Friday 17th June 2005 Free/Do na tion Issue 502/3 CRAP ARREST OF THE WEEK There's A Lot Of It About For fi lming: Peace protester Paul Lesnio- While the worlds eight richest leaders prepare to meet in Scotland, hundreds of wski has been arrested and put in Lewes thousands will be protesting in the streets. The neo-liberal model of privatisation, Prison on remand for a WEEK - just for cut backs and corporate plunder is held up by the rich and powerful as the only way fi lming the antics of a security guard outside to run the world. We disagree - and last week so did the people of Bolivia, who once the EDO factory in Brighton. EDO are Bright- again showed that we don’t have to take this economic model lying down. on’s own local friendly arms dealers, making bits for bombs to drop on Iraqi cities. “Will the people allow a rerun of the old as profi tably as possible. Others, notably Paul was on a demonstration on June 15th story of the country’s riches evaporating the indigenous majority, thought that the organized by Smash EDO, the campaign to in foreign hands? The people demanded Bolivians should be able to use the gas for close down the bomb factory. The bomb- and continue to demand that the gas be themselves. Tens of thousands protesters pushers recently paid their lawyers £50,000 used for Bolivia and that the country forced the shutdown of four oilfi elds and to sue for an injunction against the protes- not submit again to the dictatorship of access to seven of Bolivia’s nine regions, tors, under the Protection from Harassment its underground resources. The right to demanding that a tax of 50% be levied Act - originally designed to protect vulner- self-determination, so often invoked, so against the gas companies. Over the past able people from scary stalkers, not scary rarely respected, begins here.” - Eduardo month protesters have firmly rejected arms dealers from ordinary people. Until the Galeano, Uruguayan journalist the 32% ‘compromise’ tax suggested by lawsuit is resolved, a watered down version of the injunction applies. Bolivia is Latin America’s poorest country Congress and are now calling for the re- Paul was arrested when not even protest- precisely because its people have been nationalisation of the gas system. Bolivians ing, but acting as a legal observer in a marked force-fed the neoliberal reform agenda are offi cially “off message” and G8 leaders yellow jacket. Paul was being fi lmed by the for such a long time. The imposed policies are non-too pleased. director of Guardian Security, who works of privatisation, cuts to welfare and other Carlos Arze, an NGO worker from for EDO. He fi lmed back and promptly got business friendly reforms are only designed La Paz, says that the demonstrators are arrested for breaching the injunction. to help the multinationals and their pals in looking to “break the 20-year old neo- Paul is due to appear in court again on government make shed loads of money. liberal economic model that has allowed June 23rd, charged with Contempt of Court. The poorest 20% of Bolivians own less transnational corporations to control the Supporters have been holding solidarity than 2% of the nation’s wealth, yet the top policies and economy of this country.” demonstrations outside Lewes Prison. fi fth own a whopping 62%: and these neo- And the latest victory came last Tuesday www.smashedo.org.uk liberal policies are widening this gap. The (7th June) when President Carlos Mesa, debt relief promised by G8 plc is a con. It bowed to pressure and quit his job. The Meanwhile, a powerful business elite comes laden with the same conditions as the new president, Bolivia’s Supreme Court - mostly of European descent - in the south- International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans head, Eduardo Rodriguez is the country’s eastern city of Santa Cruz has been pushing that got the countries into debt in the fi rst third president in less than two years. for far greater regional autonomy and a bigger place. One of the demands: privatise your In a country where 30% of the share of the region’s gas and oil wealth. state owned industries until nothing’s left. In population lives on less than 60p a day, Leaders there, where most of the country’s gas Argentina they even sold off the state zoo! G8 policy has been more concerned with is located, have pledged to hold a referendum With a history of over two hundred coups privatisation and profi t than poverty. The on increased autonomy this August - with or or revolutions since independence in 1825, current economic system, invented by US without the approval of central government, the Bolivian people are, once again, sticking economists in