held by the police. (1)

Dr. Derek Wall, Green Party Principal Speaker, said: "Although Rio
Tinto have been making the headlines for their recent purchase of the
Canadian aluminium group Alcan for 38.1bn dollars (18.7bn pounds), it
is the environmental degradation and damage that goes hand in hand
with most of their projects that should be drawing the spotlight.

"Iceland is the largest remaining wilderness in Europe. Acitivists
such as Mirian Rose, most of whom belong to the Saving Iceland
campaign group, are protesting againsts plans to turn it into the
heavy industry capital of Europe - with companies such as Rio Tinto
reaping in the profits.

"There are no less than 8 new smelters or enlargements of existing
smelters planned in Iceland. Rio Tinto, as a a world leader in
finding, mining and processing the earth’s mineral resources, is
involved in most of them.

"RioTinto-Alcan’s aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of
military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace
and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military
satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other
jets

"Alcan further supplies Boeing a “variety of high performance
aluminum-products”. Boeing produces the Apache and Chinook military
helicopters used in Iraq."

"I am appalled by what looks to be the arrest and imprisonment of
Miriam Rose as a political prisoner, and urge the Icelandic
government to release her.

"In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called for an
independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police
against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006.

"It seems clear that there concerns were justified. "


ENDS

Notes for Editors

(1) More info on Saving Iceland and the arrest of Miriam Rose can be
found at www.savingiceland.org

(2) Proposed smelters or enlargements include:

The new ALCOA smelter in Reydarfjordur.
The new ALCOA smelter in Husavik.
The Rio Tinto ALCAN enlargement of the existing smelter in Straumsvik.
The new Rio Tinto ALCAN smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshofn.
The recent Century Aluminum/Nordural smelter enlargement in Hvalfjordur.
The new Century Aluminum smelter in Helguvik.
The new Altech smelter in Thorlakshofn.
The new Norsk Hydro smelter in Thorlakshofn.
The enlargement of the Icelandic Alloys/ELKEM in Grundartangi.
The new R & D Carbon anode rod factory at Katanes in Hvalfjordur.



Green Party Press Office
020 7561 0282
http://www.greenparty.org.uk

Published and promoted by Jim Killock for the Green Party, both at
1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ.

Greens vandalise fuel-greedy 4x4 cars

What if that Hummer H2 SUT Crew Cab had been a church, synagogue or mosque? Headline: "Congregation Gets Angry Message: Vandals Break Windows, Slash Pews and Carve In an Anti-Religious Note." That would have been sufficient? That would have been fair?

SUV attacks have been occurring in Washington,DC and the local journalists are getting angry, read more here.

CBS news takes up the story here

(CBS/AP) When Gareth Groves brought home his new Hummer SUV, he knew his eco-friendly neighbors disapproved. But he didn't expect this.

His Hummer only lasted five days. On Monday, two masked men were seen taking a bat to every window, knifing each tire and scratching a message into the body — "For The Environ."

Now the attacks have spread to Berlin, this is from the centre right (but quite readable) British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, you can read more here.

This kind of direct action which targets property but is non violent to people has long been pioneered by the Earth Liberation Front an off shoot from Earth First! in the UK and US.

I guess it is a big deal for the right wing readers of the Daily Telegraph, I guess some of them have SUVs but more are probably disgusted by the behaviour of the Mayor of Kensington, a Conservative Party member, who has just spent £115,000 on a gus guzzler....Kensington if you don't know the UK is a tiny London Borough, both small and congested, you can get around without any kind of car without inconvenience.

The Times notes today:

In Kensington and Chelsea, there has been a fuss over the Lord Mayor’s new car, a £115,000 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. This does 195mph, in a borough where the average speed is 18mph, and is one of the worst gas guzzlers on the planet. The City does not always get on with the borough next door; the Lord Mayor’s people point out to me, a touch smugly, that he makes do for much of the time with a gas-powered taxi.

Live with Johnny Ball climate skeptic.

I am momentarily distracted by Johnny Ball appearing on the television screen overlooking my own. He seems to be shouting at someone in a news programme debate. If anyone has the faintest idea what's happening there, please do email me - sport@timesonline.co.uk.

Even this would be more convincing than the theory of Johnny Ball, who for some reason has become one of their media spokemen, and who cornered me for half an hour, during which time he said with great conviction: "Do you know what causes more global warming than anything else? The methane from spiders."

This was a rather bizarre event. I mean what a discussion next of monetary policy with John Noakes or ID cards with Lesley Judd, I was brought up on a diet of BBC childrens tv in the 1970s! I think Sky News set it up so we could have an entertaining on screen row, I am not sure at the end of the day this is a good way of dealing with science, fun as it was for Johnny, myself and the viewers watching at 11.20 am on sunday. I am not a scientist and in essence Johnny Ball is a former childrens tv presenter. But I guess it is virtually impossible to find an actual scientist who will go on television and argue against the principle of climate change.

I find it quite difficult to pin down the climate sceptics but Johnny seems to be saying climate change is not occurring and even if it is we should tackle it by adaption. He seemed to be in the interview to deny the bed rock idea that CO2 traps sunlight and thus increases temperatures. He clearly states that natural sources of CO2 are more significant than human, this does not take into account the fact that human beings have mined fossil fuels and increased greenhouse gas from 280ppm to 380ppm over a century or so.

We are undertaking a giant experiment with the weather which looks like a very dangerous thing to do.

Johnny told me off screen about his 7 page ‘epistle’ to sky over climate change and how angry the issue makes him…


Johnny is an extremely pleasant person to meet but seems to have some bizarre views when it comes to climate change. He does seem to have a range of rather bizarre views full stop….the wiki oracle notes:

In July, 2004 he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.[citation needed]
Johnny is in favour of nuclear power and has given many talks and speeches arguing for the development of nuclear power.
Still many years since his career started, he visits schools throughout the country, to give educational talks. In recent talks he has courted controversy by his views on the BBC being run by homosexuals and that this is having a direct detrimental effect on science programming for children including his own lack of appearances and series. This has been compared to Patrick Moore's recent assertion that the BBC is run by women and this has led to the proliferation of mediocre programming.
In November 2006, Ball voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: "It is like George Orwell’s 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent."[1]


Mark Steel http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/mark_steel/article2753362.ece has written of one encounter with him and my friend Paul Frost heard him on local radio, see here greenmansoccasional.blogspot.com/2007/07/johnny-ball-talking-b.html.

Incidentally New Scientist is proving to be essential reading on climate change with lots of worrying stuff from Paul Hansen http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19526141.600-huge-sea-level-rises-are-coming--unless-we-act-now.html

Surviving in a Sea of Capitalism

"This process [the Bolivarian Revolution] has helped us, now there is
Barrio Adentro and free diagnostic centers and we pay nothing, employment
is increasing and everyone is studying, if you're not studying it's
because you don't want to, not for lack of opportunity."

"President Chavez has helped us 100%, previously we were just exploited,
now we are included - the president [of Inveval - Jorge Paredes] is
meeting in Miraflores today," he concluded.




Had this from Hands Off Venezuela, who had it from Venezuela analysis.

Socialism is hard work in the country but there is a desire to get beyond capitalism and to avoid crappy centralised central planning or bureaucratic nationalisation.

Hayek talks of the creativity of markets made up of individuals, socialists talk of the creativity of those who create ....all of us!

Nice to see honesty about the fuck ups and problems and the admission of the difficult of living on an island in a sea of sharks.

In the UK we pretty much just have the sea without islands....




Venezuela’s Co-Managed Inveval: Surviving in a Sea of Capitalism
Written by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com
Sunday, 29 July 2007

Venezuela´s Bolivarian Revolution and in particular its experiments with
workers co-management and in some instances workers control, is at the
cutting edge of the global movement against capitalism. With the bosses'
lockout in 2002-2003, which shut down much of the Venezuelan economy for a
period of two months, hundreds of factories were closed down and workers
turned out onto the streets to fend for themselves. However, workers have
stepped up to the challenge and it is estimated that some1200 factories
have been taken over and occupied after being shut down. In 2005 the
Chavez government initiated a series of decrees to allow for expropriation
of industry and workers' co-management in the interests of ‘public
utility.' On July 24 I was able to visit Inveval, a valve manufacturing
company that has been under workers control since April 2005, with a
delegation from the International Miranda Center to talk to the workers
and find out more about their struggle, their history, their experience of
workers control, the challenges they face as well as the broader question
of how workers are strategizing to transform Venezuelan society in the
struggle for ‘Socialism in the 21st Century'.

