Comments for Climate Change and Trade Unions http://cacctu.wordpress.com Wed, 27 May 2009 21:18:23 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Mobilise for UN Climate talks in Copenhagen, December 09 by karen steger http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/mobilise-for-un-climate-talks-in-copenhagen-december-09/#comment-102 karen steger Wed, 27 May 2009 21:18:23 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/mobilise-for-un-climate-talks-in-copenhagen-december-09/#comment-102 please direct me to any publicity, things i can circulate here please direct me to any publicity, things i can circulate here

]]> Comment on Mobilise for UN Climate talks in Copenhagen, December 09 by Oxford Working Class Bookfair http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/mobilise-for-un-climate-talks-in-copenhagen-december-09/#comment-100 Oxford Working Class Bookfair Mon, 25 May 2009 13:04:16 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/mobilise-for-un-climate-talks-in-copenhagen-december-09/#comment-100 1ST OXFORD WORKING CLASS BOOKFAIR SATURDAY 20TH JUNE, 11 am - 6 pm at Ruskin College, Walton Street, Oxford Supporters of the event include Oxford & District TUC & local IWW Books, talks, badges, workshops, posters, postcards, DVDs, CDs, music, culture, short films, magazines, lectures, warm atmosphere, fellowship, meet new people, education, entertainment, magazine, newspapers etc. To book a stall/more info. email us! Includes 100th Anniversary of 1909 RUSKIN COLLEGE STRIKE meeting, the first radical student uprising in English history that saw students breakaway to form radical & anti-capitalist educational networks such as the PLEBS LEAGUE and CENTRAL LABOUR COLLEGES + Talks/workshops on anti-fascism & anti-racism, situationism/dada/surrealism, anti-capitalism, people’s history, trade unions, war, peace & empire, radical bookselling, bash the rich marches, psychogeography, feminism & women’s equality, social ecology, popular & radical education, poetry/culture/art, music etc Speakers include - COLIN WAUGH Radical educator/FE teacher, active on the Post 16 Educator journal, recently author of pamphlet on the 1909 Ruskin College Student Strike & Plebs League IAN BONE English anarchist associated with Class War group. In 1984 he was labelled ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ by a British tabloid newspaper & was involved in the legendary Bash the Rich marches on wealthier areas of England such as Kensington, Henley-on-Thames & Hampstead. RICHARD SEYMOUR Author of ‘The Liberal Defense of Murder’, a searing critique of the B52 liberals and pro-war left & the brains behind Lenin’s Tomb, one of the best-known political blogs in Britain, listed in 2005 as the 21st-most-popular blog in the country. ANDREW BURGIN Radical seller/collektor of books, badges, posters, pamphlets & other emphemera. As press officer for the Stop the War Coalition he has worked particularly closely with the Military Families against the War campaign. He has also been linked to the Public Reading Rooms in London . . . JUDITH ORR Author of ‘A Rebel’s Guide to Women’s Liberation’ MALCOLM HOPKINS Our man from Housemans, London Town’s oldest radical bookshop who boast the largest range of radical newsletters, newspapers and mags of any shop in Brtain! He also does talks on situationism, dada, and surrealism - top bloke! Cllr JOHN TANNER Lefty Labour Councillor supports good causes like the Palestinians and anti-fascism - top bloke! DAVID RENTON Independent writer & historian. Written extensively on the history of anti-fascism including ‘When We Touched the Sky’ a history of the Anti-Nazi League & ‘Red Shirts & Black’ (Published by Ruskin College Library) the story of how the facist Blackshirts were driven out of Oxford in the 1930s. CIARAN WALSH IWW/Wobblie Member involved in Traveller education. ‘The IWW is a union unlike any other. It is a grassroots, democratic and militant union that seeks to organise ALL workers in ALL industries in ALL countries’ … Sounds like a good idea! PETER DWYER has done many silly and good things including working with NGOs and the labour movement in South Africa and speaking at World Social Forums in Rio, Mali and Kenya. During the daytime he teaches radical economics at Ruskin College GUY DEBORD Sadly Monsieur Debord can’t make this festival, but we have received a copy of The Society of the Spectacle - The Movie that will receive a free screening and Ruskin College premier during the course of the bookfair LUCY PARSONS once described by the Chicago police as ‘more dangerous than a thousand rioters’, Parsons died in 1942, she will be brought back to life for one day during the bookfair with a public reading of her infamous address To Tramps Also for OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH, there is another WORKING CLASS BOOKFAIR THE WEEK BEFORE IN SUNDERLAND! http://workingclassbookfair.vpweb.com/ For more info. - www.oxfordworkingclassbookfair.blogspot.com or oxfordworkingclassbookfair@googlemail.com 1ST OXFORD WORKING CLASS BOOKFAIR
SATURDAY 20TH JUNE, 11 am – 6 pm at Ruskin College, Walton Street, Oxford