the 1980s, has destroyed setting the stage for future confl icts. Despite two fi ngers up at the political elite. Just under the country’s agricultural and industrial such attempts by the rich to grind them even five years ago, during the Cochabamba sectors, bringing hundreds of thousands of further into poverty, the majority of Bolivians ‘water war’, a collective rebellion wrestled workless but highly politicised families to have shown the world that there is no need to back control of the water supply from the live at the gates of the capital city, La Paz. simply accept the economic agenda pushed grip of the Bechtel Corporation which had It is from here that they have been able to by the G8. Resistance works and the head even managed to persuade the Bolivian hold the country to ransom: only one road honchos of this system are congregating at Congress to introduce a law banning people connects La Paz with the outside world and Gleneagles this July... from collecting rainwater! With Betchel out * Recommended reading Cochabamba - Water it’s been blockaded by the irate indigenous War In Bolivia by Oscar Olivera (2004) South of the picture and a victory under their belts, population of El Alto since May. protesters are now reclaiming control of their End Press. gas supply, kicking out the likes of British G8 - Where To Go When You Hit Scotland Gas on their way. Back in March, demonstrators derailed Here’s several locations for ac com mo da tion, * Teviot Build ing, Edinburgh Students Union a deal that would have made the Pacifi c cheap food and up-to-date in for ma tion: Building, Bristo Square will be open from June GLASGOW: 30th-9th July. info-point/meeting space. LNG consortium, which includes British * Glasgow Info Point: G42 Collective, Suite 3, * Nearby is the Indymedia Centre upstairs in Gas, ten dollars for every one they invested 674 Pollockshaws Road, South Glasgow. (with the Forest Café, Bristo Place opening 25th. in the country. The rich elite were keen to internet access) (Take the 44, 22, 23 or 57 bus RURAL CONVERGENCE SPACE get the 1.5 trillion cubic metres of gas out from Central Glasgow, get off at Eglington Toll), * CAMPING has been arranged with the local of the ground and down to the coast, to be phone 0141 4239055. An info point at Glasgow Council from 1st-9th in a location in Stirling. shipped off to California as quickly and central train sta tion is also being ar ranged 25 acres (or so) will host a capacity of 5,000 * Accommodation/Convergence Spaces: happy campers, organised by Horizone Eco- after 23rd June addresses for various venues Vil lage. The exact lo ca tion will be given out A DROP OF TRUTH IN AN will be on Dissent Website www.dissent.org.uk on the 23rd on the dissent website or call 07875145271 For updates check out: OCEAN OF BULLSHIT EDINBURGH: @nti-copyright - Information For Action - * Edinburgh Info Point: 10 Albert Pl, Leith www.dissent.org.uk 07913 263515 [email protected] - Published In Brighton Since 1994 - Walk. 0131 477 2954 It’s yer SchNEWS Summer Party & Pro test Guide JUNE www.cilycwm.com/smallnations ** 9 The Snake BM Box 2248, London WC1N 3XX. ** 16 RISE 27 Cycleogical 2-beyond ther a py. Ben- in the Grass Fes ti val, Castle Park, Colches ter, 2005 - a free anti-racist music festival cel e brat ing efit for g8bikeride 9pm-6am RampART Essex £20 A one day music festival, headlined London’s diver si ty 12noon - 8.30pm, Burgess Park, centre, Rampart St, London. 07050 618445 by Levellers with local bands. www.snakeinthe London SE5 020 7983 6554 www.risefestival.org www.g8bikeride.org.uk ** 29 Protest outside grass.co.uk ** 9- 10 Cornbury Music Festival, ** 16-17 Ashton Court Fes ti val, Bris tol. Lo cal 'Iraqi Pe tro le um Con fer ence 2005' The Hilton, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. Joe Cock er, Elvis bands plus Lemon Jelly, Super Furry Animals. £6 Pad ding ton. Meet 10.30am, Edgeware Road tube. Costello and old pow er ballad diva Bonnie Tyler. per day, 0870 4444 400 www.ashtoncourtfestiva To raise awareness of the cor po rate plunder of Sponsored by Waitrose - Rock and Roll or what? l.com ** 18-21 To wards Carfree Cities Buda- Iraq and the silent takeover of Iraq’s natural re- www.cornburyfestival.com ** 9-10 Reg gae Fes- pest, Hungary www.worldcarfree.net/confer ence sourc es. 07931337890 www.radicalactivist.net/ ti val of Wales, Haverfordwest Showground, Pem- ** 21 Ruigoord Landjuweel, Neth er lands. corporateiraq ** 30 Offl ine - the Ur ban 75 club brokeshire, Wales ** 9-10 Rhythms of the World, “Green oasis where art and life are intergrated” night Brixton’s Dogstar Club, 389 Coldharbour Hitchin. 