THINK GLOBAL Feb 2015
Letter from the activism team
Dear group members,
Welcome to the first Think Global of Global Justice Now. This is a busy issue, with a lot of
information on developments in our campaigns, as well as material relating to the two big elections
of the year (Westminster and, of course, our own). I know that a number of groups are also busy
planning events to mark the relaunch, and are organising themselves and others to attend our
national conference. All of this is very exciting and should help to reinvigorate our work.
In addition to the work we have been doing on campaigns and around the relaunch, staff and council
have also been focusing on broadening our network by engaging a wider range of groups in society,
something we know is a concern for a number of groups. In particular, there has been a working
group on youth participation ongoing for some time. A key outcome of this so far is the decision to
put some of our resources into activist training for young people who can mobilise and recruit their
peers in global justice activism. In its first phase this will involve training a group of young people to
lead student activism around TTIP. In addition, there is a diversity working group being established
to think about ways in which our organisation can better reflect other aspects of British society,
including with respect to ethnicity and social class. I mention this as things for groups to think about;
you may wish to discuss them at a group meeting. I am also always happy to discuss these questions
with group members.
I’m looking forward to seeing a number of you in February and, if not then, hopefully not long after.
Happy campaigning (and relaunching)!
Ed Lewis
Action checklist
Food sovereignty
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Take and promote the upcoming e-action on land grabs in Nigeria
Use the new activism briefing to prepare action for the spring: stall, stunt, seed swap or all
of the above!
Trade justice
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If a group member has been to the Brussels mobilisation, organise a meeting for them to
report back and and talk about the latest developments in the campaign
Lobby your local authority, using the upcoming guide
Keep 18 April free – it’s the international day of action on trade. We will let you know very
soon whether this is a major focus for international action
Climate and energy justice
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Promote the idea of energy justice: organise a film night using the films suggested on the
website. Link up with other groups to strengthen the event.
Organise a group to attend the climate march on 7 March. Join us on the energy justice bloc!
Campaign update: Climate and energy justice
Plans for 2015
We started the year with a review of our climate and energy justice work, and are expecting a busy
2015! In the first part of the year, we will be continuing to develop our campaign exposing and
challenging the ways in which the UK government is supporting corporate control of energy around
the world via privatisation. We are planning to work with campaigners in Nigeria to focus on DfID’s
support for the most ambitious electricity privatisation scheme ever attempted in Africa which is
currently taking place there. We will also continue to stay in touch with the communities we have
worked with in Colombia and Cerrejon as part of the Carbon Capital campaign, and respond to any
requests for support from them. And we want to keep talking to people about energy justice, putting
forward this idea as an alternative to corporate control of energy, and build links with other groups
who share this perspective. Particularly towards the end of the year we will also be mobilising for
the annual UN climate negotiations which will be taking place in Paris.
Energy privatisation
We hope that you like the new Monopoly-themed energy privatisation materials (action card and
’10 reasons privatisation fails’ briefing) which were included in the last issue of Think Global. If you
are running stalls at local events, you can order extra copies by contacting Sam at Sam.LundHarket@globaljustice.org.uk or on 020 7820 4900, and perhaps use some props from your own
Monopoly board to engage people.
Towards the end of February, we will be doing a series of emails introducing the energy privatisation
campaign to all our supporters, and encouraging them to take a number of actions such as signing
our petition to Justine Greening and writing to their local paper.
There will also be a question on energy justice on our general election postcards, which will be sent
out with details of the AGM next month and provide some ideas of questions to ask your
parliamentary candidates.
Building a movement for energy justice
If you’d like to spread the message about energy justice (or energy democracy, which is another
term that is being used to talk about fairer and more sustainable energy systems), you might also
want to get in touch with other local groups working on issues like climate change, renewable
energy and fuel poverty, such as Transition Towns and Friends of the Earth groups. If you’re
interested in holding an event to bring together different people like this, we have produced a list of
films which you can download from the website, and are also happy to come and give a talk. We are
working on a standard presentation which will be available soon. We can also provide extra copies of
the energy justice briefing and ‘Rays of Hope’ booklet for events like this – contact Sam in the office
to order them.
Time to act climate march
Global Justice Now will be joining an ‘energy for all’ bloc at the ‘Time to act’ climate change march in
London on Saturday 7 March. It would be great if you can join us to help show off our new flags and
banners!
