justshare have sent details on their forthcoming debate: ‘Tax Competition: How does it affect the developing world?’
The debate will take place on Tuesday 25th November at 6pm at St Mary-le-Bow church, Cheapside EC2V 6AU.
The speakers will be Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network & Paul Morton of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Neville White of CCLA will chair.
The formal debate will end at 7pm but informal discussions will be able to continue over a glass of Fairtrade wine.
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Evanescence - Bring Me To Life.
Showing posts with label fair trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fair trade. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Friday, 9 May 2008
Ask your MEP to act on trade deals
Tearfund has joined with the Trade Justice Movement to ask us to write to our MEP to call for fairer trade deals before it’s too late – the future of 750 million people could depend on it.
MEPs may have the opportunity to influence these deals over the next few weeks and months.
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are unfair trade deals the European Commission is trying to force on poor African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. These deals could hurt livelihoods, jobs and the environment in these countries.
MEPs hold the European Commission to account and so can demand that its President, Commissioner Barroso, re-opens negotiations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Everyone has several MEPs that represent your region. Click here to find out the key MEPs TearFund have identified as being of critical importance on this issue.
We can use their letter writing tool to create a ready made letter to send to our MEPs in Brussels, or copy the text below into an e-mail message and e-mail them at the addresses provided. Click here for the letter writing tool.
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Ben Harper & Blind Boys Of Alabama - I Shall Not Walk Alone.
MEPs may have the opportunity to influence these deals over the next few weeks and months.
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are unfair trade deals the European Commission is trying to force on poor African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. These deals could hurt livelihoods, jobs and the environment in these countries.
MEPs hold the European Commission to account and so can demand that its President, Commissioner Barroso, re-opens negotiations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Everyone has several MEPs that represent your region. Click here to find out the key MEPs TearFund have identified as being of critical importance on this issue.
We can use their letter writing tool to create a ready made letter to send to our MEPs in Brussels, or copy the text below into an e-mail message and e-mail them at the addresses provided. Click here for the letter writing tool.
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Ben Harper & Blind Boys Of Alabama - I Shall Not Walk Alone.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Be Humankind
Oxfam have revamped their website making it easier to find all the different things we can do to 'Be Humankind.'
As they say, there’s strength in numbers so why not add your name to the roll call of people who refuse to sit back and do nothing.
Here are their current list of actions:
- Throw a Swap It party and help curb crazy consumption
Every 2 hours we throw out enough stuff to fill the Royal Albert Hall. So swap your stuff and save your money and the planet. - Sign the '6 Million More' pledge
The world needs 6 million more health workers and teachers. To make this happen, we need your voice. - Sign the I count pledge
Together we count. Together we can stop climate chaos. Pledge to do your bit. - Make Europe's new trade deals fair
World trade is rigged against poor people. Help us balance things out. - Pledge to watch Black Gold the movie
Pledge to watch Black gold movie. - Write to your local newspaper
1 billion people live on less than US$1 a day. If this makes your blood boil too, help us keep poverty in the public eye. - Training for Campaigners
Ruffle feathers. Be outspoken. Become an Oxfam activist. - Tackle your MP about poverty
Put fighting poverty at the top of your MP's to do list.
Veljo Tormis - How Can I Recognize My Home?
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Black Gold
Thanks to Huw for this information:
As westerners revel in designer lattes and cappuccinos, impoverished Ethiopian coffee growers suffer the bitter taste of injustice. In this eye-opening expose of the multi-billion dollar industry, Black Gold traces one man's fight for a fair price.
The UK TV premiere of the award-winning film BLACK GOLD will be shown on More4, Tuesday February 26th at 10pm. Repeated: Saturday, March 1st at 10pm.
"EXCELLENT - angry, good-humoured and essential" - The Observer
Visit Channel 4's mini-site about the broadcast or the BLACK GOLD site for more information about the film.
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Ali Farka Toure - Niafunke.
As westerners revel in designer lattes and cappuccinos, impoverished Ethiopian coffee growers suffer the bitter taste of injustice. In this eye-opening expose of the multi-billion dollar industry, Black Gold traces one man's fight for a fair price.
The UK TV premiere of the award-winning film BLACK GOLD will be shown on More4, Tuesday February 26th at 10pm. Repeated: Saturday, March 1st at 10pm.
