Governments have no power says bond trader, Goldman Sachs rules the world

Markets can only think instant profit.


Speculation is going to kill the economy.


Capitalism is going to kill the planet.


Politicians like Clegg, Cameron and Miliband race to see who can do the most for bond traders.


We must resist or face oblivion.

Juan Carlos Medina Edmund killed as armed settlers try to seize indigenous land

This is my largely google translation, if you leer Spanish look at the original here
 

AIDESEP, September 23, 2011.

 An attack against indigenous peoples was committed today, as Juan Carlos Medina Edmund, of the Cantash community, in the province of Padre Abad, Ucayaliregion, died as a result of the continued fighting and disputes with a group of settlers who are attempting to expel Awajún people from the their ancestral land locally.

 

 The community leader, Leonidas Yuan, said that this situation is already intolerable because indigenous people are titling their ancestral lands with the Ministry of Agriculture, however, this process is slow moving and that the dispute has claimed, once again, the life of an Indian brother.

 

The indigenous population were dismayed to find Juan Carlos Medina Edmund and are demanding that the killers are found and justice is done.

 

Therefore, they urged the Peruvian justice, the Ombudsman to visit the area, intervene and deal with  this conflict created by a group of armed settlers living in the area.

Armed settlers also invaded part of the Territorial Reserve Cacataibo, displacing 120 indigenous people (?).

They fight and win 'Each person does their work'

The current issue of New Internationalist is superb.

It focusses on the resistance of indigenous people to capitalism.

It has a special emphasis on Peru and  on those like my friend and mentor Hugo Blanco, the Quechua leader active since the late 1950s and Aidesep.

Dig deep and subscribe to New Internationalist, this is excellent and inspiring.

I think I am more positive about Humala, imperfect  as he is, he defeated a hard right candidate, the indigenous backed him and he went to Bagua and pledged his allegience to the forest people.

In the UK the idea of even an imperfect Prime Minister would be utopian, lets face it they are rubbish and serve only vested interests, I am reluctant as an English citizen to comment on the imperfections of the left abroad where we have such poor leaders with such poisoned visions as Miliband, Clegg and Cameron.

Left leaders open space and the social movements/indigenous are in charge in parts of Peru, their militancy is key to ecosocialist victories.  They have pushed for Humala's victory and they will push further.

Any how buy a subscription and buy this copy,  in a wicked world where much environmentalism is irrelevent this show cases those in the vanguard for ecology and social justice.

A man with a deeply lined face comments: ‘We are the true conservationists. We don’t do big deforestation. We conserve our territories, our trees. Each person does their work.’

Some communities have gone along with a government conservation scheme called the Forests Programme, but he doesn’t believe in it. This is Peru’s contribution to an international initiative to save a million hectares of Amazonian forest. Peru is losing 150,000 hectares of tropical forest a year. The scheme is intended to save 300,000 hectares. The indigenous communities engaged in the programme are paid 10 soles (about $4) for each hectare conserved. The idea is to provide the communities with an alternative to selling the wood in their forests to logging interests.

The scheme is voluntary but many Asháninka communities are wary of it. Leonel explains why: ‘They fear that the government will turn round later and say “we gave you this money, now we will take the land we have paid for”.’

Many Western environmentalists, too, are suspicious of such market mechanisms for mitigating climate change. They see them as moneyspinners for those who can exploit the system, but failing in their core environmental objectives.

Araldo concludes the meeting: ‘We are not poor, we are rich. We want to work and to save our culture. We want to live like our grandparents lived. Take that message to your people. This is not an empty space. We live here. We don’t want Pakitzapango or Tambo 40.’

But what if the community is offered money or other enticements? It is common practice to divide indigenous communities in this way. I ask two of the younger men this question. They are adamant. ‘We won’t accept anything,’ says one. ‘We will prevent them from entering,’ adds the other.

‘How?’ I ask.

‘We will meet them in the traditional way.’

‘Meaning?’

They both look a bit sheepish and then reply.

‘With arrows… we don’t want to… but this is our land, the land of our grandparents and great-grandparents. We have to defend it.’

I am reminded that two years ago, when police tried to dislodge indigenous protesters near the northern jungle town of Bagua, 33 lost their lives, 23 of them police.

MORE HERE 

Reverend Billy sermon for Wall Street

Greens say Private Finance Initiatives should be 'nationalised'

Following today’s revelation that more than 60 hospitals cannot afford the rising cost of private finance initiative schemes, the Green Party calls on the Government to call these PFI schemes in.

The NHS faces a bill of £65billion for new hospitals built under PFI schemes and some NHS Trusts face annual repayments of more than 10% of their turnover. It has been claimed that across 154 different PFI projects, over £500 million of profits have been generated.

Penny Kemp, Green Party spokesperson said, “These PFI companies make huge profits. The National Audit office claimed one deal on a hospital in Bromley gave a return for the PFI contractors of more than 70%. In a time of economic austerity, this is scandalous.

"Furthermore, even the Government has no idea how much profit is being generated by the selling of private finance initiatives by construction and investment operators to other funds on a secondary PFI market.”

The Green Party believes that Private Finance Initiative needs to bought back from the companies and shown as Government debt rather than the dubious accounting stream, which does not require the capital cost of the schemes to be shown in the Government books

www.greenparty.org.uk/news/23-09-2011-greens-say-nationalise-PFIs.html

US represses protests, citizens beaten, news black out

Occupy Wall Street, no media coverage, because even the 'liberal' US media is part of the military-industrial capitalist corporate set up.

#OccupyWallStreet

Description

#occupywallstreet, is an ongoing nonviolent demonstration opposing what participants view as negative corporate influence over U.S. politics. It was inspired by the Arab Spring movement, particularly the protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square which resulted in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. The aim of the demonstration is to begin a sustained occupation of Wall Street, the financial district of New York City. Organizers intend for the occupation to last "a few months.