700 per form ers on 8 stages. www.rhyth www.ruigoord.nl ** 21-24 Trowbridge Village Lane, 7pm - 2am Free. www.urban75.org/info msoftheworld.com ** 9-10 L’Esprit Manouche Pump Fes ti val Folk/Roots music washed down ** 30-July 3 Fusion Festival ex-soviet military World guitar festi val, Moseley Park, Birming ham with quite a lot of ale in pictur esque village. airfi eld now biggest holiday camp in Germany 0121 249 2303 www.lespritmanouche.com ** Week end tickets £85, day tickets £10-£38. www - intersting venue!www.fusion-festival.de 13-17 Buddhafi eld Fes ti val, Pay £60 to medi- .trowbridgefestival.co.uk ** 22-23 Wickerman tate in a fi eld in Devon so all nasty things will Fes ti val Dundrennan, Scotland. Dreadzone, Al- JULY stop. 01647 24539 www.buddhafield.com ** a bama 3 and Stranglers. Fam i ly friend ly festival. 1-8 Actions Against the G8 Summit “That’s 13-17 Larmer Tree Festival Jools Holland £45. www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk ** 23 The about all them poor people in Africa and Bob and lots of funky world music bands / DJs. All Free dom March and Rally to oppose mon key Geldof innit!” ** 2-3 Workhouse festival. set in idyllic peacock gardens. Only one day viv i sec tion lab o ra to ry. Meet at 12 noon, Oxpens With Chumbawamba, Space Ritual and Rory tickets left, from £29 (+ dis counts for chil dren) Park, Oxpens Rd, Oxford, 07906 497 317 www. Mcload. Llanfyllin, Powys £25 week end 0845 www.larmertreefestival.co.uk ** 15-17 Guilfest speakcampaigns.org.uk ** 23-24 Truck Fes ti val 458 8359 www.workhousefestival.co.uk ** 4 Pogues, Paul Weller, Status Quo, Echo And The Fiercely in de pend ent, and still small enough to In de pend ence from Amer i ca Day, Menwith Bunnymen - must be a time warp and we’ve gone fi nd your mates at 2am. Abingdon, South Oxford - Hill SpyBase, near Harro gate, North Yorkshire 12 back 20 years to 1985. Day ticket £35, Weekend shire. www.truckrecords.com ** 29-31 Haz ards noon - 4pm Guest Speaker: Scott Ritter (former US £85. 01483 454159 www.guilfest.co.uk ** 15-17 2005 Campaign ing for tougher enforce ment, Iraqi Arms Inspector) Acoustic mu sic by Chum- Glade Festival. Electronic dance mu sic ex trav a- cor po rate responsibility and strong work er’s or- bawumba. 01943 466405 www.caab.org.uk ** 8-9 gan za. “We’re all sorted out for Es and Whizz.” gan i sa tion. Uni ver si ty of Leeds 0161 953 4037 Romsey Beggars Fair www.beggarsfair.com ** www.gladefestival.com ** 15-18 An i mal Rights www.hazardscampaign.org.uk ** 29-31 Womad, 8-10 Clogfest Dust off those beards and dancing Camp. Workshops on issues and ac tiv i ties re lat ed Reading. www.womad.org ** 28-31 Cambridge shoes! www.clogfest.demon.co.uk ** 8-10 The to animal rights campaigning. With lectures and Folk Festi va l. www.cam-folkfest.co.uk ** 28-31 Small Nations Festival Aims to celebrate the speech es from a host of speak ers, in clud ing ac a - Re sur gence Sum mer Camp, Glouces tershire. revival of mi nor i ty cul tures and lan guag es and dem ics, doctors and activists. Leave the sau sage www.greenandaway.org ** 31 Ambient Picni c the univer sal language of music in all its forms.” sandwhiches at home. www.ar2005.info AR2005, 4 music stages. www.ambientpicnic.co.uk

FLEEING FROM THE GUN DISARM DSEI ARMS FAIR With both Refugee Week and the G8 in Campaign Against Arms Trade calculated that the 13-16th September 2005 - DSEi is Britains Gleneagles fast approaching, this provides UK government subsidised arms sales to the tune biggest weapons super mar ket. This is where of £760 million a year. The Defence Export Serv- scumbags like BAE Systems can sell weap- an ideal opportunity to look at the point the ons to mur der ing tyranical regimes to wage ices Organisation (DESO), part of the Ministry of two converge. war on their own people, it is subsidised by Defence, has 600 civil servants encouraging UK Putting aside the rather bizarre idea of an the govern ment. When you next hear of some military exports. Such exports also account, on unelected and undemocratic group setting the atroc i ty commited in some far off country average, for about one-third of the export credit agenda for rest of the world, the self-imposed there's a pretty high chance the weapons used role of the G8 (US, Japan, Germany, France, the guarantees issued by the UK. Arms exports don’t were made by British compa nies. Its time to UK, Italy, Canada and Russia) is to set policy in just violate human rights directly. Such sales are Disarm DSEi! ExCeL Centre, London Dock- the international fi nancial system. Other coun- used by governments of supplier countries as lands 07817 652029. www.dsei.org tries can attend as spectators or sometimes as instruments of foreign policy