reports: reclaim the streets shaky stuff my day out glasgow protest oh to be an Anarchist! violent conduct my day out (2) debate! suits you sir! so why the city? international reports >> more to come? Hansard report Lovely day in the sun |
More to come? (report from SchNEWS 217, 25th June 1999) Unfortunately, global capitalism has obviously managed to survive June 18th and so the process of stripping away what minimal protection the inhabitants and environment of planet Earth currently enjoy continues. After the big G8 shindig at Cologne, the next date on the calendar of the world's power elite is 29th November, when the 3rd Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will start in Seattle, USA. Here high ranking representatives of member states will continue shaping what has been called 'the constitution of a single global economy.' Feeling nervous? You should be - that quote was from ex WTO head Renato Ruggiero. Since its birth in 1995 the WTO has, surprise, surprise, become almost entirely dominated by the big economic powers, who have vast technical, political and economic resources deployed to ensure 'negotiations' go their way. Most 'agreements' are dreamed up in small, informal meetings of Western officials, and then forced onto developing nations, whose small, under-resourced and overworked delegations have little chance of getting a word in edgeways. Even big powers like the EU can feel the wrath of the WTO's unelected globalising maniacs - which is why we are being forced to buy all our bananas from one of Clinton's funders, not just the 70% we already did buy from exploitative US firms in Latin America. Its also why we shall soon be importing US beef pumped full of carcinogenic hormones. What can we expect from Seattle99? More of the same, of course. The Millennium Round of "negotiations" will focus on amongst other things TRIPs. This one is unfortunately not about acid legalisation, but the sinister stitch-up which allows US agribusiness companies to patent plants that farmers and herbalists have been using of thousands of years, and them charge them for the right to continue using them. So, what are we gonna do about it? As SchNEWS went to press we were awaiting info on the plans for the resistance.We can tell you that there will be a second Inter-Continental Caravan from Latin America, and expect J18 style antics.Watch this space. [email protected] |