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| Newsletter | February 2001 |
The decision to disregard the concerns of the people which I have been asked to represent is made with the knowledge of what happened a couple of weeks ago at Blackbushe. -- Patrick Kirby, Independent Farnborough councillor, Rushmoor Borough Council
The Blackbushe crash a few days before Christmas was an eerie echo of the Stansted crash the year before. It was extremely lucky the factory into which the plane crashed was vacated for Christmas.
Were a fully fuelled transatlantic business jet with 35 tonnes of fuel on board to crash on take-off from Farnborough it would make the Blackbushe crash look like a picnic. Were it to land on the college it would be a blazing inferno of molten steel and glass with deaths running into hundreds, if not thousands. Were the college missed residential housing would be hit.
Both Blackbushe and Farnborough are prone to thick fog. When Farnborough was used for military test flights, flights could be postponed. Commercial pressure means this is no longer happening. Planes have recently flown into Farnborough in thick fog when it has been possible to hear a plane as it passes overhead but not see it. Incentive payments being offered to flight controllers (and Farnborough is one of the airports where this scheme is being trialed) can only make the situation worse.
Greed rules OK.
Nobody is able to maintain the level of competency and the ability required to keep up with the traffic levels that we have. We are giving landing clearances, which traditionally were 5-600 feet, now you are giving them 100 feet off the runway. The pilots are quite attuned to that, but it leaves you very little time for dealing with something going wrong. -- Angus McCormack, air traffic controller based at Heathrow
If you thought the operation at Farnborough Airport was not safe, and no evidence has been produced to the contrary, then it just got a whole lot less safe.
Air traffic controllers are worried that plans to bring in performance-related pay for their supervisors will see profits put before safety. The Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists (IPMS) has said that about 15 senior control supervisors across the country have been asked to sign new deals. The union is urging the supervisors to reject the contracts, which would link pay to performance targets like passenger delays and safety 'incidents'. The deal would allow commercial considerations to interfere with the all-important safety culture at a time of a huge growth in air traffic. The deals - offered to senior operational managers at Aberdeen, the City of London, Cardiff and Farnborough - gives controllers an incentive to cut corners.
IPMS spokesman Ian Finlay told BBC Radio 4's Today programme (Thursday 25 January 2001):
We don't believe that performance-related pay has a role to play in what is in essence a safety-orientated system.
Air traffic control across Europe is close to meltdown. Near misses are happening all the time. Controllers expect any day there to be a major air disaster as they can no longer cope with the volume of traffic. Any extra pressure through bonus payments and the possibility that airlines may be able to sue for delay can only make a bad situation worse.
Douglas Andrew (head of CAA economics unit) is one of the Fat Engine Controller's key advisers on the privatisation of Nats. Before he washed up on these shores Andrew was the architect of the disastrous privatisation of New Zealand's state-owned steel industry. In a damming judgement handed down by the New Zealand High Court, Andrew was slammed for his handling of the steel sell-off and for shutting his eyes to the obvious. Funds that bailed out the disastrous sell-off came through money laundering. New Zealand government advisers and Andrew in particular were found by the judge presiding over the case of being aware of these facts or wilfully and recklessly failing to make proper inquiries. The head of the corporation that bought the New Zealand steel industry was jailed for fraud.
Judge J Smellie:
Mr Andrew of Treasury in particular, I find, knew the facts which meant that they either wilfully shut their eyes to the obvious or wilfully and recklessly failed to make such inquiries as an honest and reasonable party would.
Following the case Andrew was ordered to 'step aside from usual duties'. He left New Zealand shortly afterwards to take a key role in shaping UK transport funding policy and is now advising DETR on the structure and financing of Nats. Andrew's proposed 36% 'efficiency' savings (ie cost cutting) at Nats prompted the directors of Nats to issue a warning to government on risks to passenger safety.
Charles Harvey (IPMS):
Staff will be shocked to find that someone so involved with a disastrous privatisation has been given a key role in the sale of UK air traffic control. It is even more alarming that this person has proposed cut-backs to Nats that could jeopardise passenger safety. We call on the Government to revise Andrew's suitability for the duties he now performs.
Air traffic controllers are expected to go on strike at Easter over Nats privatisation.
Farnborough currently does not meet either MoD or CAA safety requirements. Work is being carried out to enable those requirements to be met. In the meantime no restrictions have been placed on flying. TAG/MoD are showing the same cavalier attitude to safety as was displayed by Railtrack and Balfour Beatty at Hatfield where the condition of the track was known 10 months before the Hatfield crash but no line restrictions were in place. [BVEJ newsletters passim]
Greed comes before safety.
Transport 2000 have published a report on aviation, Plane Truth, by Professor John Whitelegg (Liverpool John Moores University). The report calls for a 10-25% increase in ticket price to cover the externalised costs.
In the US, increased cancer rates are found in the vicinity of Chicago Midway airport. Heathrow is one of the main producers of volatile organic compounds
Air travel has more than trebled in the UK in the last 25 years and could treble again by 2015 if current trends continue. The present predict and provide is unsustainable, requiring two Gatwicks every two years to cope with demand.
By 2050 aviation is likely to become the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with about 10% of climate change directly attributable to aviation.
Professor Whitelegg argues that the growth in aviation has to be managed to reduce demand, that aviation should be subjected to the same environmental controls as other forms of transport and industrial polluters. Subsidies to aviation to be phased out. In addition there should be stringent controls on noise, the siting of airports, and concerted effort to shift short-haul to rail.
Travel long-haul, and long-haul for the purpose of this discussion is anything over two hours, and you are likely to suffer economy class syndrome (aka DVT, deep vein thrombosis).
Perfectly healthy people, though you are more likely to suffer if you have a history of heart problems, drop down dead at the end of a flight. If not diagnosed quickly the least you will get away with is the loss of a leg.
Airline staff have no training in the symptoms, nor medical staff at airports, nor do they give any advice on prevention, though this is likely to change.
DVT is caused by the lack of movement whilst sitting for several hours in cramped airline seats whilst packed in like sardines to maximise airline profits. Get up and take a stroll around the plane. Whilst in your seat stretch, wriggle around your feet. Taking an aspirin before a flight lessens the risk of blood clotting (vulnerable groups should seek medical advice first). Drink plenty of water (not alcohol as it makes the situation worse).
There is no hard evidence to link DVT to long-haul flights but plenty of anecdotal evidence. Lawyers in Australia who are preparing for class action against airlines have unearthed evidence that airlines have known of DVT for over 10 years. Research into DVT is just getting underway.
DVT is not the only health problems suffered by airline passengers. Spread of infectious diseases is another. This is made worse by the failure of airlines to have frequent changes of air within the cabin. Air changes have been cut back as a cost cutting measure.
In Australia there are proposals to rip out the back seats and make an exercise area - treadmills, exercise bikes. This will be a legal requirement for any airline wishing to land in Australia with heavy fines for non-compliance. Apart from the sheer impracticality of this idea it is likely to bring down the full wrath of the WTO as a non-tariff barrier to trade.
American Airlines have changed the seat pitch from the standard economy class to give an extra 8-10 cm of leg room. Airlines are likely to be forced to increase the seat pitch (as American Airlines) and draw up exercise regimes (as proposed in Australia). This will invariable push up the price (making the ticket price reflect externalised costs) and go some way to reducing the unsustainable growth in demand for air travel.
Economy class syndrome is another example of aviation's externalised costs only in this case it is the passengers who are bearing the cost.
A police radar speed control clocked over 300 mph, then their radar gun failed. It was only later that they learnt that what they had locked on to was a low flying Tornado. Worse was to come. The Tornado's on-board computers engaged countermeasures. Thinking it was under attack, the radar was jammed and a missile automatically armed and made ready for firing. The police patrol was told they had a very lucky escape.