Website	http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

The Green Party needs to defend ' most people’s living standards'

Pete Kennedy joins the Green Party class and ethnicity debate, kicked off by Caroline Lucas,  and continued by Sean Thompson of Green Left, thanks Pete.

My argument is that the Green Party needs to position itself as the most obvious electoral ally and ultimately, servant to the varied ‘bloc’ of social forces fighting the realities of neoliberalism in the UK. This would go far beyond what parties such as Respect have aimed for and achieved, which involved focusing on a fairly narrow community. This indeed allowed short term electoral success in limited areas of the country, but did not involve the inclusion of a wider bloc of social groups/forces (although the successes it did achieve should not be denigrated or downplayed, and offers some lessons for The Green Party). Aligning and becoming a part of the energy, commitment and passion of the various social forces at work contesting the current political economy, while offering political coherence via an organised, yet democratic party could make the Green Party central to a nation-wide class struggle against the current status quo. In the process, the party will likely draw closer to and attract individuals from a diversity of gender, ethnic and social backgrounds.

In direct response to Sean Thompson, I believe the Green Party is already addressing many of the concerns of working class communities, namely cuts to their local services and livelihoods. These cannot be addressed in any serious way by Labour, which itself supports cuts, leaving the party to contest the pace and depth of said cuts, rather than the ideological rationale behind such policies. After 13 years in power, working class communities are both wary and distrustful of Labour regarding economic policies, offering the Greens a huge opportunity. If Greens become closer associated with unions and non-union movements against the cuts, they will be further identified with a defence of most people’s living standards.

The argument that Green’s should concentrate more on the ‘concrete issues’ that affect people’s everyday lives is fair, up to a point. However, I think this kind of narrow approach would do a disservice to workers, the unemployed and ethnic minority groups the party aims to mobilise and organise.

The mainstream parties no longer offer an alternative vision of society, which I believe goes a long way in explaining voter apathy and their lack of electoral appeal. If the Green Party doesn’t offer a vivid and attractive image of where we aim to take the country, then it will be lumped in with the Tories, Lab and Lib Dem position of making subtle changes to the status quo. Without such a vision, it is unlikely the party will be able to mobilise people to join our campaigns and vote for us on a mass bases.

http://kennedy121.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/mass-appeal/

Is Luke Akehurst a pr man for merchants of death?

'Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Elected to Labour’s NEC as a CLP Representative in 2010. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) since 2002, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny. Supporter of Europe, NATO/nuclear deterrence, Israel, electoral reform. Guardian reader. Dad. Stoke Newington resident. Unite union member. Employment history as a Labour Party Organiser, Local Government Political Assistant, Director at a Public Affairs company. '

All is fair I suppose in love, war and politics, so I only read Luke Akehurst and Linda Smith's
article on how to oppose the Green Party with mild irritation.

Its of course a feel bad piece, not about how the Labour Party can out 'green' or 'out left' we
Green Party members....be lovely it really would to see England's rubbish dominant parties
to move left and green.  That is not Luke and Linda's agenda.

Or to put it bluntly put human beings before market logic, I would like very much to see politics move in a positive direction, there can never be room for tribalism in something as important as human welfare.

Its instructive to read the piece what ever party (or none) you belong to, all about party, all about winning, so little about politics in the sense of improving welfare and looking to a better future.

It did get me reading a little more about Luke.  I was surprised by what I read.

I had a assumed he was a genial Blairite 'moderate', an amicable right wing ginger blogger of some repute.  A sparing partner of Dave Osler.


However 'moderate' has, in our upside down world, often shocking associations.

He may not like we Greens but he has a robust approach to all on the left, for example, he is on record as noting:

Labour staff … should not be neutral referees. They should be able to promote the candidates and policies of the elected leadership of the party against their internal critics. Back in Morgan Phillips’ day as General Secretary or Herbert Morrison’s as London Regional Secretary there was none of this nonsense about neutrality, the party staff explicitly had a role in giving the left a kicking.” (http://www.leftfutures.org/2011/01/luke-akehurst-for-general-secretary/)

Is the labour blogger and Hackney councillor the same Luke Akehurst as the Luke Akehurst with associations with the arms trade?

I think we should be told.

I noticed that Labour are going to bring in £1 membership for those in the army, rumoured to be funded by scrapping low rate membership for those who are unemployed and disabled (?).

Military-industrial complex are us?

This if accurate makes sobering reading:

Herzog’s newest colleague at the center is Luke Akehurst, until recently a “defense” specialist with the public relations giant Weber Shandwick.

Enticing Akehurst to work for her is quite a coup for Lorna Fitzsimons, BICOM’s chief executive. He was named “UK consultant of the year” at the 2008 Public Affairs News Awards. The prize was in recognition for his invaluable services for several companies that arm dictators.

Libya connection

Finmeccanica, one of his clients, cultivated strong links with Muammar Gaddafi lately. While it has predicted that its revenues for 2011 will exceed €18 billion, the civil war in Libya will inevitably have repercussions. The Italian firm has a backlog of orders worth €800 million from the Gaddafi regime.

Akehurst also represented GKN, which supplied water cannons to Indonesia in the 1990s, unperturbed about how its then military ruler Suharto was overseeing the brutal occupation of East Timor, where out one of the twentieth century’s worst cases of genocide occurred. Serco, another client of his, manages Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) as part of a consortium that bands it together with the world’s number one weapons maker Lockheed Martin.