Supporters of the event include Oxford & District TUC & local IWW

Books, talks, badges, workshops, posters, postcards, DVDs, CDs, music, culture, short films, magazines, lectures, warm atmosphere, fellowship, meet new people, education, entertainment, magazine, newspapers etc. To book a stall/more info. email us!

Includes 100th Anniversary of 1909 RUSKIN COLLEGE STRIKE meeting, the first radical student uprising in English history that saw students breakaway to form radical & anti-capitalist educational networks such as the PLEBS LEAGUE and CENTRAL LABOUR COLLEGES + Talks/workshops on anti-fascism & anti-racism, situationism/dada/surrealism, anti-capitalism, people’s history, trade unions, war, peace & empire, radical bookselling, bash the rich marches, psychogeography, feminism & women’s equality, social ecology, popular & radical education, poetry/culture/art, music etc

Speakers include -

COLIN WAUGH Radical educator/FE teacher, active on the Post 16 Educator journal, recently author of pamphlet on the 1909 Ruskin College Student Strike & Plebs League
IAN BONE English anarchist associated with Class War group. In 1984 he was labelled ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ by a British tabloid newspaper & was involved in the legendary Bash the Rich marches on wealthier areas of England such as Kensington, Henley-on-Thames & Hampstead.
RICHARD SEYMOUR Author of ‘The Liberal Defense of Murder’, a searing critique of the B52 liberals and pro-war left & the brains behind Lenin’s Tomb, one of the best-known political blogs in Britain, listed in 2005 as the 21st-most-popular blog in the country.
ANDREW BURGIN Radical seller/collektor of books, badges, posters, pamphlets & other emphemera. As press officer for the Stop the War Coalition he has worked particularly closely with the Military Families against the War campaign. He has also been linked to the Public Reading Rooms in London . . .
JUDITH ORR Author of ‘A Rebel’s Guide to Women’s Liberation’
MALCOLM HOPKINS Our man from Housemans, London Town’s oldest radical bookshop who boast the largest range of radical newsletters, newspapers and mags of any shop in Brtain! He also does talks on situationism, dada, and surrealism – top bloke!
Cllr JOHN TANNER Lefty Labour Councillor supports good causes like the Palestinians and anti-fascism – top bloke!
DAVID RENTON Independent writer & historian. Written extensively on the history of anti-fascism including ‘When We Touched the Sky’ a history of the Anti-Nazi League & ‘Red Shirts & Black’ (Published by Ruskin College Library) the story of how the facist Blackshirts were driven out of Oxford in the 1930s.
CIARAN WALSH IWW/Wobblie Member involved in Traveller education. ‘The IWW is a union unlike any other. It is a grassroots, democratic and militant union that seeks to organise ALL workers in ALL industries in ALL countries’ … Sounds like a good idea!
PETER DWYER has done many silly and good things including working with NGOs and the labour movement in South Africa and speaking at World Social Forums in Rio, Mali and Kenya. During the daytime he teaches radical economics at Ruskin College
GUY DEBORD Sadly Monsieur Debord can’t make this festival, but we have received a copy of The Society of the Spectacle – The Movie that will receive a free screening and Ruskin College premier during the course of the bookfair
LUCY PARSONS once described by the Chicago police as ‘more dangerous than a thousand rioters’, Parsons died in 1942, she will be brought back to life for one day during the bookfair with a public reading of her infamous address To Tramps