leverage. Military guest speakers, but nothing more. Collectively, equipment is sold to “friends”, and with the equip- as our leaders would have us believe, but a the G8 countries control over half the votes at ment goes a message of political approval for the concrete collaboration between Western states, the two major international fi nancial institutions, recipient government. international fi nancial institutions and corpora- the World Bank and the International Monetary Returning to Africa, nearly all the G8 countries tions that is responsible for the collapse of so Fund. A massive responsibility as demonstrated are guilty of supplying weapons, small arms or many Southern states and thus for its logical con- by the current debate on Africa, however the torture equipment to the African countries they sequence: global migration. Millions of people, responsibility of the countries of the G8 in its depend on for supplies of fossil fuels and other raw impoverished by skewed trade treaties, ignored creation of refugees through their sale of arms materials. Britain and Russia are both accused of by increasingly ideological aid arrangements, has been consistently overlooked. supplying weaponry and technology for oil extrac- displaced by wars fought with Western weap- The UK government wrings its hands over tion to Sudan during the recent war. In 1998 the ons or development projects built by Western the refugee “problem”, but its support for arms former president of French oil giant Elf admitted companies, feel they have no choice but to seek sales actually encourages overseas governments that his company had supplied weapons to both a life elsewhere. to pursue policies that make it more likely that main parties in the confl ict in the Congo. The vast majority of these displaced millions people will be forced to fl ee their homes. In 2002, Ultimately, it is not some abstract process, live in the countries of Asia and Africa, but a small percentage do make it the West. They are YOUR SHORT GUIDE TO THE TRILLION DOLLAR ARMS BUSINESS usually greeted not with shame-faced embarrass- G8 countries account for around 85% of the to pursue the debt, and taxpayers to foot any ment or apology but with resentment and hatred. global arms trade – a heavily subsidised and remaining bill. Between 1997 and 2001 at least The question not often enough asked is why our under-regulated business. Whilst the G8 coun- two thirds of the world’s arms deals came from leaders conceal the reasons why refugees come tries push ‘free trade’ on the global south, they just fi ve G8 countries – USA, Russia, France, here and our responsibility in their plight. are free to subsidise their own arms industries Britain and Germany. In 2003 the G8 countries The Refugee Project 020 7250 1315 www.t as much as they want, providing a system of exported arms worth in excess of US$24 billion. herefugeeproject.org corporate welfare for arms giants like Lockheed Whilst some of these exports were to other G8 Campaign Against Arms Trade 020 7281 Martin and BAE Systems. This welfare is of- or developed countries, more than half went to 0297 www.caat.org.uk ten facilitated by the guarantee of payment that the developing world. In 1994 it was estimated Compassionate States of America companies get from their government’s export that one fi fth of the debt owed by poor countries US contribution to debt relief $1,750,000,000 credit system - in the UK this is the Export is due to past arms sales. However, despite their deal over next 10 years Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD). The heavy representation in weapons production G8 Est. Total Annual $15,000,000,000 underwriting of arms sales means companies countries are the least affected by the use of Economic Aid Budget pursue deals to countries which may well de- arms. Of the 150 wars fought between 1945 US Military spending 2004 $400,000,000,000 fault on payments, safe in the knowledge that if and the mid 1990s, more than 90% were in the – set to rise 4.8% next year it happens, it is up to the exporting government developing world. Global Arms Trade $1,000,000,000,000+ AUGUST 1-14 Ekotopia Alternative technologies festi val , MAKE CAPITALISM HISTO RY Moldova. www.eyfa.org ** 3-7 Big Green Gath- er ing Five days of hippy nonsense in a fi eld near Cheddar, Somerset. Like the green fi elds at Glaston- ACTIONS AGAINST THE G8 bury without Babylon next door £90. 01458 834629 JULY: 1st Edinburgh Critical Mass ** 2nd are im pris oned at Dungavel Im mi gra tion www.big-green-gathering.com ** 3-7 Stockton In- Make Pov er ty History March, With an Re mov al Centre, join the No Bor ders dem- ter na tion al River side festi val. Street Thea tre on anti-cap i tal ist bloc, cos after all cap i tal ism on stra tion. 11am to 4pm Strathaven, South the streets (fun ny that) of Stockton. 