"EXCELLENT - angry, good-humoured and essential" - The Observer
Visit Channel 4's mini-site about the broadcast or the BLACK GOLD site for more information about the film.
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Ali Farka Toure - Niafunke.
Thursday, 6 December 2007
The livesimply challenge
The livesimply challenge was issued at St John's Advent lunch last Sunday:
God calls us to look hard at our lifestyles and to choose to life simply, sustainably and in solidarity with people who are poor. In this way we can help create a world in which human dignity is respected and everyone can reach their full potential. This would be true progress, worth much more than economic growth alone.
Take the livesimply challenge: reflecting on the challenge and your response. Take your time answering these questions for yourself. Try one or two at a time and come back to the questions when you are ready. These are suggestions for personal reflection, so there are no 'correct' answers!
1. What is good about my life at the moment? What do I enjoy most?
2. Which areas of my life would I like to change?
3. What do I spend most of my time doing? Is this the right priority for me at the moment?
4. What do I spend most of my money on? Is this the right priority for me at the moment?
5. How did I decide my priorities when thinking about questions 3 and 4? Is my faith part of my decision making?
6. Have I got too much of anything? Or just enough? How do I decide how much is enough?
7. If I decided to live more simply, would I be in a position to share more of what I have? Is there one thing I could share more of - money, time, skills, resources?
8. Am I living sustainably? Will future generations be pleased about the way I took care of the earth? How much of the world's resources am I using every day (e.g. car, heating, water, flights)? How much of that is essential?
9. What sort of person would I be if I reached the full human potential God wants for me? Would I like to become that person? If so, what steps should I take?
10. What sort of world do I want to live in and to help create?
11. To help create that world what changes am I ready to make to my life? Are these changes different from the ones I listed in answer to question 2? What changes do I really want?
A prayer of love
Love incarnate - You changed our world forever. You dwelt with the poor and raised the humble high.
Love come in - Change our hearts this Christmas. Challenge our consumerism and fill us with Your love.
Love reach out - Change our world forever. Bring life to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.
In Your precious name, Jesus. Amen.
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The Neville Brothers - Bird on a Wire.
God calls us to look hard at our lifestyles and to choose to life simply, sustainably and in solidarity with people who are poor. In this way we can help create a world in which human dignity is respected and everyone can reach their full potential. This would be true progress, worth much more than economic growth alone.
Take the livesimply challenge: reflecting on the challenge and your response. Take your time answering these questions for yourself. Try one or two at a time and come back to the questions when you are ready. These are suggestions for personal reflection, so there are no 'correct' answers!
1. What is good about my life at the moment? What do I enjoy most?
2. Which areas of my life would I like to change?
3. What do I spend most of my time doing? Is this the right priority for me at the moment?
4. What do I spend most of my money on? Is this the right priority for me at the moment?
5. How did I decide my priorities when thinking about questions 3 and 4? Is my faith part of my decision making?
6. Have I got too much of anything? Or just enough? How do I decide how much is enough?
7. If I decided to live more simply, would I be in a position to share more of what I have? Is there one thing I could share more of - money, time, skills, resources?
8. Am I living sustainably? Will future generations be pleased about the way I took care of the earth? How much of the world's resources am I using every day (e.g. car, heating, water, flights)? How much of that is essential?
9. What sort of person would I be if I reached the full human potential God wants for me? Would I like to become that person? If so, what steps should I take?
10. What sort of world do I want to live in and to help create?
11. To help create that world what changes am I ready to make to my life? Are these changes different from the ones I listed in answer to question 2? What changes do I really want?
A prayer of love
Love incarnate - You changed our world forever. You dwelt with the poor and raised the humble high.
Love come in - Change our hearts this Christmas. Challenge our consumerism and fill us with Your love.
Love reach out - Change our world forever. Bring life to the poor and freedom to the oppressed.
In Your precious name, Jesus. Amen.
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The Neville Brothers - Bird on a Wire.
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Pressure on Portugal
Negotiation on trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and some of the world's poorest countries are at a critical stage, as the EU tries to get the agreements signed before the end of the year.
The EU promised that any new trade deal would prioritise sustainable development, but right now the texts on the table put the EU's own interests above those of millions of the world's poorest people and their environment.