At a meeting held at the Guildford Civic Hall a Special Planning Meeting of Guildford Borough Council unanimously resolved to strongly object to the proposals by Thames Waste Management for an incinerator on the edge of Guildford.
Over 1200 people attended the planning meeting. Time was set aside for several groups to make presentations. One councillor did briefly attempt to raise the merits of the incinerator but the public made it very clear how they expected him to vote and he was quickly put in his place. With a unanimous vote against the incinerator a very clear signal has been sent to Surrey County Council.
Thames Waste Management were invited to attend and make a presentation to the meeting but failed to turn up.
Guildford took into account the strong public opposition, as well being prepared to listen to the arguments against the incinerator. Contrast this with the disgraceful behaviour of Rushmoor Borough Planning Committee in granting permission for Farnborough Airport. [BVEJ newsletters passim]
The Slyfield incinerator has served as a wake up call to Guildford on recycling. Guildford now plan to put in place a massive recycling programme.
If you have not already done so please put in your objections to the incinerator. GAIN produced an excellent summary briefing for the council meeting. At the time of the planning meeting (Tuesday 22 January 2001), Surrey County Council and the Environment Agency had received in excess of 20,000 objections.
[see BVEJ newsletters passim for further information on the Slyfield incinerator and how to object]
The decision by Hampshire County Council to grant permission for a waste incinerator at Marchwood, near Southampton, is being challenged under the Human Rights Act.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne council and incinerator company Combined Heat and Power are to be prosecuted by the Environment Agency for the illegal dumping of 2,000 tonnes of toxic ash on allotments, parks and public bridleways. The council has currently banned children from playing in 27 allotments close to the incinerator, and the public have been warned not to eat eggs or poultry from the area.
To date not a single incinerator has met Environment Agency emission targets. The Environment Agency has been forced to admit to parliament that it hasn't a clue how dangerous to health are modern incinerators.
These countries will bring ... material resources including land and energy, and they will bring markets for our products. -- European Roundtable of Industrialists
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe, having thrown off the Soviet yoke, and it only displaced the jackboots of Nazi Germany, are now finding they are coming under the jackboots of the Fourth Reich, otherwise known as the EU.
The former countries of the Soviet Bloc are having to harmonise their economies to suit the EU, ie allow themselves to be raped and pillaged by big business. There is no advantage to the countries other than the carrot of possible EU membership. The economic measures being dictated by the European Investment Bank are Third World Structural Adjustment Programmes under another name.
In Slovakia, the Slovak Railway Company (the largest employer in the country) was forced to sack almost half its workforce, push up fares by 30%, cut state subsidies by 2/3, cut staff pay, cut freight traffic, chop lines. These were the conditions of an EIB loan.
There was no public discussion of the EIB loan conditions. The Slovak government and the railways were given two weeks to take it or leave it. When a Slovakian NGO wrote to the EIB to complain, the reply was: 'The proposed restructuring measures in this case mirror those agreed over recent years between the Bank and virtually all the railway companies in the ten Central and Eastern Europe Countries which have applied for EU membership.'
The Nice Summit signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights. On the streets the police were doing battle with protesters, counter-summit meetings were being raided and cancelled, protesters were barred from entering France.
The move to QMV (qualified majority voting, ie no national vetoes) is to fast-track decision making, ie the Commission takes the decisions whilst nation states are sidelined.
[see BVEJ newsletters passim for information on single currency, IGC 2000, Treaty of Nice and GATS]
The so-called 'free trade agreements' ... are designed to transfer decision making about people's lives and aspirations into the hands of private tyrannies that operate in secret and without public supervision or control. Not surprisingly, the public doesn't like them. -- Noam Chomsky
If GATS is to be defeated there really is no time to lose. The world needs to wake up - and fast - to what is being done behind its back. -- Maude Barlow
WDM have produced a briefing sheet on the government's position on GATS and how to respond. As to be expected from New Labour, the government position is pro business.
GATS must be stopped. If you have not written to the DTI (Minister Richard Caborn MP) and your MP please do so. WDM have produced plenty of briefing material.
We should be demanding the following:
GATS is now on the political agenda. Like the WTO Millennium Round and MAI it must be stopped.
[GATS BVEJ newsletter #0007 December 2000, localisation BVEJ newsletter #0006 November 2000]
Davos is a Swiss ski resort. Davos is also the location for meetings of the World Economic Forum, where corporate fat cats get together to run the world.
This year the Swiss authorities were taking no chances, protests were banned, Davos was sealed off, even the trains were stopped. Nevertheless pesky demonstrators managed to seal off at least one road leading into Davos. A couple of hundred protesters who managed to slip through the security cordon were met with water cannon.
WEF was founded in 1971 to provide a global business forum. In the 1980s WEF provided much of the input and impetuous to the Uruguay round of GATT which subsequently led to the formation of the WTO. The founder members include the world's 1000 foremost global companies.
To coincide with the Davos meeting the World Social Forum met in Brazil. A live televised satellite linked debate took place between the two meetings but rapidly descended into a global slanging match. The anti-WEF WSF is likely to be an annual event.
There has been and continues to be a concern regarding the impact of DU on the environment. Therefore, if no one makes a case for the effectiveness of DU on the battlefield, DU rounds may become politically unacceptable and thus be deleted from the arsenal. If DU penetrators proved their worth during our recent combat activities, then we should assure their future existence (until something better is deployed). -- unpublished report by Los Alamos National Laboratory
When soldiers inhale or ingest DU dust, they incur a potential increase in cancer risk. -- Colonel Robery Claypool, US Army Chemical School
There is now overwhelming evidence that use of depleted uranium is killing peacekeepers from Allied countries now based in the Balkans. It is killing the soldiers who went into the Balkans when the Serbs withdrew, and it is killing the people there who we went to war to supposedly protect. It is also killing the ordinary people of Iraq who have to suffer the triple pressures of a despotic regime, international sanctions, and death from depleted uranium. Using depleted uranium is clearly immoral, but it is also against international law and UN conventions which prohibit the use of weapons which cause indiscriminate deaths and injury. -- Caroline Lucas MEP
We mentioned briefly in passing that depleted uranium was in use in Kosovo (BVEJ newsletter #0002 July 2000). In January the mainstream media suddenly woke up to the use of depleted uranium and the dangers it posed. The government claimed there were no dangers, then partially backed down by agreeing to voluntary screening for those who had served in Kosovo.
The dangers of a radioactive contaminated battlefield where DU munitions have been used is well known and well documented. The dangers were known before the Gulf War, but conveniently kept from the ground troops. The dangers are not just to those who are exposed on the ground. Sat inside a tank with DU armour or DU shells provides a high dosage of radiation.
Depleted uranium when alloyed with titanium forms a dense hard penetrator. The two together are pyrophoric, on impact they combust releasing an aerosol of fine uranium particles. 60% of the particles are less than 5 micron in diameter, 10 microns is a respirable size.
In Iraq, the Iraqi people are displaying the same symptoms and conditions of Gulf War Syndrome as Gulf veterans, the only difference being that they lack any form of medical treatment due to the US/UK imposed and enforced sanctions which has already led to 500,000 dead children. During the Gulf War at least 300 tons of DU tipped munitions were fired within four days. By the end of the war, an estimated 300-800 tons of uranium from spent rounds lay scattered in various sizes and states of decay across the battlefields of Iraq and Kuwait. [see BVEJ newsletter #0004 September 2000 for more on the effect of sanctions on Iraq]
At the time of the Gulf War UKAEA highlighted the hazards of using depleted uranium on the battlefield:
Handling heavy metal munitions does pose some potential hazards, as does the possibility of the spread of radioactive and toxic contamination as a result of firing in battle ... and can become a long-term problem if not dealt with ... and [pose] a risk to both the military and civilian population.
