Magazine Issue 2 - Winter 1996
The Serious Bit

Remarks made by Michael Heseltine in The Times on 11th December should come as no surprise to any seasoned campaigner. Hezza was bemoaning the photocopier and the so-called 'leak culture' which aims to expose the malpractice and sharp dealing of this Government. Leaks are not surprising in the current political climate; indeed they should only be encouraged and applauded by politicians and campaigners alike. If the Government is as squeaky clean as it likes to present itself, it should have no fear whatsoever of 'sensitive' information reaching the wider population. 'Open government' is a catchphrase much loved by today's politicians - if they are serious about this lofty aim, then leaks should not worry them. Indeed it is the establishment's obsession with security that leads disaffected employees and civil servants to pass sensitive information to other interested parties. If more information were transparent, then leaks would reduce dramatically in both frequency and importance.

Corporate Watch has recently received two large batches of information from anonymous sources in the Department of Transport. The first of these was immediately passed on to interested campaign organisations, with the eventual result that the shadow Chancellor wrote to Kenneth Clarke on the eve of the Budget to query his ethics in attempting to hide information on the roads programme in the mass of other detail in the Budget itself. The second tranche of 'restricted' paperwork is currently going through similar processes to make sure that the information is disseminated to a wider, more appropriate audience. Watch this space...

While the leak culture still exists, it remains important to expose unethical practices wherever they may occur. The launch next Spring of the Corporate Watch Whistle-Blower's Hotline should prove to be a rich source of material for both the magazine and other interested parties. Corporate Watch will thus be able to make its own small stand for the elimination of unnecessary secrecy and for more open access to information worldwide.

The Writing on the Wall

The times are indeed a-changing. Shell has finally admitted making payments to the Nigerian military. BP has started strenuously denying similar practises in Colombia. Perhaps one day they'll commit to not working withrepressive, murderous regimes. And yes, I have seen a flying pig, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you about it.

The point is simply this. The truth can hurt. That's why many corporations hire PR companies such as Burson-Marsteller (p.9). They just want to cushion the blow for you (or them). Perhaps if enough people noticed what they are up to, they might even begin to contemplate the possibility of acting with some respect for human dignity and the wider biosphere. Just a teensy bit. Maybe...

So here's Issue Two. Gross over-enthusiasm and the angry young life-form tendency have stretched it out to 32 pages. BNFL, Monsanto, a whole host of shadowy slimey things from the Westminster lobbies, McDonalds, and numerous other family favourites get some free publicity. Also, we introduce the "What's wrong with..." series, a leafletter's pull-out (pin-up, photcopy, distribute, display publically) fact sheet. It begins with Burson-Marsteller, the world's leading purveyors of corporate truth (apart from us, of course).
So if you enjoy CW2, why not drop our corporate friends a line and tell them how much you admire their work. Every little helps.

Love, all in the Corporate Watch office

P.S. Thanks go to Marina F., Lilia P., Alex B., Fungal E., Tony G., One World and all the groups mentioned. Thank you Helena, Ness, and Rachael, for putting up with the hassle. Thank you Xanthe for getting our accounts together. And a big Christmassy thank you to all those corporate controllers for giving us something to do. CG.