We plan to meet at the north-east corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, on the pavement outside the square
by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (at 29 Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A 3EE) at
12.30pm. This is about 5 minutes walk from either Holborn or Chancery Lane tube stations. Full
details, including how to find out about coaches from your area, are available at timetoact2015.org/.
Please contact Sam on 020 7820 4900 or Sam.Lund-Harket@globaljustice.org.ukif you plan to attend
so that we know to look out for you.
UN climate negotiations in Paris
Climate and energy campaigners are already starting to gear up for COP21, the annual UN climate
negotiations which will be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December. The objective of
achieving a legally-binding and universal agreement on climate change means it is already receiving
a lot of attention.
We know that the UN process is dominated by rich countries and multinational corporations, so
we’re not holding our breath, but it is going to be a major opportunity to link up with climate and
energy justice campaigners from around the world to build the mass movement we need to really
tackle the climate and energy crises.
We want to encourage as many Global Justice Now local group members and activists to go and be
part of this. There’ll be more details nearer the time, but do get the date in the diary and start
thinking about whether anyone from your group would like to go.
Continuing to challenge Carbon Capital
A reminder that we still have copies of materials from the Carbon Capital campaign (which have now
been re-branded with Global Justice Now stickers!) if you are keen to keep campaigning on how the
UK finance sector is destroying communities and fuelling climate change. These include the Carbon
Capital handbook, ‘stop bankrolling coal’ leaflet and action card and walking tour guide and script.
Please contact Sam in the office order copies of any of these. Global divestment day on Saturday 14
February could be a good hook if you’d like to do more around fossil fuel financing. Also, the Move
Your Money campaign is keen to link up with any groups who are campaigning on these issues – you
can get in touch with them via Fionn Travers-Smith at fionn@moveyourmoney.org.uk or on 07778
842565.
Scotland update
Stopping TTIP remains the main focus of Global Justice Now’s campaigning in Scotland. We are
helping to create and support local ‘Stop TTIP’ groups across Scotland. Our first ‘Stop TTIP Edinburgh’
planning meeting brought more than one hundred people along to our offices, all keen to start
taking action to raise awareness about TTIP in Edinburgh. The group will meet again at the beginning
of February (contact the office if you would like to get involved – thornhouse@globaljustice.org.uk).
At the end of February we will be in Dundee and hope to set up a similar action group there, if there
is the appetite for one. The Glasgow group are already doing a fantastic job raising awareness about
TTIP in the city and have an action planned for the 30 January as the next round of TTIP talks begin in
Brussels. In Aberdeen, ‘Stop TTIP Aberdeen’ is already organising action, and we intend to hold a
meeting in Inverness soon to support action to oppose TTIP there.
Campaign update: Food sovereignty
As we are still near the beginning of the year, we thought we’d give you a sneak preview of what’s
coming up in the campaign in 2015:
So far….
Last year we launched our agribusiness campaign to challenge the UK government’s support of the
G8’s New Alliance which we did through stunts, writing to MPs, infographics, social media and
actions targeting the Department of International Development.
Impacts of the New Alliance
This year we want to focus more on the projects and policies that make up the New Alliance, which
illustrate more clearly some of the problems of promoting corporate-driven agriculture as well as
helping us work closely in solidarity with groups in Africa. Our work supporting Ghanaian activists as
they resist the legislative changes to their seed laws is one example of this. We are also preparing an
exposé which will reveal on-the-ground evidence on the impacts of New Alliance projects and will
clearly undermine the government rhetoric on these schemes.
This month we will be launching a new report and e-action to expose a land grab in Nigeria linked to
the New Alliance. Working with Grain, an international NGO, along with local Nigerian NGOs we
have produced a report documenting this land grab by Dominion Farms – one of the companies that
has pledged to invest in Nigeria as part of the New Alliance. A copy of the report is enclosed in this
Think Global.
Showing food sovereignty works
In addition to highlighting all the problems with corporate-led agriculture, we will also be launching
a new report later this month, which documents all the evidence that supports small-scale,
sustainable agriculture. We want to be able to demonstrate a better alternative that works for
people and planet and start changing the dominant narrative to show that corporate agriculture is
not the right solution.
We will be producing a series of new accessible materials based on this report which will help you to
communicate this to the public. There will be a collection of postcards exploring a range of
sustainable agricultural techniques used by small-scale African farmers. And we will be condensing
the report into a bright and colourful A5 booklet to engage people on stalls.
