30 Jun 2009

Debal Deb, Nick Stern, Tahmima Anam and Ramachandra Guha debate ecology this monday



It's time we reconsidered the existing paradigm of development. The world has been talking about sustainable development. But as one of India's leading ecologists, Debal Deb, says: "It is common understanding among natural scientists that if development means unlimited growth in production and consumption of materials, sustainable development is an oxymoron. That's because unending growth of anything in the universe is impossible - except perhaps the universe itself."


British Museum Debate:
Whose landscape is it anyway?

6 July 2009, 6.30pm
British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG

BBC environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee chairs a debate about the economic, scientific and cultural tensions that arise when humans assert their ability to dominate the landscape, with a particular focus on India. Panel includes Nicholas Stern, author of the Stern Review, Tahmima Anam, writer and journalist, Ramachandra Guha, writer and historian, and Debal Deb, environmental scientist and author.

Supported by the World Collections Programme.

More details here

I am looking forward to meeting Debal on monday for a chat, he is one of the really inspiring ecosocialist activists on the planet, last summer I met Roberto Perez and Hugo Blanco will be in Britain next year.

Viva ecosocialism.

'Debal is confident he has collected every folk variety of rice that still grows anywhere in West Bengal, and several varieties from other locations around India as well. Every year, Debal and his team of farmer/researchers (none of whom have a degree in science or have even been to college) plant out all 542 varieties in 2 meter by 2 meter plots on 1.5 acres of paddy land. As the plants develop, they painstakingly record 35 different phenotypic or morphological characteristics for each variety.'

More on Debal here.

GREEN EURO-MP URGES ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW SAFE PASSAGE FOR ‘FREE GAZA’ BOAT

30 June 2009

GREEN EURO-MP URGES ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW SAFE PASSAGE FOR ‘FREE GAZA’ BOAT

Green Party leader and MEP for the South East Caroline Lucas today responded angrily to the news that Israeli soldiers have boarded a Free Gaza boat 24 miles off the shore of Gaza and cut all of its official communication.

In an email to the Israeli embassy, Dr Lucas MEP called on the Israeli authorities to guarantee the safety of the human rights campaigners onboard and to prevent violence being used against the Free Gaza boat or any individuals sailing upon it.

The boat was on its way to deliver urgently needed supplies to the people of Gaza when the Israeli Navy boarded and told the Free Gaza activists to return to international waters, warning that they “will not be allowed to proceed to Gaza”. The boat’s navigational equipment was electronically jammed overnight by the navy.

Dr Lucas MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament’s permanent delegation to Palestine, said:

“I am deeply concerned that the Israeli military has deemed it necessary to storm the Free Gaza ‘Spirit of Humanity’ boat, which is carrying only unarmed human rights workers and journalists – including Nobel peace prize laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

“The boat is now completely unable to communicate with the outside world, even via its emergency radio designed for safety purposes. Free Gaza is a humanitarian peace organisation and I am seeking guarantees from the Israeli embassy for the safety of those on board.”

Zionists kidnap Cynthia Mckinney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 June 2009

For more information contact:
Greta Berlin (English)
tel: +357 99 081 767 / friends@freegaza.org This e-mail address is
being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Caoimhe Butterly (Arabic/English/Spanish):
tel: +357 99 077 820 / sahara78@hotmail.co.uk This e-mail address is
being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.FreeGaza.org

[23 miles off the coast of Gaza, 15:30pm] - Today Israeli Occupation
Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF
HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries,
including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney (see below for a complete list of passengers). The
passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our
boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission
to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman
and presidential candidate. “President Obama just told Israel to let
in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what
we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our
release so we can resume our journey.”

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report
released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in
despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier
during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter
despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses
to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The
report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of
their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.

“The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza,
hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to
transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools,
hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of
“Cast Lead”. Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we
stand by them and that they are not alone” said fellow passenger
Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in
Northern Ireland.

Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza
Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage,
stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat
constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and
reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers include a
Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat
was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port
Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach
Israeli waters.”

Arraf continued, “Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our
unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand
our immediate and unconditional release.”
###
WHAT YOU CAN DO!

CONTACT the Israeli Ministry of Justice
tel: +972 2646 6666 or +972 2646 6340
fax: +972 2646 6357

CONTACT the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
tel: +972 2530 3111
fax: +972 2530 3367

CONTACT Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
tel: +972 5 0620 3264 or +972 2670 5354
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il This e-mail address is being protected from
spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CONTACT the International Committee of the Red Cross to ask for their
assistance in establishing the wellbeing of the kidnapped human rights
workers and help in securing their immediate release!

Red Cross Israel
tel: +972 3524 5286
fax: +972 3527 0370
tel_aviv.tel@icrc.org This e-mail address is being protected from
spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Red Cross Switzerland:
tel: +41 22 730 3443
fax: +41 22 734 8280

Red Cross USA:
tel: +1 212 599 6021
fax: +1 212 599 6009
###

Kidnapped Passengers from the Spirit of Humanity include:

Khalad Abdelkader, Bahrain
Khalad is an engineer representing the Islamic Charitable Association
of Bahrain.

Othman Abufalah, Jordan
Othman is a world-renowned journalist with al-Jazeera TV.

Khaled Al-Shenoo, Bahrain
Khaled is a lecturer with the University of Bahrain.

Mansour Al-Abi, Yemen
Mansour is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera TV.

Fatima Al-Attawi, Bahrain
Fatima is a relief worker and community activist from Bahrain.

Juhaina Alqaed, Bahrain
Juhaina is a journalist & human rights activist.

Huwaida Arraf, US
Huwaida is the Chair of the Free Gaza Movement and delegation co-
coordinator for this voyage.

Ishmahil Blagrove, UK
Ishmahil is a Jamaican-born journalist, documentary film maker and
founder of the Rice & Peas film production company. His documentaries
focus on international struggles for social justice.

Kaltham Ghloom, Bahrain
Kaltham is a community activist.

Derek Graham, Ireland
Derek Graham is an electrician, Free Gaza organizer, and first mate
aboard the Spirit of Humanity.

Alex Harrison, UK
Alex is a solidarity worker from Britain. She is traveling to Gaza to
do long-term human rights monitoring.

Denis Healey, UK
Denis is Captain of the Spirit of Humanity. This will be his fifth
voyage to Gaza.

Fathi Jaouadi, UK
Fathi is a British journalist, Free Gaza organizer, and delegation co-
coordinator for this voyage.

Mairead Maguire, Ireland
Mairead is a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist.

Lubna Masarwa, Palestine/Israel
Lubna is a Palestinian human rights activist and Free Gaza organizer.

Theresa McDermott, Scotland
Theresa is a solidarity worker from Scotland. She is traveling to Gaza
to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Cynthia McKinney, US
Cynthia McKinney is an outspoken advocate for human rights and social
justice issues, as well as a former U.S. congressperson and
presidential candidate.

Adnan Mormesh, UK
Adnan is a solidarity worker from Britain. He is traveling to Gaza to
do long-term human rights monitoring.

Adam Qvist, Denmark
Adam is a solidarity worker from Denmark. He is traveling to Gaza to
do human rights monitoring.

Adam Shapiro, US
Adam is an American documentary film maker and human rights activist.

Kathy Sheetz, US
Kathy is a nurse and film maker, traveling to Gaza to do human rights
monitoring.

–~–~———~–~—-~————~——-~–~—-~
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led
non-violent resistance movement committed to ending Israel’s illegal
occupation of Palestinian land. We call for full compliance with all
relevant UN resolutions and international law.

Defend the Drax 29 says Gayle

Last summer 40 concerned citizens from all walks of life came together to stop a train containing 1,000 tonnes of coal on its way to Drax power station in Yorkshire. Drax is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK and people felt that it was no longer sensible to rely on our government to sort this problem out(as their track record of burying their head in the sand has shown).

The train was stopped by several protestors waving red flags and wearing Hi Viz jackets. This happened on the line destined for Drax. 29 people boarded its roof, and shoveled the coal onto the line. They then dropped a banner saying 'Leave It in the Ground'. All the correct safety procedures were planned in advance and adhered to minimize the risk of causing harm and disruption to anything other than Drax Power station.

The 29 people who boarded the train were arrested and are now standing trial in Leeds Crown Court. They are charged with 'Obstructing the railway' and could face up to 2 years in prison. Their trial started in Leeds, Monday 29 June 2009. The judge has ruled that they are prohibited from using Climate Change as a defence and the judge seems keen not to have a repeat of the Kingnorth 6 trial.

These people need and deserve our support over next couple of weeks. Non Violent direct action is not terrorism and shouldn’t be treated as such. We must protect our right to non violent protest; On a personal note, amongst these people are several much loved Manchester Activists(my friends) and other Climate Camp activists.Please do anything you can to get the word out.

Please invite all your friends to the ‘Friend of the Drax 29’ face book group and post message of support on the wall or go to Leeds Crown Court and peacefully protest(come suited and booted as requested!). They will be sending out updates as the trial proceeds.


http://tiny.cc/drax
drax29friends@gmail.com
if you're interested, there's an e-mail list that's been set up to inform people as to what happens day by day in the drax29 trial that i'm involved in. the list is called drax29info@lists.riseup.net. to subscribe to it, e-mail drax29info-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

http://gayleodonovan.blogspot.com/

"The soldiers beat us like dogs," said Yamie Viera, 30.