Tank crews serving in the Gulf were not warned of the dangers of handling DU, nor were those who entered burnt out Iraqi tanks. Those who served in the Gulf and came into contact with DU are suffering from cancers, their children are born with birth defects. Iraqis living in the areas where DU was used have high incidents of cancer and birth defects.
Depleted uranium munitions were used in Kosovo. The areas where it was used show high levels of background radiation. 10,000 people are expected to die in Kosovo as a direct consequence of the amount of depleted uranium dumped on the country during the US/UK led humanitarian war. UN warns its peace-keepers on DU hazards. UNEP has found radiation hot spots where DU munitions were used. At least half of Nato members are now sounding the alarm bells on the use of DU in Kosovo. Several Italian Nato personal are believed to have died from DU contamination. The US has admitted to firing about 10 tons of air-launched DU munitions over Kosovo. To date that fired over Serbia remains classified.
UNEP has found traces of uranium 236 in Kosovo. The presence of U-236 indicates that uranium from spent fuel rods has been used with the possibility of plutonium contamination. A German TV documentary exposed that the Americans knew some time ago of the use of spent fuel rods and the presence of plutonium. The American have admitted this and pointed to their own web sites where they state the use of spent fuel rods and transuranic contamination, including plutonium.
In Bosnia there are high incidents of leukaemia. Of the 5,000 Serb refugees whose suburb of Sarajevo was bombed by Nato in the late summer of 1995, 300 have died of cancer. A-10 tankbusters attacked Serb factories in Hadjici firing rounds of depleted uranium.
Sladjana Sarenac was six at the time of the Nato bombing of her Hadjici suburb of Sarajevo following the bombing in the Sarajevo market-place. Hadjici was not only bombed, it was also shelled by the Nato Rapid Reaction Force. Sladjana remembers playing with fragments of DU bombs and dust getting under her finger and toe nails. The skin under nails started to burn, she began vomiting and suffered from diarrhoea. She was given two days of blood transfusions. Sladjana, now twelve, suffers constant diarrhoea and vomiting, internal bleeding, her nails regularly fall out. Sladjana's family can no longer afford to pay for her medicine.
Sladjana Sarenac is the price to be paid for the humanitarian war against Serbia and the use by Nato of DU munitions. No attempt has been made by Nato to investigate cases like that of Sladjana Sarenac, and there are hundreds more. Independent research and anecdotal evidence is dismissed as flawed and irrelevant.
The US Army Chemical Command published a book Uranium Battlefields Home and Abroad, its message could not have been clearer - 'Don't go into tanks that have been hit by depleted uranium munitions. They're radioactive.' The books were deliberately withheld until after the Gulf War. A memo by Colonel Robery Claypool (US Army Chemical School, 16 August 1993) warned of the dangers to troops exposed to DU dust. An MoD report on DU produced four years ago was deliberately withheld. Two Gulf War veterans had their homes raided by MoD police, computers seized. The purpose of the raid was to seize leaked documents that showed the MoD was aware of the effects of DU contamination and its connection to Gulf War Syndrome.
The Royal Navy has withdrawn the use of depleted uranium shells after the American suppliers warned of the safety risks.
MoD claim there is no proven link between depleted uranium and cancer. MoD refuse to carry out any research as they claim there is no known link. MoD claims fly in the face of available evidence. Echoes of BSE cover-up.
For decades uranium miners in South Africa and native American Indians have suffered health problems through breathing uranium dust.
Remember Arpad Pusztai? He exposed the dangers of genetic engineering and when he went public with his research results was summarily dismissed. A researcher in Canada was denied research funds and kicked out of his laboratory following a talk he gave to the Canadian defence establishment where he highlighted the dangers of DU. The Royal Society were instrumental in blackballing Pusztai and preventing publication of his work. The Royal Society intend to publish a paper on DU. Like Nato who claim there is no problem, the Royal Society have no intention of visiting the areas contaminated by DU and seeing the evidence with their own eyes.
DU munitions has its use as armour piercing. The downside is that like landmines and cluster bombs DU munitions are an unfocused killer.
The hazard is not only on the battlefield. In the UK areas surrounding firing ranges and near munitions factories are being contaminated with DU.
Drigg, near Sellafield, is the only depositary in the UK for medium level nuclear waste. It is almost full. Depleted uranium in a powdered form, wrapped only in plastic bags, is to be dumped in a public tip near Preston, close by the River Ribble.
The use of DU weapons is prohibited under the terms of the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. The use of DU weapons is also prohibited under Article 35 of Additional Protocol 1 of the 1977 Geneva Convention which states 'it is prohibited to employ methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.'
Like anti-personnel landmines, dumdum bullets, chemical and biological weapons, the use of DU munitions should be banned.
During the post-war tests of nuclear weapons in the Pacific, servicemen were forced to observe the tests with no protective gear. They were told there was no danger from radioactive fallout. They were lied to then as they are being lied to now about the dangers of DU.
The use of DU is under investigation by WHO, UNEP and the War Crimes Tribunal for former-Yugoslavia. The European Parliament has called for a moratorium on the use of DU munitions, the call by Caroline Lucas for an outright ban was rejected.
To anyone who claims there is no danger from depleted uranium, just ask the question: What was Madame Curie playing with, what did she die from?
For background on US/UK Nato led involvement in Iraq and the Balkans read:
Noam Chomsky, Deterring Democracy, Verso, 1991
Noam Chomsky, The New Military Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo, Pluto, 1999
Noam Chomsky, Rogue States, Pluto, 2000
Best coverage of DU is that edited by former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark (served under JFK):
Ramsey Clark (ed), Metal of Dishonor: Depleted Uranium--How the Pentagon Radiates Soldiers & Civilians with DU Weapons, International Action Center, date unknown
January 16th was the tenth anniversary of the start of 'Desert Storm', the land invasion of Iraq in the Gulf War, when after a massive bombing campaign using depleted uranium, Western tanks rolled into Iraq blasting anything that moved. When the war was all but over thousands of Iraqis, Palestinians, Bangladeshis and Sudanese tried to escape along the road to Basra, back to southern Iraq. These people were spotted by American jets who incinerated the whole convoy using napalm B, cluster bombs and rockets. Another incident that wasn't widely reported was the deliberate burying alive of thousands of Iraqi troops in trenches, using snow ploughs attached to tanks and combat earth movers. These troops were not given the option of surrendering. Other massacres include the carpet bombing of civilian areas, seven times more explosives were dropped on Iraq than were dropped on Hiroshima, and the deliberate bombing of the Al-Amiriya civilian bunker in which up to 400 women and children burned to death.
There have been crippling sanctions imposed on Iraq in which hundreds of thousands of children have died of starvation and disease. Two former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinators for Iraq have since resigned in protest stating, 'We are in the process of destroying an entire society. It is as simple and as terrifying as that. It is illegal and immoral.' Both have called for the sanctions to be lifted.
[adopted from SchNEWS issue 289 12 January 2001, also see BVEJ newsletter #0004 September 2000]
Also read:
Noam Chomsky, Deterring Democracy, Verso, 1991
Noam Chomsky, Rogue States, Pluto, 2000
GAP, known the world over as the sweatshop shop, it is one of the world's most vilified companies along with Nike and McDonald's.
GAP sources its consumer goods from Russia, Macao, Honduras, Indonesia and Saipan where workers are paid less than a living wage.
A BBC Panorama programme last October showed GAP clothes being produced in Cambodian factories employing children under 15.
GAP has reneged on its commitment to extend its single independent monitoring experiment to other factories in Central America.
GAP is one of the co-defendants who have refused to settle on the breach of US employment law in Saipan on the grounds that the case lacks merit. Health and Safety regulations are ignored and workers expected to work 12-16 hours a day with no overtime pay.
There are GAP stores in Guildford, let them know what you think. Alternatively write to the UK head office.