Movement building
We will also be continuing to help and support the wider UK food sovereignty movement. Change
can only come about through a growing grassroots movement calling for food sovereignty. We are
part of the organising committee to organise the national gathering of the UK food sovereignty
movement which will take place 2-5 October. Do save this date in your diary and try and come
along! It will be the first time the whole movement have met since the first gathering back in 2012
and it will be a vital opportunity to meet, strategise and make decisions as a movement. We have
included flyers so it would be great if you can distribute these.
Spring Stunts
Working with local food movements and local food related groups is also a great way to build the
movement. We have produced a new stunt pack guide, enclosed with this mailing, to provide you
with the resources to organise a seed-related stunt or event which would be ideal as a collaborative
project with a local food group. Spring is a great time to talk about seeds! Have a look through the
guide to help you plan your event or stunt and let us know if you have any questions.
Campaign update: trade justice
Brussels
Things are building up fantastically to our Brussels lobby trip on 3 & 4 February. Around 150 people
will be in Brussels for two days, learning, lobbying and protesting against TTIP. Once they return,
there will be a great number of people able to speak on TTIP at meetings, be they local groups,
church or trade union or school or university meetings.
Local Authorities Action pack
Several district local authorities in Brussels (including Ixelles, which is home to the EU Parliament)
have passed motions against TTIP. There is a growing number of local government bodies across the
entire EU taking similar stances. We think this is a valuable tactic that should be employed more
widely here, so we are producing a Local Authorities Action Pack which will be sent out in the next
couple of weeks. It will have:
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Model Motion for Councillors to submit to Council
Arguments on why LAs need to take a stance
Ideas over how to get your council to declare a TTIP Free Zone
A model leaflet for general use over such a local campaign.
Conservatives get nasty
Like a cornered animal, the Conservative Party are lashing out at criticism and opposition to TTIP.
They’re claiming that TTIP will bring a £10bn boost to the UK economy, so that there will be £400
benefit per family, and trying to delegitimise the opposition. In response, there are some important
points to make:
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The £10 billion claim should not be accepted without challenge. The figure comes from an
analysis carried out by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), having been
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commissioned by the EU Commission. The £10bn is the most optimistic projection from a
range, and is only predicted to happen by 2027! Furthermore, other studies, including one
by TUFTS University in the US, come up with very different accounts of the economic impact
of TTIP.
The “£400 per family” claim, made in the Commons by Minister for Europe David Lidington,
is even more outrageous. It depends on the £10bn being achieved and then on the benefits
being divided in the UK equally between every man, woman and child!
Please let us have copies of any MP responses you get, as we’re building up a bank of these for use
throughout the campaign. Scanning and emailing to guy.taylor@globaljustice.org.uk is the easiest
way for us, or post copies to the normal address.
International Day of Action
Civil society group from across the EU and further afield have called for an international day of
action against TTIP and o0ther trade deals on 18 April. Keep the day free. We are in negotiations
with other UK groups to see what’s best to do on the day, bearing in mind there’s an election just a
few weeks later. Watch this space for further news.
ISDS – still a problem we need to address
After the consultation on ISDS held by the EU Commission, there are claims that ISDS have been
taken out of TTIP. Nothing could be further from fact. The Independent in a celebratory article
declared the death of ISDS in TTIP, but the words of the Commission on the subject are to ‘suspend’
ISDS from negotiations while they look at reforming it. This means it will come back into the process
at a later date and the reforms that have been suggested are inadequate. We remain against TTIP as
a whole and against ISDS in any form.
This Private Eye cartoon put the situation succinctly:
The coming months:
3/4 February:
Lobby trip to Brussels
9/11 March:
EU Parliament plenary which takes a vote on ISDS in TTIP
18 April:
International Day of Action on Trade Deals (TTIP, CETA, TISA, BITs etc.)
7 May:
UK General Election
18-21 May:
Plenary Vote in EU Parliament on various committee reports on TTIP
Events
Public meeting: TTIP- what it is and why we need to stop it!
Where: Committee Rm 1, Dundee City Council, 14 City Square, Dundee
When: Wednesday 25 February, 7.30pm
Come along to hear more about the TTIP: the EU-US trade deal and corporate power grab that
threatens democracies across Europe. Speakers include Ed Lewis from Global Justice Now, and Mike
Arnott from Dundee Trades Union Congress. The event is free but please sign up on eventbrite so we
can get an idea of numbers: https://stop-ttip-dundee.eventbrite.co.uk
‘Take Back Our World’ + ‘Beats Beyond Borders’ (afterparty)
Where: Rich Mix, Bethnal Green
When: 21 February
You’ll all be aware of this by now, but a quick update: we have a really exciting range of speakers
confirmed, including several from across Europe and the global south.