"The soldiers beat us like dogs," said Yamie Viera, 30.

Shocked to find that the Independent is backing the coup.

I can imagine with IMF control, sweeping spending cuts and austerity, nice liberal newspapers calling for a strong hand to defend the British constituency in the future.

Independent? Perhaps not.

The Honduran President has some huge faults but a) the elite wanted him out because he was doing something for the poor and indigenous b) he was removed at gunpoint.


Don't get me started on the environment, the old Latin American elites have slashed and burned the forests, sold off resources and wrecked ecosystems, tragic that British newspapers are unconcerned with this.

Betraying the Planet

Interesting article by Paul Krugman....from the New York Times


By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: June 28, 2009
So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.


Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Paul Krugman

But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases.

And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.

To fully appreciate the irresponsibility and immorality of climate-change denial, you need to know about the grim turn taken by the latest climate research.

The fact is that the planet is changing faster than even pessimists expected: ice caps are shrinking, arid zones spreading, at a terrifying rate. And according to a number of recent studies, catastrophe — a rise in temperature so large as to be almost unthinkable — can no longer be considered a mere possibility. It is, instead, the most likely outcome if we continue along our present course.

Thus researchers at M.I.T., who were previously predicting a temperature rise of a little more than 4 degrees by the end of this century, are now predicting a rise of more than 9 degrees. Why? Global greenhouse gas emissions are rising faster than expected; some mitigating factors, like absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans, are turning out to be weaker than hoped; and there’s growing evidence that climate change is self-reinforcing — that, for example, rising temperatures will cause some arctic tundra to defrost, releasing even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Temperature increases on the scale predicted by the M.I.T. researchers and others would create huge disruptions in our lives and our economy. As a recent authoritative U.S. government report points out, by the end of this century New Hampshire may well have the climate of North Carolina today, Illinois may have the climate of East Texas, and across the country extreme, deadly heat waves — the kind that traditionally occur only once in a generation — may become annual or biannual events.

In other words, we’re facing a clear and present danger to our way of life, perhaps even to civilization itself. How can anyone justify failing to act?

Well, sometimes even the most authoritative analyses get things wrong. And if dissenting opinion-makers and politicians based their dissent on hard work and hard thinking — if they had carefully studied the issue, consulted with experts and concluded that the overwhelming scientific consensus was misguided — they could at least claim to be acting responsibly.

But if you watched the debate on Friday, you didn’t see people who’ve thought hard about a crucial issue, and are trying to do the right thing. What you saw, instead, were people who show no sign of being interested in the truth. They don’t like the political and policy implications of climate change, so they’ve decided not to believe in it — and they’ll grab any argument, no matter how disreputable, that feeds their denial.

Indeed, if there was a defining moment in Friday’s debate, it was the declaration by Representative Paul Broun of Georgia that climate change is nothing but a “hoax” that has been “perpetrated out of the scientific community.” I’d call this a crazy conspiracy theory, but doing so would actually be unfair to crazy conspiracy theorists. After all, to believe that global warming is a hoax you have to believe in a vast cabal consisting of thousands of scientists — a cabal so powerful that it has managed to create false records on everything from global temperatures to Arctic sea ice.

Yet Mr. Broun’s declaration was met with applause.

Given this contempt for hard science, I’m almost reluctant to mention the deniers’ dishonesty on matters economic. But in addition to rejecting climate science, the opponents of the climate bill made a point of misrepresenting the results of studies of the bill’s economic impact, which all suggest that the cost will be relatively low.

Still, is it fair to call climate denial a form of treason? Isn’t it politics as usual?

Yes, it is — and that’s why it’s unforgivable.

Do you remember the days when Bush administration officials claimed that terrorism posed an “existential threat” to America, a threat in whose face normal rules no longer applied? That was hyperbole — but the existential threat from climate change is all too real.

Yet the deniers are choosing, willfully, to ignore that threat, placing future generations of Americans in grave danger, simply because it’s in their political interest to pretend that there’s nothing to worry about. If that’s not betrayal, I don’t know what is.

Soldiers shut democracy protesters.

The BBC seem to be ignoring this.....

TEGUCIGALPA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Sixty people were injured and one person died in clashes between Honduran troops and demonstrators backing President Manuel Zelaya, local television channel Canal 51 reported on Monday.

One person died of bullet wounds in a taxi, the broadcaster reported, only to be shut down seconds later.

A few minute earlier, Juan Barahona, who leads the United Workers Federation, told Xinhua by telephone that soldiers had fired into the crowd demonstrating outside the Palace of Government.

"When we were dispersed I saw several people with bullet wounds during to the soldiers' shooting," Barahona said. "Two ambulances arrived but so far I don't know if there are deaths."

Local media had reported shooting and tear gas used at the scene, as two helicopters flew over the area.

Shots were heard in the early hours of Monday morning outside the Palace of Government. The president of the Committee for the Defense of Honduran Human Rights said that 27 people had been arrested in that incident.

Zelaya was seized by hooded and heavily armed soldiers from his residence in the early hours of Sunday morning and forced to board a plane to Costa Rica. A new leader, Roberto Micheletti, was appointed by the nation's legislature on Sunday afternoon, in a session that began with the reading of a resignation letter, reportedly from Zelaya, which the president has denounced as fake. Micheletti declared martial law within hours of being sworn in.

29 Jun 2009

EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 5PM, HONDURAS EMBASSY,

Subject: EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 5PM, HONDURAS EMBASSY, 115 GLOUCESTER PLACE

1) EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! – PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY

Tuesday 30 June, 5pm

at the Honduras Embassy, 115 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 6JT.

An emergency picket has been called outside the Honduran Embassy in response to yesterday's coup against Honduras' progressive elected president (see VSC statement and further information below.) Please come and show your support for social progress and democracy in Latin America.

· For more information contact info@venezuelasolidarity.co.uk. Called by Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (formerly VIC), and supported by Unite London and Eastern Region.

MERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 5PM, HONDURAS EMBASSY,

Subject: EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 5PM, HONDURAS EMBASSY, 115 GLOUCESTER PLACE

1) EMERGENCY PICKET AGAINST COUP IN HONDURAS! – PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY

Tuesday 30 June, 5pm

at the Honduras Embassy, 115 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 6JT.

An emergency picket has been called outside the Honduran Embassy in response to yesterday's coup against Honduras' progressive elected president (see VSC statement and further information below.) Please come and show your support for social progress and democracy in Latin America.

· For more information contact info@venezuelasolidarity.co.uk. Called by Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (formerly VIC), and supported by Unite London and Eastern Region.

Castro's daughter speaks for gay rights, in London





Panel debate after Strawberry and Chocolate - Cuban gay movie

Saturday 4 July 2009, 8.45pm, Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Coinciding with Pride London, a special screening of the ground-breaking Cuban gay movie, Strawberry and Chocolate, will be followed by a panel Q and A with Mariela Castro, the pro-gay rights daughter of Cuba's president Raùl Castro, niece of Fidel Castro and director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education in Havana.

Mariela Castro will be joined on stage after the screening by the film's screenwriter/director Juan Carlos Tabio and by Alberto Roque, a leading gay rights activist in Cuba.

The event is part of the Barbican season, Cine Cuba: 50 Years of Revolution in Film, which runs from Friday 3 July to Thursday 9 July 2009.

Ticket bookings online: www.barbican.org.uk/film or phone 0845 120 7527

Tickets £9.50 on the phone or at the box office, and £7.50 for bookings online.

More about the event

The Barbican welcomes some very exciting guests to Cine Cuba: 50 Years of Revolution in Film this July: screenwriter/director Juan Carlos Tabio and campaigner Mariela Castro. With issues surrounding equality in sex, gender and race emerging in this year's programme through films such as Strawberry and Chocolate, Up to a Certain Point, Cecilia and Raza, the festival is delighted to play host to a timely discussion on these themes between Tabio and Castro along with Alberto Roque, a leading gay rights activist in Cuba.

Mariela Castro is daughter of Cuba's president Raùl Castro, niece of Fidel Castro and director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education in Havana. Mariela Castro campaigns for AIDS prevention along with the recognition of the rights of homosexuals, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals in Cuba. She is also a widely published author.

Mariela Castro will be attending Cine Cuba on Saturday 4th July, Pride London night, for a special discussion on gay rights in Cuba, following the 8.45pm screening of Strawberry and Chocolate. She will be joined by Alberto Roque, a leading gay rights activist in Cuba and Juan Carlos Tabío for this discussion.

VSC Statement on military coup in Honduras

IN ENGLISH

VSC Statement on military coup in Honduras

Today (Sunday June 29, 2009) there was to be non-binding national consultation as to whether the people of Honduras agreed to hold referenda at the end of the year for a new Constitional Assembly and for a new constitution. Just on Saturday June 28, President Zelaya was meeting international observers regarding details of today's (29 June) referendum.

Early this morning -June 29- (about 5:45 am Honduran time) heavily armed units of the military (according to eye witnesses, about 200 soldiers) occupied the presidential palace, arrested democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya in his personal residence, kidnapped him, taking him to an unknow destination. Eye witnesses inform that President Zelaya's personal residence is surrounded by soldiers. Telesur report that President Zelaya confirmed by phone that he is in Costa Rica.

The military then proceeded to close down Channel 8, the state TV channel to prevent it from informing the population.

President Manuel Zelaya's supporters are congregating in the streets of the capital and are moving to surround the presidential palace to demand the return of their president.