Whilst showing us around the factory Francisco Pinero, Inveval's
treasurer, explained that although Inveval is legally constituted as a
cooperative with 51% owned by the state and 49% owned by the workers,
"real power lies with the workers assembly." Rather than supervisors, the
workers at Inveval elect, through a workers assembly, recallable
‘coordinators of production,' for a period of one year.

"Everyone here gets paid exactly the same, whether they work in
administration, poltical formation, security or keeping the grounds
clean," another worker, Marino Mora added.

"We want the state to own 100%, but for the factory to be under workers
control, for workers to control all production and administration. This is
how we see the new productive model; we don't want to create new
capitalists here," Pinero made clear.

This contrasts sharply with the experience of Invepal, (a Venezuelan paper
company) where a workers' cooperative became private owners of 49% of the
company, and began to contract out the work to casual workers, becoming
bosses themselves in the process and reproducing capitalist relations
within the factory.

"Initially we never had in mind workers control, we were just struggling
for our jobs," Pinero added.

However, he said, the formation of the workers' assembly in the factory
developed organically, "We were members of the union [Sintrametal -
formerly aligned to the old corrupt CTV], however, when we wanted to take
over the factory we asked the union for legal help, but they didn't help
us. Because the union didn't help us we began to form assemblies, and
through that process began to negotiate with the Minister [of Labor, then
Maria Christina Iglesias], who helped us a lot."

"We spent two years picketing at the gates before we decided to take it
over. Through this process we developed political maturity very fast, not
just through our own personal struggle, but the broader political
struggles of the constituent assembly and the recall referendum"

When quizzed on their relationship with the UNT and how they viewed the
project of unifying the working class within the revolution, Rolando
Aguilar said, "We want to see a UNT with a different kind of organizing,
rather than leaders from the top, we want participatory discussion and
spokespeople elected from the factory floor. We don't want things imposed
on us."

"The only union leaders that ever came to visit us were Orlando Chirinos
and Marcela Maspero,

but often they divide the workers movement," Mora added.

"Workers have to take over productive spaces. That way we can pressure
those that only want reforms, because we don't just want reforms," Pinero
asserted.

In 2006 the workers at Inveval initiated FRETECO (The Revolutionary
Workers Front of Co-managed and Occupied Factories) and held a national
congress in October with representatives from 10 factories to discuss and
debate their experiences and challenges as well as strategies of how the
workers movement can increase the take over industry an implement
authentic worker control. More recently, FRETECO held a meeting on the
30th of June with representatives of 20 factories to discuss a unified
proposal of statutes for implementing workers control.

However, Venezuela's recovered factories, despite having the support of
the Chavez government, are in essence faced with the same problem of the
recovered factories in Argentina: how to survive in a sea of capitalist
economic relations, how to ensure supply of raw materials, how to ensure a
buyer for the finished product. Inveval is suffering from both of these
problems.

Inveval is having particular difficulties obtaining the raw materials to
manufacture valves. The workers at Inveval told us that when the original
owner of Inveval, (then called CNV), Andrés Sosa Pietri (a former
president of Venezuelan state owned oil company PDVSA), extended a bosses
lock out and closed the company down in December 2002, he also closed down
the "sister company", a foundry which provided Inveval with the materials
needed for producing valves. The workers in Inveval tried to encourage the
workers in the foundry to take it over as well, but they decided to accept
a payout from the boss instead and the foundry has remained closed ever
since. Inveval is currently trying to negotiate a deal with the government
to either buy out or expropriate the foundry.

Although, the workers at Inveval could source raw materials from other
countries such as Mexico, Argentina, or China, endogenous development
regulations require them to prioritize sourcing raw materials from within
Venezuela and as yet they have not been able to find a source.

Therefore, the main area of work at Inveval involves the repair and
maintenance of existing valves for PDVSA, with the company running at only
10% capacity, and surviving from government loans, a situation which is
obviously unsustainable. With the factory being completely unprofitable,
the workers told us a two-month deadline had been set to find a source for
raw materials, though this could be extended through a process of
negotiations with the government.

Additionally, the workers at Inveval told us they were having difficulties
with PDVSA with whom they are contracted to supply valves. When the
workers took over in 2005, after rehabilitating the factory, they started
production using remaining raw materials to fill previously existing
contractual obligations with PDVSA, however, as yet PDVSA has not complied
with its side of the deal and the finished valves have been sitting on the
factory floor for the past eight months.

The workers at Inveval told us that during a meeting between Chavez,
Inveval, and Veneval, (the body responsible for contracting valve supply
in PDVSA) in April, the president of Veneval claimed that Inveval did not
produce any valves, the president of Inveval said that was "rubbish" and
that they had valves ready to supply PDVSA. Chavez ordered the president
of Veneval to visit Inveval in April to see if there were valves. Since
then the workers said, PDVSA agreed to take the valves, however they are
still waiting for them to be picked up and PDVSA has started to order
valves from Inveval of different sizes that they know Inveval is unable to
produce and are now claiming again that they are unable to fill the
orders.

The workers contend that corrupt sectors in PDVSA would much rather deal
with private companies, where they can make deals and make money. Moro
declared, "The bidding process for PDVSA allows for corruption. They
should get rid of the bidding process and just get valves from us because
we are a state company and they are a state company."

"There are definitely sectors of PDVSA that are opposed to workers control
and to the example of Inveval," Moro added.

Despite these difficulties the workers at Inveval are keeping themselves
busy, as well as carrying out community projects such as working with the
local mental asylum, the factory, which was in excellent condition when we
visited, provides space for Mission Ribas and Mission Sucre, and the
communal councils also use the factory as a meeting place.

All of the workers also participate in two hours of technical and
socio-political classes each day as well as attending classes after 4pm at
Mission Ribas and Mission Sucre, members of the local community also
participate in the classes.

Inveval also regularly hosts political forums, visits from student groups,
international delegations and delegations of workers from other occupied
factories.

The workers at Inveval also view the political discussions about socialism
at a national level as extremely important and believe it is necessary to
insert themselves into the debate, "We can do this through the PSUV [the
United Socialist Party of Venezuela currently under formation]" Pinero
said.

"This process [the Bolivarian Revolution] has helped us, now there is
Barrio Adentro and free diagnostic centers and we pay nothing, employment
is increasing and everyone is studying, if you're not studying it's
because you don't want to, not for lack of opportunity."

"President Chavez has helped us 100%, previously we were just exploited,
now we are included - the president [of Inveval - Jorge Paredes] is
meeting in Miraflores today," he concluded.

article from Venezuelanalysis.com

Vegan porn spam invades 'another green world'

This site (yeah that vegan shit blogspot.com) seems to pop up quite a bit, veganism is a good way of respecting ecology, see this article from the climate camp but it used to be a bit dour, vegan porn sites seem to be all the rage, is it as much fun as the photos suggest.

You will have to decide for your selves.

The article argues that vegan is good for fighting climate change:

The billions of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows who are crammed into factory farms each year across the globe produce enormous amounts of methane, both during digestion and from the acres of cesspools filled with feces that they excrete. Scientists report that every pound of methane is more than 20 times as effective as carbon dioxide is at trapping heat in our atmosphere. Unlike carbon dioxide which can remain in the air for more than a century, methane cycles out of the atmosphere in just eight years, so that lower methane emissions quickly translate lead to the cooling of the earth.

I guess that alternatives to factory farming produce less methane. Johnny Ball asked on the way into the studio if it was true that a single cow is more environmentally damaging than a single SUV. MORE ON MY TV APPEARANCE WITH JOHNNY LATER OR TOMORROW.

I hope neither Johnny or the vegans want us to eliminate cows!

I am not quite sure about this link in the change of argument, we have always had cows, but certainly feed lot product is no good thing.

Take a look at the animals film, this radicalised me when I saw it, incidentally I have just rejoined Animal Aid.

Veganism is a good move in my book especially if the picture above is no lie.

Been having problems with the link to the article from the climate change camp so here is something from the Daily Telegraph and David Miliband putting the case....what next reprints of Green Anarchist in the Mirror!

Nazi murder of Russian green activist

Controversy and Death follow Neo-Nazi Murder at Environmental Camp in
Siberia

JULY 28, 2007 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact in Siberia: +79 246212465

RUSSIA – Police and state officials have repeatedly denied that
organized neo-Nazi structures are behind the attack last week on a
environmental protest camp in Siberia leaving several heavily injured
victims and one dead.

In the morning of the 21st of July approximately 15-20 young men in
camouflage clothing with short-cut hair and white arm bands attacked the
protest camp and beat up the 20 campers with iron bars and other
weapons, as the organizers of the camp published later that day. Ilya
Borodaenko, aged 21, from Nachodka died from craniocerebral trauma in a
hospital after suffering a head-fracture during the attack. Of the nine
other campers who were seriously injured, at least one had both legs
broken and all together five were put in the hospital with serious
conditions. Two still remain.