GAP 6 Bruton Street London W1
Read Naomi Klein's No Logo for an expose of the youth brand name culture exploitation of teenagers the world over, how it sits on the back of third world exploitation and the role it plays in globalisation.
Politicians are in danger of forgetting the lesson of the 90s, when large scale road development played very badly with ordinary people. Communities and environmental groups will now take on the Government over every inch of tarmac. -- Lynn Sloman, Transport 2000
South West Trains are dirty and overcrowded. Before Christmas trains were delayed post-Hatfield repairs Surbiton to Clapham Junction, followed by a landslip near Fleet, followed by a train derailment in the Southampton area. SWT has put its fares up by 4.9%, two fingers to the long suffering travelling public.
Not surprising travellers are deserting rail in their droves. Many are not expected to return. Internal air travel is up by 40%. It is cheaper (and quicker) to travel by easyJet London to Liverpool. For a small group it is more convenient to hire a private charter. A business trip can be managed in a day, which if in the past may have required an overnight stay, may be cheaper (certainly cheaper if the time of those involved is costed).
New rail franchises of 20 years are being handed out, often to the same bad operators. This is crass stupidity at a time when the rail industry needs restructuring.
GNER (who operate the East Coast mainline) are bidding for the SWT franchise. Whilst anything is preferable to SWT, well alright, maybe not Connex, GNER run a very clean efficient service out of Kings X. Whilst some of GNER's proposals are in the lunatic fringe area, relocating Clapham Junction, extending platforms at Waterloo, a tunnel at Wimbledon, GNER are nevertheless welcome. What we want is clean, reliable trains. Frequent trains, long trains. Not four filthy overcrowded coaches that turn up late. The new operator would be called Great South Western Railways.
Railtrack are seeking an advance payment of œ1 billion from the sSRA. This is nothing less than a thinly disguised PFI scam, where the long suffering public as usual stumps up the money to line the pockets of private companies. sSRA chairman Sir Alistair Morton was the disastrous co-chairman of the Channel Tunnel, the disaster continues.
Balfour Beatty have been fired as the contractor responsible for the East Coast mainline. The contract has now gone to Jarvis. Leaked documents have shown that Railtrack and Balfour Beatty knew of the problems with the rail ten months before the Hatfield crash. This is criminal negligence for which manslaughter charges should be brought. To compensate for the loss of the East Coast contract Balfour Beatty have been awarded a œ125 million contract for Kent, Wessex, Anglia and Great Eastern, this more than makes up for the loss of œ60 mullion post-Hatfield contracts.
Railtrack area working hard behind the scenes lobbying government to water down any future legislation that would make it easier to bring manslaughter charges against company executives. A legislative change that is long overdue.
The sweatshop workers at the Rail Enquiry Call Service have just 90 seconds to answer a customer query. Every movement is monitored, including leaving the desk to take a piss. Pressure is on to reduce the time as the centres get paid per call answered. Quality of information is not monitored. Lacking any local knowledge and under time pressure, staff will generally give the next available train (unless asked otherwise), irrespective of journey time or cost. Local stations (if manned) are ex-directory to discourage callers. [Private Eye 1020]
A private travel company Travel-le-Street has taken over the derelict Chapel-le-Street Station. They provide a service selling best value tickets for the whole rail network. The number of passengers has risen by 70% as a result of the venture. Of the 2,500 stations on the network, around 1,000 are unmanned. Too many, like North Camp and Ash Vale, are only manned part of the day.
At Guildford Station uniformed thugs in all but name man the barriers harassing passengers. Friday and Saturday nights hundreds of drunken yobs run riot on the platforms, the barriers are open and not a single security man or woman to be seen.
Look down at the line from the platform. You will see weeds sprouting, litter, rats running around. A microcosm of the state of the railways. BR used to employ lengthmen. Their job was to regularly patrol their length of line and keep it in good working order. They took a pride in their work. Now, if we are lucky, unskilled casual workers are employed.
At an absolute minimum Railtrack has to be re-nationalised. Or alternatively taxpayer's investment converted into shares with a seat on the board. The fines levied on train operators should be doubled and paid in shares. Other options included a regional structure as pre-BR and nationalisation.
The week before Christmas the Fat Engine Controller announced the transport budget for local authorities for the next five years. Four billion pounds, nearly half the total, is to be spent on roads, enough to build forty more Newbury bypasses. Black spots include Salisbury Bypass, Lancaster Western Bypass (trash the Lune Valley SSSI), Carlisle (privately-financed Northern Development Route will destroy a section of Hadrian's Wall, a World Heritage Site), Hastings Bypass (trash wetlands to the north of the town).
With their snouts firmly in the corporate trough New Labour have failed to honour their election pledges on road traffic.
In the election manifesto (lies under another name) Tony Blair promised 'to fight congestion and pollution'. Three months before the election in a speech to the Industry Forum in London Blair promised:
The future predicted pace of growth in traffic on the roads is probably neither economically nor environmentally sustainable. Unsustainable for the environment, because of the impact of road building, emissions and noise. But also unsustainable for the economy as ever increasing traffic volumes block our main transport arteries, imposing delays and costs and ultimately damaging our competitiveness.
A month after New Labour took office the Fat Engine Controller promised at a conference to mark World Environment Day that within five years more Britons would be using public transport and fewer driving cars. He was asked to be judged in five years time against his promise.
Road traffic is growing at the same rate as when New Labour came into office, a major roads programme has been declared. New Labour, same old lies.
Air traffic control across Europe is close to meltdown. The House of Commons Select Committee on Transport has criticised the decision to privatise Nats. The BA pilots who were sacked by BA for being pissed out of their brains have found employment with a two-bit outfit operating out of Stansted. An indication of what to expect at Farnborough?
One of the prime candidates for future funding is the planned Hastings Bypass in Sussex. Despite a load of greenwash about tough measures to reduce environmental impact, the bypass would destroy two SSSIs and pass through an area of outstanding national beauty and the environmentally important floodplains of the Rother and Brede Rivers. And consultants evaluating the project warn that it may actually increase unemployment in Hastings which is not one of southern England's most prosperous areas.
That's not to say there might not be economic benefits. It's just that it's large corporations which stand to gain, with precious little expected to 'trickle down' to the resident Hastings' community. As at Newbury, construction of the Hastings bypass will open up the way for in-fill development, with business parks and housing estates already planned for neighbouring greenfield site areas. As at Newbury, the bypass would become one part of a larger national road scheme - a long-distance south coast link-road leading to Folkestone and Ashford. And as at Newbury, public debate about the Hastings bypass is being heavily manipulated by business, the local media, and the three main political parties, all of whom strongly support the road. All this despite surveys which show most local people would prefer better public transport rather than new roads.
[purloined from SchNEWS issue 288 22 December 2000]
Five years have passed since work started on the Newbury Bypass, kicking off the biggest anti-roads protest this country has ever seen.
Some of the south east's most beautiful countryside was trashed to build the nine mile œ101 million road, which even the Dept of Transport and local council admitted wouldn't solve Newbury's traffic congestion. Still, the road has meant that developers get their greedy mits on a lot of previously inaccessible land. So let the infill begin!
Please write to: Nigel Gilmore, Chief Planning Officer, West Berkshire Council, Market Square, Newbury, RG14 5LD
Also read:
merrick, Battle for the Trees, godhaven ink, 1996
George Monbiot, Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain, Macmillan, 2000
[adopted from SchNEWS issue 289 12 January 2001]
Attempts to list the cottages that were being demolished have failed. Were the entire row intact English Heritage would have made a listing, but a couple had already been destroyed.
The Terminal 5 Inquiry has yet to report. Do BAA know something we don't know? [BVEJ newsletter #0007 December 2000]
It seems strange to the institute that there was no attempt to appraise the environmental implications of the third generation of telecommunications licences before the Government invited operators to enter into the biding process. -- David Rose, director of public relations, Royal Town Planning Institute
There are currently around 20,000 mobile phone base stations in the country. Over the next few years a further 50,000 mobile phone masts are expected to be erected.