We totally and absolutely condemn the coup against democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya and demand his immediate and unconditional release as well as the immediater release of anybody else that might have been arrested by the plotters.

We demand:

1.- The immediate restitution of the constitutional order interrupted by the military coup underway in Honduras.

2.- No violence of any kind to be unleashed against the civilian population, or any of the those arrested by those carrying out the coup d'etat. There are worrying reports emerging from Tegucigalpa -Honduras cpital city- of military violence against civilians.

3.- We also urge the UK government to unequivocally condemn the coup and demand the release of President Zelaya, and the immediate return to the constitutional order.

4.- We also call upon President Barack Obama to demonstrate with acts his expressed desire to inaugurate a new period of respectful relations with the republics in Latin America, by also unreservedly condemning the coup d'etat, stating that the US will not recognise any other government in Honduras except that of the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya.

Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, and President of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, has condemned the military coup in Honduras and demanded the release of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.

Ken Livingstone said:

'I totally condemn the military coup and kidnapping of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.

'President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades hunger and poverty. This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people at the polls.

'The world should unite to stop this attempt to return Latin America to the bloody past of military coups to block the will of the people.

'I call particularly upon the British government to unreservedly condemn this military coup and to demand the immediate release of President Zelaya and to urge President Obama, who has promised a new era of relations between the US and South America, to do everything in his power to support the release of President Zelaya and restoration of democracy in Honduras.'

Francisco Dominguez
Secretary Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

EN ESPAÑOL

Declaración de la Campaña de Solidaridad de Venezuela (Venezuela Solidarity Campaign)

Hoy (domingo 29 de junio de 2009) iba a realizarse una consukta no vinculante en cuanto a si el pueblo de Honduras acordaria celebrar referendos a fines de este año para una nueva Asamblea Constitional y por una nueva constitución. Sólo el sábado 28 de junio, el Presidente Zelaya se reunio con observadores internacionales en relación a los detalles de la consulta que se realizaria hoy (29 de junio).

Temprano esta mañana, 29 de junio - (alrededor de 5:45 am hora de Honduras), unidades militares fuertemente armados (según testigos oculares, alrededor de 200 soldados) ocuparon el palacio presidencial, deteniendo al democráticamente elegido Presidente Manuel Zelaya en su residencia personal, secuestrandolo para llevarlo a un destino desconocido.

Testigos oculares informan que residencia personal del Presidente Zelaya está rodeada por soldados. Telesur informa que el Presidente Zelaya confirmó por teléfono que está en Costa Rica.

Los militares procedieron a cerrar el canal 8, el canal de televisión estatal para evitar que de información a la población.

Partidarios del Presidente Manuel Zelaya se están congregando en las calles de la capital y se están moviendo para rodear el palacio presidencial para exigir el regreso de su presidente.

Condenar total y absolutamente el golpe contra el democráticamente elegido Presidente Manuel Zelaya y exigimos su liberación inmediata e incondicional, así como la liberación de immediata de cualquier otra persona que pudiera haber sido detenida por los conspiradores.

Exigimos:

1 .- La inmediata restitución del orden constitucional interrumpido por el golpe militar en curso en Honduras.

2 .- Que no se desate ningún tipo de violencia contra la población civil, o cualquiera de los detenidos por los responsables del golpe de Estado. Hay informes inquietantes que salen de Tegucigalpa -capital de Honduras- de violencia militar contra civiles.

3 .- Asimismo, instamos al Gobierno del Reino Unido a condenar inequívocamente el golpe de Estado y a exigir la liberación del Presidente Zelaya, y el retorno inmediato al orden constitucional.

4 .- También hacemos un llamamiento al Presidente Barack Obama para demostrar con hechos su deseo expreso de inaugurar un nuevo período de relaciones respetuosas con las repúblicas de América Latina, por medio de una condena sin reservas del golpe de estado, indicando que los Estados Unidos no reconoceran ningun otro gobierno en Honduras excepto el del democraticamente elegido Presidente Manuel Zelaya.

Ken Livingstone, ex alcalde de Londres, y Presidente de la Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, ha condenado el golpe militar en Honduras y ha exigido la liberación del Presidente democráticamente electo de Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.
Ken Livingstone dijo:
"Condeno totalmente el golpe militar y el secuestro del Presidente democráticamente electo de Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.

"El Presidente Zelaya intenta liberar a su país de décadas de hambre y pobreza. Este golpe militar es un intento ilegal de utilizar la fuerza armada para revertir el curso de la democracia y el progreso social elegido por el pueblo hondureño en las urnas.

"El mundo debe unirse para detener este intento de revertirr a América Latina al pasado sangriento de los golpes militares para bloquear la voluntad del pueblo.

"Hago un llamamiento en particular a que el gobierno británico condene sin reservas este golpe militar y exija la inmediata liberación del Presidente Zelaya e instar al Presidente Obama, quien ha prometido una nueva era de relaciones entre los EE.UU. y América del Sur, a hacer cuanto esté en su poder para apoyar la liberación del Presidente Zelaya y la restauración de la democracia en Honduras."

Francisco Dominguez
Secretario Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

28 Jun 2009

John Gormley must resign over conservation failure

perhaps I could marry up the commentators who say the Irish Green Party is Green with those who insist that there hasn't been a coup in Honduras....many impossible things before midnight?

Group calls for Gormley resignation

Irish Times - - 24 June 2009

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Governement John Gormley must resign due to his failure to protect Irish heritage sites, representatives of the Save Tara campaign have said.

Members of TaraWatch, the organisation which runs the campaign, held a protest outside Custom House in Dublin today to voice their dissatisfaction with the minister, who they say has reneged on promises to nominate Irish cultural areas such at the Hill of Tara, the Burren and Clonmacnoise to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which meets in Seville today.

"He has totally reneged on his statutory duties to protect Irish heritage and the Irish environment," said spokesman for the campaign Vincent Salafia.

The group was also critical of the minister's decision to demolish the Lismullin national monument in order to make way for further developments to the M3 motorway.

The move has led to the European Commission bringing a case against Ireland to the European Court of Justice, alleging that the Government here has failed to implement the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.

Mr Salafia is confident that the European Commission will be successful in the case and said that "by failing to let the EU or UNESCO protect Irish heritage sites, John Gormley has done the exact opposite of what a Minister for the Environment is supposed to do."

WRITE TO lettersed@irishtimes.com

Obama condemns the coup


I take most of it back, we do have a new President in the Casa Blanca.


"We recognize Zelaya as the duly elected and constitutional president of Honduras. We see no other."

Venezuela sends aircraft to pick up Honduran president Zelaya

Venezuela has sent an aircraft to Costa Rica to pick up Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted earlier on Sunday from Honduras' presidency, Costa Rican Vice Security Minister Jose Torres told media on Sunday, according to Xinhua reported.
"The Venezuelan government has sent an aircraft to Costa Rica to take President Zelaya to an extraordinary meeting of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) in Managua," Torres told local newspaper La Nacion.
Zelaya, who arrived in Costa Rica early on Sunday, had already been due to go to Nicaragua's capital, Managua, which on Monday will host the summit of the Central American Integration System ( SICA).
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Zelaya was seized by soldiers in his home and put on a plane to Costa Rica against his will. He described the act as "kidnapping."
Zelaya is currently staying in a hotel close to Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rican capital San Jose.


North American Imperialism and the Extreme Right are Behind Coup in Honduras: Chavez

Condemn the coup in Honduras

A group of at least 100 soldiers surrounded the residence of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya early Sunday morning, hauled him out of bed, took him to an air force base and put him on a plane for Costa Rica.


I was shocked to learn of the coup in Honduras, the army have deposed the President. The people of Honduras should be free to elect a president not to have to endure rule by a military junta....however disguised.

I am calling on all members of the Green Party to protest. Environmental destruction flows from the ability of a minority to enclose resources and devastate nature for short term gain. A return to the rule by an elite who want the freedom to steal the resources from the indigenous is likely in Honduras, the network of indigenous put out statement showing their concern that the president would be ousted

Brazil, Costa Rica and Venezuela are leading the protest and the people have taken to the streets to mobilise against military rule.

Greens need to be at the forefront of protest.

Eve Gollinger has minute by minute reports, her information on a fake resignation letter from the President shows that this was a carefully prepared coup, similar to the one that briefly removed Hugo Chavez in 2002.

There is also a good article from Green Left Weekly here.

Mps home seized in West London


Nice to see the Sunday Express working with civic minded people on an investigation:

Photographs taken by the squatters yesterday suggest a very different story inside. Litter and rubble are strewn across the surfaces of the fitted kitchen. By contrast, the Keens’ “second home” is in a riverside complex with its own swimming pool. In the past four years the couple have billed taxpayers £137,679 for the flat’s upkeep. Under Commons rules they can claim the money only by declaring that they spend most nights at their home in Brentford.

yes the home of Alan and Anne Keen, the MPs who have taken huge expenses for a posh flat, has been occupied by local people.

Good, how sickening, I think its the worst MP scandal, empty home, while so many are homeless in London.


more from Indy media

A group of housing activists have entered and occupied the house of Anne and Alan Keene. Both Labour MPs they were known as “Mr and Mrs Expenses” two years before the MP spending scandal broke; Mrs Keen, a health minister recently admitted making an expense claim for private hospital treatment for a member of her staff. At the centre of their scandal was their double mortgage claim, where they illegally used Parliamentary expenses to pay interest on the mortgages of both their homes – one of which has now been occupied by outraged locals along with activists from all backgrounds and nationalities.

