Ken Livingstone appeared with Green Party activists in Cambridge.
He didn't as a Labour Party member endorse the Greens but he came close.
As an independent he was first elect Mayor of London with some Green Party support.
More here
20 Mar 2010
19 Mar 2010
Army of Crime
Watching Army of Crime about the left resistance in France, pretty good.
do miss France, must make a trip, I am so much more in touch with Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Australia, even Germany and Turkey.
Michael Lowy my French (also Brazilian) ecosocialist friend is such a good person and has written so much excellent stuff.
Review here
Alberto Durango demo 5pm Liverpool St
Just had this from Dave Broder, thanks Dave!
Hi everyone
Just in case you'd forgotten, the day of action against Swiss bank UBS in solidarity with under-fire cleaners and sacked shop steward Alberto Durango is today (Fri 19th).
There's going to be demos in London, Zurich, Manchester, Edinburgh, Stockholm, New York, Kyiv and Buenos Aires...
The London protest is from 5pm at 100 Liverpool Street - bring friends/banners/stuff that makes a noise!
Hi everyone
Just in case you'd forgotten, the day of action against Swiss bank UBS in solidarity with under-fire cleaners and sacked shop steward Alberto Durango is today (Fri 19th).
There's going to be demos in London, Zurich, Manchester, Edinburgh, Stockholm, New York, Kyiv and Buenos Aires...
The London protest is from 5pm at 100 Liverpool Street - bring friends/banners/stuff that makes a noise!
Respect leader on course to win election as MP
The party leader, Salma Yaqoob, who finished second in Birmingham Sparkbrook in 2005, is standing in the neighbouring Hall Green seat where Labour's Roger Godsiff is defending a notional majority of 4,191. Yaqoob is popular in the area, a third of which is Muslim, and she has been helped by the local Green Party's decision to stand aside and endorse Respect.
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2010/03/whelan-party-majority-labour
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2010/03/whelan-party-majority-labour
18 Mar 2010
Violated in the name of progress
Every day, we see the blatant abuse and destruction of our Sacred Sites. Because all humans are indigenous to the Earth, it is up to all of us to protect and preserve the resting places of our Ancestors and other sites that are a rich part of our cultural, spiritual, and traditional heritage. We live in a time where our natural landscapes are fast disappearing, our Sacred Sites are violated, our water and skies poisoned by carcinogenic pollution, our wildlife forced out of their natural habitats while big-box stores, housing developments, and black pavement cover and imprison the land; all in the name of progress.
More here
Empty prosperity leads to catastrophe
In this hidden world of cause-and-effect, the environmental movement and the public stand at a crossroads. Is growth a product of “consumerism” — the most socially acceptable and socially neutral explanation that we usually encounter in discussions of environmental deterioration? Or does growth occur because of the nature of production for a market economy? To a certain extent, we can say. both. But the overall reality of a market economy is that consumer demand for a new product rarely occurs spontaneously, nor is its consumption guided purely by personal considerations.
Today, demand is created not by consumers but by producers — specifically, by enterprises called advertising agencies that use a host of techniques to manipulate public taste. American washing and drying machines, for example, are all but constructed to be used communally-and they are communally used in many apartment buildings. Their privatization in homes, where they stand idle most of the time, is a result of advertising ingenuity.
More here
One can survey the entire landscape of typical “consumer” items and find many other examples of the irrational consumption of products by individuals and small families – “consumer” items that readily lend themselves to public use.
Today, demand is created not by consumers but by producers — specifically, by enterprises called advertising agencies that use a host of techniques to manipulate public taste. American washing and drying machines, for example, are all but constructed to be used communally-and they are communally used in many apartment buildings. Their privatization in homes, where they stand idle most of the time, is a result of advertising ingenuity.
More here
One can survey the entire landscape of typical “consumer” items and find many other examples of the irrational consumption of products by individuals and small families – “consumer” items that readily lend themselves to public use.
15 Mar 2010
The conference for Tierra Madre in Cochabamba
I am keeping my feet on the ground but my good friend Hugo Blanco is going from Peru and has kindly agreed to get a document from me translated into Spanish putting the arguments that we both believe for ecosocialism. The event is ecosocialism in action, in Latin America indigneous and workers are remaking the world in the spirit of respect for ecology and justice.
Dear sisters and brothers
We’ve gathered some information and links to share with you. Some of the information is to do with the “World People's Conference on Climate Change” that will take place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, between the 20 and 22 April, and some information is related to our work with various solidarity campaigns here in the UK.
Some people have asked what are the 10 Mother Earth Commandments. So, we are including a transcription, also we found a wonderful article in the Guardian describing the process of change in Bolivia written by Matt Kennard, and as articles of this type are so rare we have translated it into Spanish.
This is a long email, so please be patient, we have tried to avoid long unnecessary information, but we have included whenever possible a Spanish version.
In defence of the Pachamama, which is life!
¡Por la defensa de la Pachamama que es vida!
