WHY G8 BLAIRSPEAK IS ROTTEN

Seems the media or the Herald anyway has finally woken-up to what’s going to happen in July. The Herald’s ‘Chief Scottish Political Correspondent' announces “200,000 expected to march in G8 protest”. Wow - what a scoop! In Scotland?

Meanwhile, as Labour gears up for a year of trying to spin global elite rule as a 'good thing', here's a joint statement by - World Development Movement Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, War on Want, and the National Union of Students about why maybe it's not.

“GROUPS ISSUE G8 WARNING:G8 in Scotland will discuss (right issues but wrong solutions)

UK government policy is a major barrier to the fight against poverty,
according a new challenge issued today by leading campaigns groups.

In a speech today (Wednesday 26 January), Gordon Brown will set out the
government¹s agenda for international aid and development. In response,
campaigners will demand a radical change of direction from the UK
government on poverty and climate change.

According to the groups, the key areas where the UK Government and the
Rest of the G8 are failing developing countries are: international trade
negotiations, promotion of privatisation in the South, combating
climate change and the regulation of multinational companies. Current policies, they say, make the UK government and G8 part of the problem, not the solution.

Kirstie Shirra of WDM Scotland said:

"The government continues to push policies of privatisation and
liberalisation on some of the world's poorest countries despite massive
local opposition and evidence showing that this wholescale promotion of
'free trade' has actually increased world poverty. It is time the
government heeded the calls of communities across the world and started acting in their interests, rather than those of big business."

Duncan McLaren of Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

"When the UK hosts the G8 summit in Gleneagles, the right issues will
be on the table, but the wrong solutions. The UK and the rest of the G8 are
all too ready to impose market liberalisation and privatisation on
developing countries, even when those policies will seriously worsen the complex problems of climate change, poverty and inequality. Delivering
sustainable development and saving the world's climate will take new radical approaches, not more of the same failed recipe from the G8."

The groups cite five key areas where the government is failing the
developing world:

1) Trade negotiations at the WTO The UK government has been at the
forefront of pushing an aggressive free trade¹ agenda at the WTO,
dismissing developing country pleas that they should be allowed to
defend their infant industries from predatory EU and US multinationals.

2) Bilateral trade agreements The UK also stands behind the damaging
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) designed to open up markets in
African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, exposing small-scale
producers to overwhelming competition from powerful multinationals.

3) Privatisation of services in developing countries The UK has taken
the lead in promoting privatisation of public services in developing
countries, despite the increases in poverty this has brought. DFID has channelled millions of pounds from the aid budget to privatisation consultants.

4) Climate change The UK has failed to control its own greenhouse gas
emissions in the face of powerful industry lobby groups. It has also
continued to use financial institutions, such as the World Bank, to
fund fossil fuel extraction overseas. As one of the largest historic
emitters of greenhouse gases, it needs to show the way by reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions year on year.

5) Corporate accountability The UK government has undermined
international calls to hold multinational corporations to account for their
activities overseas, championing the voluntary alternative of Corporate social responsibility¹ rather than corporate regulation.”

See www.dissent.org.uk for more on this