It was revealed several days ago that they faced having their Hounslow constituency home repossessed by the council after leaving it empty for over a year. The £385,000 three-bedroom terrace was being renovated whilst they stayed in their central home London near Parliament which they billed the public £137,679 for. After an alleged falling out with the builders the house was left empty, but at a local residents meeting a member of the public alerted activists to the location of the house, and 2 days ago it was occupied.

Speaking by phone one of the occupants explained why they had taken the building and what they wanted to happen.

“We want to get back something that has been taken from us in the expenses scandal. Everyone pays taxes, either directly or through VAT on their shopping - we’ve all been taken from. There are 10,000 people on the housing waiting list in Hounslow alone – and people like the Keens are spending our money on keeping houses empty.”

“Everyone who is needs housing should occupy empty buildings, but as Anne Keene voted in favour of the war in Iraq, displacing and killing millions of people, we demand she gets in touch with refugee centres to make reparations. In the meantime, the house will hopefully become a refugee centre and home to some of the people she made homeless through poverty and war.”

The group are asking for solidarity. Donations of food and water, bedding, hinges and screws are to be taken to:

38 Brook Rd South,
Brentford,
TW8 0NN

The group can be contacted on 07549160296

[Interview and article by London Liberty & Solidarity, but no email for the occupation group itself yet]

SR & Green Left plan ‘Climate & Capitalism’ seminar

Planned for Saturday September 12, Climate and Capitalism is the first seminar organised jointly by Green Left and Socialist Resistance, the ecosocialist currents in two of Britain’s left parties, the Greens and Respect. This energetic and open day of discussion will bring experts, campaigners, radical activists and others together. The event will be in the Friends’ Meeting House, London, NW1 (at Euston).

The plan for the day

After registration at 10, the opening plenary will addressed by Romayne Phoenix, from Green Left, and Ian Angus, editor of “The global fight for climate justice”, a new book being launched next month. Romayne is a Green councillor: Ian is one of the Socialist Resistance advisory board.

Before lunch, at least three workshops will be held, all with plenty of time for questions and discussions, to give the context for the combined economic and ecological crises. Amongst those planned are:
1. Crisis and the response: with Sean Thompson, author of new pamphlet on the Green New Deal, and the Scottish Socialist Party’s Raphie de Santos, co-author of ‘Socialists and the Capitalist Recession’
2. Gender, ecology and ecosocialism: with Sheila Malone, co-editor of ‘Ecosocialism or Barbarism’
3. Alternatives to the market: with a panel invited including Derek Wall, former principal speaker of the Green Party

The interaction and sharing of experience will deepen in the afternoon, where participants in major struggles for climate and social justice will be speaking. The discussions will include:
1. Voices from the Global South: facilitated by Ian Angus
2. Direct action and prefiguration; with speakers from British direct action campaigns
3. Sustainable cities; with invited experts including the Campaign for Free Public Transport
4. Alternative production: with speakers from the Swedish and British trade union movement struggles for sustainable manufacturing.

The closing plenary will provide an opportunity to see how anti-capitalists in Respect, the Green party and elsewhere on the left can deepen their co-operation - both in the run up to the Copenhagen demonstrations at the end of this year, and next year’s general election. ‘Socialist Resistance’ editor Liam MacUaid will discuss strategies for uniting reds and greens while Green Left’s Andy Hewett will discuss the tasks going forward to Copenhagen. The event will close at 5.30pm.

How to register

You can register in advance and make two savings: get one-third off the price of your ticket, and a further two pounds on the cost of the book being launched at the conference. Tickets cost 6 pounds unwaged (4 in advance) and 12 pounds waged (8 in advance). To register, make your cheque payable to ‘Resistance’ and post it to PO Box 62732 London SW2 9GQ.

Find out more

Visit http://ecosocialism.org for updates on the event. You can register on that site for updates, and to take part in the preparations of the event. If you have any questions or comments send an email to seminar at ecosocialism dot org.

27 Jun 2009

message from Ramona Africa

via: ONAMOVELLJA@aol.com
====================

ONA MOVE, Everybody. August 8th will be here in a heartbeat and MOVE people will not allow it to pass without everybody being reminded of the vicious system attack on MOVE on August 8,1978, particularly since our family has been unjustly imprisoned for 31 years now. We are asking people to flood local radio programs with calls on August 7th and/or 8th reminding people about The MOVE 9 and their unjust imprisonment. The 8th is a Saturday so sometimes it's better to call in a radio program on a weekday. If it's planned early enough, we can arrange for one or more of The MOVE 9 to call into a radio program. You can also write letters to the editor in local newspapers to remind people of this ongoing atrocity. There are some Black August programs planned for this August, be sure to include The MOVE 9 in these programs. The main thing is to keep the issue out there. Be sure to let me know what's happening in your area this August. Thanks for your ongoing support, it's very much appreciated---Ramona

More info and new video at http://move9parole.blogspot.com/

24 Jun 2009

Irish Green Party damage Green politics internationally



This is a photo from the Save Tara campaign.

Tara Group Smoke Out Greens

The Irish Sun - Tuesday, September 9, 2008

DEMONSTRATORS Siobhan Rice, Vincent Salafia and Colm MacNiallais, of the Save Tara Campaign don fat cat suits and smoke cigars to protest at Green Party headquarters in Dublin yesterday. They say the land for road construction at Tara highlights the Greens ’sell-out’ since entering government with Fianna Fail. The fuming trio also slammed the party’s failure to deliver on their pre-election promises. A recent carbon tax call by the Greens as well as their support for budget cuts in spending on public transport, such as the Metro and the Western rail link were raised by protestors.


Here are my most recent thoughts on the Irish Green Party:

A calamitous coalition

The Irish Green Party has provided a textbook example of how not to do green politics. Who would have thought a Green Party would cut bus services and support motorway-building through a heritage site? Who would have believed that a Green government elected partly because of its opposition to the Iraq war would allow US war planes to refuel in Ireland at Shannon?
The Irish Greens have had councillors, MEPs and members of the Irish parliament elected because of the country's system of proportional representation.
Ireland has two centre-right political parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which have often been linked to allegations of corruption involving property deals.
The Greens made their name as critics of Fianna Fail. In February 2007, Green leader Trevor Sargent told the Irish Times: "I do not see myself leading the party into coalition with Fianna Fail due to its culture of bad planning, corruption and bad standards."
However, after the May 2007 general election, Sargent resigned as leader and 80 per cent of party members voted to join a Fianna Fail government in coalition.
The results have been catastrophic.
In Mayo, local people believe that a gas pipeline and processing plant being built by Shell will create pollution and bring no benefit to the local community.
The Irish Green Party, which once strongly supported the Mayo protesters, has become silent since joining the government.
Worst of all from an environmental point of view, the government is building a motorway through Tara, perhaps Ireland's most important political landscape.
The Greens have acted as a "mud guard," taking the flak for Fianna Fail's actions. The Irish economy, based on cuts in corporation tax and banking deregulation, has been in freefall. What is the difference, it is said, between Ireland and Iceland. The answer? One letter and six months.
Savage cutbacks in public services have been introduced and the Greens have presided over cuts in the Dublin bus services.
Before the coalition was created, prominent party member Ciaran Cuffe argued: "Let's be clear. A deal with Fianna Fail would be a deal with the devil. We would be spat out after five years and decimated as a party."
True words indeed.
In June's elections, the party lost nearly all its councillors, failed to get any MEPs elected and was nearly beaten in Dublin by a former member Patricia McKenna, who had left in disgust.
The Green Party now looks likely to stay in government, even if Fianna Fail were to import nuclear weapons and declare war on Scotland or introduce pesticides into school milk. The Green MPs know that if they left government, there would be a general election and they would lose their seats and salaries.
It looks likely that the party will disappear for perhaps a generation.
This is tragic given the urgency of problems such as climate change. The damage done to Green politics internationally is too large to measure.
However, we should not simply cry betrayal and refuse to participate in electoral politics.
The Latin American left has shown it is possible to use the state to help build an alternative. Greens in Europe have created some positive changes. In Scotland the Greens have not gone into government with the SNP but have supported them on progressive measures. Likewise in London, Green Party members supported much of the progressive work of former mayor Ken Livingstone.
While politics involves inevitable compromises, the pursuit of office can sometimes erode all real political gain.
The late great German Green Petra Kelly argued that the Greens should be an "anti-party party." Perhaps her words need to be rediscovered.

23 Jun 2009

House of Commons told of massacre in the Amazon




I attended Cafod's meeting in the House of Commons with speakers from Peru Support and Survival International on the attacks on indigenous people in Peru.

President Alan Garcia condemned the indigenous as 'primitives', repealed laws protecting their land and sent solidiers into kill them when they protested.

Marijke Deleu, an eyewitness to the killings at Bagua, showed us graphic photos of bullet wounds and burned victims of the Peruvian regime.

The indigenous are highly organised and their protests have forced the Peruvian congress to restore protection of their land.

After being shown these photos, the Peruvian Ambassador was asked to respond...he started by condemning the fact that no MPs had come along to hear him and asked that this compliant would be 'off the record'. He was quite angry about the lack of MPs, while I don't generally defend British members of parliament, they were a bit busy yesterday during the meeting voting for a new speaker of the house of commons.

