Type: Think Global newsletter
Date: 5 June 2017
Campaigns: General

Welcome to the June issue of Think Global Extra, the bimonthly supplement to Think Global. Read it in conjunction with the last full Think Global from May.

Action checklist

• Order new trade campaign materials to get stuck into trade campaigning again 
• Order the updated Corporate Monopoly to use on a stall or at a fair or festival this summer
• Organise an action to put pressure on M&S or complain to a local store about its support for the Daily Mail
• Come to our national  gathering to take stock of the general election result and discuss how we move forward
• Complete the groups consultation on campaign direction if you haven’t yet (groups only)

Take stock of the election – join our national gathering on 10 June

A reminder that the national gathering is taking place in Bristol on 10 June, just two days after the general election. It will be the perfect opportunity to discuss how to fight for global justice in the new political landscape. The latest addition to the line-up is Marina Prentoulis of Another Europe is Possible and Syriza UK – she’ll be joining Wail Qasim from Black Lives Matter UK, Asad Rehman from War on Want, Nick Dearden from Global Justice Now and many other great speakers to lead the discussions on the day.

It’s not too late to book your free place – but if you’re planning to come, please do book in advance so we have some idea of how many to expect. 

Campaign update: trade justice

New materials

As outline in last month’s Think Global, a key part of the new phase of our trade campaign is calling for a more democratic and transparent process by which the UK negotiates its trade deals, instead of more ‘dodgy deals being done in the dark’.

To help groups and activists campaign on this locally, there is a new set of campaign postcard-flyers available to order in bulk (if you receive our members magazine, Ninety-Nine, you will have seen a copy). These contain key information about the issues and an action to be sent to the secretary of state for international trade.

Order your postcard-flyers now from [email protected].

We need your help

A key part of the next phase of our trade campaigning will involve targeting MPs. So we know where we are able to bring most pressure to bear, we are developing a map of which constituencies Global Justice Now activists operate within.

To help us do this, please fill in this shared Google spreadsheet with information about which constituencies local activists live in. This will help with the overall coordination of our campaign.  

CETA update

CETA has now been ratified in Canada which means that most of CETA will start being implemented by both the EU and Canada on an interim basis in advance of the ratification decisions of EU member states. This is known as ‘provisional application’.

What can be implemented in this period are the parts of CETA that fall within the EU’s exclusive authority, or ‘competence’, while the parts where competence is shared between the EU and member states will wait. Essentially that is all of CETA except the corporate court system (ISDS or ICS), which is the most controversial part of the agreement. A date for the EU’s provisional application will be announced shortly and is likely to be soon – the smart money is on 1 July.

For CETA to be fully introduced, there are 30+ different ratifications and hoops to jump through. Read Guy’s blog to find out the full details.

Some activists are taking action on 1 July to highlight the fact that dodgy trade deals are taking effect in the UK. If you’re planning to take action let us know on [email protected].

Ecuador rips up 16 toxic trade treaties

Ecuador struck another blow against the power of big business last week, ripping up 16 trade deals with countries including the US and UK. President Correa cited the notorious ‘corporate court’ system as the key reason for ending the deals.

This is a powerful example of resistance around the world to corporate trade deals, and it’s not the only case. You can find out more in a blog by Nick, our director, and share it with others on social media.

Campaign update: migration

In response to our campaign demanding that Marks and Spencer withdraws its advertising in the Daily Mail, we’ve had a reply from the CEO of M&S, Steve Rowe. He states the commitment of M&S to continue with their advertising strategy:

“At M&S, customers are at the heart of our strategy and we aim to reach as many of our customers as possible when we are advertising our products and services. As such, we advertise across the media outlets that are mostly widely read by our customers and have no current plan to change this. “

We’ve replied, pointing out that many M&S customers will be directly affected by the Daily Mail’s hateful reporting on migration, and that M&S’ stated commitment to ‘doing the right thing’ means more than simply trying to sell as many products as possible.

What the letter from Steve Rowe tells us is that M&S is listening to us. Activists have also fed back to us that they’ve been talking to M&S managers in local stores and developing productive dialogue in some cases.

Let’s keep pushing M&S through actions in stores and on social media, through stalls and through contacting stores directly. See the last full Think Global for more detailed guidance. And a reminder that updated versions of the materials are available. Email [email protected] to order yours.

Finally, once we know the details of the M&S AGM – which still haven’t been published – we will let activists know about details of the action we will be taking there.

Campaign update: pharmaceuticals

As mentioned in previous issues of Think Global and Think Global Extra, plans for a new pharmaceutical campaign are being developed, though we’re waiting for the results of the consultation to see how best to take the campaign forward. In the meantime we’ve been busy reading up on the pharmaceutical industry, health services and struggles for access to medicines.

As a first part of our work, we’re writing a series of blog posts to start raising awareness of the problems with the pharmaceutical industry. The first two are already on our website:

• How many Hepatitis-C deaths does it take to make a billion dollars for a drug company?
• Rising drug prices are now more than twice the entire NHS deficit

We’re also making connections with campaigners and activists from other parts of the world, especially the global south, so we can hear what their priorities are and how we can support their struggles.

Corporate Monopoly is back

Corporate Monopoly is back! We first brought it out two years and had some very positive feedback about it. Group members and activists were pleased at the spontaneous interest the game generated and the many participants who took part and took photos. So we thought it’d be good to update the game to make it more relevant to what’s happening in 2017.

The game centres on two Monopoly characters – the hat and the boot, representing the 1% and the 99% respectively. As each character proceeds along the board they have different experiences, taking them through various issues in our campaigns. Inviting people to play the game in public settings can be a useful way to engage them before getting them to sign whichever campaign action you’re promoting, and it’s also a useful activity just to educate people in a meeting.

As before, the game comes in two sizes. The smaller version is the same size as a regular Monopoly board and is also foldable and easy to use on stalls. You can order these and keep them.

There are also some giant versions of the board which are particularly eye catching. They are 2 metres by 2 metres and can be rolled out and played on the floor, along with giant-sized dice, cards, boot and hat. We are creating a few giant ones to stay in the office so that they can be borrowed by groups and sent back.

The regular size boards will be ready by 10 June which is the day of our national gathering, so if any of you are going to that and would like to collect a game from there then please do. The giant game will be available from the middle of June.

To order either version of the game, contact Sam on 020 7820 4900 or by emailing [email protected]. If you want a copy in time for the national gathering, do make sure to let Sam know.

Attac European Summer University

Tickets are now on sale for the Attac European Summer University for Social Movements, taking place in Toulouse this August. You can buy them from the official website of the event, which has also been updated with lots of useful information about the event – including a list of accommodation options. We have also just been told that Attac France has negotiated accommodation in University Halls for €30/night, which will be available for booking through the event website very soon.

Global Justice Now will be running several workshops at the event, which will be an exciting gathering of over 1,000 activists from across the European movement. Join us if you can!

Groups consultation on campaigns – reminder

In the last Think Global we sent out a consultation for local groups on the direction of Global Justice Now’s campaigns. If you’re in a group that hasn’t yet completed the consultation, please complete the groups’ consultation by 18 June.

Global Justice Now members who aren’t in local groups will be able to contribute to the consultation via an individual members’ version of the consultation, which you will receive soon.