According to victims of the assault, police have repeatedly denied the
existence of any organized neo-fascist groups in the area or a political
background of the attack, despite obvious signs to the contrary. Victims
account of hearing the assailants “spitefully swearing” about the
Russian anti-fascist movement while they beat the campers.

According to eye-witnesses, authorities have attempted to cover up the
far-right ideology behind the attack. In their written statement victims
decry the ”pressing requests of the representatives of the police and
the Office of Public Prosecutor to participants of the camp not to make
a scandal and to avoid any communication with journalists.” This follows
a trend in recent years where police and the government mislabel such
attacks and neo-Nazi murders as merely “hooligan attacks” in an effort
to downplay right-wing extremist political violence.
Ilya

There has been a marked increase in neo-nazi attacks on migrants as well
as anti-fascist and other political activists in recent years. This was
at least the fourth murder of a young active antifascist in less than 2
years. In November 2005 Timur Kacharava was killed, in April 2006 -
Alexandr Ruhin, in March 2007 – Stanislav Korepanov. American President
George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, amongst others, have
critiqued Russian President Putin for suppressing protest and banning
critical press and political dissent. In the case of the slain Ilya
Borodaenko, police refuse to speak of politics, instead again claiming
the attack was done by youth hooligan gangs and theft was the only
motivation.

The protest camp took place in opposition to the planned construction of
the International Uranium Enrichment Centre (IUEC) at the Angarsk
Uranium Enrichment Plant (AUEP), less than 100 km away from the Baikal
Sea natural heritage site. The state agency Ros-Atom is responsible for
the building of the AUEP, which was encouraged by a new USA/Russia
brokered deal made at the G8 Summit of 2006 in St.Petersburg. One
activist stated, “According to the official G8 web-site, the Angarsk
nuclear facility was to be a model of the new USA/Russia deal to help
open markets in nuclear products.” The organization that planned the
protest camp, Ecological Wave of Baikal, had planned various rallies in
the surrounding area to inform locals about the plans and to drum up
support for a campaign to oppose the plant. Another organizers of the
camp said, “Local people often reacted positively to protest pickets and
claims against a nuclear future endangering safety and the lives of locals.”

However, despite the brutality of the attack, victims stated in an open
letter that they won’t stop the activity of their camp -or their ongoing
fight “against all that destroys both nature and human life and
dignity.” “Today we grieve. Tomorrow we will continue our struggle,”
they write.

Organizers have encouraged others to donate funds to cover the burial
costs of Mr. Borodaenko. Donations can be made via War War Resisters’
International (www.wri-irg.org), info@wri-irg.org. People are also
encouraged to show support for Mr. Borodaenko by registering protest at
Russian Embassies.

###

EXTRA:

Sources and photos:

* Background on protest camp:
o http://avtonom.org/index.php?sid=5,
o http://www.ww4report.com/node/4036

* Video from Vesti (Russian mainstream TV channel):
http://www.vesti.ru/video.html?vid=105868
* Additional video from NTV ‘Independent TV’:
http://news.ntv.ru/113617/video
* Regional map: http://www.lastingnews.com/maps/angarsk.html
* Photos:
o http://imc-siberia.org/node/50,
o http://www.marcvallee.co.uk/stories_vigil_russian_embassy.html,
o http://de.indymedia.org/2007/07/188489.shtml#spenden

Both the deepest and oldest lake on the planet, the Lake Baikal heritage
site contains over 20% of the worlds liquid fresh water. Under the
slogan "No Chernobyls at Baikal" organizers of the camp have been
opposing the development of a nuclear center in the area as well as the
current existence of the Angarsk plant for some time.
--
Media G8way does not claim responsibility for the content of the statements it
distributes on behalf of the groups or individuals who use its service. Media
G8way is an international press service for individuals, groups, networks and
(dis)organizations who understand themselves to be part of an independent
radical left movement against the G8.

Media G8way Contact:
Alex Smith +49 16092437902
Jo Smith + 49 015774630348
g8-press-int@nadir.org
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/node/2669

Ticket terror on the railways

South West Trains are fining heavily to increase revenue, could they not just sell tickets on the trains and install more machines?

This is the advice from Schnews....I do like Schnews, I reckon if as many people read Schnews as the Sun we would be well on the way to ecotopia.






PENALTY UNFAIR

Since the railways were privatised, ticket prices unsurprisingy went up, largely filling the pockets of investors instead of improving the service. Not content with clobbering the ticketless with a £10 fine, recently all networks upped the 'penalty' to a full twenny quid. South West Trains issued a memo to its 'revenue enforcement' officers saying that they must always presume someone traveling without a ticket is guilty and to sting them for a score regardless of the excuse. But what if you arrived at the station, your train's about to leave and there's a big queue for tickets?

The penalty fares rules state that if there were "no facilities available to issue the appropriate ticket" you can't get done. One barrister, Richard Colbey, says this means that there must have been someone ready to sell you a ticket and if that person (or machine) is serving a queue then the facilities to buy aren't actually available. That's paragraph 7.4 of the penalty fares rules, by the way. To fine you the train company has to sue you through the county court and so far none have done so. Happy traveling!


More Schnews here

illegal ALCOA smelter in Reydarfjordur

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called for an
independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police
against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006. At
the same time the Left-Green party also expressed serious concern about
the conduct of the police in the coming summer of 2007. Clearly not
without reason.

In Iceland there is huge opposition to the ALCOA aluminium plant but this US based project is being shoved through by the ruling Party.

Please read this report I have just been mailed and get involved.



Saving Iceland
27 July

The Icelandic government and ALCOA are piling up political prisoners
with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

A twenty three year old British Saving Iceland activist who was arrested
today on the action against Rio Tinto-Alcan, has been imprisoned for
eight days.

Apparently the activist was told by the Icelandic police that she was to
pay a 100.000 kronur (£840) fine for her involvement in protests against
ALCOA in the east of Iceland in the summer of 2006, or face prison. She
chose the latter.

At this time we do not know where she will be held.

The third S. I. protestor to be imprisoned is an Icelandic 21 year old.
(The first S.I. activist imprisoned was Paul Gill in 2005.) He is to sit
in jail for 18 days, this coming August, for protesting against the then
still illegal ALCOA smelter in Reydarfjordur.

Other foreign protesters are now having their passports held at ransom
by the police for fines based on accusations for obstructing the police,
but no actual charges. According to a high ranking policeman this is the
first time that the Icelandic police do this. It seems to be the routine
with the Icelandic police that they repeatedly break their own laws in
the almost certain hope they won't be caught out. This is yet another
sign of the corruption that results from the close ties between the
State and the judicial system in Iceland.

Here at Saving Iceland we seem to remember that passports are the
property of the States that they are issued by.

Thus, the Icelandic police may actually be breaching international law
by blackmailing foreign citizens who are just exercising their
democratic right to protest peacefully against the corrupt heavy
industry policy that this new government continues to maintain.

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called for an
independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police
against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006. At
the same time the Left-Green party also expressed serious concern about
the conduct of the police in the coming summer of 2007. Clearly not
without reason.

It is high time that the autocratic and frequently violent methods of
the Icelandic police against peaceful protesters come under serious
scrutiny.

http://www.savingiceland.org/node/887

Am I banned from Heathrow too?

Bryan Sobey, 78, president of the Harmondsworth and Sipson Residents'
Association, said: "It's a bit like ethnic cleansing without the guns.
It will take an entire village and part of another village out of
existence completely."


Shockingly I haven't been banned from Heathrow....you will have seen an injunction has gone out against members of several organisations in case they go on the climate campaign camp august 14th-21st.

I have been banned from every Tescos...this was for direct action during the campaign in the early 1990s against the building of golden hill store on greenspace in Henleaze Bristol.

Oh I have been banned! I am member of the National Trust (for non Uk readers, this is not a fascist group but an organisation that protects ancient buildings and the countryside set in the 19th century)....oh well.

Jenny Jones has been doing a bit of useful Green Party solidarity and liason.


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2809171.ece

27 July 2007 00:57

Heathrow puts up legal barricades to keep away protesters
If you're a member of the National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust
or Friends of the Earth, then you could be banned from Britain's
biggest airport. And the Piccadilly line. And parts of Paddington
station. And sections of the M4. All because the authorities want to
halt a protest against climate change...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Published: 27 July 2007

Five million people in peaceful environmental organisations such as
the National Trust and the RSPB have become the subject of an
extraordinary legal attempt to limit their right to protest.

