Solidarity with migrant workers

Uploaded by Dude Swheatie of Kwug

The BBC today reports:

How Libyan coastguard patrols Misrata seas(1)

5 hours ago

Efforts by the European Union to prevent large numbers of migrants travelling from northern Africa to Italy by sea appears to be failing.

A scaling back of maritime rescue operations appears not to have deterred thousands of people trying to make the crossing.
Around 400 migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized while attempting the journey from Libya to Italy on Monday.
Quentin Sommerville reports from the quay in Misrata, as the Libyan coastguard seizes a boatload of migrants bound for Europe.

 I believe that we are all one world. Haters of 'foreigners' do not. I upload the following in honour of all those who die attempting to make dangerous crossings. It's Judy Collins' rendition of a song by American 'Dust Bowl Balladeer' Woody Guthrie who also wrote the song This Land is Your Land which condemns the privatisation of land and celbrates the prospect of common ownership.(2)

The song here is called Deportee (Plain Wreck at Los Gatos) and tells the story of the deportees' whose plane crashed in Los Gatos Canyon with greater compassion than a radio report at the time that said the victims "were just deportees."

See also:

 Statement from Jean Lambert MEP for London: April 15, 2015 Dying for freedom: what the EU can do about deaths in the Med(3)

Movement Against Xenophobia(4)

Notes

(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32313994

(2) Arlo Guthrie, Willie Nelson & Neil Young sing This Land is Your Land at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r0MQpUTIow

(3) http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/2015/04/15/dying-for-freedom-what-the-eu-can-do-about-deaths-in-the-med/

(4) http://www.noxenophobia.org/

Free trade vs local democracy

From World Development Movement

Short briefing on CETA

By Nick Dearden, 9 September 2014

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a “next generation” free trade and investment pact that Canada and the EU have been negotiating since May 2009. It has taken nearly a year since the 18 October 2013 ‘agreement in principle’ was reached to iron out the 'final difficulties' and we now expect an announcement on its completion at the EU-Canada Summit on 25 September.

Member states have until 12 September to make amendments to the text – after which point it is essentially set in stone. However, this will only be the beginning of the ratification process, which could take up to 2 years to complete.

Based on the leaked text we have seen, we oppose CETA. CETA could unfairly restrict how local governments spend money by banning ‘buy local’ policies, and create pressure to lock-in privatisation of services.

We also have immediate concerns about how CETA will be ratified – and fear CETA could pass into force without being examined by MPs....

Continue reading at War On Want website

Short briefing on CETA

By Nick Dearden, 9 September 2014

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a “next generation” free trade and investment pact that Canada and the EU have been negotiating since May 2009. It has taken nearly a year since the 18 October 2013 ‘agreement in principle’ was reached to iron out the 'final difficulties' and we now expect an announcement on its completion at the EU-Canada Summit on 25 September.

Member states have until 12 September to make amendments to the text – after which point it is essentially set in stone. However, this will only be the beginning of the ratification process, which could take up to 2 years to complete.

Based on the leaked text we have seen, we oppose CETA. CETA could unfairly restrict how local governments spend money by banning ‘buy local’ policies, and create pressure to lock-in privatisation of services.

We also have immediate concerns about how CETA will be ratified – and fear CETA could pass into force without being examined by MPs. 

- See more at: http://www.wdm.org.uk/trade/short-briefing-ceta#sthash.oMYi9WiO.dpuf