01642 526473 causes pov er ty. Edinburgh. www.makepov Lanarkshire. Trans port from Glasgow and www.stockton.gov.uk/events/sirf05 ** 5-7 The Big ertyhistory.org ** 3rd Make Bor ders His- Ed in burgh, call 0141 946 6193 or email Chill For 30-something Guardian readers too tired tory A Mag i cal Mys tery Tour of Immi gra tion [email protected] to book a place. to go club bing. Eastnor Castle, Her e ford shire. £112. Con trols and the “Chain of De por ta tion” in www.makebordershistory.org ** 6 GLOBAL 020 7684 2020 www.bigchill.net ** 6 Pride in Glasgow. Visit some of the ma gi cians who DAY OF ACTION AGAINST THE G8 SUM- Bright on & Hove The biggest gay festival in the help asy lum seek ers “dis ap pear”. www.ma MIT On the opening day of the G8 Summit UK - Free! 01273 775939 www.brightonpride.org kebordershistory.org ** 3 Dis sent Confer- - A day of de cen tral ised action, in vil lag es, ** 8-14 Nation al Allotment Week You dig? 01536 ence, Teviot Building, Ed in burgh Uni ver si ty towns and cit ies world wide. The biggie - what 266576 www.nsalg.org ** 8-14 One World Student Un ion, Bristo Square 12 noon-10pm are YOU go ing to be doing? www.agp.org Summer Festi val , Hamp shire. Holistic Health, **3 Global G8 Nightmare Counter Con- www.dissent.org.uk ** 6 G8 Blockades ‘The Macro bi ot ics, Tofu Welding, Music, Dance and fer ence World De vel op ment Move ment, War Blockades Group’, a part of the Dissent! Yogurt Weav ing. www.macrobios.com ** 11- on Want, Peo ple & Plan et and Friends of the Net work, call out to all au ton o mous direct 13 Cropredy Festi val , Oxford shire. “A mix of Earth are hold ing the 'G8 Corporate Dream… ac tion groups and in di vid u als ** 6 Anti-G8 1960s-style pop festi val and village fete” www .fairportconvention.com/crop/cropmenu.htm ** Global Night mare' coun ter con fer ence. As- Dem onstra tion March ing from Gleneagles 17-21 Earth First! Summer Gather ing , Peak sem bly Hall, Roy al Mile, Ed in burgh. FREE. train sta tion from noon, try to get as close Dis trict. Dust off those bolt crop pers... 0845 355 0131 5570444 www.wdmscotland.org.uk/ as you can to Gleneagles, try and see the 0111 www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk ** 18-21 cam paigns/g8 ** 3 G8 Alter na tives Sum- whites of Tony’s eyes. Go on give it a go! Earthwise Festi val www.earthwise-uk.com ** mit Aims to present a serious ide o log i cal 0131 220 6259 www.g8alternatives.org.uk 19-21 Green Man Festival, Clun, Shrop shire. chal lenge to the cor rupt policies and ideology ** 6-8 Hill Walking Actions Cross Coun try The Green Man is “The look o’ that face saying of the G8. Promi nent speak ers from around Ram bles and Scram bles on the Ochil hills so many different things only no words to say the world and 36+ work shop/sem i nars. Ed- with a big day-glow ban ner or two. ** 7 Peo- ’em with. Never seen that face before yet it wer a in burgh. Tick ets: £10/£5, 0131 2281155. ple's Open Golf Tourna ment The Peo ple's face I know...” If you know what that means then www.g8alternatives.org.uk ** 4 Big Golfi ng Asso ci a tion is host ing an open golf maybe this is the festival for you. www.clun.org.uk/ Block ade at Faslane Nucle ar Subma rine tour na ment at Gleneagles. No cad dies, no greenman/gfestival.htm ** 19-21 Rockinbeerfest Base. Near Glasgow Help snub the subs... Masters! www.dissent.org.uk/pga.html ** with Dr.Feelgood, Eddie and the Hotrods and Cara- 0845 4588361 www.faslaneg8.com ** 4 8 Climate Change Inter na tional Day of van. Cam bridge shire. www.rockinbeerfest.co.uk Car nival for Full Enjoy ment Street Par ty, Ac tion Stop climate chaos - fl ood the G8! ** 20-21 V Festi val . Take an effi gy of Rich ard Ed in burgh. Noon around the West End of www.cca.movingpages.org www.dissent.or Branson and burn it! www.vfestival.com ** 20-21 Princ es St. www.nodeal.org.uk ** 5 Close g.ukg8climateaction Beautiful Days, Escot Park, Devon. Music festi- Dungavel De ten tion Centre. Hun dreds Full list of dates see: www.dissent.org.uk/ val organised by The Lev el lers. £75 01392 425309 of people, in clud ing famlies with children, content/section/12/63/ www.beautifuldays.org ** 24-30 WIT Music Fes- ti val for Women and Girls, nr Lampeter, West RESOURCES Wales. www.womenintune.org.uk ** 26-28 Read- Here’s a load of useful stuff for you to get ing Festi val Load of cor po rate crap - overpriced clued up about before you go to the G8... shit beer, over priced consumer crap and security thugs. If you wanna go - jump the fence (and get Protest and Action