Portugal has now taken over the Presidency of the EU from Germany and many Non-Governmental Organisations want Portugese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates to know that trade could lift millions of people out of poverty if the rules helped farming and industry in poor countries to grow sustainably. Your voice can make a difference. Time is running out to stop Europe's unfair trade deals. Take action now.
Join campaigners from across Europe and send a message to the president of the EU, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates asking him to listen to the concerns of poor nations and use his influence to make these trade agreements fair.
Click here to email Jose Socrates.
The EU promised that any new trade deal would prioritise sustainable development, but right now the texts on the table put the EU's own interests above those of millions of the world's poorest people and their environment.
Portugal has now taken over the Presidency of the EU from Germany and many Non-Governmental Organisations want Portugese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates to know that trade could lift millions of people out of poverty if the rules helped farming and industry in poor countries to grow sustainably. Your voice can make a difference. Time is running out to stop Europe's unfair trade deals. Take action now.
Join campaigners from across Europe and send a message to the president of the EU, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates asking him to listen to the concerns of poor nations and use his influence to make these trade agreements fair.
Click here to email Jose Socrates.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Monetary Justice
Recently I met Revd. Peter Challen, the son of former St John’s Vicar, Revd. Charles Challen (who interestingly, like me, was both a Vicar at St John’s and a curate at St Margaret’s Barking). Some people at St John's remember Peter as he grew up here, arriving aged nine and leaving aged nineteen.
Peter is now the Chair of the Christian Council for Monetary Justice (CCMJ) and a founding member of the Global Justice Movement (GJM). I met him at a conference on Mission in London’s Economy where he spoke about the way in which the global economy is based on monetary principles that are contrary to scripture and which create injustice for the majority of the world’s population. This affects us all because the work that we do and the things we buy support a system that leaves many around the world in poverty.
Peter says that, "we read the Gospel as if we had no money, and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospel." Yet no aspect of our individual and corporate lives is more crucial in determining human welfare and few subjects are more frequently addressed in our scriptures. “Burdens of debt at personal, corporate, national and international levels and the disregard of biblical teaching on usury,” Peter argues, “are conspiring to create immense social disease.”
What can we do about this? Understanding the issues is a good start. Peter has written a book called Seven Steps to Justice (New European Publications, 2002) or there are articles on the CCMJ and GJM websites. Supporting organisations that address issues of fair trade, both through financial giving and by buying fair trade, helps to make a difference. Campaigning on issues of fair trade, people trafficking etc. by writing to MPs, signing petitions or attending marches are small things in themselves but when large numbers of around the world speak together on these issues then change begins to come. Finally, the Bible calls all to lifestyle changes as a result of our faith and this is where significant change can begin, if we live more simply in order that others can simply live.
Peter’s analysis of global economics has major challenges for all who respond to it but I find it inspiring to know of a previous member of St John’s who is engaging deeply with the issues of our day and want to find out more about his work and the challenges it poses for us.
Peter is now the Chair of the Christian Council for Monetary Justice (CCMJ) and a founding member of the Global Justice Movement (GJM). I met him at a conference on Mission in London’s Economy where he spoke about the way in which the global economy is based on monetary principles that are contrary to scripture and which create injustice for the majority of the world’s population. This affects us all because the work that we do and the things we buy support a system that leaves many around the world in poverty.
Peter says that, "we read the Gospel as if we had no money, and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospel." Yet no aspect of our individual and corporate lives is more crucial in determining human welfare and few subjects are more frequently addressed in our scriptures. “Burdens of debt at personal, corporate, national and international levels and the disregard of biblical teaching on usury,” Peter argues, “are conspiring to create immense social disease.”
What can we do about this? Understanding the issues is a good start. Peter has written a book called Seven Steps to Justice (New European Publications, 2002) or there are articles on the CCMJ and GJM websites. Supporting organisations that address issues of fair trade, both through financial giving and by buying fair trade, helps to make a difference. Campaigning on issues of fair trade, people trafficking etc. by writing to MPs, signing petitions or attending marches are small things in themselves but when large numbers of around the world speak together on these issues then change begins to come. Finally, the Bible calls all to lifestyle changes as a result of our faith and this is where significant change can begin, if we live more simply in order that others can simply live.
Peter’s analysis of global economics has major challenges for all who respond to it but I find it inspiring to know of a previous member of St John’s who is engaging deeply with the issues of our day and want to find out more about his work and the challenges it poses for us.
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