MORE HERE

Peter Tatchell 'Obama's intransigence on Palestine risks a new intifada - and war'

Obama's intransigence on Palestine risks a new intifada - and war







Statehood recognition is vital to break log-jam in peace process









By Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner



Huffington Post UK - London - 23 September 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3wrtlj8





The Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations is a welcome, long overdue catharsis. It has shaken up the moribund peace process; putting the plight of the Palestinians on the world stage like no other initiative for decades.



Whether you love or loathe the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, he has orchestrated a political master-stroke, which is forcing the US and Israel to stop ignoring the just Palestinian demand for their own independent state. After years of stalemate and log-jam, peace settlement negotiations are back on the agenda.



The Palestinian people have a right to a self-governing homeland, just like the Jewish people and all people's everywhere. Self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter. So why has it been denied to the Palestinians for six decades? And why now, when they seek it, are western powers, led by the US, conspiring to yet again postpone their birthright?



A history of betrayals leaves the Palestinians with no option other than a unilateral move to independence. The Israeli government (as opposed to the Israeli people) are not serious partners for peace. Israel has gone out of its way to sabotage a negotiated settlement. It continues to build new settlements on Palestinian land seized in 1967 and to force Palestinians out their homes in East Jerusalem. The land of Palestinian farmers is confiscated and an apartheid-style wall wantonly divides Palestinian communities. These are the actions of an expansionist colonial settler state that has no interest in a lasting peace.



The Palestinians are divided on statehood, particularly over the limitations and compromises it may involve. But what is the alternative?



The Hamas 'resistance' strategy is a total failure. It has bought only isolation, impoverishment, war and human rights abuses to the people of Gaza.



The Islamist militants condemn President Abbas as a sell out. Posing as the 'true defenders' of the Palestinian nation, their so-called resistance involves firing rockets into Israel and the occasional suicide bombing. These fanatics are deluded. A few terror attacks will never come near to defeating the Israeli occupation and securing a Palestinian homeland. It's juvenile macho posturing. That's all. Not serious politics, or even serious resistance. Moreover, these attacks are war crimes. They deliberately target innocent civilians, which damages the Palestinian cause; alienating potential supporters, including the many Israelis who want a just peace.



Statehood is the only credible way forward. True, it won't solve all the problems faced by the Palestinians. In fact, it will solve very few practical problems like jobs and housing. Moreover, the new state would, at least initially, be held to ransom by Israel through its control of water, roads, the apartheid wall and Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.



Nevertheless, the precondition for Palestinian upliftment is that they begin to be masters of their own destiny - however limited this might be at the outset. Securing recognition at the UN would be a giant first step forward; paving the way for further progress later.



The critics say securing statehood will be largely symbolic. Perhaps they are right. But symbols are important. To gain statehood would be a massive morale boost and confidence build for the people of Palestine. Most importantly, it would be a dramatic rebuff to the men of violence, on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. They will be outmanoeuvred and marginalised. Showing that progress is possible by peaceful and diplomatic means would be a significant fillip to the prospects of a lasting negotiated settlement with justice.



Most of us thought President Obama understood this. After all, he has long expressed his desire to see a Palestinian state co-existing alongside Israel. But this week he did a dramatic volte face. Turning his back on the Palestinians - and on the whole Arab world that supports them - Obama now says there is "no short cut" to statehood. Damn right. The Palestinians have been waiting for over 60 years. Some short cut. Now, Obama wants them to wait even longer. After promising he would support a two-state solution, when the Palestinians ask him to honour that pledge, the US President says he will veto it. Obama is a hypocrite. No wonder the US is hated. It's led by people with great power but very little integrity.



After backing the freedom aspirations of the Arab Spring, the US president wants to put on hold this same freedom for the people of Palestine. He is a tarnished, diminished president as a consequence.



Obama is surrounded by pro-Israeli hardliners who are apparently ready to risk potential political disaster. If the US blocks Palestinian recognition at the UN it will do immense damage to Washington's standing throughout the Middle East; fuelling anti-Americanism and acting as a recruiting sergeant for the fundamentalists, rejectionists and al-Qaida. It will discredit Palestinian peace-makers and strengthen the hand of Hamas and the Islamist war-mongers.



If the Palestinians are pushed into a corner where they feel betrayed and lose all hope of statehood, it could spark a new intifada, and even a new Arab-Israeli war, perhaps involving the intervention of nuclear-armed Iran and Pakistan. Think again Obama!







--





Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PeterTatchell



Join my PTF campaign on Facebook: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35320687969



Subscribe (for free) to PTF campaign e-bulletins:

http://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/subscribe.html





More info on my website: www.petertatchell.net

Call the Lib Dem traitors means straight to jail with no bail.

God never thought the Liberal Democrats would degenerate so fast but they are well on the way to being a hard right authoritarian party.


No walk outs or protests at the conference at the news that student protesters were imprisoned and refused bail.


The Liberal Democrats lied to students about fees and students who protest are severely repressed.


Isn't it ironic that the party that promoted civil rights is now a party that believes in throwing the book at those who dare protest (at it).


Any how if you can get along to this, you may not be a student but protest and the Liberal Democrats will support your imprisonment.


With the economic crisis protest will increase in scale and no doubt the Lib Dems will be at the forefront of those calling for harsh penalties as the homeless, the sick, the terminally ill and unemployed raise their voices.


Lets face it the phrase 'Liberal Democrat' is increasingly used just as a form of abuse, as in 'You you Liberal Democrat' used at the height of a bitter argument and retracted all too often as something too strong to say.

There is a protest on Monday from 3pm outside Birmingham Magistrates Court in support of Edd Bauer who used to be involved in Birmingham University Young Greens and is now a sabbatical officer of the Student Union.  Edd is in prison for the crime of hanging a banner that could be seen by motorists on Broad St just before the start of the Lib Dem Conference.  The crime is said to be a "road traffic offence" but the prosecution said his act was not dangerous.  He was denied bail as he has a previous offence of sitting down on the floor in Fortnum and Mason.  Being denied bail is thought to be unprecedented.  The 2 others with Edd at the time were granted bail but banned from Birmingham city centre for over a month.