The Church of England is putting greed before the interests of its parishioners. Mobile phone masts are being put on top of church towers and hidden inside church spires. The fairy atop of Guildford Cathedral has a mobile phone mast shoved up its arse.
DETR are expected to publish planning guidelines this month bringing mobile phone masts back into the planning system (currently any mast less than 50 metres is outside of the planning system).
Mast Action UK has been established to cordinate the 100 local groups lobbying for planning controls over mobile telephone masts.
Over the Christmas period 5-6 million mobile phones were sold. There are currently around 25 million mobile phones in use in the UK.
Contract phones (where you pay a monthly line rental fee) are a rip-off. A Vodaphone contact with 100 'free' minutes at œ20 a month is typical. This works out at 20p for each 'free' minute (assuming all 'free' minutes are used, and excluding phone purchases cost), cf peak 10p a minute, off-peak 5p a minute. The contract has to run for 12 months. It works out even dearer per minute if not all 'free' minutes are used.
Most contracts operate confusion pricing. The most confusing is Sainsbury One (like Virgin a virtual network operator). One of 25 pricing structures is used, you don't know which one until you get the bill!
Far better value are Pay as You Go phones as you don't pay anything unless you use the phone. Best value is offered by BT Cellnet at 2p a minute if only used at weekends, else Virgin at 15p a minute for the first 5 mins of the day, 5p a min for all minutes thereafter. Virgin at 5p a minute is cheaper than BT land line for national calls at peak rate. Virgin are also cheaper than BT land lines for international calls at peak rate. BT call boxes at 11p a minute UK rate, minimum charge 20p, contrary to BT claims, offer poor value. Overall Virgin offer a superior service to BT.
The offer of 'free' minutes should be banned as it encourages mobile phone use. Mobile phone use should be kept to a minimum, it minimises own health risk and reduces the demand for more base stations.
Mobile phones are an ideal campaign tool, especially for coordinating direct action. Pop into any Virgin shop and pick up a phone and connection pack for cash. After using a few times, slip in a new SIM card and pass on to someone else. Virgin sell connection packs separately (œ10, incl œ5 worth of calls).
Mobile phones are ideal tracking devices. Your location is always known to within a cell. Third generation phones will have built in satellite positioning giving location to within a few metres. When travelling to a location not only turn your phone off, wrap it in baking foil.
GSM mobile phones (second generation digital system) have the means to send a simple text message of up to 160 characters. Texting or text messaging (SMS, simple message system) as well as being a useful communication tool, is another campaign tool. Discover the mobile phone number of a loathsome politician or corporate boss, then organise their bombardment with text messages. Amnesty International have already added this to their campaign repertoire.
People Power II in the Philippines which toppled the corrupt Joseph (Erap) Estrada was organised and coordinated by text messaging. The use of Pay as You Go phones made it impossible for the state security to track down who was originating and who was receiving the messages.
If you are being charged more than 10p a message or being charged for message retrieval you are being ripped off. Genie offers free text messages through a net gateway.
WAP phones are for wankers.
A 10,000 home greenbelt development outside of Stevenage, the largest in the country and personally approved by Prescott, may have been halted.
The project to build 10,000 homes on Green Belt land west of Stevenage has been put on hold and may be abandoned altogether. North Hertfordshire District Council has withdrawn planning consent as they now believe the project to be inconsistent with government guidelines following legal opinion from Christopher Lockhart Mummery QC.
Eco-friendly houses are popping up all over the place. We have reported on a few in the past (BVEJ newsletters passim). The only problem is that local authorities don't like them. Stick up the usual ugly eyesore, put out a few backhanders and planners are more than happy. But try erecting a building of natural materials, minimum energy consumption, zero emissions and you have problems. The best advice to date has been to keep quiet and hope you get away with it.
Things may be changing. Sustainability has to be considered.
The Right to Roam legislation, the Countryside Act, became law at the end of last month. Free access to the countryside, promised to post-war Britain over half a century ago, may not become a reality until 2005, if at all. [BVEJ newsletters #0005 October and #0007 December 2000]
The area to which we have access has to be first mapped, then agreed, then appealed. At this rate access will be at some time in the distance future.
We have to take the countryside. The only no go areas being environmentally sensitive areas.
It will impact strongly on the area's unique landscape and character and will significantly affect the setting of the New Forest. -- Richard Wakeford, chief executive, Countryside Agency
In deciding to make it a National Park, the Government recognised the New Forest's special qualities ... Dibden Bay will be an acid test of the Government's commitments to defend it. -- Emma Loat, policy official, Council for National Parks
There is considerable evidence that, despite the claimed need for increased port facilities, ABP has been releasing land at Southampton for commercial and residential development. Much of the development is not related to harbour business but has been driven by the company's desire to capitalise on rising property prices. -- Caroline Lucas MEP
Associated British Ports wish to construct a 500-acre deep sea port in Southampton Water, within the boundary of the proposed New Forest National Park. The mile long dock will dominate the skyline. What will be one of the largest docks in Europe, the 24-hour operation will generate more than 3,000 heavy lorry movements a day, 1.4 million container movements a year. To put the size of the port in context it will be twice the size of Southampton Docks across the water.
Dibden Bay is on the edge of the New Forest Heritage Area and within the boundaries of the proposed New Forest National Park. Apart from the damage to the New Forest itself, five SSSIs will be damaged, a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive, a Ramsar site (international wetland designation), and a proposed Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. A Hants and Isle of Wight Nature Reserve will be subject to compulsory purchase and used for dumping silt. Dibden Bay supports a high number of rare grass and over-wintering waders.
Dibden Bay is part of TENs (Trans-European Networks), strategic routes through the EU (see BVEJ newsletter #0006 November 2000). Routes that radiate from the site have seen or will see important bypass battles - Twyford Down, Newbury, Hastings. Newbury completed a route running to the North and Midlands. Hastings is part of the south coast route. The bypasses as well as completing a national/EU route also provide opportunities for infill (as has happened at Newbury and is expected to happen at Hastings).
The extra traffic generated will cause local roads to gridlock. Local authorities have an obligation, under the Road Traffic (Local Targets) Reduction Act, to halt then reduce the increase in local traffic.
Globalisation is driving the growth in container traffic. In the UK it is growing at a rate of 5-6% per annum, a doubling in traffic every 10 years. This level of growth is unsustainable.
If Dibden Bay is allowed to go ahead any pretence at habitat protection in the UK will lie in tatters.
Dibden Bay is expected to be referred to a Public Inquiry by John Prescott. According to BVFoE (BVFoE Xmas 2000 newsletter) there has been 4,000 objections. A somewhat out-of-date figure. By October of last year DETR had received in excess of 5,000 objections, as we write the number of objections exceeds 6,000.
The food chain is in danger of being cornered by big corporations. These companies have put in huge amounts of investment in GM research - how are they planning to get their money back? -- Alex Wijeratna, ActionAid
Monsatan have developed a GM wheat which surprise surprise is resistant to their herbicide Roundup. Currently going to trials in the US and expected to be in full-scale farm production by 2003. GM loaves, with extra lashings of Roundup, to be on the supermarket shelves in the US by 2003.
The experience with maize has shown segregation does not work. To keep GM loaves off our shelves will mean a ban on the import of US wheat. We need assurances now from UK retailers that they will not sell GM bread.
A mega transatlantic WTO battle is expected to break out soon over the labelling of GM contaminated food.
Cremate Monsanto is taking off again in India.
During 1999 an attack took place on a suspected field of GM forage maize at Spital-in-the-Street in Lincolnshire (near Caenby Corner, north of Lincoln). One of those present was Noel Sutherland. He was arrested and subsequently charged and prosecuted even though he never set foot in the field. Sutherland sued Lincolnshire Police for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. In an out-of-court settlement Sutherland has been awarded œ10,000.
