Editorial
Businessmen are often faced with tough decisions.
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| Globalisation |
Return of the Living Dead
The ‘Sequels’ after the death of the MAI. Exposed to sunshine of public scrutiny, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment has finally shrivelled up and died. This time, the 'Dracula Strategy' worked, but the forces behind the MAI are alive and well and planning not one but a whole host of sequels. Chris Grimshaw hefts wooden stake and garlic and surveys the world of international trade law. |
ICC - Chamber of Horrors
The International Chamber of Commerce- (ICC) - perhaps more appropriately known as the International Chamber of Corruption - is rapidly emerging as a major force among the institutions of globalisation. Originally founded in 1919, its aim is to represent the international voice of business - for which read big multinationals. Roger Geffen examines one of the world’s most influential and least known institutions.
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Power, Responsibility, and the 1976 IMF Crisis
"The collapse of the global marketplace would be a traumatic event with unimaginable consequences. Yet I find it easier to imagine than the continuation of the present regime." George Soros, international financier. Nick Shaw reports
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PGA
Networks of $truggle. One of the principle features of transnational corporations is their rapid ability to relocate their operations. If one community, bio-region or country successfully resists, another gets it in the neck. Co-ordinated resistance across the planet is required. Dr Simon L. Lewis takes a look at some of the networks making this co-ordinated action a reality.
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MST
Each issue CW plans to focus on a social movement from the South. In this issue Dr Simon L. Lewis takes a look at Brazil’s ‘Movimento Sem Terra’.’
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June 18th Proposal
A day of protest, action & carnival, in financial centres across the globe, on 18th June 1999. A proposal has been made by various groups and movements of activists from Britain to hold an international day of action aimed at the heart of the global economy: the financial centres, banking districts and multinational corporation power bases. The suggested date is the 18th June 1999. Movements involved include Reclaim the Streets (now the West-European group on the conveners of Peoples' Global Action), and London Greenpeace .
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Babylonian Times
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| Group 4 |
Private security firms...
to get powers of arrest.
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Group 4 Ltd
Mark Lynas looks at the story of Campsfield House -and reveals how it is now
Group 4 Ltd who are in the dock.
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| The Oil Industry |
Oil Pages
Articles on the ‘Worlds Dirtiest Industry’.Silence is (black) golden....More hot air in Buenos Aires...Merger Mania BP/Amoco.
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Degrees of Involvement
Most of us would like to see the oil industry rapidly downsized. But it is being kept afloat by all kinds of strange partners - not least universities and colleges in the UK, who provide a massive hidden subsidy. Corporate Watch was called in to investigate, and our report is to be published early next year. Greg Muttitt reports.
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| Education Action Zones |
Inviting the McWolf into the Fold
The current government has led a bonanza of opening up schools to the direct influence of companies, in particular through 'Education Action Zones' (EAZs). Dave Morris, McLibel trial defendant and single parent in Tottenham, North London, examines the threat this poses to our children’s schools, through the involve-ment of one company, the junk food chain McDonald's. |
The Trojan Horses of Privatisation
“If education action zones take off nationally they will become the Trojan Horse that will destroy local education authorities as we know them.” - David Hart, National Association of Head Teachers.
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| Toxic Pollution |
Who Poisoned Raymond Fox?
Waking up at four in the morning, in soiled and bloodied sheets, unable to walk from the crippling pain of open sores on his feet, with violent shooting pains through his stomach and liver. This is how Raymond Fox would wake up each and every day after he first became ill late in 1995. You would expect his extraordinary symptoms to have attracted the attention of the health authorities, and his allegations of extreme local pollution to have caused a clean-up operation. Instead he has had to travel to Germany for treatment and the response of his local authority and the companies concerned has been a complete abdication of any responsibility. Chris Grimshaw investigates |
Noxious Emissions
In February this year the DTI released a report entitled "The Competitiveness of the UK Waste Management Industry". It highlights a number of weaknesses in the £3.5 billion industry including inadequate education and training, a lack of innovation, and poor public perception. It is surprisingly quiet on reasons for the poor public's perception. The DTI might do well to send their researchers to Sarp UK's plant at Killarmarsh near Sheffield for first hand experience of waste management in action. Chris Grimshaw rakes over the muck. |
Toxic Detective
“I’m a GP who took early retirement due to ill health. I have looked into the health effects of industrial air pollution due to the mishandling of toxic waste and would estimate that in the UK we have anything up to 20,000 deaths a year which you can pin directly to industrial pollution.” Dr. Van Stenis
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| DIY |
DIY Libel
By the time the 'McLibel' case ended in June 1997, it was already the longest trial in English history by far. Now Dave Morris and Helen Steel are pursuing the case still further, with a recently launched appeal. In this article, Dave talks about the lessons which other activists can learn from the McLibel campaign about how we can successfully defend our movements when under attack.
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Campaign Strategy
I'm campaigning for free dinners for everyone, so I'm going to bang my head against a brick wall until it happens. Easy to laugh at, but substitute "free dinners" for whatever it is you want to achieve, and "bang my head..." for "giving out leaflets", "obstructing the highway", "sending postcards to MPs" etc., and the joke's on you.
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| Campaign Updates |