Info: The Dissent! Net- beaten up by security). www.readingfestival.com work co-ordinate radical resist ance to the ** 26-28 Leeds Festival See Reading Fes ti val. ** Summit. www.dissent.org.uk 27-29 Westcountry Story tell ing Festival, Once Legal: Get clued up, know your rights. Check upon a time yarn-spinners met at Aller Park, Dart- out: www.g8legalsupport.info ington, Devon. Tickets (including camping): Adult Training: It pays to be prepared... Check out: £60/Child £30/Fami ly (2+2) £125 01803 863790 www.dissent.org.uk/content/view/66/57/ for a [email protected] www.weststoryfest.co.uk whole load of resources, or see the SchNEWS ** 28-29 Notting Hill Carni val - You and a million Diy Guide - www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide or two others dancing in the streets for free. Medical: Need first aid skills see and don’t forget www.actionmedics.org.uk 22 October London Anar chist Bookfair, The Trauma: Helping people when it's all too much. 24th A-Bookfair moves to a bigger venue. Wide www.activist-trauma.net 07962406940 range of an ar chist leafl ets, books, magazines, t- shirts, etc. Lots of meetings and discus sions. Creche G8 Briefs and hot food. The Resource Centre, 356 Holloway * Want to join the 70 crazy cyclists who will Road, London N7. 10am-6pm Free/Dona tion. be peddling to Scotland to join the protests? http://freespace.virgin.net/anarchist.bookfair/ ** www.g8bikeride.org.uk Or check out the daily 23 Octo ber Freedom To Protest Confer ence “It blog www.g8bikeride.blogspot.com is your demo crat ic right to protest” - Yeah right... A * Check out the latest Corporate Watch news- con fer ence to share ex pe ri enc es, pro mote mutual let ter which reveals how many of the corpo - aid between protestors threat ened by repres sive ra tions that have involved themselves with the laws and develop effective strat e gies against in- G8 summit are responsible for the destruction justice and oppres sion. Central Lon don 11am-5pm both of our climate and African society. 01865 www.freedomtoprotest.org.uk 791 391 www.corporatewatch.org.uk * Not convinced - check out the short fi lm JAMMY DODGERS ‘Why Close the G8?’ www.camcordergueril The proposed M74 monster motorway to be las.net/g8_view.htm built through the middle of Glasgow is to be * Bypass the corporate media - keep up to date shelved until 2007. The news came on the same with the protests www.indymedia.org.uk day the Cre8 Summit started, a week of events taking place on land in the path of the road, TOP TIPS: Remember - there won't be people against the road and the G8 summit. This comes laying everything on for you once you get there. after JAM74 and Friends Of Earth began an Bring whatever you expect to need - and take appeal against the Scottish Exective’s decision yer rubbish away with you! Don't forget yer to go ahead with the road despite the fact that sleep ing bag, mat, eating uten sils/plate/bowl, an inquiry came out at the same time which food, water etc. There will be cooked food said ‘don’t build it’. The ensuing court case has avail a ble at the cen tres men tioned, but as it’s meant that contracts to build the road can’t be im pos si ble to tell how many people are com ing awarded until 2007 and hopefully never. (For COME PREPARED! more see SchNEWS 501) www.jam74.org Guitar Politics - DOING THE BUSINESS IF THE MONEY'S RIGHT “Business is arriving at the G8 summit more Ethiopia is one of the 18 highly indebted with strings attached organised than it has ever been.” countries that has recently been granted debt “The poor are fi nancing the rich. If we are serious - Corporate Watch relief, heralded as a country adhering to the about ending poverty, we have to be serious about Last July Chancellor Gordon Brown and sets of conditions that allow this privilege. ending the unjust and violent systems for wealth Reuter’s chairman, Niall FitzGerald, set up a Business Contact Group explicitly to provide One condition is economic, the other relates creation which create poverty by robbing the poor to transparency and accountability. So, is the of their resources, livelihoods and incomes.” - private sector input to the African Commission. Its 16 or so corporate members read like a role call Ethiopian regime transparent and accountable? Vandana Shiva, campaigner and author. Well the population seem to think not, and have “The basic fact is that Britain under Blair and of the most exploitative and despised companies Brown is one of the world’s leading champions of currently operating on the continent - including been expressing this in recent protests against Anglo American, Shell, De Beers, Rio Tinto vote rigging in last months disputed