At 3pm on Monday he will see his next bail hearing at Bham Magistrates Court.  Anyway wishing to protest in solidarity, meet in front of the magistrates Court on Corporation St at 3pm.

  

http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2011/09/solidarity-demo-for-imprisoned-activist-edd-bauer/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159569750798811

Palestine Demo report back

Thanks to Joseph at Cabbages and Kings for this

http://www.demotix.com/news/839669/pro-palestinian-demonstration-outside-downing-street

Photos from last night's demo in support of the recogntion of Palestine
outside Downing St. Several Greens, including Shahrar Ali, Peter Tatchell
and I were present and the meeting was addressed by, among others, the
Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Jeremy Corbyn MP, and representatives of
UNITE and UNISON.

The orthodox Jews who were with us were the recipients of some real abuse
from those attending the nearby pro-Israel demo but stood their ground.
The meeting was also told that the Labour Party had now voted to recognise
the state of Palestine.

The vote in the UN is tomorrow.

Joseph Healy

Protest Labour Party repression of Manchester socialist stalls

Well welcome to repression Britain, the Labour Party are the police and the police work for the corporations....protest and you are in trouble,  RCG and SWP stalls were attacked last saturday

in Manchester.

RCG/FRFI Protest call here

The Labour Council in Manchester has begun a serious attack on the democratic right to protest. Last Saturday for the second week in a row council officials backed up by the police attacked political stalls on Market st, both FRFI and the SWP had their stalls confiscated. This Tuesday evening a campaign meeting with representatives of many different groups agreed to mobilise as many people and stalls as possible to go on Market Street this coming Saturday 12-3pm. It is vitally important that we defend our basic democratic right to effectively campaign.
Support the call this Saturday! Defend the Right to Protest!


Solidarity statement here


PLEASE SIGN THE STATEMENT... See below for details.

On Saturday 17th September for the second week in a row the council, backed up by the police, have cleared socialist and campaigning stalls off Market Street. This comes just two weeks before the Tory party conference and is a clear political attack on our ability to organise and mobilise for the demonstration.
After the Murdoch scandal revealed the corruption at the heart of the media the defence of free press is a vital principle we need to defend.
And with the Tories rushing through legislation in the wake of the riots and attempting to clamp down on opposition we must defend our right to organise freely and campaign in our city centre.

Please join us to discuss how we can prevent this attack on our civil liberties.

Statement:
DEFEND POLITICAL, CAMPAIGNING AND TRADE UNION STALLS

On Saturday 17th September for the second week in a row Manchester City Council, backed up by the police, moved socialist and campaigning stalls off Market Street. Many of these stalls have been there for decades and the street is a focal point for trade unionists, socialists, environmentalists and peace activists who regularly set up stalls.

Stalls on Market Street do not impede pedestrians and do not prevent access by emergency vehicles as is claimed. In decades of stalls taking place on the street there has yet to be an incident of obstruction.

With Manchester due to host the Tory Party conference in a few weeks and Trade Union protests planned in the city against the cuts, we believe that this is an attempt undermine our right to speak out against government policy.
We defend the right of campaigners to organise stalls on Market Street in Manchester and across the country.

We see the current attempts to move campaigners as a political attack and a breach of civil liberties.

We call on Manchester City Council to support freedom of speech and cease attempts to remove legitimate campaigners from Market Street and help defend this important tradition.

Send your name, position, organisation to jenniferwilkinson2006@hotmail.co.uk, or text to 0777 234 6819.

Green Party unattractive to ethnic minorities and working people?

Sean Thompson from Green Left takes up the theme of how the Green Party can get a little more diverse, in response to article from Caroline Lucas our leader discussing why we are too white.

Caroline makes good points; it's important that the party recognises that it's make-up is too white and too middle class.






However, the key point to recognise is that this has not been discussed to any degree by the party at any level and that there are no measures at all, in place or under discussion, to counter this. And it is absolutely not a matter of simply having 'policies which will attract BAMER members' and even less of selecting candidates for winnable seats.





Our formal policies are anti war, anti racist, redistributive and civil libertarian, all of which should make them/us attractive to ethnic minority communities. Indeed, our policies are, for the most part, indistinguishable from those of Respect, which had (and residually has) a small but significant base within Bengali communities in Birmingham and the East End.The difference between the two organisations is that Respect set out from the start to build alliances with the more progressive elements and institutions within those communities (in a rather opportunistic way in some cases, perhaps) and become, not attractive to those communities, but a part of them. We, on the other hand, have by and large followed the pattern of activity set by the three big bourgeoise parties, adding our own particular flavour of mildly sanctimonious abstract preaching. In other words, Respect's aim (obviously not achieved) was to become a party OF the oppressed rather than a party FOR the oppressed. The Green Party's aim has been simply to get the oppressed to vote for us rather than the big three because we are nicer than they are.





The fact is that both the internal culture and organisation of our Party is, in practice, unattractive to most working people regardless of their ethnic origins. In practice, we operate as a middle class sect - not as shouty, exploitative and exclusive as most of the sects of the far left perhaps, but a sect none the less. While Caroline's sentiments were wholly admirable we should not hold our collective breath for any strategy for the Party to break out of its current niche from our national leadership. We all have to find practical ways in our own branches of making them more welcoming for ordinary people, such as considering whether the one minute attunement ritual might be off-putting for all but visiting Quakers and whether we meet in the right places at the right times (Karen pointed out at her fringe that her local party meets in a middle class area that would cost people from the local housing estate £5 on the bus to get to and from). Most importantly we must start aiming the focus of our activity at the concrete issues that working people perceive as effecting their day to day lives, rather than those more general (and distant/abstract) issues that we and the rest of the left find easier to go on about.