In legal documents seen by The Independent, the British Airports
Authority has begun moves that would allow police to arrest members of
15 environmental groups to prevent them taking part in demonstrations
against airport expansion.

While the threat of terrorism and consequent security checks have been
dominating the headlines during the start of the summer holidays, BAA
has been planning a pre-emptive strike against environmentalists.

Next week, in response to a demonstration due to be held outside
Heathrow airport, BAA will go to the High Court to seek judicial
approval for an anti-environmentalist injunction, the terms of which
are so wide they have provoked astonishment among the green movement.
Any one of five million people in groups such as the Campaign for the
Protection of Rural England could be arrested for travelling on the
London Underground or possessing a kite.

Anyone failing to give 24 hours' notice of a protest could be arrested
for travelling on sections of the motorway or from standing on
platforms 6 and 7 at Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express.
The terms of the injunction would cover: "All railway trains and
carriages operating upon the Piccadilly line of the London Underground
System ; the M4 and all service stations between and including
junctions 3 and 6; and the M25 and all service stations between and
including junctions 13 and 15..."

Civil rights campaigners claim the injunction, which will be heard on
Wednesday, would put new limits on the right to peaceful protest.
Liberty described the "massively wide ban" - which has no time limit -
as ridiculously unenforceable. "The dangerous and undemocratic trend
of large corporations seeking to trample the legal right to peaceful
protest should be taken very seriously by the courts," the human
rights group protested.

BAA insisted it had a duty to protect the travelling public from
disruption during the holiday season and was not seeking to prevent
legal protest. As part of the second annual Camp for Climate Action,
up to 5,000 protesters were to pitch tents for a week at or near
Heathrow from 14 August in protest at plans for a third runway that
would increase flights by 50 per cent. A day of peaceful direct
action, such as occupying an airline office, was planned but
organisers have promised not to compromise safety or inconvenience
passengers.

On Monday, BAA served an injunction on four protest leaders: Joss
Garman from Camp for Climate Action and Plane Stupid; Leo Murray, of
Plane Stupid; Geraldine Nicholson, of the Heathrow campaign group No
Third Runway Action Group; and John Stewart, of Hacan and
AirportWatch, an umbrella group of 10 environmental groups such as the
RSPB, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the National Trust, whose
members total more than five million people. Members of all the groups
would be banned from setting up a camp at or in the vicinity of
Heathrow and from carrying items including spades, saws, ropes,
cables, aerosol cans, balloons, whistles and loudhailers.

The protesters would be allowed to gather at three protest points on
the outskirts of the airport providing they did not exceed an as yet
unspecified number, and gave their names, car registration plates and
advance notice. They would not be allowed to use any megaphones,
klaxons or sirens or go within 100 metres of any airport operation.

BAA said in a statement: "During the summer holiday period up to
200,000 people pass through Heathrow daily... These people would
suffer as a result of any unlawful or irresponsible behaviour aimed at
disrupting the smooth operation of the airport."

Mr Garman said that he was "stunned" at the breadth of the injunction.
"It seems that having totally lost the argument on climate change they
are resorting to bullying tactics. It is by far the biggest crackdown
on civil liberties we have seen in terms of peaceful protest.

Martin Harper of the RSPB said: "It does seem extraordinary at a time
when half of the country is knee deep in flood water and the
Government is bringing forward legislation to tackle climate change
that BAA is having to resort to bullying tactics to halt protests."

Why the airport has become a target

Activists are targeting Heathrow because of the threat posed to new
climate-change targets by the planned expansion of airports
nationwide. They believe the protests can influence aviation policy in
the same way that the Newbury bypass protests in 1996 led to Labour
calling a halt to the building of more roads.

At stake is the future of the world's busiest international airport.
Heathrow currently has a limit of 480,000 flights a year. Allowing
both existing runways to handle take-offs and landings and building a
third runway could take that to 800,000 flights. Twelve local
authorities in west London have formed the 2M group to oppose the
plans which they say will leave a "constant rumble" over the homes of
people in Kensington & Chelsea, Fulham, Richmond, Kingston and other
areas. Members of the NoTRAG and Hacan Clearskies campaigning groups
are also fighting the proposals.

The Government argues airport expansion is necessary to ensure
continued economic growth. According to a study by Oxford Economic
Forecasting last month, the planned airport expansion will increase
GDP by £13bn by 2030, outweighing "climate change costs". A third
runway would demolish the village of Sipson and part of Harmondsworth.

Bryan Sobey, 78, president of the Harmondsworth and Sipson Residents'
Association, said: "It's a bit like ethnic cleansing without the guns.
It will take an entire village and part of another village out of
existence completely."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jul/27/climatechange

Catch-all Heathrow protest injunction could bar millions

· Climate activists fight legal move by BAA
· Met chief warns of disruption for travellers

* John Vidal and Dan Milmo
* The Guardian
* Friday July 27 2007

Heathrow airport is targeting climate change activists with a sweeping
injunction which could prevent members of the RSPB and the National
Trust, plus millions more affiliated to environmental organisations,
from attending a green protest.

The airport's owner, BAA, said it wants to minimise disruption when
the Camp for Climate Action is held there from August 14 to 21. The
Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, gave warning
yesterday that disruption to the airport was likely.

BAA named three individuals on the application as well as "members and
supporters" of Airport Watch, a coalition of environment groups which
together total nearly 5 million members.

Under the injunction, a ban on approaching the airport would cover
National Trust, Woodland Trust and RSPB supporters, as well as members
of Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Campaign to Protect Rural
England. The case will be heard next Wednesday.

"This could stop millions of people who are members of these groups
going to Heathrow," said Kate Harrison of Matrix chambers, who will be
representing some of the people and groups named on the injunction.
"The judge will have to decide whether it applies to all the
individual members of the groups. You have to go back to the miners'
strike [in the 1980s] to find an injunction on this scale." Green
groups are working together to challenge the injunction.

Despite assurances from camp organisers that no one would try to
occupy runways or go "airside", the company said yesterday that it
feared disruption. "We are throwing the net very wide to make sure the
airport can operate securely," said a BAA spokesman. "People have
rights to protest but people also have the right to go on holiday,
too.

"The intention is not to stop protest or to withhold people's rights
in any way. Legally, if you take it to its very extreme, it does mean
that people cannot go to the airport to protest. But that is not
realistic."

Sir Ian said the protest could be very disruptive. "It will require a
very large number of officers to deliver it. The Met is quite capable
of delivering those officers. We have been working our way through
what we need and we will provide it ... But it is likely there will be
some disruption at Heathrow," he said.

After the terror attack on Glasgow airport, police are concerned about
the camp and have been stepping up security. "You would be very silly
indeed to try to breach the security of a British airport in any way,"
said one airport source yesterday.

The application for the injunction, seen by the Guardian, covers
airport land, local villages, named areas in and around London
including Paddington station, the Heathrow Express, which is owned by
BAA, the Piccadilly line on the London Underground, and stretches of
the M4 and M25. In theory, say protesters, it would cover the Prince
of Wales, who is president of the National Trust, and celebrities who
have worked with groups trying to stop the airport expanding.

"This is corporate bullying, designed to shut down peaceful protest,"
said John Stewart of Hacan, a local group named in the BAA injunction.
"Local people are furious."

Heathrow has been targeted by climate change campaigners as the
government prepares to start the formal process of building a third
runway. The runway is backed by ministers, airlines and business
leaders but opposed by local residents and green activists, who say
expansion will contravene environmental policy.

Up to 1,000 protesters and locals are expected to attend the camp at a
site to be announced. The peaceful protest is expected to attract
scientists, students and church organisations concerned about
aviation's role in climate change. One day has been set aside for
"direct action".

=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/aviation-industry-takes-the-queen-five-million-brits-and-itself-to-court-20070726

Aviation industry takes five million people to court
Posted by bex on 26 July 2007.

Planes on the runway

Here's a doozy for you: on Wednesday, the aviation industry is taking
five million people - including a lot of their own staff - to court.
If you're a member or supporter of a group that's concerned about
climate change, the chances are you're a defendant too.

The industry seems to want to ban five million of us from Heathrow and
all routes to the airport, including the Piccadilly line, parts of the
rail network, and sections of the M25 and M4.

In three weeks' time, the Camp for Climate Action is due to gather
near Heathrow to peacefully protest against Heathrow's vast
contribution to climate change (the airport's planes emit more
greenhouse gases than many individual countries) and its planned third
runway expansion.

The owner of Heathrow, the British Airports Authority (BAA), seems to
be, frankly, terrified.

It's seeking an injunction, which names as defendants "all persons
acting as members, participants or supporters" of anti-aviation group
Plane Stupid, anti-noise group HACAN and AirportWatch. The injunction
is to stop people from setting foot on Heathrow and "the arterial
infrastructure serving" it.