Syngenta (formed last November from a merger between AstraZeneca and Novartis) has mapped the entire genome for rice. This paves the way for patents to be taken out and for other food crops to be mapped. ActionAid have identified 229 patents on life taken out on rice, mainly by the big five GM crop companies. In the US, India is challenging the patent taken out on basmati rice by RiceTec. [see BVEJ newsletters passim for information on the patenting of life and biopiracy]
Corporate Watch have published three new briefing sheets on GM companies and updated several others.
In Germany sales of beef have plummeted. In Berlin sales have plummeted by 90%. The appointment of a former antinuclear activist to head the agricultural ministry is a step in the right direction. She has already promised to increase land under organic cultivation from 3% to 10% and to penalise farms that cannot prove they are environmentally friendly by cutting their subsidies.
Across Europe sales of beef have fallen by 27% and are expected to fall by at least a further 10% this year.
The French may be taking legal action against the British for being 'criminally negligent' in allowing the spread of BSE.
Australia and New Zealand have banned beef imports from Europe.
Following the ban on the sale of contaminated feed in the UK, tonnes of the same material continued to be dumped on the Third World. This is expected to lead to a BSE epidemic in countries who are least able to deal with it.
One in seven children in the UK suffer from asthma. It is the fastest growing non-infectious disease.
Research at the University of California has demonstrated a strong link between car exhausts and childhood asthma. New Labour plan a massive increase in the road-building programme.
Michael Ashcroft pours millions into the Tory Party. Ashcroft becomes Lord Ashcroft.
The Al-Yamama contract for Saudi has been estimated to have been worth around œ60 billion, the biggest arms deal of its type. One of several large arms deals under the Tories. Persistent rumours abound of kickbacks finding their way into Tory Swiss bank accounts. Middle East arms dealer Waliq Said and general fixer was one of the middlemen for the BAE arms deals, also involved in the arms to Iraq scandal and the Iraqi supergun affair. Another associate was Saudi financier and Middle East arms dealer Akhram Ojjeh. Charman of McLaren International, Mansour Ojjeh, son of Akhram. Who owns owns TAG? The Tories and BAE Systems have fallen over backwards to support the TAG operation of Farnborough Airport. [read In the Public Interest by Gerald James for more on this]
Bernie Ecclestone donated œ1 million to New Labour. Bernie Ecclestone's Formula 1 is exempt from a ban on tobacco sponsorship.
Lord Sainsbury has donated millions to New Labour. Sainsbury was a New Labour nominee for the peerage. Sainsbury is a New Labour minister. Sainsbury promotes GM and has had GM business interests. Sainsbury is a science minister advising on government policy. Tony and his cronies are pro-GM and the biotech industry. Sainsbury is a strident supporter of Huntingdon Death Sciences.
The Indian Hinduja brothers wanted on defence contract corruption charges in India bailed out the Dome with œ1 million. Peter Mandelson and Keith Vaz intervened to obtain a British Passport for one of the brothers. Peter Mandelson and Keith Vaz have enjoyed the hospitality of the Hinduja brothers. Peter Mandelson has enjoyed the hospitality of Tony crony Robert Bourne, chief executive of the Legacy consortium (who are hoping to get the Dome at a give-away price).
Tony crony Robert Bourne is chief executive of the Legacy consortium. He has donated to New Labour. Legacy are the only ones in the running to get the Dome site at Greenwich. If nothing else Bourne seems to have got his analysis of Blair spot on: 'Blair is the new Thatcher. He is running an enlightened government. Thatcher ran an enlightened government.'
The New Labour Party conference last autumn resembled a trade fair. Many of those present were beneficiaries under New Labour of the PFI scam.
Any linkage is of course purely coincidental.
Wealthy individuals don't donate to political parties out of the goodness of their hearts (if they were concerned about the human condition they would donate to NGOs), they do so to buy influence. They donate because they want something or to change policy.
Tightening the rules on ministerial behaviour, logging members interests is not enough, there has to be a disconnection of wealthy individuals and corporations from politicians and political parties and their pet projects.
There has to be a limit on political donations, with breaches a criminal offence. Any amount over œ100 should be itemised alongside the donor. There should be a maximum of œ1,000.
There has to be a limit on campaign funding. A general election limit of œ1 million is more than sufficient. This is more than sufficient for leafleting, information provision and general expenses.
There has to be a ban on all political advertising. The puerile poster campaigns, if they have any effect at all, is to turn the punters off. This ban would include a ban on party political broadcasts which at present discriminate against smaller parties.
If politicians wish to campaign they should do so the old-fashioned way by holding public meetings.
Taxpayer's funding is not the answer. Why should we cover the expenses to help politicians get their snouts in the trough? Support of political parties is dwindling, they have little relevance in a modern world. Let them whither away, they are not an endangered species.
It is not that there is no support or interest in politics, there is, but not the two horse corporate owned politics of Westminster. The interest lies with NGOs and action on the streets.
Corrupt politicians have to be made to understand that they are not there to line their own pockets or for the benefit of the wealthy or corporate fat cats, they are there to serve the community. If they do not understand that simple message then they should get out and let more honourable people take their place.
It is not often we will give a plug for a TV programme but we will make a rare exception for the Mark Thomas Product (aka mtp2001) broadcast late at night on Channel 4.
The Mark Thomas Product is a must. It is well researched and hits at all the right targets. Mark Thomas has recently come in for a lot of slagging in the mainstream media. It is probably due to the very fact that he is hitting all the right targets. His comments on New Labour are right on target: 'right wing fucks who haven't got a clue ... I'd be physically sick before I could actually fucking tell people to vote for them.'
As with Westminster, MEPs have to register their interests. That registered depends on national legislation.
The information is held in a small room at the European Parliament, open for a few hours in the morning and afternoon. The only way to access the information is to visit the room in person. At least that was the case until Mark Thomas put the information on the web.
A single currency does not require a single government, but a single government will follow. That is my conviction. -- Ernst Welteke, president of the Bundesbank
The beginning of the year was the second anniversary of the introduction of the much despised euro. Not welcome at launch, confidence in the euro has since plummeted.
Greece was admitted to the euro zone at the beginning of the year. Greece does not comply with the criteria for entry, further weakening the euro and destroying any pretence that it is a hard currency.
Next year actual real currency (notes and coins) will be introduced. This will cause problems for money launderers as they will be stuck with cash they can neither explain nor get rid of. On the other hand it will be a boon for counterfeiters.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos both Otmar Issing (chief economist ECB) and Ernst Welteke (president of the Bundesbank) said they expect the euro to lead to full European political union.
'In revolutions, people used to say, 'Keep your powder dry.' Now they say, 'Keep your cellphone charged'.' -- Professor Alex Mango, former student activist People Power I, organiser People Power II
It was in the Philippines in 1986 that we saw the first demonstration of people power, now known as People Power I, that toppled the corrupt Ferdinand Marcus. Leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall just over a decade ago we saw people power across Eastern Europe topple Communist regimes. At the end of last year we saw people power topple the last of the Communist dictators with war criminal Slobodan Milosevic toppled from power. We have now seen in the Philippines People Power II with the corrupt Joseph (Erap) Estrada toppled from power.
People Power II was organised by text messaging.
The era of barbaric forest destruction is coming to an end. -- Michael Brune, Rainforest Action Network
In the dying days of the Clinton administration Bill Clinton issued an executive order to protect old growth forests.
Bill Clinton has issued an executive order banning road construction, logging and mining in almost 30 million acres of National Forest, about 30% of the total area. A week earlier the head of the Forest Service went further declaring all old growth forests off limits to commercial exploitation.