Sean

Indigenous message, 'You have failed on climate change, put us in charge'

Neo-liberal politicians use climate change as an excuse to fatten their bank balances and give more money to banks for carbon trading.

Green politicians sadly are not in the vanguard of the green politics but the indigenous have agency.

I rate Aidesep very highly, from the selva they have achieved major political change in Peru.

90 Indigenous Organizations Say YES To Action Plan For Survival And
Protection Of Life

By Ahni
In recent weeks, Indigenous representatives from 90 organizations in
the Amazon region unanimously approved a new action plan that calls
for an Amazon-wide "consolidation" for the survival of ancestral
knowledge and the protection of forests, water, biodiversity and the
climate.

Photo from the First Regional Amazonian Summit, August 15-18, 2011. Credit COICA

The action plan, titled, "The Manaus Mandate: Indigenous Action for
Life" is the end result of the First Regional Amazonian Summit, which
took place in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas,
from August 15-18, 201l.

The four-day Summit, organized by The Coordinator of Indigenous
Organizations in the Amazon Basin (COICA), brought together
representatives of Indigenous Peoples from all nine Amazonian
countries, as well as government representatives, international
organizations and members of civil society in the Amazon.

A wide range of issues were explored at the Summit including: the COP
17 meeting, to be held in December 2011 in Durban, South Africa and
the Rio Conference 20 +, to be held in June 2012; The adequacy of the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the
implementation of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Convention No. 169; and the joint prioritization of the protection of
biodiversity, genetic resources and ancestral knowledge.

Courtesy of COICA, The Manaus Mandate is now available in four
different languages:  Español -  Português -  English -  Français (LAB
also put together an unofficial English version, which you can access
here)

1st. Amazon Regional Summit Ancestral Knowledge, Peoples and
fulfilling life in harmony with forests

(15 – 18 agosto 2011)

"We are people without Owner, Like Life"

Mandate Manaus: Indigenous Action for Life

Meeting in Manaus 15 to August 18, 2011, in 1. Regional Amazon summit,
the Amazonian indigenous peoples and national organizations from nine
countries: Bolivia (CIDOB), Brazil (COIAB), Ecuador (CONFENIAE),
Colombia (OPIAC), Guyana (APA), French Guyana (FOAG), Peru (AIDESEP ),
Venezuela (ORPIA) and Suriname (OIS) and in dialogue with various
social partners, state and environmental observe that the climatic and
environmental crisis is very serious, very soon irreversible, while
global and national powers, they can not want to stop, and worse,
trying to "seize" more "green business" but threaten all forms of
life.

We warn the world that we have passed the limits of danger of
polluting gases in the atmosphere and global warming, but that's just
one of the most serious effects of deeper causes. We are in dark times
of profound global climate crisis and aggression that is part of the
wider crisis of a civilization and a pattern of power, based on
racism, patriarchy, individualism and unbridled consumerism,
commodification and privatization of everything, and the reckless
arrogance of "domination" of nature are forgetting that only a small
part of it.

We denounce the hypocrisy and contradiction in the global and national
policies on forests, where the side of declarations, plans, small
projects "sustainable" deepens predation, deforestation, degradation
by mining business, oil, hydroelectric mega, ranching , soy,
agribusiness, "agro-fuels" super highways of colonization, GM,
pesticides, overlay of protected areas in indigenous territories,
biopiracy and theft of traditional knowledge. Continuing need to
improve forestry practices, it covers the best of these is profoundly
change the macro policies of neoliberal globalization.

We propose the following objectives, approaches, alternatives and actions:

1. Territories whole life for planetary cooling.

There is evidence that refuges of life, are the forests and Amazonian
peoples' territories as effective barriers to predation. It is
therefore essential to change laws and public policies to ensure the
demarcation of the territories of the indigenous Amazonian people and
collective ownership as peoples, and also to support and not attack or
marginalized, our strategies of "whole life" separate from the
commodification of nature. This is an effective and efficient strategy
to reduce global warming and restore harmony with Mother Earth, we had
thousands of years. To not change the weather, change the system. It's
the system must "adapt" to the cries of Mother Nature and our children
of color of the earth. The "cost" financing to solve this historic
debt originated in ethnocide of colonization, it is far less than that
devoted to discussions and experiments ineffective.

2. Strengthen "Redd + Indian" ecological debtors and their pollution

To those who decide on the process, "Redd +": the United FCPF
(WB-IDB), FIP, UN-REDD, UNFCCC COP17-, Rio +20 and others demand
immediate assurances and conditions for the Peoples before further
progress in these REDD + processes to be properly addressed:

• Respect and strengthen the proposed REDD + Indian or adequacy of the
Redd + to the worldviews and collective rights of peoples, including
the "Guidelines COICA on climate change and Redd +" and the proposals
of the national organizations, and among other things the following:
No Territories or collective rights is unworkable Redd + * No contract
community to run international rules, or the long term, giving land
management or intellectual property, with more hardships than
benefits, or in languages and foreign laws * Respect and support
conservation holistic forest, not just where deforestation or reducing
tons of carbon * Respect our proposed national regulations for Redd +
and consultation and free, prior and binding * Respect reports COICA
on REDD + parallel to the States * Mechanisms for resolving conflicts
with guarantees of neutrality and efficiency * not support the market
for carbon credits to cover the global polluters.