elections. the neo-liberal economic model that is essentially and... Diageo, who also er, own the Gleneagles being imposed on much of the rest of the world, The protest in the countries capital, Addis Ababa, hotel where the G8 Summit will take place. led to dozens of students being killed, wounded, and which is generally increasing poverty and This group had plenty of input into the inequality.” - Mark Curtis, author. African Commission report that called for more and sent to labour camps. SchNEWS doesn’t doubt Bob Geldof’s public-private partnerships (PPPs). PPPs are The pre-election crackdown involved a sincerity in wanting to end world hunger. With when the private sector is contracted to build campaign of terror, and included the house twenty four thousand people dying of starvation and operate infrastructure like roads or provide arrest of the leader of the main opposition group, every day he’s right to be fucking angry and right basic services like water, health and electricity the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. These to want the world to act. But unfortunately Bob - basically privatisation by the back door. In fact oppressive actions of the Ethiopian regime Geldof, and the Africa Commission of which he these sorts of ‘partnerships’ have been such an came just days before Ethiopia was awarded is a member, is committed to ‘solving’ poverty expensive cock up in the UK why not export the debt relief, with the likes of Tony Blair patting through a neo-liberal agenda - relying on the very idea to the rest of the world? him on the back, blatantly more concerned that forces of international capital that have created A report by the South African Institute of International Affairs assessing PPPs across Africa the economic conditions for debt relief were Africa’s poverty in the fi rst place. In fact asking being met rather than any adherence to human the gangsters that run the G8 to sort out world over the last 15 years found that: the private sector poverty and climate change is a bit like asking is not always more effi cient, service provision is rights or accountability. paedophiles to take charge of a playgroup. often more expensive and big government contracts See also - www.allafrica.com Take the latest G8 fanfare on debt cancellation are complex, demanding and open to corruption, and energy and water have MAFIA STYLE MONEYLENDING? which comes with sets of conditions. Paragraph th 2 of the fi nance ministers’ statement says that been the least successful examples of Debt package agreed on Jun 11 $40bn to qualify for debt relief, developing countries PPPs. Most importantly, PPPs do not Total African debt since 1970 $833.4bn help the poor. must “tackle corruption, boost private sector Total African repayments since 1970 $817.4bn For more background see... Total debt still outstanding $506bn development” and eliminate “impediments to www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=1232 private investment, both domestic and foreign.” As journalist George Monbiot points out “The WE’VE GOT IT COMING… G8’s plan for saving Africa is little better than an The blatant obvious truth is that while “our” extortion racket. Do you still believe our newly- With the whole media world (not to mention leaders are out trying to sell the ‘developed sanctifi ed leaders have earned their halos? If SchNEWS) awash with stuff about poverty world’ dream to everyone, it is completely so, you have swallowed a truckload of nonsense. and debt relief, there is one topic that has impossible that the earth could sustain everyone strangely faded from the picture... acting like we do. What’s more the hypocrites Yes, they should cancel the debt. But they should The biggest problem the planet faces over the cancel it unconditionally.” in power know this – which is why globalisation next few decades will not be whether the poorest is actually set up to sustain our status quo for Up To Their Necks countries can achieve a decent credit rating but the as long as possible whilst promising that riches small matter of global climate change. Using All the countries now receiving full debt relief will eventually ‘trickle down’, honest! Until we colonialism, slavery and exploitation as resources, accept that it is our living standards and practices are doing so because they are part of the HIPC the cavernous gap between rich and poor was built that will have to change, all these well meant (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) programme. on ecological abuse which is now being paid for initiatives to improve the poor’s short-term lot This means they have been forced to commit by the World’s poorest and in the not