The most important area protected by Clinton is the Tongas National Forest in Alaska. Tongas is a temperate rainforest on the southern coastline of Alaska, a vast archipelago of wooded islands, rocks and glaciers. Clinton's order protects 9 million of the forest's 17 million acres. Tongas still remains relatively pristine compared with the rainforests in British Columbia where the forests have been devastated. [for more on destruction of temperate rainforest in British Columbia see BVEJ newsletters #0007 December 2000 and #0008 January 2001]
The first act of President Bush is likely to be the authorisation of drilling in Alaska. This must be stopped before it starts. Please e-mail President Bush expressing your opposition to drilling in Alaska, ask at least two other people to do the same and to then repeat the action.
The inaugural shindig was paid for by oil and drugs money.
Today's unconditional discharge finally vindicates Betty's belief that she has the right to defend the environment for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Neither Betty nor the majority of the world community consider her actions criminal. Still, she was prepared to pay the price for standing up for her beliefs. -- Catherine Stewart
The plight of the ancient forests of British Columbia is no better served by jailing forestry workers than by jailing grandmothers. The real crimes are being perpetrated behind boardroom doors and fuelled by government complacency. We can only hope the court's decision today is the first step towards real change in attitudes towards forestry issues in BC. -- Catherine Stewart
We have reported in the past on the jailing of prisoner of conscience Betty Krawczyk. We are pleased to be able to report that she has been set free by the British Columbia Supreme Court.
72-year-old great grandmother Betty Krawczyk was jailed last September for peacefully protesting Interfor's clearcut logging of BC's ancient temperate rainforest. Her 'crime' had been to sit in the middle of a logging road in the Elaho Valley to block the passage of Interfor trucks. She did this despite a court injunction obtained by Interfor to prevent logging protests. At the time of her arrest, Ms Krawczyk made it clear that she felt morally and ethically compelled to defy the injunction in order to prevent the greater crime - the devastation of a global environmental treasure.
Ms Krawczyk's incarceration began on the anniversary of a violent and premeditated assault on an environmental camp in the Elaho Valley which was carried out by dozens of Interfor workers and their supporters. Last month, the only five men to be charged in this vigilante action pleaded guilty and were given suspended sentences, along with instructions to seek anger management counselling. In delivering these sentences, Justice Ellen Burdett chastised Interfor for its 'tacit corporate approval' of the assault.
Betty Krawczyk got a year whilst corporate thugs got a mild slap on the wrist. It was claimed the protesters had brought the attack upon themselves but this is the age old chestnut of a woman was asking for it when she was gang-raped cos she had on a short tight skirt.
Betty Krawczyk (speaking outside the courthouse):
Peaceful protest on a logging road is considered more heinous than actual criminal activity such as the Hell's Angels dealing drugs because drug dealers don't challenge corporate values. When I stood on that logging road it affirmed human values over the profit motive and that's considered far more dangerous by corporations and governments.
During Betty's time in jail over 10,000 letters were sent by cyber activists to the Premier of BC, and 7000 to the CEO of Interfor demanding the release of Betty and protection of the forest she was jailed trying to protect.
Thanks to everyone who sent a letter.
For more information e-mail: guestforest@ams.greenpeace.org
[BVEJ newsletters #0007 December 2000 and #0008 January 2001]
Once a road or highway is built, a Pandora's box is opened which is almost impossible for a government to control. -- William Laurence, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
By 2020, 95% of the Amazon rainforest is likely to be destroyed. Avanca Brasil, a $40 billion project will destroy the Amazon. Where roads are built assorted scum invariably follow, displaced peasants, loggers, miners, cattle ranchers. The Brazilian government is fast-tracking the project, even to the extent of denying access to its own environmental protection agencies.
The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest. Current loss is running at 5 million acres a year. Avanca Brasil will accelerate the annual loss to an area 8 times that of the Isle of Wight.
Loss of the Amazon is not just the loss of an important pristine natural environment, or the loss of millions of species many of which have yet to be discovered, it is also the loss of an important global climate regulator.
Two excellent books on rainforests:
Catharine Caufield, In the Rainforest, Picador, 1986
Norman Myers, The Primary Source: Tropical Forests and Our Future, Norton, 1985
The scientific consensus about human-induced climate change should sound alarm bells in every national capital and in every local community. -- Klaus Toepfer, UNEP
If we cannot persuade to them to take action when the talks resume later this year, the rest of the world should go ahead without them, and impose a carbon tax on US imports. -- Caroline Lucas MEP
The most recent estimate on global warming based on current trends was 3 degrees centigrade. This figure has now been revised upwards to 5.8 degrees centigrade. Sea levels are expected to rise 1 metre in the next 100 years. The 1990s were the warmest decade in the last 1,000 years
This revised figure comes after the collapse of the Hague climate conference due to American obstruction and the failure of a spring climate conference to get off the ground. A rise of six degrees would cause the Arctic ice-cap to melt.
If the US continues to block agreements on climate change, and the agreement Prescott was willing to sign at The Hague was worse than useless, we should, as we did with the landmines agreement, forge ahead without the US. The US could still be forced to pay a climate levy by imposing a carbon tax on all US imports.
IndyMedia have put the action at The Hague on the net.
[see BVEJ newsletters passim for information on global warming and the disastrous talks last year at The Hague]
It's a bad day for accountability and a bad day for freedom of expression. -- Dan Lyons, Uncaged
Details of horrific pig-to-primate organ transplant experiments carried out by Imutran were leaked to the anti-vivisection group Uncaged. The huge volume of confidential documents, the largest set of data on animal experiments ever leaked, suggests that the company, a subsidiary of biotech giant Novartis, has not been frank with the public and the scientific community. In addition, the documents also reveal failures in Home Office regulations and the Government's bias in favour of commercial researchers. Imutran applied for an injunction to prevent Uncaged publishing the leaked material. [BVEJ newsletters #0006 November 2000 and #0008 January 2001]
Last month the High Court ruled in favour of Imutran. The judge ruled that commercial confidentiality was more important than human health risks, animal welfare or the fact that Imutran 'falsified' results. Uncaged has been given leave to appeal.
Practically speaking, all animal experiments are untenable on a scientific basis, for they possess no statistical validity or reliability whatsoever. They merely perform an alibi function for pharmaceutical companies, who hope to protect themselves thereby from legal liability. -- Herbert and Margot Stiller, Vivisection and Vivisector
New Labour, new hypocrites, came into power with big promises on animal welfare. Since taking office the number of live animal exports has dramatically increased, badger culling is on the increase (using flawed arguments from Krebs who now heads the Food Standards Agency), animal rights activists have been targeted by the state as criminals and terrorists. The Bill to ban hunting with dogs is merely a sop as it is known it will not make it through parliament before the next election.
Hunting foxes has nothing to do with culling foxes. The sick perverts who go hunting would probably be just as happy badger baiting, cock fighting, bear baiting or fucking little children. Nor is a ban on hunting an infringement of the rights of those who wish to hunt. The same arguments could be used for the keeping of slaves and the beating of wives.
The Tories have shown their true colours by demonstrating what little shits they really are. They are doing their best to nobble the Hunting Bill. The ruse by David Maclean (charged with undermining the bill) is to introduce flaws into the bill to render it unenforceable:
It is absolutely vital that the legislation is as flawed and sloppy as possible ... I want every inconsistency, every dubiety, every ambiguity left in. If the law is clear then we are finished as most of us will not break the law.
Local Tories Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath) and Gerald Howarth (Aldershot) voted to support hunting.
The newly established Surrey Anti Hunt Campaign has been established with the ultimate aim of closing down the hunt permanently.
Huntingdon Death Sciences is on the verge of bankruptcy. From a high of 300p, share price has dropped to 1p, of late hovering around 4p. The Daily Telegraph's advice for anyone thinking of buying shares in the company is 'One for the brave or the mad'. New Labour has been leaning on the banks to provide the money to keep them in business. New police powers are being sought to harass and criminalise demonstrators.