Bolivia Solidarity Campaign
London
1. The 10 Mother Earth Commandments
2. The UK and the World People's Conference on Climate Change
3. The Real Climategate: Conservation Groups Align with World’s Worst Polluters
4. Guardian article to cheer you up
5. UBS: shame on YOU! (Bolivian and other immigrant workers victimised by Bank)
6. Colombia Solidarity Campaign: news and events
7. London Mining Network: news and events
8. Peru: Palm oil companies destroy the Peruvian Amazon rainforest
9. Other events in London
1. The 10 Mother Earth Commandments
1
Stopping the capitalist system
Acabar con el sistema capitalista
2
Renouncing wars
Renunciar a las guerras
3
A world without imperialism or colonialism
Un mundo sin imperialismo ni colonialismo
4
Right to water
Derecho al agua
5
Development of clean energies
Desarrollo de energías limpias
6
Respect for Mother Earth
Respeto a la madre tierra
7
Basic services as human rights
Servicios básicos como derechos humanos
8
Fighting inequalities
Combatir las desigualdades
9
Promoting diversity of cultures and economies
Promover la diversidad de culturas y economías
10
Living well, not living better at the expense of others
Vivir bien, no vivir mejor a costa del otro
Read full transcription
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/10/message-of-president-evo-morales-to.html
En castellano
http://www.cadtm.org/los-10-mandamientos-de-evo-morales
2. The UK and the World People's Conference on Climate Change
Who can participate?
Anyone really, in Copenhagen more than 160 countries were excluded from the final negotiations, but in Cochabamba the 192 countries subscribed in the UN have been invited. Indigenous organizations from around the world have also been invited, delegations from the Grand Council of Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the United States will attend the conference.
However it seems that most of the participants expected to go are from NGOs and social movements in Bolivia (including trade unions and indigenous groups), South America, and other regions of the world.
The Bolivian press has started to speculate about the numbers of foreign visitors that will attend the conference. The numbers range from 5 thousand to 10 thousand. There is no clear information on the numbers by the organizers but they have been able to confirm that there will be 20 governmental delegations, scientists and prominent writers such as: Eduardo Galeano, author of the “Open Veins of Latin America”.
Who is going from the UK?
It is estimated that between 50 to 80 people will go from the UK, NGOs such as the WDM, Oxfam, etc. Social movements such as: Campaign Against Climate Change, Climate Justice Action, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (of course!) and others.
If you as an individual, or an organisation of which you are a member, is considering attending the conference, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (www.boliviasc.org.uk) may be able to help informally with logistics (such as finding inexpensive accommodation) or arrange contacts with social organisations and trade unions), or provide other advice. BSC has several contacts in Cochabamba, and two BSC members will be attending the conference.
It's a long way to travel for just 4 or 5 days, so if a group of people who wish to stay in Bolivia for a week or so longer comes together, BSC could provide an informal itinerary of visits to places of interest and meetings with social movements and other organisations, including the possibility of visiting the Cuban internationalist medical brigades.
If you are interested, please contact BSC as soon as possible, using the following e-mail address: boliviasc@gmail.com with copy to: steve.wagstaff@hotmail.com
Where will the conference be?
The conference will be in the University Univalle, in Tiquipaya, 10km from the city of Cochabamba. It seems that tents and collective dormitories will be set up as the hotels do not have capacity to house so many visitors.
How will the conference be organized?
There will be:
Self-organized events (there are around 30 proposals)
Working Groups (there are 17 working groups)
Large assemblies/Rallies (there’s one event for the 22nd to take place in a football stadium, but there might be others).
These are the two self-organized events that have applied from the UK:
Title: Unions and a global fight for green jobs
Organizers: Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group (UK); University and College Union (UK); Communication Workers Union (UK); Public and Commercial Services union (UK); Transport Salaried Staff Association (UK)
Country or region: UK
Title: La búsqueda del vivir bien/Defending Mother Earth (film and discussion)
Organizers: Yorvida Ltd (UK), Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (UK), Radio Alter-Nativa La Chiwana (Cochabamba), Chajra Runaj Masis (Cochabamba), Sheffield Cuba Solidarity Campaign (UK)
Country or region: UK/Bolivia
Working groups
There are 17 working groups, which people can join at any time. If you cannot go to Bolivia but want to participate please visit the website and subscribe to the working group of your choice.
http://pwccc.wordpress.com/category/working-groups/
One of the working groups will look at the referendum on climate change. Evo Morales while in Copenhagen, at the ALBA rally, in front of 3 thousand people, put forth the following five questions for that referendum, for a few minutes you could hear the stadium roar with yes to every question asked.
http://www.youtube.com/user/EmbajadaBolivia#p/a/u/1/nqnPvTrDxrE
For more information: www.boliviaun.org
Dear sisters and brothers
We’ve gathered some information and links to share with you. Some of the information is to do with the “World People's Conference on Climate Change” that will take place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, between the 20 and 22 April, and some information is related to our work with various solidarity campaigns here in the UK.
Some people have asked what are the 10 Mother Earth Commandments. So, we are including a transcription, also we found a wonderful article in the Guardian describing the process of change in Bolivia written by Matt Kennard, and as articles of this type are so rare we have translated it into Spanish.