So far, so good. Just another example of the aviation industry's
corporate bullying, albeit a draconian one.

But the interesting bit is that AirportWatch, named on the injunction,
is just an umbrella organisation. Its member organisations include the
National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust, the Campaign for the
Protection of Rural England, Transport 2000, Friends of the Earth and
Greenpeace, among many others.

The combined supporter base of these organisations is well over five
million people.

And it includes the Queen, patron of the RSBP and CPRE. Prince
Charles, president of the National Trust, would also be banned from
Heathrow and its surrounds - as would Imran Khan and Shane Warne, who
recently fund-raised for HACAN.

Even more bizarrely, the injunction covers many of BAA's own staff.
Their 2006 Corporate Responsibility report (pdf) tells us that BAA
sent its airport staff to the RSPB nature reserve at Lochwinnoch
"where they spent the day building nest boxes for the native bird
population". Which seems to me to fit the description of "persons
acting as members, participants or supporters".

When we got the news, after sitting around open-mouthed for a bit, we
suspected that BAA didn't know who or what AirportWatch was; they'd
panicked, we thought. Hadn't done their research.

But 'a source' who's spoken to BAA has just told us that BAA is
deliberately making the ban as broad as possible, and leaving it up to
the police to apply it with common sense. Which means, if BAA wins,
the police will have the right to stop you, me or Her Maj from, say,
getting on "all railway trains and carriages operating upon the
Piccadilly line"...

I've been trying to get hold of an electronic copy of the injunction
for all the defendants out there but I've had no luck so far (the
version delivered was so large it filled four ring-binders). If I
manage, I'll post it here.

Take action!

If you're not one of the defendants and are feeling a bit left out,
feel free to show a bit of solidarity; just sign up to a green
organisation of your choice. If we can get another five million people
banned from Heathrow, BAA might find it doesn't need its third runway
after all... In fact, they could solve all their problems of lost
luggage, queues and general chaos while they're at it.


jo.
+44 77 17 22 13 96
http://www.workface.org
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/climate-energy

Derek Wall supports free software

Derek Wall, principal male speaker for the GPEW, would agree -- although not all Greens, he stresses, would necessarily share his emphasis. "For me personally, [FOSS is] about a green economy based on the principles of using resources creatively," Wall says.

"It provides an alternative notion of property rights. It's a new version of commons, and for me commons are a way ... of increasing prosperity without wasteful growth in throw-away consumption."

Most importantly, for the GPEW, FOSS represents a new approach to basic activist issues. "FOSS," Wall says, "is a concept that cuts through the stale debates around state or private economic control of either the individual or the collective." FOSS, he adds, is an alternative to "the wrong kind of economics, based on growth in waste, short term profit, [and] endless commodification of nature."

As Chance explains, the sharing of code in FOSS makes the question of whether it is released by a private or public group largely irrelevant since, either way, the license assures that everyone can benefit.

This vision, while idealistic, is very much in keeping with the frequent declarations of Green Parties worldwide that they represent an alternative to the liberal and conservative spectrum of mainstream traditional politics. For example, Wall notes that in opposing software patents in the European Parliament, GPEW members Jean Lambert and Caroline Lucas were part of a coalition that included representatives from both socialist and center-right parties.

More from me on free source/open source here

Green Political Thought

Just got the fourth edition of this book by Andrew Dobson. He is a Green Party member and an academic at Keele University, its a great statement of green political ideas, flags up many important and interesting debates.

His central argument is that green politics is an ideology like socialism or conservativism and distinguishes it from environmentalism.

I will try and find time to comment on it chapter by chapter over coming weeks.

I would highly recommend you read it, a lot of greens need to think more deeply about their politics.

I am alarmed that green politics to some is just a vague concern with the environment rather than something deeper, stronger, wider.

apocalypse jeans from Diesel

climate change Jeans


So George Marshall informs me climate change is being used to sell jeans and we know that with the melting ice caps Russia and Canada are exploring for oil in the Artic.

Shocking!

Lets build a stronger Green Party and green movement, time is becoming short.

Gordon Brown's great nuclear con trick

This is from Peter Tatchell

Gordon Brown says expanded nuclear power is essential to cut carbon
emissions and global warming. The Prime Minister is wrong. Roger
Higman, Campaigns Coordinator of Friends of the Earth, discusses with
Peter Tatchell the cheaper, greener and safer alternatives, such as
energy conservation, wind, wave, tidal, hydro, geo-thermal and solar
power.

Click here to watch the programme:
http://doughty.gdbtv.com/player.php?h=afb6da65e27e71bbf73fd6ab60701ee9

Peter Tatchell writes:

The Prime Minister wants to build about 10 new nuclear stations, at a
construction cost of around £30 to £40 billion; plus tens of billions
more to decommission the reactors at the end of their working life and
to store their toxic radioactive waste for 20,000 years.

There are viable, practical alternatives. The government's Energy
Review in 2002 advised that the UK could cut its energy needs by
one-third through a comprehensive programme of energy conservation,
including double-glazing, loft insulation, energy-efficient boilers
and switching to low-energy light bulbs.

More efficient industrial motors in factories could enable us to save
enough electricity to shut down four nuclear power stations. If the
whole country switched to low energy light bulbs, we could save the
equivalent of the electricity generated by one nuclear power plant.

The government's own estimates, commissioned from the Carbon Trust,
suggest that the UK has the potential to secure all its energy needs
from renewable resources.

Off-shore wind farms could comfortably generate the same amount of
electricity as 12.5 nuclear power stations. Wave power could match the
electricity output of 8.5 nuclear reactors.

Tidal power is another major option. It could produce around 15% of
our electricity needs. Just one project, the proposed Severn estuary
tidal lagoons scheme, has the potential to fulfil 6% of the UK's
electricity demand. An additional 9% of UK demand could be met by
tidal schemes in the Thames, Humber and Mersey estuaries.

Other renewable sources include solar power. Within five years,
Germany will generate as much of its electricity from solar power as
we currently generate from nuclear (around 20%). We could match and
exceed Germany if we made solar tiles the universal, mandatory roofing
material for all domestic, industrial, commercial and public
buildings.

Another non-nuclear alternative is rolling hydro power, which involves
placing turbines on river-beds to capture the power of river flows;
mini-hydro schemes; and combined heat and power stations to capture
and use the waste heat produced by energy generation.

A new frontier technology is hydro pressure from the gas pipe network.
Mini-turbines in gas pipes could utilise natural variations and
changes in gas pressure to produce electricity. This technology is
already being trialled successfully in the US, Switzerland and Italy.

Geo-thermal power has some potential in the UK, but our best bet would
to import from Iceland electricity generated from its geo-thermal (and
hydro) sources.

One other possible import is electricity produced by concentrated
solar power. This involves giant mirror farms in desert regions like
southern Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and north Africa,
which concentrate the sun's rays to create intense heat to drive
turbines and generate electricity. By covering less than 1% of the
world's desert regions with the concentrated solar power stations, we
could produce enough power to meet the entire world's electricity
needs.

Say no to Gordon Brown's nuclear con trick. It is not needed and not
honest. There are safer, cleaner and cheaper alternatives – lots of
them and they can produce all our energy needs in perpetuity.

To view the programme, click on this link:

http://doughty.gdbtv.com/player.php?h=afb6da65e27e71bbf73fd6ab60701ee9

Note:

Talking With Tatchell is broadcast every Friday night at 8.30pm on the
internet TV channel, www.18doughtystreet.com

Previous programmes are permanently archived. Type "Tatchell" into the
Search facility to access all past editions of Talking With Tatchell.

Ends


--
Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East
http://www.greenoxford.com/peter and http://www.petertatchell.net

Camp for Climate Action

Well up late for the count, I have a very healthy tan from sitting outside the polling station in Sedgfield for most of yesterday. A useful exercise and great to work with Chris Haines, who is a strong candidate.

I am hoping to get up here in the North East again and build up the Green Party.

For the time being here is one I prepared earlier. Direct action is part of the process...

Direct action helped get women the vote. In the 1930s, the great Benny Rothman led a controversial trespass on Kinder Scout Moor in the Peak District to win rights for ramblers. He spoke on at least one Twyford Down rally in the 1990s to support Earth First fighting the roads programme. The protesters lost at Twyford but they stopped a much bigger roads programme.

I am proud that the Green party fights elections and wins them sometimes, but I am just as proud to say that our manifesto lays down support for non-violent direct action as an appropriate way of bringing about social change. I am a novice - with just the odd caution, bind over and night in the cells - but I am always ready to learn from the dedicated, inspiring people of Camp for Climate Action.

