Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Goodbye freedom: ACTA

Once again we look to trade to solve the world's problems. If anybody read my article on Monsanto then I am sure you can see how ludicrous the whole situation is.

Want to help retain our freedom? Online activist Avaaz is one of my most frequented sites. They strive for justice through petitions and campaigning, giving a voice to all those crying out to end injustice. In a world of 7bn, we can too often dwell on our insignificance. This has to change.

Our attitude of 'but how can one person make a difference' needs to be abolished! This site shows that an individual action can lead to a global shift. Jump on board the band wagon guys, making a difference feels good!!

A terrifying tale... the Tesco Takeover.

When I left for my travels, my anxiety and sense of entrapment  had reached an all time high. Feeling worthless and lost in a country of mistaken identities, an almighty bang rang long and loud as my bubble of 'peace, love and happiness' had been burst for the last time. 


Naive some may say. 


I considered it hopeful. I was hopeful for change. Hopeful for a shift.


Returning 6 months later, my faith in Britain had been miraculously restored. Having met so many people who were seeking the change they wished to see in the world, I came home positive of a similar response. Up sticking to Bristol my hope became reality. A cohesive community that actively works to keep it local and encourages diversity, this metropolis shares my views and keeps me motivated in my ongoing battle for change.


Yet I am still left with an undercurrent of corruption as I see the Asian tiger rear its head. Now I am not referring to China here but instead the almighty beast that is Tesco. Tesco epitomises capitalism and a loss in the values that so many of us are trying so desperately to regain. 


Britain is no longer Great in the original sense of the word. Dwindling down to a rather pitiful blip in the global economy our power of 'reigning supreme' is but an afterthought in the history books. Having sold our soul to the multinationals and accepting defeat, many have succumbed to the mindless, sedentary squaller which capitalism has inadvertently created.


As I have previously mentioned in blogs past, many of us escape our country in order to reconnect to the self. Too frequently are we bombarded with advertisement and societal pressure to be something that was fabricated out of our consumer culture. Absorbed into these ideals many have lose sight of instinctive habits and the intuition that has made so many philosophers before us Great. 

So Tesco...


Our detachment from Gaia and feeling of disdain, as I hope to explain, can be told through terrifying tale of Tesco's...


Intensification: Farming is the lifeblood for which we are lost without. But ever since the 17th century our practises have been altered and manipulated to feed our fury. As a result, our rural lands and traditional values have become all but extinct. Increased buying power that has jeopardised centuries of farming, Tesco has pushed many farmers to the 'brink of bankruptcy' according to a 2005 FoE report. Further to this, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) states that Tesco consistently pays suppliers nearly 4% below the average price paid by other retailers. 


Fact: Tesco finished in 5th place (out of 8) in the 2007-08 survey by CIWF, finding over 80% of chicken meat sold by Tesco to be from intensively reared fast-growing breeds. 


Globalisation: Tesco's investment overseas is relentless. But like many international brands, the practises they preach on their home turf is not upheld in the international market. Often paying workers wages that keep them in poverty, there is scant regard to their health and safety of employees. When I was in SE Asia it came as a shock to find palm oil in Cadbury's. 


100% Malaysian beef? I highly doubt it McDonalds. 


In the all too familiar Greenwash employed to cover their arses, companies portray an ethical concern to satisfy Corporate Social Responsibility.


Fact: Rankings of top companies in 2004 named Tesco as one of the worst offenders on social and environmental issues and heavily criticised its CSR report for being incomplete and inadequately verified (Accountability/CSR Network (2004) The Accountability Rating)


Exploitation: We need to exist as a self-sustaining global entity in order to maintain harmony in nature. Recognising the importance of individuality and inter-connectedness, community is a basic human need. Look to the wild and we see that community allows for protection, cooperation and sustainability. A breakdown of this norm and chaos ensues. Flip back to today and what do you see? 


Fact: Over-exploitation and land-use change are the biggest causes of species extinction (Millennium Assesment).


With Tesco monopolising the high-street, our ability to remain as unified being becomes somewhat limited. The ongoing battle in Bristol over Tesco's takeover of the high-street is but one example. Bristol prides itself on innovation and independence but the plight of the community to upheld this has fallen on deaf ears. Although 93% of Stokes Croft opposed the new Tesco, our loss of influence in the hierarchy of governance leaves us more ostracised than ever.


 Fact: Every day a new Tesco Express opens it's doors. 


Power: 'Power corrupts, Absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Have we not learnt anything from our forefathers? Land grabs are one of the biggest problems facing the developing world. With weak governance and lack of investment in the past,  Africa is particularly at risk. China is buying up land in the remaining fertile lands of Africa to help feed it's own population! Plundering local businesses and buying products from far reaching corners of the globe to compete with the low costs that local produces try to encourage, Tesco is a prime example of how warped the current system is. 


With no due care to the environment, Tesco's are also a major supplier of Palm oil-laden products. They may be a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil but there commitment still remains poor.  


Fact: Deforestation which causes 20 percent of global emissions and planting of palm oil on cleared lowland peat forests in places such as Indonesia releases  methane gas which has much more GWP than CO2.


In January, Tesco's market share dipped below 30% for the first time since 2005. Chief executive, Philip Clarke, admitted that Tesco had deep, "long-standing business issues" to address. Could investment in areas in which you are not welcome be the issue?

GROW 
As Oxfam's GROW campaign enters it's second year I will be working my preverbial socks off to help empower local farmers, spread awareness of the global issues we face and provide local solutions for you all, in order to make the steps towards a future that is sustainable. Stay tuned for updates!


Fancy a chuckle...
Been saving those Tesco clubcard points have we? Well pay a visit to the online shop and spend those points on an Oxfam gift to 'feed a family'. O the irony.