• Priority policies and funds for consolidation and land titling of
indigenous peoples as a condition prior to move unimpeded on Redd +
• National legislative changes to strengthen collective rights in the
laws of environmental services, forestry, "Redd + leakage" (mining,
hydrocarbons, biofuels, etc) and consultation and consent,
• States and Banks assume their responsibility to curb the spread of
scammers Redd + ("carbon cowboys," "bubble Redd +") by: * Registration
and accreditation of international public operators Redd + * Rejection
of companies and NGOs scam reported by * Recommend indigenous
communities are not committing to contracts "to Redd +" or "carbon
business" until the international and national regulations are
specified and implemented.

• Priority of reducing pollution by greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions
by industrialized ecological debtors the power of rich minorities in
the North and South

3. Unity between ancestral and Survival of Biodiversity

Our ancient knowledge are intimately linked in the "productive
conservation" of nature, and in that way, compared to the COP 11 of
the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Congress of the
International Union of Nature (IUCN) called for will support the
following proposals:
• Prioritize the demarcation and legalization and legal security of
indigenous lands as collateral for the conservation of biodiversity
and genetic resources and ancestral knowledge.
• Consolidate the Law Prior Consultation and Consent, Binding, prior
and informed consent for access to genetic resources in indigenous
territories and associated traditional knowledge.
• The genetic resources of indigenous territories and ancestral
knowledge constitute the collective intellectual heritage and
indigenous natural, preserved for millennia and passed down from
generation to generation.
• Access to the ancestral knowledge and genetic resources should
provide for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, including the
products of both genetic resources and associated traditional
knowledge.
• The ancient knowledge are not in the public domain, but in the
cultural field of indigenous peoples and states and international
organizations (such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD),
adopted sui generis legal standards of legal protection of this
knowledge ancestors.
• No marketing of ancestral knowledge and misuse and unauthorized for
biotech patent claims.

4. Rio +20: Solutions for Life not for Markets

The UN conference in June 2012 Rio de Janeiro is one of the last
chances to save all life forms on the planet. Amazonian peoples to
make call-Political Cultural Events in the vicinity of the official
summit, leaders of people and movements, artists, scientists,
intellectuals, who win public opinion and global politics. Likewise,
policy intervention strategies within and outside Rio +20 Summit of
peoples and building a plural and democratic, with broad public
visibility. All to gain broader political support for the UN will not
submit to the interests of irresponsible game of power, and advance
approaches, objectives and proposals such as:

• Do not accept that the "Green Economy" is the combination of
neoliberalism developed with "green projects" but a profound change in
reducing consumption, waste and predation and the changing pattern of
production, consumption, distribution and energy (oil, biofuels)
alternatives harmony among societies, cultures and nature.
• Renovation of the Kyoto protocol, where there are firm commitments
and requirements, reduction of greenhouse emissions and opportunities
for participation by indigenous peoples. Do not let the world drift
with powers to impose terms, how and when they reduce their emissions.
• Consolidation of the Indigenous Peoples' land and Visions of Life
Full of holistic management of nature for the "cooling" of the planet
by increasing the quality of public funds to implement such global and
titling.
• Establishment of an International Environmental Court, the pressing
operation, independent of the global powers, with spaces for
indigenous participation, the most affected by environmental crime.
• Reorganize the current UN environmental agencies not to bow to the
powers pollutants, to overcome the bureaucracy and expanding
opportunities for participation and advocacy for indigenous Amazonian
people and the world.

Finally, the Summit raised position the media as a line of political
action, not just instrumental.
To influence public policies on access to media and use of information
and communication technologies and implement the proposed network of
Amazon communities COICA

Indigenous peoples and the nature we're alone, and therefore we are
obliged to keep the forests standing, reduce deforestation and to be
guardians of their services such as water, biodiversity, climate for
the survival of life. We only ask that they let us work in peace in
our mission.

No more "Belomonstruos" in Brazil, Guyana, Peru (Marañón,
Pakitzapango), Bolivia and the world!
Not just above the Rio +20 Death and Life of Peoples of the Xingu!

Not on the road in Indian Isiboro Secure in Bolivia. Evo Brother
defends the people and not the business of the BNDES!

Stop the destruction of oil in Ecuador (Yasuni), Peru (DATEM) and
other countries!

No impositions IIRSA, as the Manta-Manaus multimodal hub that will
destroy the Napo River!

Action and Solidarity with the struggles of indigenous peoples of
Amazonia and the world!

Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana to ratify Convention 169!

Amazonian indigenous peoples, walking on the trail of our ancestors,
we ask the world to open their hearts and dreams and join in the
sessions for Life for All

MORE HERE

Save Heatherwood Hospital

Public Meeting

Wednesday 28th September 7.30pm

Windsor Boys School

Maidenhead Road, Windsor


The local NHS managers have announced that they are implementing £37 million of cuts. They wish to close Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and are considering the closure of King Edward VII in Windsor and St.Marks in Maidenhead.

The fight is now on to save our NHS from Coalition cuts.

Come to the public meeting to hear about the campaign to save Heatherwood and our services. We will discuss how we can beat these cuts.

Shuar shut down river traffic as Canadian oil company assualts their land

There is a war on this planet, the Shuar  ('the people') are on the front line, support them. 


Just stuck this in google translate from the Aidesep website. Spread the word, brave people fighting for prosperity that reflects local needs and ecology!


Remember British, Canadian and US politicians would love to get their hands sticky with oil ripped out of the Amazon, give them grief!

AIDESEP, September 16, 2011. Shuar Indigenous peoples of Morona, Datem province Marañón, Loreto region, announced the blockade of the river traffic of the river Marañón  as a protest against the incursion of the Canadian oil companyTalisman, which started exploration and production activities in Block 64, without conducting a consultation process and agreements within the framework of respect for the people.

Through a public statement, the Organization of Morona Shuar -OSHDEM, which represents 20 communities in the area, proposed to the regional government, and district levels to assist in generating a process of indigenous development that respects local culture, territory, autonomy and worldview.