I was able to convey my disgust to the Ambassador, I spoke after him and read a statement from the indigenous condemning his government.

he did apologies for the killings and suggested exploitation of their indigenous land would cease...he rather spoiled this by trying to connect the protest of the indigenous, indirectly, with the guerillas of Shining Path and by arguing that much of the land in the Amazon was occupied by people who wearn't really indigenous.

Shining Path and Alan Garcia both have indigenous blood on their hands.

Lets make no mistake but for the protest of the indigenous their land would be stolen, more of the Amazon logged and oil production expanded.

The meeting in committee room 9 was totally packed with speaker after speaker, many of whom were Peruvians condemning the Ambassador's government.

by the way glad to see Climate Camp people getting stuck in with a blockade of the Peruvian Embassy.

The Green Party in Canada put out an excellent statement criticising Alan Garcia, like to see more solidarity from the Green Party of England and Wales...incidentally I think the Greens in Europe could learn a lot from the indigenous.

21 Jun 2009

Marta Harnecker on strategy and change


Can we learn from the British left...well with all respect to some of the good people I know in the British left, the answer is no. By 2087 they will have got some where, perhaps? at this rate.

Are the Greens more sophisticated though?

That has to be no as well...where we should be looking is Latin America, from a weak position radicals have taken power and introduced change...imperfectly yes but less imperfectly than greens and the left in Europe.

This is from Links....part of a series of articles by Marta Harnecker....looks interesting

Marta Harnecker: Ideas for the struggle #8 -- The left must attempt to set the agenda for struggle

[This is the eighth in a series of regular articles. Click HERE for other articles in the series. Please return to Links regularly read the next articles in the series.]

By Marta Harnecker, translated by Federico Fuentes for Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal

1. In the previous article, we stated that a large section of the party left has found it very difficult to work with social movements and develop ties with the new social forces in recent decades. This has been due to several factors.

2. While the right wing has demonstrated great political initiative, the left tends to be on the defensive. While the former uses its control of the institutions of the state and the mass media, as well as its economic influence, to impose its new model, subservient to financial capital and monopolies, that has precipitated privatisations, labour deregulation and all the other aspects of the neoliberal economic program, to increase social fragmentation and foment anti-partyism, the party left, on the other hand, has almost exclusively limited its political work to the use of current institutionality, subordinating itself to the rules of the game imposed by the enemy, and hardly ever taking them by surprise. The level of absurdity is such that the calendar of struggle of the left is set by the right.

3. How often have we heard the left complain about the adverse conditions it had to face during elections campaign, after discovering that its electoral results were not what it was expecting? Yet the very same left seldom denounces the rules of the game imposed on it, nor proposes electoral reforms, during its electoral campaigns. On the contrary, what tends to occur is that in seeking votes -- instead of carrying out an educational, pedagogical campaign that serves to increase the organisation and awareness of the people -- the left uses the same techniques to sell its candidates that the ruling classes uses.

4. On the other hand, the current rules of the game imposed by the dominant classes hinder the unity of the left and foment personality-based politics. In some countries, the left is forced to work to support its own party instead of for a broader front, because if it doesn’t the party tends to disappear from the political sphere.

5. This means that, when electoral defeats occur, the frustration, wearing down and debts incurred during the campaign are compounded by the fact that the electoral effort does not translate into political growth, leaving a bitter sense of having wasted their time. The situation would be very different if campaigns were conceived from a pedagogical point of view, where election campaigns are used to deepen awareness and popular organisation. Then, even if the electoral results are not the most favourable, the time and effort invested in the campaign are not wasted.

6. It is not surprising that some argue that the cult of the institution has been the Trojan horse that the ruling system has been able to introduce into the fortress of the revolutionary left, thus attacking the left from inside.

7. The work of the ranks is progressively delegated to people who hold public and administrative positions. Majority effort stops being directed towards collective action and are redirected towards parliamentary action or building a media presence.

8. Militant action has tended to be reduced to activities on election day, putting‑up posters and other such trivial public acts.

9. And, even worse, party financing is increasingly relying on the participation of party cadres in state institutions: parliament, local government, election boards, etc., with all that this entails, in terms of dependency and undue pressure.

10. The political activity of the left cannot be reduced to the conquest of institutions; it must be directed towards changing those institutions in order to be able to transform reality. A new balance of forces must be created so that the necessary changes can be implemented. We have to understand that we cannot build a political force without building a social force.

11. At the same time, we must also avoid “partyising” all initiatives and the social movements we relate to; on the contrary, effort must be made to bring together their practices into a single political project.

12. Additionally, the party left has had a hard time adjusting to the new realities. On many occasions it has remained firmly locked into rigid conceptual frameworks that prevents it from appreciating the potentiality of the new social subjects, exclusively focusing efforts on forces that have traditionally mobilised, such as trade unions, that today are much weaker due to a variety of factors.

13. Lastly, one of the greatest difficulties for the party left regarding work with the social left has been the viewpoint that sees social movements as conveyor belts for the party. The leadership of the movement, positions in leadership bodies, the platform of struggle, that is everything, is decided by party leaders and only afterwards is the line of march taken to the social movement in question, without allowing them to participate in the process of deciding the matters that affect them directly.

14. Summing up, in order for the party left to develop strong bonds with the social left, the party left must renew itself ideologically, change its political culture and work methods, and incorporate into its arsenal the innovative forms of struggle and resistance utilised by the social left.

Marta Harnecker’s bibliography on the topic

The left after Seattle, www.rebelion.org/harnecker.htm. Original title: La izquierda después de Seattle, Siglo XXI España, 2002.
The Left on the threshold of the twenty first century, Part III. The situation of the left, www.rebelion.org/harnecker.htm. Original title: La izquierda en el umbral del Siglo XXI. Haciendo posible lo imposible, Published in: México, Siglo XXI Editores, 1999; España, Siglo XXI Editores, 1ª ed. 1999, 2ª ed. 2000 y 3ª ed. 2000; Cuba, Editorial de Ciencias Sociales, 2000; Portugal, Campo das Letras Editores, 2000; Brasil, Paz e Terra, 2000; Italia, Sperling and Küpfer Editori, 2001; Canadá (francés), Lantôt Éditeur, 2001; El Salvador, Instituto de Ciencias Políticas y Administrativas Farabundo Martí, 2001.

[Marta Harnecker is originally from Chile where she participated in the revolutionary process of 1970-1973. She has written extensively on the Cuba Revolution, and on the nature of socialist democracy. She now lives in Caracas and is a participant in the Venezuelan revolution.]

Indigenous womens' manifesto

The indigenous are a vanguard for serious ecological politics on the planet we live, each victory they win is a victory for the rest of humanity and the rest of nature.

Here is the indigenous womens manifesto

Latin America: Manifesto of the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women
Puno, Peru -- May 27-28, 2009 -- We, indigenous women gathered in the sacred lands of Lake Titicaca, after two days of discussions and deliberation raise our voices in these times when Abya Yala’s[1] womb is once more with childbirth pains, to give birth to the new Pachakutik [2] for a better life on our planet. We, indigenous women, have had a direct input into the historical process of transformation of our peoples through our proposals and actions in the various struggles taking place and engendered from the indigenous movements.

We are the carriers, conduits of our cultural and genetic make-up; we gestate and brood life; together with men, we are the axis of the family unit and society. We join our wombs to our mother earth’s womb to give birth to new times in this Latin American continent where in many countries millions of people, impoverished by the neoliberal system, raise their voices to say ENOUGH to oppression, exploitation and the looting of our wealth. We therefore join in the liberation struggles taking place throughout our continent.

We gather here at this summit, with our hearts, minds, hands and wombs, for the purpose of seeking alternatives to eliminate injustice, discrimination, machismo and violence against women, and to return to our ways of mutual respect and a life of harmony with the planet. Whereas women are part of nature and the macrocosm, we are called to defend and take care of our mother earth, because from her comes our ancient history and culture, that make us what we are: indigenous peoples under the protection and spiritual guidance of our parents and grandparents who gave life to all the human beings that now inhabit this wonderful planet, even though a few oligarchs and imperialists seek to plague it with death in their quest for their god called greed. Therefore, before the memory of our martyrs, heroes, leaders, we present to our extended families (Ayllus), communities, peoples and nations of the world the conclusions of our rebellious hearts.

Resolutions and agreements:
Build a continental agenda that reflects the defence of collective rights and the human rights of indigenous women and which follows up the mandates of the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women.

Form the Continental Coordinator of Abya Yala Indigenous Women to defend our mother earth; strengthen our organisations; promote policy and training proposals; and create spaces for sharing experiences in various fields: economic, political, social, and cultural amongst others. Furthermore, this will be the representative and referential body for Abya Yala women before national and international entities.
We urge on international entities the reform of international instruments, related to indigenous peoples, so as to incorporate the rights of women and submit alternative reports on progress and compliance.

We are in solidarity with and support the struggles of peoples of Amazonian Peru and demand the government of Peru immediately repeal all laws and decrees which violate the territorial rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon. At the same time, we demand the government of Peru repeal the state of emergency in the departments where it has been decreed.

We express full solidarity and support for the government of President Evo Morales.
We support the Minga [4] resistance undertaken by the indigenous peoples of Colombia and condemn acts of genocide and extermination against the indigenous movement in Colombia and other countries.

We strongly reject the persecution of social protest and government repression of demonstrations and actions in defence of land rights and the life of indigenous peoples.