Also for OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH, there is another WORKING CLASS BOOKFAIR THE WEEK BEFORE IN SUNDERLAND!
http://workingclassbookfair.vpweb.com/

For more info. – http://www.oxfordworkingclassbookfair.blogspot.com or oxfordworkingclassbookfair@googlemail.com

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by Frank Jackson http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-79 Frank Jackson Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:34:07 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-79 One glaring omission from almost all discussions of climate change, including this one, is the effect, direct and indirect, of military activities on global warming. The direct effect includes the use of fossil fuels, with the US military said to be the largest single corporate user of them. This is true even in "peacetime", and is exacerbated by conflict. It has been calculated that the Iraq war resulted in the emission of 141 million tonnes of greenhouse gases between March 2003 and October 2007, Conflict damages the environment in many ways. It inhibits the measures needed to tackle environmental problems, both those created by the conflict and the more general, longstanding ones. Conversely, climate change is often one of the causes of conflict, producing a vicious circle. A further aspect to be noted is the mismatch between the resources devoted to the military and those used for peaceful, constructive purposes, including combatting global warming. This contrast is especially striking in the field of R & D, where military research is many times that devoted to climate change. This is a trade union conference. But the trade unions have a very ambivalent attitude to these issues. If they conformed to their professed principles of human brotherhood and peace they would be demanding that they be provided with jobs that enhanced life, not created the means to destroy it. Yet they defend the jobs of workers in the arms industry, such as nuclear submarines, the Eurofighter, and new aircraft carriers. The problems of poverty, preventable disease, discrimination, conflict, environmental degradation, including climate change, will not be solved until the human race learns to live together without periodically slaughtering one another by the tens, hundreds, thousands and, with nuclear weapons, potentially millions, and stops devoting so much of its resources to the means to do so. The trade union movement should be in the forefront of campaigning to achieve this. Frank Jackson Co-Chair, World Disarmament Campaign ps The timetable for the conference contains a mistake which for some reason seems to have become common recently: 12pm is midnight, not noon. Whoever compiled the agenda, think about it: what does pm mean? post meridiem = after noon. 12am is also midnight, but 24 hours earlier, ie, the beginning of the day, as opposed to the end. One glaring omission from almost all discussions of climate change, including this one, is the effect, direct and indirect, of military activities on global warming. The direct effect includes the use of fossil fuels, with the US military said to be the largest single corporate user of them. This is true even in “peacetime”, and is exacerbated by conflict. It has been calculated that the Iraq war resulted in the emission of 141 million tonnes of greenhouse gases between March 2003 and October 2007, Conflict damages the environment in many ways. It inhibits the measures needed to tackle environmental problems, both those created by the conflict and the more general, longstanding ones. Conversely, climate change is often one of the causes of conflict, producing a vicious circle.

A further aspect to be noted is the mismatch between the resources devoted to the military and those used for peaceful, constructive purposes, including combatting global warming. This contrast is especially striking in the field of R & D, where military research is many times that devoted to climate change.

This is a trade union conference. But the trade unions have a very ambivalent attitude to these issues. If they conformed to their professed principles of human brotherhood and peace they would be demanding that they be provided with jobs that enhanced life, not created the means to destroy it. Yet they defend the jobs of workers in the arms industry, such as nuclear submarines, the Eurofighter, and new aircraft carriers.

The problems of poverty, preventable disease, discrimination, conflict, environmental degradation, including climate change, will not be solved until the human race learns to live together without periodically slaughtering one another by the tens, hundreds, thousands and, with nuclear weapons, potentially millions, and stops devoting so much of its resources to the means to do so. The trade union movement should be in the forefront of campaigning to achieve this.