Citibank and the Royal Bank of Scotland are to be congratulated on pulling the plug on Huntingdon Death Sciences. Royal Bank of Scotland were forced to write off œ11 million of debt (half of that owed) to get rid of Huntingdon Death Sciences. Shareholder action does work.
An anonymous American backer has come to the rescue of Huntingdon Death Sciences, a backer so ashamed of their vile client that they do not wish to be named. City institutions have shown their arrogance by saying we get activists everyday trying to change our policies on ethical grounds, we just ignore them. The failure to name the American backer is a breach of City regulations and may be the subject of legal challenge.
We can reveal that the mystery US financial backer of Huntingdon Death Sciences is the Arkansas-based Stephens Group, Huntingdon's largest single investor. In considering their investment Stephens Group considered it no differently to any other investment. In other words ethical considerations did not enter the equation. Activists in the US are now targeting the Stephens Group.
Huntingdon claim they have improved their act. The xenotransplantation scandal shows this is not the case. If Huntingdon have nothing to hide why are they so keen to suppress publication of this material?
Mystery US financial backer(s) or not the battle against Huntingdon Death Sciences goes on. Their clients are to be targeted, the main one being GlaxoSmithKline (formed from the recent merger of SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo Welcome), other clients include the GM company Novartis, British Biotech and DuPont. A consumer boycott is being launched, products include Lucazade and Ribena. 11 February 2001 has been declared a national day of action.
SHAC are prepared for the long haul and have warned:
If anyone is reading this and considering baling out HLS, be warned. We are prepared for a long fight, and while our goal is HLS, we will take on anyone who gets in our way.
Huntingdon are not a charity, they are not in it because of their concern for the human condition, and the question has to be raised as to how many lives are saved by a new hair colouring?, they are in it for profit. This begs the question then, why are the government so keen to bail out the dregs of the capitalist system. Why don't we see the same amount of effort put in for small family businesses, organic farms or alternative energy schemes? And just how many police powers does Jack Boot Straw want? We already have the RIP Act, Public Order Acts, the Criminal Justice Acts, the Criminal Damage Act, the Harassment Act, the Interfering in Fat Cats Making Money Act, numerous trade union laws, and long-standing legislation outlawing obstruction, conspiracy, and breach of the peace (OK, one of them was made up but you get the picture). Even Ann Widdicome has raised concerns about the human rights implications of the proposed new laws! And coming into force this month (19 February 2001) the Terrorism Act (see BVEJ newsletters passim) which one MP has described as 'potentially turning activist movements into terrorist movements' (which is the clear intention). The mainstream media, parroting the government line, slagged activists as extremists. On the other hand torturing animals is what the nice family man next door does.
Torturing animals for profit has nothing to do with scientific research. Medical advances are held back by so-called animal testing. So-called animal testing does not show the efficacy of new drugs or pick up the dangers, it is to give multinational drug companies a legal cop-out when their flawed products go onto the market. The biggest argument against animal experimentation is not the ethical one but the scientific one of the invalidity of the animal model for human trials. Digitalis was held back for decades on the basis of animal trials, thalidomide was cleared by animal trials, aspirin is toxic to many animals including cats.
The ban on the use of animals for the testing of cosmetics is only a voluntary ban, the industry could at any time re-introduce animal testing. In Europe hair dyes are still being squirted into the eyes of rabbits just to see the affect. The EU considered a ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals, then backed down. To introduce such a ban would bring down the full wrath of the WTO as it would be ruled as a non-tariff barrier to trade. Yet one more reason to abolish the WTO. [see BVEJ newsletters passim on WTO]
Worth reading on the flaws of animal testing:
Moneim A Fadali, Animal Experimentation: A Harvest of Shame, Hidden Springs Press, 1996
Starting this month, Guildford now has a regular Farmers Market on the first Tuesday of every month.
The irregular Farmers Market at Aldershot will now be held monthly.
A regular Farmers market takes place in Milford.
Iceland have always been market leaders. They were the first to ban GM from their product lines, they have introduced a range of energy efficient fridges and freezers (which no one else has followed), they were the first to introduce organics in a big way.
Since going completely organic Iceland has seen their sales drop, their share price has fallen by 16%. Iceland will now be re-introducing non-organic lines.
The experience of Iceland is sending out the wrong signals to other retailers. They will now hesitate before going further down the organic route.
If we want to see organics, then we have to be prepared to support those retailers who introduce them. We cheered Iceland from the sidelines, but where were we with our shopping baskets?
At the annual WorldAware Business Awards businesses compete for the prestigious Shell Award for Sustainable Development, and The Rio Tinto Award for Long-term Commitment!
Whatever next, McDonald's sponsoring the Keep Britain Tidy Week and LA 21 youth meetings on sustainable development? It's a sick old world, the answer is yes, yes.
At last year's BP AGM Greenpeace managed to garner 13% support for a motion on BP drilling in Alaska and renewable energy.
BP now has a new fluffy caring image. Absolute bullshit, but in a world where image and branding is all that counts and the product becomes irrelevant, companies become increasingly vulnerable. This is now particular true of BP as it has got to live up to it's image.
Expect at this year's AGM motions on drilling in Alaska, renewable energy and BP's involvement in Tibet through PetroChina.
The action against Huntingdon Death Sciences which no British financial institution will touch with a barge-pole shows direct shareholder action pays dividends.
[BVEJ newsletters #0003 August 2000 and #0005 October 2000]
Read Naomi Klein's No Logo for an excellent analysis of globalisation, branding and image and the fragility of corporations built on froth to direct action.
I would be very upset if the pub closed. I have known it since I was a child. In places like Lincoln, where there isn't much left, it really ought to be left alone. -- A S Byatt
The scandal of the takeover of the Adam and Eve Pub by the Lincoln Minster School has now dragged in the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, Booker Prize winning novelist A S Byatt and Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Grade II listed Adam and Eve has been serving ale since 1635. The Minster School took it over behind the back of both the landlord and the regulars. Initially they wished to use it as part of the school, now they may be backing down and just grabbing its extensive grounds. The first the regulars knew of the skulduggery was when the Minster School sent out a letter to parents outlining their intentions to 'develop' the site.
The first lesson the Minster School has handed down to its pupils is one of deceit and unchristian behaviour.
The Adam and Eve and the surrounding area formed the centre piece last summer for the filming of Possession, A S Byatt's 1990 Booker Prize winning novel, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
If you have not already done so, please write to Head of Planning, Lincoln City Council, objecting to any change of use of this pub and its grounds. For good measure also write to the two Archbishops as they hold ultimate responsibility for the actions of the school.
[BVEJ newsletter #0007 December 2000]
HCA, a US private health care corporation, engaged in systematic fraud of the US taxpayer. The fraud only came to light after two company insiders blew the whistle and statistical analysis of the billed treatments threw up that something was wrong. HCA is only one of many health care companies engaged in fraud. Cocaine traffickers in Florida are moving into health care as it offers richer pickings with less chance of getting caught.
With the PFI scam to part privatise the Health Service and New Labour snouts firmly in the corporate trough, the UK offers rich pickings for US health care corporations.
HCA has set up office in London with the hope of grabbing a piece of the action.
A quirk in the e-mail system at Bristol has provided an interesting insight into the contempt in which which council officials hold the public they are employed to serve.
A consultation exercise was held into whether a coach park should be sited on the Downs, an open space in Bristol. The internal reaction to one opponent was: 'Just chuck out a standard: Your comments have been noted and will be reported to blah blah blah .... Don't worry, the objection will not carry any weight.'
The internal comment on a women who had complained about neighbourhood noise: 'Just tell her to fuck off.'
It is nice to know that local government works just as we always thought it did.
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