We demand from national governments a real and wholistic agrarian reform that safeguards land to preserve food sovereignty.

We demand that governments create institutions and policies for the care and protection of migrants, taking into account their cultural diversity.

We demand that the state declares our lands and territories inviolable, inalienable and unable to be expropriated, requiring respective titles.

We support the founding of the Climate Justice Court so as to demand developed countries and transnationals repair and not damage the biodiversity of the Pachamama [5].

We reject biofuels because they impoverish the land and place at risk food sovereignty and the life of natural ecosystems.

We demand decriminalisation of the cultivation of the sacred coca leaf.

We demand an end to genocide and ethnocide, which especially affects our indigenous peoples, carried out by the army, paramilitaries and others, which injure, intimidate and violate the rights of people in every country. We, the women of the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women, do not want to see more widows, more orphans. We struggle for peace, for life and for world dignity.

We struggle to end violence committed by: the army, multinationals, trans-nationals and some NGOs; that engender division in our communities, particularly among women. This brings about all kinds of violence: physical, psychological, sexual, political, financial, institutional, and symbolic among others.

We struggle for the freedom of men and women who are imprisoned in army and public jails for their fight in defence of Mother Earth and territories, and in defence of the collective rights of indigenous peoples – as it is the case of Leonard Peltier who has been condemned to life in prison in the US.

We demand the immediate withdrawal of the foreign multinational companies in our territories which are exploiting our mother earth and damaging the environment.

We, the women of Abya Yala, demand that the government of Alan Garcia stops granting political asylum to individuals who have violated human rights, as in the case of the ex-ministers of Bolivia’s Gonzalo Sanchez de Losada.

The First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women has decided that the Second Continental Summit will take place in Bolivia together with the Fifth Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nations.

To follow up the implementation of the UN declaration of the rights of the indigenous peoples, in various countries, in particular on themes related to indigenous women.

To promote a continental mobilisation in defence of Mother Earth, to be held on October 12.
“I have walked everywhere, but never negotiated with the blood of my people” -- Transito Amaguana

First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women Host Team, Puno, Peru, May 27-28, 2009.
Notes:
1. "Abya Yala" means "Continent of Life" in the language of the Kuna peoples of Panama and Colombia. http://abyayala.nativeweb.org
2. Pachakutik is a Quechua word which signifies change, rebirth, transformation, and the coming of a new era.
3. Ayllu is a word in both the Quechua and Aymara languages referring to a network of families in a given area.
4. "La Minga" means a gathering of all the peoples, and indigenous leadership only call for it when something very important needs to be addressed. (http://dallaspeacecenter.org/node/3881).
5. Pachamama means Mother Earth, a goddess revered by indigenous peoples of the Andes.
[Published in Llapa Runaq Hatariynin, 34-Inti Raymi 2009. Translation by Marlene Obeid and Tim Anderson, Sydney, June 15, 2009.]

20 Jun 2009

NSSN’s 3rd Annual Conference, London, Saturday 27th June:

NSSN’s 3rd Annual Conference, London, Saturday 27th June:
if you are an elected union rep or activist, see you there!

The third annual conference of the NSSN/National Shop Stewards Network will be held in King’s Cross, London, on Saturday June 27th. Once again 200 plus trade union reps from all over will meet to discuss current trade union movement problems, plan how to strengthen our movement at all levels, and, last but not least, be inspired by some of the best speakers thrown up by current campaigns, struggles and strikes.

Founded at a Conference called by the RMT in October 2006, the NSSN is proving its worth as a solidarity network. Workers in construction, car manufacture, local government, the Civil Service, Royal Mail, universities, schools, and most other sectors, use the NSSN to promote their union’s best policies, establish new contacts within their own union, advertise marches, rallies, and of course picket lines. The NSSN is working for workers!

The NSSN is NOT an exclusive body with an old-fashioned sounding name that turns its back on the new and the young: far from it! Every NSSN Conference, including this one, will have special workshop sessions on women workers, young workers and migrant workers: many of these will be the elected reps, Branch Officers, and Regional/National leaders of the next generation. What the NSSN offers all trades union activists is a forum that encourages and promotes the idea that we are a movement that cannot move unless we progress together: reps and activists from different unions all united in a common purpose.

The NSSN is in its short life far from limiting itself to a minority pressure group, though we have not shied away from supporting those reps who, sadly, have been victimised by their own union. The NSSN is also far from unofficial: how can it be unofficial, when the PCS is affiliated, the CWU, RMT, FBU, NUJ and others, officially supportive! We are fast becoming a recognised PART of our movement, capable of both promoting the best trade union ideas and criticising the worst ones, and what is important, having these decisions respected.

NSSN activists are often trades council activists: the groundwork for the re-introduction of trades councils into the Trades Union Congress, after a hiatus of 113 years, was laid by NSSN activists in Somerset and Merseyside. Here and there, NSSN trades council delegates have also helped to set up new trades councils and re-establish dormant ones. Small wonder then, that retired and unemployed workers who are bona fide trades council delegates from their Branch, are welcome activists in the NSSN.

NSSN Conference 2009 will confirm that the whole of England, Scotland and Wales have now had founding SSN Conferences, or working networks, or both. London recently held a successful Organising Conference; car workers have come together under NSSN auspices in Southampton, South Wales and Birmingham; while in contrast Scotland is currently struggling, despite two successful conferences in 2007/8 that managed to unite some very fractious left-wing tendencies. Scottish trades unionists please note!

In contrast, the North East Shop Stewards Network, already successfully devolved between Newcastle and Middlesborough, has reached a position where it may become the moving part of the working class in that region. Working-class education in the broadest sense is being discussed within the NSSN: publishing ideas include a shop-stewards history; a strikers/’troublemakers’ handbook; and the lessons of the old Plebs League, this last a fascinating subject that is having its first airing for a generation at RMT Conference 2009.

The NSSN, in Scotland but also everywhere else, has also shown that it can genuinely unite socialists with a party political affiliation-including the Labour Party- and those without. Of course left-wing tensions do exist, among the ten national officers and 50 strong National Steering Committee , nominated from the floor and endorsed at Annual Conference: however, what trade union is without political tensions? The NSSN CAN overcome these problems: I know, I chair the meetings!

During the last two years, officers and committee have achieved a genuine consensus that for the NNSN to develop to its next stage, should involve passing from an organisation largely made up of the already-politically-committed. We seek to develop with the NSSN a vibrant movement that brings together the brightest and angriest workers from all the unions, and , via their own internal democracies, transform them so that they are capable of leaving the deals and compromises well behind, and start to WIN lasting working-class victories.......which are also, of course, political victories.

NSSSN Conference 2009 is held at South Camden Community School, Charrington St, London WC1, 11am to 4.30pm, Saturday 27th June. Delegates/visitors £5, Branch donations affiliations £20: see you there!

For a speakers programme, workshop details and agenda contact:

Dave Chapple
Chair, NSSN Steering Committee
CWU Local Rep and Chair, CWU Bristol Branch
Tel. 01278 450562
davechapple@btinternet.com
NATIONAL SHOP
STEWARDS NETWORK
c/o Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD
website: HYPERLINK "http://www.shopstewards.net" www.shopstewards.net email HYPERLINK "mailto:info@shopstewards.net" info@shopstewards.net
Chair Dave Chapple, CWU, HYPERLINK "mailto:davechapple@btinternet.com" davechapple@btinternet.com
Secretary Linda Taafe, NUT, HYPERLINK "mailto:linda.taafe@wfnut.org" linda.taafe@wfnut.org
Co-organisers Ray Morell, UNITE, HYPERLINK "mailto:raymondmorell@yahoo.com" raymondmorell@yahoo.com
Bill Mullins, NUJ, HYPERLINK "mailto:billmullins@capitalh.org.uk" billmullins@capitalh.org.uk

19 Jun 2009

Get over to Rossport to stop shell


There is a strong direct action campaign against Shell's activities in Rossport...all hands on deck though because the pipe laying ship is on its way.

By the way watched the excellent 'Those who dance' film about the protest last sunday at the London socialist film coop




The Solitaire (the biggest pipe laying ship in the world) has been sighted off the Donegal coast, and is heading our way…If you’ve been waiting for the most important time to come to Mayo: this is it. The camp really needs people here to continue last year’s brilliant resistance. The Solitaire will be here any day, so we need you here now! This is a crucial stage in the campaign: the time frame for work is very limited by good weather and action now against the Solitaire can really help put a stop to Shell’s project.



The beginning of the summer has already seen sustained action against Shell here in Mayo, with regular action and protest-check out www.shelltosea.com or www.indymedia.ie/mayo. There is a well set up camp which is open to everyone- get in touch 0851141170 or rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com.



So grab your sleeping bag and tent and get on the bus, train, or car and get here as quick as you can!


All in the Camp

Help Needed in Norwich North By-Election

From now until the general election, our focus switches from the European Parliament elections (where we received over 1.2 million votes, from people like you) to the general election.

Our three “target constituencies” are Brighton Pavilion (Caroline Lucas), Norwich South (Adrian Ramsay) and Lewisham Deptford (Darren Johnson).

Before then, the Norwich North by-election will be the first by-election where the national media take the prospects of a Green win seriously. We have a great deal of work to do, and we are asking you to swing behind this effort in a big way, as other parties (most notably the Liberal Democrats) do in similar circumstances.

We could gain general election credibility nationwide from a good result in the seat.

