May 2004
Never heard of GATS?Then come and find out all about it at WDM regional conference at the Friends Meeting House in Jesus Lane on 22 May. MEP Eryll McNally will speak on “Progress since Cancun” and Christina Parsons from WDM HQ in London will give an update on WDM’s response to the World Trade Organisatio (WTO). Workshops will offer time for more detailed discussions. See www.cambridgewdm.org.uk In Memoriam – Cllr Ruth BagnallWe were shocked to hear of the recent sad loss of Cllr Ruth Bagnall , leader of the City Council Labour Group. Very active on European issues and about to stand as prospective MEP in the elections in June, she was already an effective voice for Cambridge on the European Commission of the Regions and generous in helping groups like ours access information. She will be sadly missed. Put a plug in it!World Water Day 22 March22
was marked by Cambridge WDM presenting Anne Campbell M.P. with a giant bath plug in the Market Square. While access to clean water is a basic human right and one of the 2015 Millennium development goals, the general Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) looks set to make water privatisation inevitable for the world’s poorest countries.See how and why on www.wdm.org.uk and www.gatswatch.org This was covered in a brief report with a good colour picture in April’s Cambridge Agenda magazine.Anne Campbell, MP with group members.
Cambridge - A Fairtrade City
On 5 March Cambridge was
declared a Fairtrade City and the Mayor travelled by punt to Magdalene Bridge
to meet the Cambridge Fairtrade Steering Group, which includes several WDM
members, at the Oxfam Shop in Bridge Street.
The publicity included
Fabiola Blum of Cambridge WDM presenting the Mayor with our Fairtrade Guide to
Cambridge, giving a list of the Fairtrade outlets in the city, complied by Fabiola and Ray Galvin now available
on our website at www.cambridgewdm.org.uk
Fabiola with
the Mayor on the Cam.
GATS at the DTI
In December Cambridge WDM
members attended a Local Government Information Board meeting in London on GATS
with Malcolm McKinnon of the DTI and local authority representatives, who
voiced their concerns about how GATS would affect local government. Will local
democracy be the same if GATS is adopted?
What next After Cancun?
On 17 October, Eryll McNally
MEP and Cllr Ruth Bagnall, then Leader of the Labour Group on Cambridge City
Council, attracted more than 60 people to the Emmanuel UR Church when they
spoke on Fairtrade after the collapse of the Talks in Cancun Mexico.
Malawi Exhibition
21 October saw the launch
with the Afrobeat Band of the Malawi Exhibition “Malawi’s Debt Experience” at
Emmanuel United Reformed Church in Trumpington Street. A fun evening for all
was followed by other events marking One World Week while the exhibition continued
for the rest of the week.
Cambridge Forum
A new discussion forum meets
monthly at the CB1 Café in Mill Road and on 22 October Beth Coulthard, CWDM
Chair and its Secretary Sue Woodsford spoke on GATS, Fairtrade and Debt at the
Cambridge Forum while Mike Brady another WDM member spoke on the Simultaneous
Policy initiative.
60 Years of IMF and World Bank
In July 1944 over 700
delegates from 44 countries met at Bretton Woods to rebuild shattered economies
after the war and set up a system to avoid the economic crises of the 20s &
30s which many blamed for the rise of fascism. The meeting was a show down
between the USA’s HD WhIte and UK represented by John Maynard Keynes. His
proposal of an ‘international clearing union’ to balance inequality between
nations was defeated and the result was the IMF and the World Bank. Economist
Sir Edward Holloway predicted this system would lead to unpayable indebtedness
between nations.
Cambridge WDM Meetings If you’d
like to campaign for justice for the world’s poor, why not join us at our
meetings? New members are welcome - 7.45pm on the third Wednesday of each
month.
19 May at Beth’s 8 Railway
Street
16 June at
Frank’s Grantchester Vicarage
21 July at Pat’s 6 Lexington Close
Sue Woodsford, Hon Sec 14 Chesterton Hall Crescent Cambridge CB4 1AP
Tel No 01223 – 562983 or see website