Remember that this oil has a bad record. On October 2, 2009, the Achuar of the Pastaza indigenous brothers complained to theProsecutor's Office to the same company for "attempted genocide", because the main objective of the protest isl eaving the territory of the Shuar of Morona company Canada, to protect the rivers, the Amazon jungle and the family free of environmental, social, cultural and indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. "We raise our own indigenous development -Amazon with a responsible and sustainable management of our natural wealth," concludes the document.

ORIGINAL IN SPANISH VIA AIDESEP 

A day of war in Afghanistan costs 100 nurses

Britain is spending tens of billions waging the unjustified war in Afghanistan, with horrific costs in the deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians, and of soldiers sent to kill and be killed. This video, narrated by Tony Benn with music by Brian Eno, dramatically conveys the cost of wars which are opposed by most people in Britain. It ends with a call to join the Antiwar Mass Assembly in Trafalgar Square on 8 October:

'Passionate, concise and lively'

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As the last “male principal speaker” for the Green Party for England and Wales, the author of numerous books on environmentalism and a lecturer in political economy, Derek Wall is well placed to write on Green politics.

Due to the quickening climate crisis, it is a politics he describes, in the No-nonsense Guide, as one “of survival”. Wall manages to pack a lot of interesting information and ideas into a short book, including summaries of what he sees as the four pillars of Green political thought: ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy and nonviolence. Who knew, for example, that laws against air pollution were introduced in 13th century Britain or that there is a Saudi Arabian Green Party? Wall is a natural optimist but notes that, while awareness of green issues has increased over the last couple of decades, effect-ive action to promote solutions to climate change still seems a distant prospect. “The political system has been better at changing radicals than radicals have been at changing the political system”, he believes, highlighting the compromises that Green parties, such as those in Ireland and Germany, have made to gain power.

Wall’s preferred brand of green politics is Ecosocialism – “an emerging political alternative that links socialism and ecology” arguing that “ecological problems cannot be solved without challenging capitalism, and that a socialism which does not respect the environment is worthless” (an issue explored in PN 2527). Mainstream political parties may be incapable of addressing the issue but Wall sees the ecological crisis as prim-arily the product of economic growth on a planet with finite resources.

Karl Marx, Edward Carpenter and William Morris were early pioneers of Ecosocialism, he maintains, with the most exciting developments today happening in Latin America under Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and in Cuba.

While The Rise of the Green Left, with its comprehensive biblio-graphy and substantial referencing, is the more serious and indepth text, both books are excellent introductions to Green politics. Like other activists Wall is concerned with practical politics and sees his books as “an explicit call to nonviolent arms”. Fittingly then, the last chapter of The Rise is a guide to becoming educated and involved in Ecosocialist activism, with lists of related books, films and grassroots organisations. Passionate, concise and lively, these two books are proof that Wall is one of the most important Green deep-thinkers in the world today.

FROM PEACE NEWS

Why Noise Matters

John Stewart

Wednesday 21 September at 6.30pm

At Bookmarks £2 entry redeemable against any purchase on the night, 1 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3QE



Is noise the most neglected green issue of our age? This book argues compellingly that it is, and tells you all you need to know about noise as a social, cultural, environmental and health issue.

Across the world, more people are disturbed by noise in their day-today lives than by any other pollutant on Earth. From the shanty towns of Mumbai to the smart boulevards of Paris, noise is a problem. It is damaging people's health, costing billions, and threatening the world's natural sound systems in the same way that climate change is altering its eco-systems.

Drawing on evidence from all over the world, this book showcases policies and strategies that have worked to decrease noise pollution, and offers lessons for policymakers and environmental health professionals, campaigners and any individual affected by noise. Written by a renowned noise campaigner and experts in law and health, this book tells you all you need to know about noise as a social, cultural and environmental issue and how we can act to build a more peaceful world.

About the Author

John Stewart has been campaigning on transport and environment issues for thirty years. He is a former Chair of Transport 2000 and of the road victim charity, RoadPeace. He currently chairs the UK Noise Association and is a Vice Chair of UECNA, the European body which represents airport campaign groups. He headed up the coalition which defeated plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. In 2008 he was voted the UK's most effective environmentalist by the Independent on Sunday. For the last three years from 2008 the Evening Standard nominated him as one of London's 1000 most influential people.



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Mumia's Lawyer at public meeting in London this friday

Mumia, decades on death row, is the prophet pure and simple.

Base your politics on Mumia and you will not go wrong!

Details here

Date: Friday, 16 September 2011 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Location: Trinity Reformed Church, Buck St, London NW1 8NJ, Camden Town Accessible entrance, accessible toilet nearby.

Christina Swarns (NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund), Mumia Abu-Jamal’s lead lawyer, will be in London on 16th September for one day. She will speak about the latest developments in his case. Ms Swarns has been part of the Abu-Jamal legal team for some years. Her submissions on the issue of racism in jury selection were a crucial part of the appeal submitted in May 2007.

Ms Swarns visits just as a new book by Mumia (as he is known to millions) is launched in the UK.

Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v the USA speaks for the creative and determined movement of prisoners who use the law against the legal establishment. It is published just as prisoners in the US demonstrate their massive movement against prisons as concentration camps of repression, humiliation and other injustice, with work strikes, hunger strikes and other courageous actions, crossing racial divides.

'Environmentalists don’t like to use the “c” word for risk of offence, but it’s about “capitalism”.'

Ecosocialism cuts to roots of ecological crisis Saturday, September 10, 2011 Aidesep —a federation of over 40 Indigenous groups in Peru — have used non-violent direct action to stop the destruction of the Amazon. British-based economist, activist and writer Derek Wall is a member of the Green Party of England and Wales and is the author of several books on ecology and politics. Wall will speak via video link at the Climate Change Social Change activist conference in Melbourne over September 30 to October 3. He maintains the ecosocialist blog Another Green World.