Here is just one of the large number of bullish press stories that have appeared about the byelection –

http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED10%20Jun%202009%2008%3A40%3A22%3A797

The Greens' chances of doing well in Norwich North have already been mentioned in the Times, Guardian, Telegraph, and on the BBC.

Can you help us to compete strongly in Norwich North?

Please consider offering us some of your time, or money, or both:

We need lots of help on numerous tasks in our office and on the streets. Please come and stay with us: we can put volunteers up, it will be fun, and you can learn on the job from the expert Norwich team! Please call us on 01603 611909 if you can offer us help.

We need donations to cover our campaign costs. We need to raise £10,000 in the next month, if we are to have any chance of even beginning to compete on a level playing field with the old three Westminster parties in this vital election. We need to get the Green message heard now, and we need to build now toward getting a strong Green voice into Westminster.

Please give what you can. £20 buys 2000 leaflets for us to deliver to target voters. £250 buys an ad for us in the Norwich Evening News. £1000 buys a prime billboard location for the entire duration of the campaign.

Send a cheque now (payable to ‘Norwich Green Party’) to:

The Treasurer, Norwich Green Party, 27 Clarendon Road, Norwich, NR2 2PN

Let’s make history, startle the old parties, and give ourselves a real shot at electing the first ever Green Party MP in Norwich North …

Thank you for your help in this crucial project!


--
Scott Redding
Press Officer
Green Party of England and Wales

==

From Green Party press office, 020 7561 0282.
Published and promoted by Tracy Dighton-Brown for the Green Party of England & Wales, both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ.

17 Jun 2009

More news from Peru

more great coverage from the Morning Star on Peru, thanks amigos, excellent stuff.

The indigenous are very well organised and politically astute, good for them...not that I am advocating violence
.

RESISTANCE PAYS: Amazonian Indians make their message heard in Lima

Peru’s government has promised indigenous communities that it will ask Congress to revoke decrees that would make it easier for multinationals to exploit their lands.

The Amazonian peoples' anger over the decrees sparked two months of road and river blockades that turned violent on June 5 when police opened fire on activists.

According to the government, at least 24 police officers and nine civilians were killed.

But indigenous leaders said that at least 30 members of their community had been killed and accused police of hiding bodies.

Cabinet chief Yehude Simon signed a conciliatory pact after a four-hour meeting with leaders of 390 indigenous communities on Monday in the central jungle town of San Ramon.

The 12-point agreement specified that the government would present Congress with a proposal to revoke the decrees by tomorrow.

Environment Minister Antonio Brack, a member of the government delegation, said that it had also offered to end a state of emergency and curfew in Amazonas state, where the June 5 violence took place.

He said that indigenous leaders had promised to end a blockade that has cut a key road into the central Amazon in return.

At a news conference, Mr Simon argued that President Alan Garcia's attempt to encourage what he called environmentally friendly development had been misinterpreted by the indigenous people.

He said that dialogue is now important to build the "confidence that has been lost," vowing that the government "will defend the Amazon from indiscriminate logging and will defend it against environmental contamination."

Although Peru's main Amazon indigenous federation AIDESEP did not participate in Monday's talks, it will join talks with the government that are to begin immediately in Lima.

The government had previously snubbed indigenous attempts to be consulted about development in the region.

Ruben Binari, a leader of the Machiguenga people in the Urubamba region, said: "We don't reject dialogue. On the contrary, dialogue and peace in the Amazon are what we want."

Congress indefinitely suspended the controversial decrees last Wednesday, a day before a nationwide wave of mostly peaceful anti-government protests.

The decrees, including a forestry law widely interpreted as promoting biofuel crops and logging, were among several promulgated by Mr Garcia to comply with a free-trade agreement with the United States that took effect in January.

Protest leader and AIDESEP President Alberto Pizango remained in the Nicaragua embassy on Monday.

He sought refuge there after sedition and rebellion charges were filed against him.

Nicaragua granted him political asylum but he has yet to receive safe passage out of Peru.

16 Jun 2009

SOAS occupation news from green left and spiked on line

I don't usually reference spiked on line positively, when I want a bit of right side thinking I always reach for my Economist...nonetheless I am glad Joseph let me know about this.

An account of the protest and occupation. Like Pete, I was very moved by
the speeches yesterday and the woman in her cell in Yarls Wood being
encouraged by the cheering crowd. "It is only your support that is keeping
me going" she said via the mobile. I suppose I am just an old fashioned
idealist. After all, Rosa Luxembourg was moved to tears by the beating of
a horse and the grinding down of poor migrants who have the temerity to
challenge their exploiters is a cause for tears.

Joseph




http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7032/


The students have today been served with a court injunction giving them
two hours to vacate the director’s offices. Yet Richard Reynolds, a
student from the University of East Anglia who rushed down from Norwich to
lend his support to the occupation, reports that – despite a sleepless
night and the power having been cut to the directorate rooms – the
occupying students are upbeat and determined. In solidarity with the
remaining cleaners, they even tidied the offices this morning and provided
the cleaners with cups of tea. They are currently devising a set of
demands, including the recognition that ‘people are people wherever they
are’ and ‘there’s no such thing as an “illegal”’.

As Reynolds puts it, ‘It sets a dangerous precedent for universities to
give up their independence and compromise their staff in such a cowardly
way as soon as the border police come knocking. The problem with Refugee
Week as it currently stands is that it is too narrow. Let’s make it “No
Borders Week”, and champion the freedom for everyone to go wherever they
like in order to make a better life for themselves and their families.’

Sean Thompson reports back from Compass conference

I went to the Compass event yesterday – I would have reported back before except that not having access to email for two days meant I had hundreds of the bloody things to wade through this morning.

It was an interesting event for a number of reasons. First it was big – getting on for 1000 attendees (incidentally, it was reported that Compass has 4,000 members and 25,000 on its mailing list).

Secondly, the atmosphere was remarkably open and non sectarian. When Neill Lawson read out a ludicrous blog by Luke Akenhurst, a Hackney Blairite councillor, attacking Compass for inviting Caroline and Jean (“In my borough and in Oxford, Norwich and Brighton, the Labour Party is engaged in a strategic electoral battle with the Greens. We don't need a dialogue with these single-issue clowns and their anti-working class policies, we need to attack and destroy them.”) the audience responded with a great roar of laughter. Caroline, Jean and Salma were all very warmly received.

Jean spoke at a workshop on electoral reform and was very good. There was clearly a consensus for the desirability of a campaign for a referendum on PR. Jean, Caroline, Salma and Cruddas all welcomed the idea of a joint campaign.

Caroline said a number of interesting things. First, in her keynote speech she said that what unites us is that we “put people first, not big business”. She said that though greens want to work with others “Ireland shows what happens to Greens when they get it [coalition] wrong.” She said that “we, as part of the progressive left” should agree three things; 1, “we all have the right to exist” (this went with an allusion about the fragility of Blair’s ‘Big Tent” and the desirability of a gathering of tents and people sitting round camp fires instead) 2, We should continue to meet and talk about how to cooperate more. 3, That we should have a broad based campaign on PR.
She said that the greatest failure of NuLab is the increase in inequality and that Labour has become the party of war, privatisation and attacks on civil liberties. A new politics is urgently needed and she wants to continue to talk to Compass on how to develop it [perhaps we could make a few suggestions?]. Her speech was met with enthusiastic applause.

In the session on ‘A new socialism’ she said that “socialism is good as far as it goes but we need to go further – to develop a new wide progressive politics.” During her speech she twice called for a maximum wage and said it was green party policy! As I was under the impression that the right had defeated our resolution calling for a maximum wage last spring I was rather surprised, but delighted that Caroline seems to have come round to our position. Quite a few people were clearly impressed by Caroline and surprised how left her speeches were.

Other points: Harriet Harman spoke for a quarter of a hour but said absolutely nothing. However, its was nice to watch her squirm as the Director of War on Want very politely shred NuLab and demonstrate how reactionary it has been. Salma spoke very well and very directly as ever. She said that she had been proud to call for a green vote in the North West and was the only speaker not to dodge the issue of electoral alliances and tactical voting, saying “we must all put our weight behind each other”. She said that she regretted that it had not been possible to come to an agreement with greens up to now but she hoped that it would be for the general election. She pledged to support any progressive candidate in the next election and specifically mentioned Caroline and the Plaid). She got good applause for that. One of the top table speakers in the new socialism session was Adam Price, a Plaid Welsh Assembly Member. I had never heard of him before, but he was really really good.

It seemed to me that there were two great limitations apparent at the conference. First was the almost total lack of involvement by the trade unions, apart from UCU and PCS. The second was the very narrow electoral perspective of virtually everyone on the day, as though political activity is restricted solely to political parties (plus NGOs for some) during and in preparation for elections.

Only Adam Price ( who actually talked about workers control and said that inherited wealth is morally unacceptable!) and to an extent, Salma, said much about political activity as part of the daily life of working people, although Caroline did make reference to the need for a new politics in both her speeches.

Sean

New Book: The Global Fight for Climate Justice


New Book: The Global Fight for Climate Justice
June 11, 2009

Resistance Books announces a new book from the editor of Climate and Capitalism. Please post and distribute this announcement widely.

