THINK GLOBAL Act Locally with Global Justice Now
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THINK GLOBAL Act locally with Global Justice Now November 2017 Contents Big pharma is making a killing out of public 02 Welcome money 03 News roundup Morten Thaysen Policy team 04 Trade democracy The pharmaceutical industry is probably the most profitable industry in the world and is certainly one of the most powerful. 06 Corporate power / It’s power that was used to sue South Africa for importing Pharmaceuticals cheap drugs during the AIDS pandemic, and to charge very high prices for a drug that could cure hepatitis C. 08 Migrant solidarity Today, essential medicines are priced out the of reach of 09 Aidwatch large parts of the world, leading to the preventable death of millions. The common defence for these costs is the need 10 Groups and for research and development (R&D), but this conveniently activism news overlooks the key role of public money in developing new drugs. And then there’s the huge costs of marketing. Most big 12 Current materials pharmaceutical companies spend more on this than they do on R&D. Both of these issues are exposed in our new report, Pills and Profits: How drug companies make a killing out of public money. However, there has been inspiring resistance to the power of big pharmaceutical companies, such as the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa, which has been instrumental in securing the largest universal AIDS programme in the world. That’s why we’re so excited to be hosting Sibongile Tshabalala, national chair of the TAC, as part of our nationwide speaker tour this month. We’d really encourage you to get to one of the events if you can (listed on page 7). Inserts But this isn’t just an issue for the global south – it affects us here in the UK as well. Last year alone the NHS spent more than Trade £1bn on drugs that were discovered with significant public • Trade democracy poster- funding. Essentially the public ends up paying twice for drugs leaflet - first when they are developed and then again when we buy • Trade white paper them. And in some cases UK patients have had to go without summary medicines discovered in the UK, because companies were charging too much money for the NHS to afford them. General • Ninety-Nine magazine, From South Africa to the UK, it’s the same multinational September 2017 issue pharmaceutical companies restricting access to medicine. Our new campaign is demanding that politicians put Pharmaceuticals affordability conditions on new health research. Over the long • Pills and Profits report term we need to overhaul the entire R&D system to make sure (groups only) we keep health technology under public control. A great way to start campaigning on these issues is with a stall on World Aids Day on 1 December or a screening of the film Fire in the Blood. See more info on page 6. 2 November 2017 News from Global Justice Now In the media Climate justice working group We launched our new report on the Climate and energy issues remain a key pharmaceutical industry in October with an concern for Global Justice Now activists, hour-long BBC Radio 5 Live show – a must- and the next UNFCCC climate talks (COP23) listen. The report was also covered in the are in Bonn this November. The German Telegraph, Independent and the BBC News climate movement is mobilising to push website. governments not to backslide on the meagre commitments they made in Paris in 2015. Nick Dearden has written several comment pieces on trade recently - for the New In order to maintain a small campaign Statesman, Red Pepper, Al Jazeera stream on climate justice issues, we’re and Novara Media. Jean Blaylock was experimenting with a new structure - an interviewed on BBC World Service and activist-led network within Global Justice Radio 4 in September. Our stall at Labour Now of people interested in climate justice. conference was featured in the Daily Express, It’s actually more similar to the way ATTAC while our event at SNP conference made the groups in Europe work and we’re happy National. Aisha Dodwell, our policy manager, to report an initial meeting of about eight was quoted in the Guardian on aid following activists went well and two of them are now Priti Patel’s speech at the Conservative going to Bonn. conference. Some other activities are also planned. If When the Great Repeal Bill was introduced you’d like to get involved in this group please to parliament in September, we held a Henry email [email protected]. VIII stunt with Another Europe is Possible to protest the bill’s unaccountable powers. It was on all the main evening news bulletins New group websites (BBC, ITV, Channel 4), and there were photos As previously reported, those groups with in the Telegraph and the i. their own websites (as opposed to a single page on our main site) will soon be getting Local group activities have also made it a new look. The new template is now into the local press in both Manchester and designed and we will be applying it to each Bradford – see more info on page 10. site over the first weeks of November. We’ll email each group concerned when this has happened. Pharmaceuticals Trade Action Organise a stall around the Plan to attend the the National time of World Aids Day. Action for Trade Democracy, 5-6 February 2018. checklist Put on a screening of Fire In The Blood. Submit a response to trade white paper if you have Promote and come along to time before the 6 November a speaker tour event. deadline. Migration Organise a “Having difficult conversations” workshop. November 2017 3 Trade democracy Global Justice Glasgow holds a stunt outside SNP conference It’s been an exciting couple of months for the an opportunity we intend to use, together debate around the future of UK trade. Our with the Trade Justice Scotland Coalition (to push for greater democratic accountability which we belong), to push for a trade policy on future UK trade deals is beginning to based on democracy and social justice. yield results, with more and more politicians backing our stance. DIARY DATE: National Action Labour’s shadow trade secretary, Barry for Trade Democracy, 5-6 Gardiner, told the TUC that his party would February 2018 “fight every step of the way to ensure the Trade Bill provides for proper parliamentary To build on this momentum, we are seeking scrutiny of trade deals in the future”. He also to escalate the campaign for trade reaffirmed the fact that Labour “rejects the democracy through a significant mobilisation concept of ISDS in all its forms”. early in 2018, organised jointly with War on Want. Over two days there will be a mixture Also, at the time of writing, 101 MPs from of training, education, action on the street various parties had signed early day motion and a mass lobby of MPs at Westminster, as 128 that calls for parliamentary scrutiny of well as opportunities to meet other activists trade deals. and strengthen the national network of trade campaigners. So our campaign for trade democracy is gathering a head of steam at Westminster. Monday 5 February (in and around the City Meanwhile in Scotland, the SNP’s trade of London, starting around lunchtime) spokesperson Hannah Bardell called for • Trade impact tour: take a walk around Scotland to develop its own trade policy – London hot spots to unveil the real impact 4 November 2017 that the next raft of free trade deals MP lobbying could have locally. We’re currently focusing our lobbying efforts • Public meeting: ‘Trading with Trump: a post Brexit nightmare?’ A panel discussion on increasing the number of MPs who’ve to debate the latest developments in signed Early Day Motion 128. The total trade deal negotiations. Speakers tbc. number of signatories is 101 at the time of • Trade activists meet-up: join other activists writing, with 38 out of the 59 Scottish MPs to talk trade politics over some food and having signed it due to the hard work of a social. Scottish activists. This means the EDM is now the fourth most popular in this parliamentary Tuesday 6 February (based in and around session, and there’s no reason why we can’t parliament) get this even higher in the list. You can check the latest list of signatories here: • Trade democracy demo: we’ll gather in www.parliament.uk/edm. a central location with banners, chants and speakers to make our views known. • Mass lobby of MPs: meet your MP, present If your MP has yet to sign, you can take the the arguments for trade democracy and action on our website at globaljustice.org.uk/ try and convince them to support our campaigns/trade. Better still, write to them key demands. There will be support in in your own words outlining your concerns lobbying skills before this. and the need for trade democracy. We’re especially keen to see more centre ground We’re encouraging people to come for the Labour MPs sign up to the campaign so if full mobilisation, but obviously not everyone you’re in one of these constituencies, all the will be able to do so, and each event will more reason to have a go at lobbying your work as a stand-alone activity as well. MP directly. More information, check out our website globaljustice.org.uk/events. It’s also worth noting that frontbench Conservative MPs (ie those who are part The event page will be updated as of the government) do not sign EDMs as a plans progress.