to distant are not going to count for feck’all. It’s gonna to the usual IMF and World Bank neo-liberal future, everyone. Climate change will visit on the take a lot more than pop tunes and wristbands market reforms - which, in reality, enforces poor of the world a level of destitution and hunger to sort out this one. handovers of power and resources to Western that will swamp any progress on debt secured at See also: www.risingtide.org.uk corporate interests for structurally-guaranteed Gleneagles. Africa will suffer both more frequent Read Sharon Beder’s Global Spin: The Corporate profi t making. This includes privatising essential droughts and more serious fl oods. Assault on Environmentalism, Green Books supplies like water into foreign control, as But instead of any meaningful action politicians Tanzania found out recently to its cost. Having talk of technical fi xes but carry on business-as- booted out a UK / German consortium for normal in the search for a little more shareholder ...and fi nally... being crap – having not even installed a single profi t. These policies are on a crash course with Who would you put in charge of a ‘Renewable new pipe for the £2.5m already bagged for the one entity we eventually won’t be able to bully Energy Task Force’? An ex oil baron? Well that’s increasing water access – the company are now or negotiate with – Mother Nature. who the G8 decided in their wisdom to appoint threatening to sue for breach of contract (see Let’s remind ourselves of some facts - average - none other than Sir Mark Moody Stuart, who SchNEWS 499 for more online). Privatisation global temperature increased by about 0.6C in used to be in charge of oil company Shell. While has also been a condition attached to British aid the 20th Century. Sea levels have risen 10 the G8 leaders are up in Gleneagles next month - 20cm. Most of the world’s glaciers are in playing golf, Moody-boy will be chairing a meeting for Mozambique, Uganda and Ghana. retreat and Arctic sea-ice has thinned by 40% So, are these “reforms” good for making poverty between senior business leaders and African Heads in recent decades. Regardless of the usual of State at the G8 Business Summit in London. history? As Mark Curtis (historian and author) corporate-sponsored stooge scientists and Our mate Mark is most infamous for reports, “Zambia, for example, is a country not dodgy industry-funded front groups rubbishing attempts to wreck UN environment summits simply harmed by this model, but virtually destroyed the main scientifi c consensus (see the history of and preventing the regulation of business, by it…forced by the World Bank and IMF to tobacco, mobile phones, pesticides companies insisting instead on promoting voluntary action promote sweeping trade liberalization and massive etc to get the picture of how corporations bullshit through his leadership of the Business Action privatization, and dismantle the public sector. These so they can carry on polluting), current climate for Sustainable Development (BASD). BASD’s reforms together with HIV/AIDS have increased models predict a global temperature increase of proposed ‘sustainable development’ projects poverty and destroyed key industries. Zambia now 1.4 - 5.8°C by 2100. To put this in context, global for Africa included er, several nuclear energy has the lowest life expectancy in the world: at 33 temperatures are estimated to have only varied projects and an oil and gas pipeline! years” Another success story then. All this without by one degree Celsius since the dawn of human The summit will end with a “declaration mentioning some of the many other countries (Like civilisation. Major crises loom: from droughts, and message to the G8 leaders”- presumably Peru, Guyana, Nigeria and Haiti) in desperate need fl oods and other abnormal weather catastrophes, ‘renewing’ the same old message: don’t let trifl es of debt cancellation but excluded for not yet playing to crop failures and shortages of water, natural like the planet and its people get in the way of neo-liberal ball suffi ciently… So whilst we will all resources and indeed populations – of animals business making bigger bucks. soon be awash in media coverage of guilt-cleansing- and fi sh as well as people. And it’s taken only a Disclaimer poptastic-debt-relief-euphoria, remember not to get few percent of the global population to achieve SchNEWS warns all readers... bring yer anorak... and too carried away with excitement. this in just 150 years – nice work! yer wellies. Honest! Keep SchNEWS FREE! Send 1st Class stamps (e.g. 10 for next 9 issues) or do na tions (payable to Justice?) 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