Frank Jackson
Co-Chair, World Disarmament Campaign

ps The timetable for the conference contains a mistake which for some reason seems to have become common recently: 12pm is midnight, not noon. Whoever compiled the agenda, think about it: what does pm mean? post meridiem = after noon. 12am is also midnight, but 24 hours earlier, ie, the beginning of the day, as opposed to the end.

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by Stuart Black http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-77 Stuart Black Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:54:21 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-77 Local production, sweatshops and fairtrade. The transportation of goods in cargo ships creates much uneccesary carbon pollution. Vast amounts of goods are transported from such ships whether this be sugar from Africa, sportwear from Bangledesh or mobile phones from China. The need to create local production and local markets for goods therefore is not only a battle for worker's rights, conditions and wages it is also a battle for the environment. The increase in pay of sweatshop workers from China to Bangledesh and onto Africa and the Carribean would enable them to buy the local goods that they so often produce. As well, the investment in manufacturing by the economies of Western workers would enable locally sourced products. I am aware of the production of duel fuel cargo ships, however, surely fair pay for the sweatshop workers of the world is more important then investment in such forms of shipping. Local production, sweatshops and fairtrade. The transportation of goods in cargo ships creates much uneccesary carbon pollution. Vast amounts of goods are transported from such ships whether this be sugar from Africa, sportwear from Bangledesh or mobile phones from China.
The need to create local production and local markets for goods therefore is not only a battle for worker’s rights, conditions and wages it is also a battle for the environment.
The increase in pay of sweatshop workers from China to Bangledesh and onto Africa and the Carribean would enable them to buy the local goods that they so often produce.
As well, the investment in manufacturing by the economies of Western workers would enable locally sourced products.
I am aware of the production of duel fuel cargo ships, however, surely fair pay for the sweatshop workers of the world is more important then investment in such forms of shipping.

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by Stuart Black http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-76 Stuart Black Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:41:41 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-76 Conversion of electric transmission cables to become high density voltage cables. The present system of transmitting energy is wasteful with the present system of overhead cables also an eyesore, a potential danger with a recent case of an adolescent child being electrocuted. They are also open to hurricanes and lightning strikes as well as terrorism. The conversion to a system of high density voltage cables could significantly improve the effieciency of transmission of electricity by approximately 17% (check scientists for global responsibility for finer detail.) In fact, the combination of centralised power systems consisting of solar energy whereby the energy from the sun is converted to electric energy through a system of mirrors concentrating the energy onto water to create steam turbines together with other forms of renewables would most probably create enough energy. Scientists have calculated that between 1% and 5% of deserts need to be covered with such solar steam turbines in order to create suffiecient energy providing high density voltage cables are the transmitting source. They have postured Northern Africa and South Africa as the areas for the solar steam turbines with localised mining. Localised mining would create work in areas that would welcome the source of employment and that would help to stabilise their states thus reducing threats of terrorism. Scientists have also looked into food sources for local populations and brought forward that the shaded areas provided by solar steam turbines would enable the growth of food. The transformation of the electricity transmission systems to underground higher voltage density cables would of course improve the effieciency of all energy sources. Conversion of electric transmission cables to become
high density voltage cables. The present system of transmitting energy is wasteful with the present system of overhead cables also an eyesore, a potential danger with a recent case of an adolescent child being electrocuted. They are also open to hurricanes and lightning strikes as well as terrorism.
The conversion to a system of high density voltage cables could significantly improve the effieciency of transmission of electricity by approximately 17% (check scientists for global responsibility for finer detail.)
In fact, the combination of centralised power systems consisting of solar energy whereby the energy from the sun is converted to electric energy through a system of mirrors concentrating the energy onto water to create steam turbines together with other forms of renewables would most probably create enough energy. Scientists have calculated that between 1% and 5% of deserts need to be covered with such solar steam turbines in order to create suffiecient energy providing high density voltage cables are the transmitting source. They have postured Northern Africa and South Africa as the areas for the solar steam turbines with localised mining. Localised mining would create work in areas that would welcome the source of employment and that would help to stabilise their states thus reducing threats of terrorism. Scientists have also looked into food sources for local populations and brought forward that the shaded areas provided by solar steam turbines would enable the growth of food.
The transformation of the electricity transmission systems to underground higher voltage density cables would of course improve the effieciency of all energy sources.