More here

Vote Chris Haine, Green Party candidate to replace Blair as MP

Vote Chris Haine, Green Party candidate to replace Blair as MP


Got the train to Durham and then off to Newton Aycliffe, interview with the Northern Echo about getting the troops out of Iraq, fighting climate change and losing oil addiction.

Nice to meet a few green voters there...especially the nice guy with dreads and the mum whose daughter was GM campaigner.

Off to Sedgefield, the Dun Cow is site of the visit by Bush...'we couldn't walk down our own street cos of the security' said one local to me.

Bit of canvassing in the pub, then off door knocking...'we have only seen you and the Tories', 'canny with the postal votes around here' another told me.

A good bit of interest and a professional dynamic candidate, tomorrow its canvass, canvass, canvass.

GREENS RAMP UP CAMPAIGN: DEREK WALL JOINS CANVASSERS IN SEDGEFIELD
CONSTITUENCY

3PM TODAY, MARKET SQUARE, NEWTON AYCLIFFE

Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall and Greens from across
the constituency will today converge on the market square of Newton
Aycliffe to show their support for candidate Chris Haine.

Derek said: "Every vote for the Green Party is a vote against war, a
vote for real action on climate change and a vote for social justice.

"Tony Blair made the world a more dangerous place, voting Green sends
a powerful message to protect the planet.

Derek also spoke of his support for candidate Chris Haine. A Humanist
Officiant, Chris is a prominent member of the Green Party in the
North East where he has been working for the past few
years to raise the profile of the Greens across the region.

"Chris is an example of a dynamic new breed of Green Party activists
who will bring real integrity to a campaign that will otherwise be a
dreary example of the old grey politics

"Voters in Sedgefield have an unprecedented opportunity to send a
message to Labour and to Westminster.

"A vote for the Green Party means a vote for politics where people
come before profit, where integrity comes before political expediency.

"The Greens were the only political party consistently opposed to the
war in the Iraq, from the very beginning. I believe our track record
across the country on issues such as this will stand us in good stead
in this election. "

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Derek will be canvassing with Chris all this week, further details of
photo-calls and media events will be released shortly.

Children of Men

This film blew us out. ie me. my sons and Sarah Farrow

2027 and the human race is infertile. We are dying. But the street scenes and the politics taste real, just a few years on from 2007, id cards, islam in a cage, asylum seekers, decay.

A real bit of political education.

Equally it looks 100% great.

I think the secret is to watch this kind of stuff to keep strong, imaginative and to see through all the BS.

The music is worth hearing and Jarvis Cocker right at the end says it all about class politics.

They are still ruling the world!

Chertsey is Guatamala, Bexhill = El Salvador.

A strain of dirty English realism.

New Green, I don't think so

New Green, its a washing powder

New Green, its a career choice.

New Green, if its an archaeological monument on the path to power, blow it up.

New Green, its the same old shit but not as we know it Jim!

New Green, I don't think this brand is fit to drink.

http://www.greenempowerment.org.uk/petition.shtml So get involved and sign the petition for a green party rather than a single leader>>>

Wee are on to the push to make the Green Party led, professional and all that stuff. You can fail by remaining on the margins but to really fail just do all the things the traditional parties do, gaining office, losing any real power and implementing ecocide in friendly acceptable way.

I suppose if you fail from the margins no one gets a salary or a pension.

Pogue Mahone as they say in the old country

NOT OVER OUR DEAD BODIES

this from Schnews.


NOT OVER OUR DEAD BODIES

Here's a report from a British roads campaign veteran at the Hill Of Tara protest in Ireland, protecting one of the most important archaeological sites in the world from a motorway (for background see SchNEWS 585, 593)

"We first arrived on Tara to dampened spirits due to rain and an exhausted but very determined Tara Vigil. These passionate and dedicated people have been getting up at 5am every morning and standing in front of the site gate and diggers till 7.30pm! In this way they have managed to hold off the destruction of Ireland's ancient heritage for 6 weeks, using non-violent direct action. Their numbers are few but they remain committed to the cause.

One recent discovery was an enormous wood henge (approx the size of three football pitches) near Rath Lugh - one of the most significant finds in Ireland this century. But the archaeology work going on is being rushed, because it is funded by the road company themselves. One of the archaeologists has walked out in outrage and is now living in the woods and is out stopping the diggers every day!

An ancestral burial and feasting ground has also been discovered, but the graves were desecrated, and bones put in bags and sent off without proper recording. The local school children were so moved that they went down to the site and made a mandala out of the bones, freaking out the workers so much that work was held off for two weeks. The burial grounds' topsoil has been left on the side of the field, containing human and animal bones and evidence of ancient civilizations.

The workers themselves are only people and are mostly friendly. They even staged their own protest at one point and jokingly stood behind our car and said we weren't allowed to leave. There has been only one arrest so far, and that person was held for only 20 minutes. But the names of the 'cultural conservationists' as they are known, are being taken by the Guardia and if injunctions are passed others will be needed to take their place. At the moment the power of one person standing in their way is enough to make the workers stop, turn the machines off and get their newspapers out.

At present there are about twelve main access gates on the central section of the route, usually being manned by half that amount of people, so YOU can make a difference. Every single person can make a big difference - it's a bit like the early Newbury days with people rushing to where the machines are out to destroy ancient sites. We managed to pass on our knowledge of fluffy direct action, and exchange stories and tactics from Britain's road protests of the 90's like Twyford Down, Newbury, and Fairmile.
The Hill Of Tara desperately needs more people. All are most welcome - poets, bards, musicians, artists, mums, dads, children. Bring tents, tarpaulins, tools, food, rope, donations, warm and waterproof clothing & wellies. There is a communal kitchen run on love and donations...

If you have any time, spare resources to donate, expertise to share, please help! You don't need a passport to enter Ireland, just a form of ID. All roads lead to Tara. But hopefully not this one..."

* There will be a Lhughnasa gathering/rally/action at Tara around Aug 1st-2nd.
* For more see www.savetara.com & www.tarawatch.org

FREE MORDECHAI VANUNU

Green Party in England & Wales

FREE MORDECHAI VANUNU

GREENS BACK ISRAELI NUCLEAR WHISTLEBLOWER

sign the petition to free him! sign here

Dr. Derek Wall, Green Party Principal Speaker, today condemned the
decision of an Israeli Court to send former nuclear technician
Mordechai Vanunu back to jail for six months for breaking the
conditions of his parole.

Vanunu was released in 2004 after an 18-year sentence for disclosing
Israeli nuclear secrets, but he faced curbs including speaking to
foreign media. However, he has given a series of interviews to the
international media in the last three years.

Dr. Wall said: "I am appalled by this decision.

"Mordechai Vanunu is a brave and resilient man who has already
suffered 18 years of confinement.

"The dangers posed by nuclear proliferation threaten the very
survival of our planet. The world needs more people like this, and we
must support them any way we can.

"A safe and secure Middle East cannot be built on a nuclear arms race
between Israel and Iran - that way risks a serious nuclear conflict."

"I urge to people to back the Early Day Motion 1813 calling on the
Government to ask the Israeli government to lift all restrictions on
Mordechai Vanunu - and lobby their MP's to support this also."(1)


ENDS

(1) The full text of the EDM and names of the MP's who have supported
it can be seen at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?
EDMID=33652&SESSION=885


Green Party Press Office
020 7561 0282
http://www.greenparty.org.uk






_____________________

Dear All,

Invitation to you, your members, students, friends and colleagues to a
conference in central London on July 20 and 21 on new and more effective
strategy for achieving Corporate Accountability.

We can now announce that attendance will be free for individuals.

'Corporate Accountability, Limited Liability,& the Future of Globalisation',
SOAS, Russell Sq. July 20-21, Fri/Sat

Speakers include:
Angela Eagle MP (Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury),
David Howarth MP,
Jack Blum, former US Senate investigator into corporate crime,
Dr Usha Ramanathan (International Environmental Law Research Centre, India)
Rodney Bickerstaffe (former Secretary General of UNISON),
Dr Dan Plesch, SOAS,
Dr Stephanie Blankenburg, SOAS and Economics Advisor to the Venezuelan
government.
Prof.Grahame Thompson

XXXXXX

Larry Elliott, the Economics Editor of the Guardian, praised the founding
paper for the conference in a recent article in the Guardian:
http://business.guardian.co.uk/economy/story/0,,2122025,00.html

Original Paper:
http://business.guardian.co.uk/economy/story/0,,2122025,00.html

For quick registration email: Poul Christiansen pc42@soas.ac.uk

For full programme www.cisd.soas.ac.uk

For map and directions:
http://www.soas.ac.uk/contact/location.cfm?navid=1110


Dan Plesch BA CQSW DSA PhD
Director
Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
WC1H OXG

www.cisd.soas.ac.uk

dp27@soas.ac.uk

Lots of lovely eco-Islam coming up.

