Voices of resistance from the global south
Alexandra Palace, 12.25pm. Berenice Celeyta, a leader of the anti-privatisation struggle in Colombia, is talking about a government-backed attempt to assassinate her. "Being a trade unionist in Colombia is one of the most dangerous professions in the world," she says. "According to the United Nations."
12.38pm. Rudolph Amengo-Etego, from the coalition against the privatisation of water in Ghana, is speaking from the same platform about the destructive role of private consultancies and corporate greed on his country's services. We learn that the Adam Smith Institute, Mrs Thatcher's favourite free market thinktank, was employed as a consultancy by the Ghanaian government. It advised - surprise, surprise - a course of privatisation. (This caused me to do a little web search and I've found that this situation is by no means unique. The British Government's Department for International Development have given the free-marketers a real helping hand during the Blair goverment - including a grant of more than £3million in 2002 to work on the construction of an Afghan national bank. This is revealed in response to a parliamentary question and further details can be found here).
12.46pm. Oronto Douglas, an environmental campaigner from Nigeria, is talking about the role played by the oil economy in dictating the way we run our lives: "In the Niger Delta, the Shell Oil Company has neglected to control natural gas emissions, which are simply flared into the atmosphere. This has an impact both locally and globally, polluting our villages and communities whilst also contributing to global climate change."
The topics are diverse, but Oronto Douglas sums up the reason for all of this panel's presence at the London Forum: "From slavery, to colonialism, to globalisation, many of our problems have come from Europe. This Forum is an opportunity for us to interact with people of conscience from Europe, and establish relations of solidarity with them in our common struggles against Europe's ruling elite."
Oscar Reyes
12.38pm. Rudolph Amengo-Etego, from the coalition against the privatisation of water in Ghana, is speaking from the same platform about the destructive role of private consultancies and corporate greed on his country's services. We learn that the Adam Smith Institute, Mrs Thatcher's favourite free market thinktank, was employed as a consultancy by the Ghanaian government. It advised - surprise, surprise - a course of privatisation. (This caused me to do a little web search and I've found that this situation is by no means unique. The British Government's Department for International Development have given the free-marketers a real helping hand during the Blair goverment - including a grant of more than £3million in 2002 to work on the construction of an Afghan national bank. This is revealed in response to a parliamentary question and further details can be found here).
12.46pm. Oronto Douglas, an environmental campaigner from Nigeria, is talking about the role played by the oil economy in dictating the way we run our lives: "In the Niger Delta, the Shell Oil Company has neglected to control natural gas emissions, which are simply flared into the atmosphere. This has an impact both locally and globally, polluting our villages and communities whilst also contributing to global climate change."
The topics are diverse, but Oronto Douglas sums up the reason for all of this panel's presence at the London Forum: "From slavery, to colonialism, to globalisation, many of our problems have come from Europe. This Forum is an opportunity for us to interact with people of conscience from Europe, and establish relations of solidarity with them in our common struggles against Europe's ruling elite."
Oscar Reyes
posted by Oscar at 1:36 PM
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