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by Stuart Black http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-75 Stuart Black Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:18:18 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-75 Making social housing fuel effeicient and need for council housing. The government ought to begin a huge programme in making council and social housing more fuel effiecient. This could involve heat insulation programmes, installation of combined heat and energy units, upadating of boilers. It could also involve the installation of solar panels and wind turbines on council estate blocks. Tenants in council estates and other forms of social housing will generally spend more time at home. This is because they either do not work or poverty restricts them from going out at night. As well, some are homeworkers whose companies ought to be taxed in order to facilitate the transformation of their homes into energy effiecient homes. The oil and gas companies as well ought to be issued with a windfall tax in order to pay for the modernising of homes to make them fuel effiecient. Making social housing fuel effeicient and need for council housing. The government ought to begin a huge programme in making council and social housing more fuel effiecient. This could involve heat insulation programmes, installation of combined heat and energy units, upadating of boilers. It could also involve the installation of solar panels and wind turbines on council estate blocks.
Tenants in council estates and other forms of social housing will generally spend more time at home. This is because they either do not work or poverty restricts them from going out at night. As well, some are homeworkers whose companies ought to be taxed in order to facilitate the transformation of their homes into energy effiecient homes.
The oil and gas companies as well ought to be issued with a windfall tax in order to pay for the modernising of homes to make them fuel effiecient.

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by Stuart Black http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-74 Stuart Black Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:06:03 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-74 Commercial vehicles such as lorries, utility vans, postal vans and taxis could be adapted to become electric vehicles. Such vehicles are essential work vehicles and new vehicles that are constructed need to be electric or at the very least duel-fuel vehicles as well. The car manufacturing industry in the UK and in other countries is at present in recession the government could step-in to provide training of workers in these industries to enable vehicle conversion. They could also subsidise the car industry to enable investment in adapting commercial vehicles to become electric vehicles and in building new electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are more fuel effiecient, require less maintenance, have less carbon pollution and other forms of pollution including noise pollution, breakdown less thus reducing congestion and cheaper to run. Commercial vehicles are in daily use thus the importance of making them electric, however, work could be organised to adapt vehicles at weekends. Commercial vehicles such as lorries, utility vans, postal vans and taxis could be adapted to become electric vehicles. Such vehicles are essential work vehicles and new vehicles that are constructed need to be electric or at the very least duel-fuel vehicles as well. The car manufacturing industry in the UK and in other countries is at present in recession the government could step-in to provide training of workers in these industries to enable vehicle conversion. They could also subsidise the car industry to enable investment in adapting commercial vehicles to become electric vehicles and in building new electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles are more fuel effiecient, require less maintenance, have less carbon pollution and other forms of pollution including noise pollution, breakdown less thus reducing congestion and cheaper to run. Commercial vehicles are in daily use thus the importance of making them electric, however, work could be organised to adapt vehicles at weekends.

]]> Comment on Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference by SOCIALIST UNITY » Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-70 SOCIALIST UNITY » Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group -2nd Trade Union Conference Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:37:38 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/campaign-against-climate-change-trade-union-group-2nd-trade-union-conference/#comment-70 [...] [...] [...] [...]

]]> Comment on Trade union conference – final conference line up by barbara cookson http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/trade-union-conference-final-conference-line-up/#comment-63 barbara cookson Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:17:33 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/?p=66#comment-63 would like to register for the TU conference on 7th march would like to register for the TU conference on 7th march

]]> Comment on Trade union conference – final conference line up by Derek Wall http://cacctu.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/trade-union-conference-final-conference-line-up/#comment-62 Derek Wall Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:32:51 +0000 http://cacctu.wordpress.com/?p=66#comment-62 http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-greens-should-back-jerry-hicks.html may be of interest http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-greens-should-back-jerry-hicks.html

may be of interest

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