CAMBRIDGE WORLD DEVELOPMENT GROUP
Cambridge WDM www.cambridgewdm.org.uk
MINUTES For 21 December 2005 at Beth’s.
Thanks to Beth for her special Christmas Hospitality.
PRESENT: Beth C (Chair), Aidan B, Clare B, Ray G, Frank F, Paul C, Sue W and guest from the new Cambridge Campaign Agaist the Arms Trade Jim Jepps
APOLOGIES : Pat S, Shilpa S, Raju R, Tom H, Fabiola B, Rachel N
1. MINUTES FROM MEETING 15 Nov 2005 approved as a correct record.
2. Matters Arising
a) Campaign Convention Raju, Aidan & Clare attended WDM Campaign Convention on 27 Nov.
b) Campaign Leaflet No news from HQ on our application for one of their grants to fund our campaign leaflet with MPs and MEPs contact details. Raju has contacted Erica Berzaghi of the Trade Justice Group at APU/ARU and they want to help with this. No progress can be made until we hear whether we have secured a WDM HQ grant but we hope to get on with this in the New Year.
c) Cheque for £50 received from comedian Mark Thomas for running his merchandise stall during his performance at the Arts Theatre on 23 October. We were able to lobby theatre goers too and collect signatures for the Trade Justice campaign.
d) Date for our Speaker meeting is to be 14 February 2006 with a speaker from WDM HQ. Aidan is liaising with Raju and Jenny about a venue at Clare College. The topic is to be more general than just the Water campaign.
e) Agreed to send HQ our annual sub to national WDM of £32 plus £8 for insurance (total £40). Sue to contact our treasurer Julian to arrange this.
f) Fairtrade Guide to Cambridge Updated Sue met Chiara Ferrara and Graham Baker of Kings College who are producing an Ethical Guide to Cambridge. They offered to send us their research on which places sell Fairtrade goods which will be useful. (Sue received news after this meeting that Cambridge City Council had agreed to give us a Sustainable City grant to produce an update of this Fairtrade Guide.)
3. Cambridge Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT)
We welcomed Jim Jepps of Cambridge’s new CAAT group who gave an outline of their activities so far.
They have been researching into the arms investments being made by Clare, Jesus and Trinity Colleges before looking at the investments being made by Cambridgeshire County Council with their the pensions fund. This includes the pensions funds of 150 other organisations such as Cambridge City Council whose pensions the County Council also handles. Jim of CAAT was able to ask a question in the council chamber during a Cambridgeshire County Council meeting – “Would the County Council consider an ethical investment policy?” At present Cambridgeshire County Council invests £20 million in B.A., Rolls Royce and other arms companies. The response from Councillor John Powley was dramatic and inappropriate (loud screaming?) and Cllr Richard Ripon, Deputy Leader of the County Council, answered, “There is no place for ethics in finance.” CAAT was ready with banners etc and this was recorded on BBC local news Look East on Tues 13 December and had big spread in Cambridge Evening News. CAAT is now hoping to work with UNISON the local government workers union which has an ethical investment policy and like minded councillors at the city and the county to take the campaign forward. Nottingham does have an ethical investment policy so there is a precedent for councils.
The new Cambridge CAAT group usually meets in the Mumby Room at Kings College but are experimenting with other venues and their next meeting will be at Clowns café in King Street on 9 January 2006 at 7.30pm. CAAT hope to hold a public meeting with a celebrity like George Monbiot in the New Year.
4. Goodbye to Frank Frank gave us an interesting history of WDM from its early days in the sixties when he wrote for the SPUR , WDM’s first newspaper. We wish him well in his retirement in Somerset and look forward to hearing how the campaigning continues there.
5. Next meeting will be on 18 January 2006 at Ray and Fabiola’s at 7.45pm
2006 Meetings monthly on the third Wednesday will be on 15 February at Raju’s, 15 March at Sue’s, 19 April at Pat’s, 17 May at Aidan and Clare’s, 21 June at Beth’s and 19 July at Sue’s