We are also excited about Beats Beyond Borders, which is the party after the conference. This will
be a celebration of the struggle for justice across the globe, with Caribbean, Arabic and Latin music
accompanied by politically incisive spoken word. Tickets are £8/£5. If you are planning to come
please buy in advance so we can gauge numbers.
Register for the conference here:http://www.wdm.org.uk/our-world.
To book tickets for the party go to the Rich Mix website (http://www.richmix.org.uk/) or phone the box office
on 020 7613 7498. The Facebook page for the party is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1522570028001512/
Group updates – local relaunch events
Groups continue to prepare for life after WDM. Members of a large number of different groups are
joining the #noTTIP Train on February 3-4 to take the campaign against TTIP to Brussels, whilst the
bureaucrats negotiate behind closed doors. Some groups are organising new actions themselves –
such as Global Justice Glasgow who are taking to the streets to campaign against TTIP at the end of
January, using puppetry and street theatre to attract attention.
Also, a number of groups are organising relaunch events. Here is a selection of what’s going on
across the country:
Global Justice Milton Keynes are relaunching with a film night focusing on energy justice on 18
February.
Global Justice Portsmouth are relaunching with a talk focusing on energy justice with Christine
Haigh, our policy officer, also on 18 February.
Global Justice Cardiff are relaunching (also on 18 February!) with a public meeting with Nick
Dearden, our director, and Luciana Ghiotto from Attac Argentina.
Global Justice Derby are relaunching with a talk with Nick Dearden on 3 March.
Global Justice Bristol are launching with a film night and talk with Nick Dearden, focusing on trade,
power and global capitalism. This is on 5 March.
Global Justice Reading are relaunching on 6 March with an event looking at how TTIP is linked to
bigger questions of power in the global economy. Our trade campaigner, Guy Taylor, will be leading
the discussion.
Global Justice Oxford are relaunching with a film night and discussion with Nick Dearden on 10
March.
Network and staff: structures and communications
Global Justice Now election 2015
Never mind the general election: 2015 is a year for Global Justice Now elections! There will be
several vacancies on council and we’re keen to maintain local group representation on council.
Our council meets four times a year in London and all travel expenses are covered. If you’re
interested in participating in our democracy in this way why not think about standing? Full details
about the election process are available on our website – www.globaljustice.org.uk/elections. All
members will have received a hard copy of the form in their issue of Ninety-Nine magazine. Your
group may well be asked to nominate or second a candidate standing for council, or as your area
representative. We have enclosed one extra copy of the nomination form per group with Think
Global but if you need additional paper forms please let us know. The form can also be completed
online.
If you have any questions about the role of council or the process please contact James on
james.onions@globaljustice.org.uk
Strategy: we need your views
We would like to consult groups on the key areas of work within Global Justice Now’s three year
strategy. The overall strategy will be put as a motion at the AGM in June, and we would like to take
our groups’ views into consideration when writing the final version of the strategy that will go to the
AGM. You will see that there are a few questions on a paper survey enclosed in this copy of Think
Global. We would be grateful if you could discuss these with your group and then fill in the survey
online – a link to the online survey will be sent out to all groups during the first week of
February. The deadline for completing surveys is Sunday 15 March.
Any questions please contact James on james.onions@globaljustice.org.uk
Activism team communications
We thought it would be useful to explain who to contact in the activism team, depending on our
enquiry. To reach any of us by telephone please call 020 7820 4900.
Query
Who to contact
Materials requests
Non urgent enquiries
activism@globaljustice.org.uk
More complicated requests and advice
ed.lewis@globaljustice.org.uk
Groups officer
Area representatives’ queries
james.onions@globaljustice.org.uk
Senior activism officer
General election 2015
Here is a brief overview of what we are planning in the run up to the general election in May.
We will be producing a campaign postcard with questions for candidates covering all our key
campaign issues. You can keep it by the door ready for any candidate who comes knocking. This will
be sent out to all members as part of the AGM mailing at the end of March. Additional copies will
also be sent to groups with the April issue of Think Global, and of course you can order extra as
needed.
We will be encouraging group members to get local press coverage through letters to the editor. We
will produce template letters and guidelines nearer the time of the election, responding to what the
main parties are saying about food, energy, trade and other international issues such as climate
change.
There may well be other election related activities for groups to engage with if you wish. We will
provide a more detailed overview of these in the March issue of Think Global.