This is a long email, so please be patient, we have tried to avoid long unnecessary information, but we have included whenever possible a Spanish version.
In defence of the Pachamama, which is life!
¡Por la defensa de la Pachamama que es vida!
Bolivia Solidarity Campaign
London
1. The 10 Mother Earth Commandments
2. The UK and the World People's Conference on Climate Change
3. The Real Climategate: Conservation Groups Align with World’s Worst Polluters
4. Guardian article to cheer you up
5. UBS: shame on YOU! (Bolivian and other immigrant workers victimised by Bank)
6. Colombia Solidarity Campaign: news and events
7. London Mining Network: news and events
8. Peru: Palm oil companies destroy the Peruvian Amazon rainforest
9. Other events in London
1. The 10 Mother Earth Commandments
1
Stopping the capitalist system
Acabar con el sistema capitalista
2
Renouncing wars
Renunciar a las guerras
3
A world without imperialism or colonialism
Un mundo sin imperialismo ni colonialismo
4
Right to water
Derecho al agua
5
Development of clean energies
Desarrollo de energías limpias
6
Respect for Mother Earth
Respeto a la madre tierra
7
Basic services as human rights
Servicios básicos como derechos humanos
8
Fighting inequalities
Combatir las desigualdades
9
Promoting diversity of cultures and economies
Promover la diversidad de culturas y economías
10
Living well, not living better at the expense of others
Vivir bien, no vivir mejor a costa del otro
Read full transcription
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/10/message-of-president-evo-morales-to.html
En castellano
http://www.cadtm.org/los-10-mandamientos-de-evo-morales
2. The UK and the World People's Conference on Climate Change
Who can participate?
Anyone really, in Copenhagen more than 160 countries were excluded from the final negotiations, but in Cochabamba the 192 countries subscribed in the UN have been invited. Indigenous organizations from around the world have also been invited, delegations from the Grand Council of Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the United States will attend the conference.
However it seems that most of the participants expected to go are from NGOs and social movements in Bolivia (including trade unions and indigenous groups), South America, and other regions of the world.
The Bolivian press has started to speculate about the numbers of foreign visitors that will attend the conference. The numbers range from 5 thousand to 10 thousand. There is no clear information on the numbers by the organizers but they have been able to confirm that there will be 20 governmental delegations, scientists and prominent writers such as: Eduardo Galeano, author of the “Open Veins of Latin America”.
Who is going from the UK?
It is estimated that between 50 to 80 people will go from the UK, NGOs such as the WDM, Oxfam, etc. Social movements such as: Campaign Against Climate Change, Climate Justice Action, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (of course!) and others.
If you as an individual, or an organisation of which you are a member, is considering attending the conference, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (www.boliviasc.org.uk) may be able to help informally with logistics (such as finding inexpensive accommodation) or arrange contacts with social organisations and trade unions), or provide other advice. BSC has several contacts in Cochabamba, and two BSC members will be attending the conference.
It's a long way to travel for just 4 or 5 days, so if a group of people who wish to stay in Bolivia for a week or so longer comes together, BSC could provide an informal itinerary of visits to places of interest and meetings with social movements and other organisations, including the possibility of visiting the Cuban internationalist medical brigades.
If you are interested, please contact BSC as soon as possible, using the following e-mail address: boliviasc@gmail.com with copy to: steve.wagstaff@hotmail.com
Where will the conference be?
The conference will be in the University Univalle, in Tiquipaya, 10km from the city of Cochabamba. It seems that tents and collective dormitories will be set up as the hotels do not have capacity to house so many visitors.
How will the conference be organized?
There will be:
Self-organized events (there are around 30 proposals)
Working Groups (there are 17 working groups)
Large assemblies/Rallies (there’s one event for the 22nd to take place in a football stadium, but there might be others).
These are the two self-organized events that have applied from the UK:
Title: Unions and a global fight for green jobs
Organizers: Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group (UK); University and College Union (UK); Communication Workers Union (UK); Public and Commercial Services union (UK); Transport Salaried Staff Association (UK)
Country or region: UK
Title: La búsqueda del vivir bien/Defending Mother Earth (film and discussion)
Organizers: Yorvida Ltd (UK), Bolivia Solidarity Campaign (UK), Radio Alter-Nativa La Chiwana (Cochabamba), Chajra Runaj Masis (Cochabamba), Sheffield Cuba Solidarity Campaign (UK)
Country or region: UK/Bolivia
Working groups
There are 17 working groups, which people can join at any time. If you cannot go to Bolivia but want to participate please visit the website and subscribe to the working group of your choice.
http://pwccc.wordpress.com/category/working-groups/
One of the working groups will look at the referendum on climate change. Evo Morales while in Copenhagen, at the ALBA rally, in front of 3 thousand people, put forth the following five questions for that referendum, for a few minutes you could hear the stadium roar with yes to every question asked.
http://www.youtube.com/user/EmbajadaBolivia#p/a/u/1/nqnPvTrDxrE
For more information: www.boliviaun.org
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