 He spoke to Green Left Weekly’s Simon Butler about the politics of ecosocialism.


 * * * What are the most valuable insights ecosocialists can bring to discussions about the source of our ecological problems? Ecosocialism, without being reductionist, cuts to the roots of the ecological crisis. The destruction of the environment is not an accident. It is not simply a problem of false ideas and it is not a product of inappropriate policies that can easily be dealt with by electing a new set of politicians. The assault on the basic life support system of our planet, the basic biological cycles, climate being just one, is caused by our economic and social system. We live in a capitalist society and capitalism tends towards the destruction of the conditions necessary to sustain life.

 To deal with ecological problems we have to focus on capitalist assaults on the rest of nature. I don’t condemn individual lifestyle change but changing ones consumption is not key to creating social change. The present system demands that we work harder, produce more, consume more and throw more away at ever increasing rates.

 Ecosocialism is pragmatic, not utopian. It is strategic. One example will suffice, the Peruvian Amazon.

The Amazon is key as a carbon sink, absorbing CO2. It is fantastic for biodiversity. Why is it under assault? Primarily because corporations aided by corrupt elites in Peru want to slice it up for gas, oil and biofuels. Environmentalists don’t like to use the “c” word for risk of offence, but it’s about “capitalism”. Yes, we can try not to buy timber from the Amazon. Yes, we can support NGOs. But the political and economic realities of Peru, to give one example, must be recognised. The indigenous organise to fight for the Amazon. They formed a federation of over 40 ethnic groups — Aidesep — to gain unity. They ally with workers in the cities and social movements across Peru. They have used non-violent direct action to stop the forests being taken and for their pains they were massacred at Bagua [in 2009]. They have intervened politically in Peru and helped elected [Ollanta] Humala, another left leader in the mould of [Bolivia’s Evo] Morales and [Venezuela’s Hugo] Chavez.

 They have achieved new forest laws to protect their land. If they are betrayed, they will take militant but non-violent action. Ecosocialists give solidarity. Aidesep have worked closely with the legendary ecosocialist and indigenous leader Hugo Blanco. Ecosocialism, with its focus on fighting capitalist destruction and articulating with indigenous [people] and workers, is a pragmatic, effective response to the crisis on our planet.

 Capitalism is an articulated system. A key node is of course property rights, but capitalism links economics, culture and politics — it’s a whole system and it’s a process that exploits and degrades both humanity and the rest of nature. To fight the enemy one must know the enemies name: ecosocialism names.

MORE HERE

Demonstration at US Embassy London in memory of the Attica Prison Uprising in 1971

Demonstration at US Embassy London in memory of the Attica Prison Uprising in 1971 calling for release of United States Political Prisoners. Organised by The Pan-Afrikan Voice and The Free Mumia Abu Jamal Campaign in United Kingdom. The Demonstration will be between 5-7pm on the 13th September 2011

Caroline Lucas condemns 'greed-based economy was built on sand'

For years, we have spoken of the dangers our country faces from within. How globalisation and unrestrained capitalism have been eating away at the fabric of our society. How big corporations and cynical marketing have left people feeling manipulated and exploited. How consumerism excludes those who don’t have money and enslaves those who do. How, in a society where individuals are defined as consumers not as citizens, those who cannot afford to consume effectively become non-citizens . And we’ve spelt out how this greed-based economy was built on sand. On the myth of cheap resources and on exploitation. Alienation. The undermining of community spirit. These are the practical effects of decisions by government. Starving local authorities of the means to provide alternatives for young people. We pointed out how crime was a symptom of this malaise. How unless you got to the roots of these issues, then building more prisons or putting more police on the streets would at best buy you some short-term relief – but at the expense of a worse problem in the future. – Well, now it is the future. We’ve seen scenes on our streets that might have come from a dystopian sci-fi film. A kind of collective madness in which trouble-makers and gang members are mixed up with ordinary people acting out of character. Such behavior must be condemned. But while some politicians have spoken at length about a sickness in society, perhaps the riots have shown most clearly a sickness with politics itself. It fell to David Cameron to deliver this response – but it is one that might have come from Tony Blair or Gordon Brown, or Ed Miliband. The first instinct of the typical politician is to shed responsibility and try to pin the blame elsewhere. So we have attacks on the police not only from gangs on the streets, but from the Home Secretary and Prime Minister. The truth is, the police faced an unprecedented situation and though there are lessons to be learned, recriminations are a distraction. The second instinct is tough talk. Talk of calling in the Army. Of water cannon and baton rounds. Heavy sentencing, cutting benefits, making people homeless. All panicky and unnecessary responses made against the advice of the experts. The third is to use rhetoric to cover up inaction. So we have Cameron’s inane sound-bite about a security fightback being followed by a social fightback. How wrong can he be? It’s not about society fighting back against alien invaders. The people who took part in the riots are from our society. They are our neighbours and our work colleagues. We sit next to them on the bus and visit the same shops. Casting them into outer darkness is exactly what you would expect from a ruling cabal who will not accept that the divisions in society are largely of their making. And where are they to go, these enemies of our society, when the fight-back has been won? Prison? Internment camps? I fear Cameron already has the answer in his mind – though he will not speak it clearly. It’s the idea of ghettoes, where the undeserving poor can be kept and contained through heavy policing, CCTV surveillance, and the use of benefits as a stick to intimidate, without the need to use the courts, with their inconvenient interest in evidence and justice. That is Cameron’s vision. – I want to be plain about this. That vision is immoral. It is a betrayal of everything that we should be proud of in the traditions of our country. It is a betrayal by the same elite that has gained so much at the expense of the rest of us. MORE HERE