Hi there friends and supporters,

Unfortunately due to the flooding around Lincolnshire, this
years LIVING ISLAM CAMP had to be cancelled. We hope that
the camp can be organised next year and IFEES will try to play an
important role in making it "Sustainable" and raise the importance
of environmental concern.

Find below a list of IFEES and other forthcoming events & notices;

********************* FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN BRIEF *******************

1) QUR’AN, CREATION AND CONSERVATION COURSE
2) LIVE 'ARD: AN EARTH'S NASHEED

*******************************************************************

IFEES ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

Currently we are team of just 3 volunteers but the scope of the work is
massive all over the world. We have some exciting projects such as
a "Sustainable Mosque", "Green Madina", proposal for a regular TV
show on a satelite TV channel, "Halal Organic Camp/ Retreat",
delivering courses and workshops to the Muslim community of
Islamic Jurisprudence of Environment, Climate Change officer and more.

We need people who have time and are seriously about these issues
and if you are interested please e-mail us with you name, phone
number and the area where you reside to info@ifees.org.uk or
join us this Saturday at the Quran, Creation and Conservation
course in London this weekend.

******************* RECOMMENDED EVENTS *****************************

1) ORGANIC/HALAL PICNIC & COUNTRYSIDE WALK
2) THE CAMP FOR CLIMATE ACTION 2007
3) HEALING THE FRAGILE EARTH - FULFILLING OUR HEAVENLY TRUST

**********FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND NOTICES IN DETAIL*******************

Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES)
with the Utrujj Foundation Presents:

1) QUR’AN, CREATION AND CONSERVATION COURSE

By Sidi Fazlun Khalid (Director of IFEES)*

Date: Saturday 14th July 2007
Time: 10am - 4.30pm
Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre, School Of Oriental And African
Studies (SOAS), University Of London, Thornhaugh Street,
Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

The whole universe is in submission to the Creator - the stars that
enable us to steer courses and the trees that give us sustenance,
shelter and other uses. The world functions only because creation
follows a preordained pattern. Allah has appointed Man to be vicegerent
on earth, Man, by the virtue of intelligence and humanity is the only
creation of Allah to be entrusted with the overall responsibility of
maintaining planet Earth and be the guardians for all creation (both
Man and nature) for today and for generations to come.

Our home planet Earth is undergoing rapid and sustained destruction of
its eco-systems. This is giving rise to unacceptable levels of pollution,
increasing damage to human habitations and ultimately threatening worldwide
population disruption. Muslims comprise at least one fifth of the human
community and they can contribute much to the thinking that is vital to
re-evaluate the future direction of the human community and save its home
for itself. Islam has a very strong environmental message and the Islamic
Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences has developed an internationally
recognised training method that identifies the Islamic ethical position on
these matters and at the same time draws the attention of participants to
the practical dimensions of this subject.

Objectives: By the end of the course participants
Will have a basic understanding of the ethical dimensions of
Islamic environmentalism in the Qur’an
The basis for practical action in the Shari’ah.
Understand the responsibility being an ambassador of God on earth
Learn practical steps in reducing energy consumption
Understand the responsibilities of the preservation of earth
for later generation
Understand the importance through the Sunnah not to be wasteful
Examine the Shari’ah and its institutions in an environmental context

The following themes in the Qur’an will be explored
Understanding Creator/Creation
Understanding man’s place in creation
Qur’an, Creation and Conservation
Understanding man’s responsibilities

Suitable For:
This course is designed as a main stream resource and is in
fact suitable for most participants. Ulema (Scholars), Madrasa
Teachers, mainstream teachers, students, Muslim or Non-Muslim
Environmental activists will also find this of great relevance.

Sidi Fazlun M. Khalid
Director of IFEES and has been a Director of Training Alliance of Religions
and Conservation between 1995 -2002. In 1995 he chaired a major gathering
in Japan and produced the Ohito Declaration for Religion, Land and Conservation
which pledged all the major faiths to work together in Addressing environmental
problems. He has been an adviser and consultant to numerous international
agencies and academic institutions including the World Wide Fund for Nature
International, the World Bank, CARE USA and Harvard University. And has also
been the founder of the Muslim Education Forum UK and its General Secretary
between 1989 to 1994. He has authored many essays and publications on Islamic
environmentalism. Some of which include: Qur'an, Creation and Conservation,
Guardians of the Natural Order, Islam and Ecology - an Islamic critique of the
root causes of environmental degradation and more. More importantly IFEEs work
have also taken many practical manifestations such as; Rehabilitation of
traditional water conservation systems in Yemen, Taiz; Re-greening of Upper
Jehlum Canal in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan; Fishing & marine conservation in
Zanzibar, Tanzania and much more around the world. As one of the leading
Islamic Eco-Theolgians, IFEES's main objective is to revive Islamic environmental
norms through programmes that are designed to re-educate Muslims in Shariah
based conservation practice

For more information or book please contact:
Tel: 0845 644 0619
E-mail: info@ifees.org.uk / summerbeehive@utrujj.org
Website: http://utrujj.org/beehive/

***********************************************************************

Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) Presents:

2) LIVE 'ARD: AN EARTH'S NASHEED

Featuring Dawud Wharnsby-Ali* [USA] and others.

Date: Monday 30th July 2007
Time: 6pm - 9pm
Venue: Barclay Hall, 156B Green Street, Forest Gate, London E7 8JQ

Join us for an evening entertainment of nasheeds [Islamic Songs] and poetry
to raise awareness of Climate Change in the community. For the first time,
exclusively Dawud Wharnsby-Ali will be singing unheard tracks and reciting
his peoms about Allah and creation. Inshallah there will be performances by
other artists on the same theme.

*Dawud Wharnsby-Ali
A third generation Canadian, with Scottish and English roots,
Daud Wharnsby's recordings and reputation have established him
as an inspiration in the realm of English language nasheed.
As a respected and vibrant solo musical performer, social activist
and motivational speaker, Wharnsby travels extensively throughout
the world and often lectures at schools and universities
addressing gatherings of all ages with his inspirational
talks and diverse educational programmes for youth.
When not on tour, Dawud Wharnsby divides his home life between
Colorado (USA), Ontario (Canada) and Cairo (Eygpt)

All welcome and free entrance
Fundraising event for IFEES

For more information please contact:
Tel: 07956 983 609 / 07092 032 136
E-mail: info@ifees.org.uk
Website: www.ifees.org.uk

******************* RECOMMENDED EVENTS *****************************

1) The London Islamic Network for the Environment (LINE) invites you to:

ORGANIC/HALAL PICNIC & COUNTRYSIDE WALK

Venue: Symondstone Farm Caravan Park, Surrey.
Date: Saturday 14th July 2007
Time: Day Outing: See below

11.30: Meet London Waterloo train station in front of ticket office.
11.53: Depart London Waterloo ( Alton Service). £6.10 per person with
'Group Save' (minimum four persons). Please also check on national rail website
12.55: Arrive Farnham.
13.00 : Depart Farnham in taxi from outside station to: Symondstone Farm
Caravan Park , Symondstone Lane , Churt (£4 per person if travelling in group of four).
13.15: Arrive Symondstone Farm Caravan Park for organic/halal picnic.
15.00: Depart Symondstone Farm Caravan Park for countryside walk to Frensham Ponds.
16.00: Arrive Frensham Ponds.
17.30: Depart Frensham Ponds in taxi (£3 per person if travelling in group of four).
17.45: Arrive Farnham train station.
17.58: Depart Farnham ( Waterloo Service).
18.57: Arrive London Waterloo .

Please bring suitable clothing, footwear, a tent if you would like to
camp the night and some food/drinks with you for the picnic.

Farnham taxi company numbers: 01252 722226 or 724040 or 711113.

If you would like to attend the LINE outing, please call
Br. Hassan: 01273 776699 or 07799 776699.
(Please note that the trip will be subject to weather conditions,
and interested individuals will be contacted should there be any change).
LINE website: www.lineonweb.org.uk

*******************************************************************

2) THE CAMP FOR CLIMATE ACTION 2007

Date: Tuesday 14th August to Tuesday 21st August
Location: Heathrow, West London

Eight days of low-impact living, debates, learning skills,
and high-impact direct action tackling the root causes of
climate change. Why?

The science is clear - we have 10 years to save the world from
catastrophic climate change. We must act now to take action
against the worst polluters and create real sustainable futures.
The fate of life itself for generations to come is in our hands.
The time to act is now.