New Book Announcement

THE GLOBAL FIGHT FOR
CLIMATE JUSTICE

Editor: Ian Angus
Publisher: Resistance Books (London)
ISBN: 978-0-902869-87-5
Publication Date: July 2009
Trade paperback: 6” x 9” (15cm x 23cm)
284 pages

“Essential reading for everyone who is serious about confronting the climate emergency.”-Emma Murphy, co-editor, Green Left Weekly

As capitalism continues with business as usual, climate change is fast expanding the gap between rich and poor between and within nations, and imposing unparalleled suffering on those least able to protect themselves.

In THE GLOBAL FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE, anticapitalist activists from five continents offer radical answers to the most important questions of our time:

* Why is capitalism destroying the conditions that make life on Earth possible?
* How can we stop the destruction before it is too late?

In 46 essays on topics ranging from the food crisis to carbon trading to perspectives from indigenous peoples, they make a compelling case that saving the world from climate catastrophe will require much more than tinkering with technology or taxes. Only radical social change can prevent irreversible damage to the earth and civilization.

EDITED BY IAN ANGUS

Ian Angus, who wrote several of the articles in this book and selected the others from a wide range of authors and movements, is one of the world’s best-known ecosocialist activists. He is editor of the online journal Climate and Capitalism, which has been described as “the most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice.” Ian is also Associate Editor of Socialist Voice, an Advisory Editor of Socialist Resistance, and a founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network. He lives in Ontario, Canada.




Advance Praise

“The most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice is Climate and Capitalism, the website Ian Angus edits, and it is a tribute to the movement’s development that demand has arisen for this book.”—Patrick Bond, director of Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“Essential reading for everyone who is serious about confronting the climate emergency.” —Emma Murphy, co-editor, Green Left Weekly

"We need to move beyond capitalism to an ecosocialist system. Creating such a future will demand intense political struggle. This book is an essential tool for that struggle, and I commend it to all who are serious about creating a liveable future for humanity." —Derek Wall, former Principal Male speaker, Green Party of England and Wales

“At last, an absolutely indispensable guide to the debate on climate change, a sourcebook that makes the case for anti-capitalist action as the only effective way to stop global warming. Of course the powers-that-be don’t agree — after all, who else is responsible for the current crisis? But we all need The Global Fight for Climate Justice if we are to fight for a liveable world.” —Joel Kovel, author of The Enemy of Nature and founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network

“A wonderful collection of articles from across the word by climate change activists. From governmental leaders such as Evo Morales to trade unionists like Tony Kearns this book will inform, excite and energise those who see the need to fight both the impact of climate change and the political systems that have produced it.” —Jane Kelly, editor (with Sheila Malone) Ecosocialism or Barbarism

“‘Socialism or Barbarism’ is no longer (if it ever was) an abstract theoretical proposition. This comprehensive collection of essays focused upon the climate and food crises, the responses of capital and socialist alternatives, draws upon both global social movements and leading advocates of an alternative to barbarism to demonstrate that the choice before us is an immediate one, not one to be put off to the future.” —Michael A. Lebowitz, author of Build it Now: Socialism for the 21st Century and Beyond CAPITAL: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class.

About the Authors

Ian Angus, one of the world’s best-known ecosocialist activists, is editor of the online journal Climate and Capitalism.

Hugo Blanco has been a leader of the indigenous peasant movement in Peru since the Land or Death uprising in the 1960s. He publishes the newspaper La Lucha Indígena.

Patrick Bond is director of the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. His most recent book is Looting Africa: The Economics of Exploitation.

Simon Butler writes for Green Left Weekly and maintains Climate Change Social Change, an ecosocialist blog.

Fidel Castro led the Cuban revolution and was the Cuba’s head of state from 1960 until he retired in 2007.

Nicole Colson writes for Socialist Worker, the newspaper of the US-based International Socialist Organization.

Kamala Emanuel is a climate activist and a member of the Socialist Alliance in Perth, Australia.

John Bellamy Foster is editor of Monthly Review and the author of many books, including Marx’s Ecology (2000) and The Ecological Revolution (2009).

Robb Johnson is a UK-based singer-songwriter.

Tony Kearns is Senior Deputy General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union in the U.K.

Joel Kovel is the author of The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World? and a founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network.

Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez is Vice-President of Cuba’s Council of State and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Larry Lohmann is the author of Carbon Trading: A Critical Conversation on Climate Change, Privatization and Power.

Michael Löwy, who co-wrote the first Ecosocialist Manifesto in 2001, is a supporter of the Fourth International in France.

José Ramón Machado Ventura, who fought with Fidel Castro in the guerrilla war in the 1950s, is first vice president of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers .

Liam Mac Uaid is an editor of Socialist Resistance magazine.

Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, is the first indigenous head of state in Latin America.

Anne Petermann and Orin Langelle are Executive Director and Co-Director/Strategist of Global Justice Ecology Project.

Andrew Simms is the author of Ecological Debt: Global Warming and the Wealth of Nations, and policy director of the UK-based New Economics Foundation.

Kevin Smith is the author of The Carbon Neutral Myth: Offset Indulgences for your Climate Sins.

Sean Thompson is a supporter of Green Left, the anti-capitalist current in the Green Party of England and Wales.

Terry Townsend is a member of Socialist Alliance and Managing Editor of Links: International Journal of Socialist Renewal.

David Travis works with sustainable agriculture, community economics and alternative land tenure systems. He is currently developing a perennial agriculture project in North Carolina, USA.

Daniel Tanuro, a certified agriculturalist and ecosocialist environmentalist, is a supporter of the Fourth International in Belgium.

Derek Wall is a founder of the Ecosocialist International Network and a former principal speaker for the Green Party of England and Wales.

Chris Williams is a physics and chemistry teacher in New York City. He writes for International Socialist Review.

Table of Contents

*

Red and Green (Robb Johnson)
*

Foreword (Derek Wall)
*

Introduction (Ian Angus)

1: Climate Emergency

*

Introduction
*

Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (Fidel Castro)
*

Some Impacts of Global Warming (Climate & Capitalism)
*

It’s Happening Now (Climate & Capitalism)
*

Climate Wrongs and Human Rights (Oxfam)
*

If Socialism Fails: The Spectre of 21st Century Barbarism (Ian Angus)

2: Starving The Poor

*

Introduction
*

World Hunger, Agribusiness. Food Sovereignty (Ian Angus)
*

A New International Order is Needed (Esteban Lazo Hernandez)
*

The Food Crisis is Systemic and Structural (José Ramón Machado)
*

Peasants and Small Farmers Can Feed the World (La Vía Campesina)
*

Our Heritage as Food Producers is Critical to the Future of Humanity (Nyeleni Forum)
*

The Rich Do Not Know Hunger (Fidel Castro)

3: False Explanations, False Solutions

*

Introduction
*

Too Many People? (Simon Butler)
*

The Myth of the Tragedy of the Commons (Ian Angus)
*

Magic Bullet #1: The Ethanol Scam (Nicole Colson)
*

Magic Bullet #2: Carbon Capture and Storage (Ian Angus)
*

A New War on the Planet? (John Bellamy Foster)

4: The Green Capitalism Fantasy

*

Introduction
*

The Failures of Green Economics (Joel Kovel)
*

Sustainable Capitalism? (David Travis)
*

The Limits of Green Keynesianism (Sean Thompson)
*

Capitalism’s Anti-ecology Treadmill (Terry Townsend)

5: Privatizing The Atmosphere

*

Introduction
*

Durban Declaration on Carbon Trading (Durban Group)
*

Cap and Trade Schemes (Chris Williams)
*

The Obscenity of Carbon Trading (Kevin Smith)
*

Why Carbon Markets Can’t Save the World (Andrew Simms)
*

Six Arguments Against Carbon Trading (Larry Lohmann)

6: Voices From the Global South

*

Introduction
*

Respect Mother Earth! (Evo Morales)
*

A New Era is Beginning (Cochabamba Statement)
*

We Demand Full and Effective Participation (Bali Statement)
*

Mother Earth is in Crisis (Anchorage Statement)
*

Two Statements by Climate Justice Now!
*

Statement at the 2009 Americas Summit (ALBA)
*

Rich Nations Must Pay Their Ecological Debt (Bolivia)
*

To Save Humanity We Must Return to Our Roots (Hugo Blanco)

7: Building a Climate Emergency Movement

*

Introduction
*

Only Political Activism and Class Struggle Can Save the Planet (Patrick Bond)
*

Crisis, Challenge and Mass Action (Anne Petermann and Orin Langelle )
*

How Can We Build an Effective Movement? (Kamala Emanuel)
*

Workers and Climate Change (Green Left Weekly)
*

The Three Decisive Social Forces that Can Stop Climate Change (Socialist Resistance)
*

Climate Change is a Trade Union Issue (Tony Kearns)
*

Class Struggle and Ecology (Liam Mac Uaid)

8: Ecosocialist Responses to Capitalist Ecocide

*

Introduction
*

Making the Greens Redder and the Reds Greener (Ian Angus)
*

For a Society of Good Ancestors (Ian Angus)
*

Climate Change Charter (Socialist Alliance)
*

The Belem Ecosocialist Declaration (Ecosocialist International Network)
*

Climate Crisis: 21st Century Socialists Must Be Ecosocialists (Daniel Tanuro/Fourth International)

Imperialism Is the Arsonist: Marxism’s Contribution to Ecological Literatures and Struggles

Derek Wall ’s article entitled  Imperialism Is the Arsonist: Marxism’s Contribution to Ecological Literatures and Struggles , argues that Ma...