Inshallah like last year, IFEES will be contributing towards
a workshop. Please support the camp and we hope to see you there.

For more information please contact:
Tel: 0777 286 1099
E-mail: info@climatecamp.org.uk
Website: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk

*******************************************************************

3) Jimas 14th International Da'wah Conference Presents:

THEME: HEALING THE FRAGILE EARTH - FULFILLING OUR HEAVENLY TRUST

Key Note Speaker: Dr Fazlun Khalid [IFEES]*
Also with Shaikh Sohaib Hasan, Shaikh Abdullah Hakim Quick,
Shaikh Yasir Qadhi, Dr Hesham Al Awadi, Dr Usama Hasan,
Sidi Surkheel Sharif and others

Dates: Friday 24th August - Monday 27th August 2007
Venue: Gilbert Murray Halls Conference Facilities, University of
Leicester, Manor Road, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 2LG

Topics include:
* Drowning in Debt - Reeling from Interest
* Ravaging the Earth - the Dirty Business of War
* Trusting in God by Fulfilling God's Trust
* Global Warming - God's Warning
* Regaining the Balance - Harmonising with Heaven
* Experiencing the Divine Names in Creation
* From the Green Dome to the Green Home

Seminar 1: Financial Matters
Seminar 2: Environmental Matters

For more information and to book a place contact:
Tel: 01473 251 578
E-mail: mail@jimas.org
Website: http://www.jimas.org/conf07/conf07.htm

*******************************************************************

With Peace, Admin, Islamic Foundation for Ecology
and Environmental Sciences (IFEES)

******************************************************************

- Please NOTE IFEES does NOT take responsibility for any of the
events, notices or comments, presented in this e-mail bulletin,
other than its own. Those who are interested in taking part in
any event or enquiring about a particular notice, should contact
the appropriate organisations or individuals. This e-mail is offered
as a community service, and is compiled on a best endeavours basis.
If you wish to put up an announcement please email IFEES , please note that
we reserve the right to edit submissions and not to include requests.

- This is a responsible information based e-mail. If you DO NOT
wish to receive this, simply contact removeme@ifees.org.uk and
you will be removed from the list immediately.

- IFEES is a registered UK Charity No: 1041198
Please send correspondence to: IFEES, 93 Court
Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9LQ
Tel: 0044-(0)121-440-3500 Fax: 0044-(0)-121-440-8144
E-mail: info@ifees.org.uk ; Website: www.ifees.org.uk


***********************************************************************

'Mars and Pluto are warming too'

More from the Grist Mill on how to argue with a climate skeptic.

Faced with the proposition that CO2 creates a layer in the atmosphere that traps heat, thus warming up the Earth, the deniers can't really say anything.

So instead they argue that climate change is occuring across the solar system, so it must be a product of increased solar activity from good old Sol 1 not CO2.

However there is no evidence that the rest of the solar system is warming.

Read more here

Please, just stop buying so much crap

Here is a guest editorial by Penny Kemp. Penny says 'Please, just stop buying
So much crap'

Danny will be performing at climate camp!

The poem below was written by Danny Chivers and appears in a book of poetry celebrating the 10th anniversay of Corporate Watch. I guess it sums up exactly how I feel about The Green Party and ‘guilt free shopping’ Danny and his friends at the climate camp and corporate watch are our natural constituency.

Penny

I’ve always been seen
As a little bit green
In my cosy, middle-c;ass social scene
Ever since I made that lelntil stew
For Abigail’s birthday do
Wore Birkenstock’s to Brina’s wedding
And got those rainforest patterns for the children’s bedding.
My friends all think it’s nonsense
But I’m proud to be their conscious;
Their commitment may be scanty
But my bottles of Chianti
Ride the back seat of the Mazda to the bottle bank at Asda.
And the second home in Rome has such amazing double glazing!

But that young fellow on Newsnight
Keeps talking ‘bout the planet’s plight
And I get a niggling feeling I’m not doing this quite right,
Driving to the protests in a seven seater,
Discussing climate change under the patio heater.
I turn on Radio 4
It’s ‘You and Yours’
(which I adore)
But they’re discussing what’s in store
For the planet, with Jude Law
Whose made some films about a war.
And then they interview Al Gore
And I realise in an instant that I should be doing more.

Thank goodness ‘In Style’ magazine
Has a special pull-out section: 20 tips on going green.
And it turns out the solution
To global destitution,
Exponential air pollution,
Endless wars of retribution,
Isn’t global revolution,
Power devolution,
Wealth redistribution,
Or the long-overdue reform of our fundamentally compromised
International institutions:
Don’t listen to ‘experts’ who dare to proclaim
That our crazy mass consumption levels might just be to blame;
For everthing you need to know
About economic justice, you can ask ….Bono.
He knows the way out of this fix:
SHOPPING; It’s the new politics!

To halt our mad rush to consume our blissful way to eco-doom,
To build a worls not based on greed for things that we don’t really need.
The answer is – you’ll never guess
We’ll shop our way out of this mess!

Anyone who’s got the gumption
Can do ethical consumption.
And thus turn the global tables
Buying things with pretty labels

So now all my silk pyjamas
Come with shots of smiling farmers.
Our sound system’s been upgraded
But the box was fairly traded.
As I sit beside the hot tub to remove my sandals
I breathe the guilt-relieving perfume of organic scented candles…
They grew these pears with love and care, 5000 miles away
And I got these natural shampoos on the flight back from Bombay

The local shops are closing down
But there’s no need to panic:
That big new Sainsbury’s, out of town,
Does everything organic.

I’ve even managed to persuade my crazy uncle Rhys, he’s
Using eco-friendly bullets now to hunt endangered species.
As for the global warming warnings,
Here’s what I can do:
Plant a few plantations
For the carbon sequestration
(Based on flimsy calculation)
Strip the native vegetation,
Shift the local population
To some piece of desolation barely fit for habitation
And with misery and pverty: ‘offset’ my Co2,

Now, please don’t think this poem’s undfair:
I’m not saying it’s wrong to care,
To think about the things you buy,
To ask who made them, how and why:
But if you’re promised cheap salvation,
Easy wealth for every nation,
As an end to global poverty, Avert climate catastrophe,
It’s easy – it will be enough
To simply buy more of our stuff!
Don’t buy it – try to understand,
We need to change far more than just our washing powder brand.
The answer to our global woes
Won’t be found with shiny logos on a special aisle at Tesco’s.
We need to tackle head-on
Our rush to Consumaggedon..
Leave the shopping in your trolley
And resist this global folly.
We’ll fight back! – we’ll all play a part,
There’s much to do: but here’s a start:

To keep humanity
On the map
Please, just stop buying
So much crap

The glaciers are melting!

Directions to The Camp for Climate Action 2007.....

The camp dates are drawing nearer and nearer and we're all desperate to
know where it will be... but we''ll just have to wait a little longer !

But what we do know is that if is that if you get yourself to Staines
railway station in West London by 10am on Tuesday 14th July, you will be
greeted by our friendly welcome team and promptly transported via a
magical mystery tour, to the camp !

But the glaciers are not melting!

Click here to see if this is true, dramatic pictures.


I think that if greens look superficial and we just stick with a vague appeal for virtue then we face difficult times indeed.

Simply being for 'virtue' is not enough and in a consumerist society the danger is that even the environment becomes a means for the advancement of a few at the expense of the many.

So we need to be talking about science and ecology, as well as looking at the hard facts of society and of course look pretty hard at eco careerists, the power hungry, etc.

As I mentioned Grist Mill has a whole resource on arguing with climate deniers, the deniers are finding it more difficult to say climate change will not occur they are now moving on to, it doesn't matter, we can't do anything, the costs are too great...so we are debating with a moving opponent(s).

The other day I came across the glaciers are not melting argument....here is the grist take, I am sure like all things this isn't perfect but it looks like a bloody good start to me on a scientific debate, which as a non scientist I need to learn more about.

The full article is here
with lots of links to technical data, very useful.


Objection: Sure, some glaciers are melting. But if you look at the studies, most of those for which we have data are growing.

Answer: This is simply not true, rumors on "the internets" aside. The National Snow and Ice Data Centre and their State of the Cryosphere division, on their Glacial Balance page, report an overall accelerating rate of glacial mass loss. The World Glacier Monitoring Service has similar findings, the most recent data coming from 2004.


While there surely are some growing glaciers, studies like these are designed to determine a global trend by ensuring glaciers from all regions of the globe are assessed. There are 67,000 glaciers in the World Glacier Inventory. Not all, or even most, have quality data for many decades, but there are enough with adequate data, located in enough regions of the globe, to know the average trend.