G7 Welcoming Committee Records. Uncooperative since 1997.

You appear to be using a shitty web browser. Brent suggests getting a better one.

58 fragments of dialogue thus far ...

(Subscribe to discussion about this post via RSS)

• Comment by stephen on May 1st, 2007 at 2:29 am:

  yes, this is a must read. i went through the whole thing a while back.

• Comment by caítlin on May 1st, 2007 at 3:34 am:

  This is a good article and I’m always impressed by the Independent’s coverage of climate change and environmental issues [sometimes even to the detriment of their world news coverage] but I just can’t understand why, in the reams of stuff they’ve written about ethical or eco-living, they still don’t advocate vegetarianism or even really consider the colossal impact of the meat and dairy industry on the environment. It makes all the hand-ringing a bit hard to take, especially when they give out those stupid fucking meat stickers. [or was that the guardian?]

• Comment by Pidge on May 1st, 2007 at 5:59 am:

  The Times Higher Educational Supplement did a great article called ‘Save the Planet - become a vegan’ last week, which is the first time I’ve seen the links meat production and global climate change in a main stream paper (you can’t view it online without subscribing)

  I think the Independent’s letters pages have raised this issue before, but it’s never been translated to the front page as far as I’m aware.

  Also, why do they issue a stupid fucking ‘motoring’ supplement every week?

• Comment by james on May 1st, 2007 at 11:40 am:

  Great puddles of Antarctic Shelf! I should read this…

  Does anybody hate the arguement, “Well, if it’s gonna be gone, then I’m gonna use it while it’s here,” wasters use when “defending” their consumptive rationale?

  It is emotionally draining…it seems chock full of sophomoric nihilism…

• Comment by caítlin on May 1st, 2007 at 12:29 pm:

  Also ridiculous are their food and fashion supplements. “Trendy ties for under £200!”
  Definitely a firmly bourgeois paper, but one on the right track anyway.

  It is an irritating argument, James, but I understand it. Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands in the air and doing the same. What pisses me off is when people turn it around to make out that you’re the one being selfish, or more frequently, “ungrateful”, for not overconsuming.

• Comment by Jon UK on May 1st, 2007 at 5:03 pm:

  Moving stuff. Really good read aswell, mind.

• Comment by phonefuck on May 1st, 2007 at 8:46 pm:

  I would just like to say that the NewStandards officially not running anymore. That’s fucked.

• Comment by Mathias on May 1st, 2007 at 10:52 pm:

  yeah TNS shutting down is depressing.

• Comment by falcore on May 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 am:

  i went into work today and one of my co-workers told me that he read that Bees are dieing off and it might be related to cell phone towers disrupting their navigation.

  In an unrelated story i was watching a clip of the carson daily show, on you tube, where he interviewed luke wilson for 10 min. about his new movie.
  During the course of the interview nothing happened and turned out to be a complete waste of time.

  Wasn’t there a leak from the pentagon saying that the environment was more of a threat than terrorism like two or three years ago.

  So do these scientists making this forecast of mass extinction do they know the causes?

• Comment by james on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:20 am:

  Falcore! These hands used to be so big…and strong…

  Scientists say: Wikipedia the hell out of global warming, river poisoning, and the culture of consumption.

  Long live the new standard(s) (archive). Back to zMAG and this alterNET that people speak of (woot to democracynow.org).

  I always feel selfish and ungrateful when I make choices eliminating the cycle of killing for sustainabile living from my dinner/breakfast/lunch plate and the garments on my back. I put so many people out when I won’t eat their happily offered flesh and muscley tendon arrangements…it’s like I spit on their faces! Boo-hoo-hoo…septic culture is offended by city boy’s “discipline”.

  PS: How does spending 100bucks on a thousand bucks worth of merchandise help out my favorite collective of musicians and intellectuals?

• Comment by james on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:40 am:

  PPS: Former CIA Director George Tenet just divulged on MSNBC that Cheney ordered the forging of the Niger documents(the flimsy evidence for a war in Iraq).

• Comment by Tony UK on May 2nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm:

  James, Id guess that not many people go back to G7 releases other than when theyre initially released, and I doubt that many people buy alot of the smaller titles (like warsawpack), so I’d guess they spend alot of money pressing cds no one buys because they want to buy Cliff Richards latest album. Its completley shit and depressing i think. Just out of curiosity, how many copies of releases do you fellas normally sell? It must be a costly business if an album doesnt do so well. Or maybe they just really badly wanted a hockey net/espresso machine/jacuzzi in the office, a big room with nothing in except one laptop playing all the G7 classics, whilst beers and hot jets of water flow everywhere…
  But yeh, The Independent on Sunday always has great articles, recently read some stuff about how female troops get treated in the American Military, unbelievable coverage, but nearly all the mainstream papers manage to throw in a meat recipe here and there, or some fashion tips as Caitlin mentioned, leather handbags and that, the connections dont get made…

• Comment by rippin on May 2nd, 2007 at 9:34 pm:

  Some may suggest that there are tribes of people living in the Amazon that have never seen a white man or heard of the outside world before. Personally I hope it stays that way. But at the rate in which we rape the rain forests of it’s timber i’m sure it won’t be forever. I’d like to think theres a glint of hope left for us, but I don’t think this last chance procrastinated effort to comply with Kyoto will make it okay.

• Comment by falcore on May 3rd, 2007 at 11:47 pm:

  ok
  so i have yet to read the mass extinction report,and i have only Wikipedia’d two things jack and shit.(apparently jack is a type of cheese and or a male first name originating in Celtic France and shit comes out of your ass and or bum for those who call it a bum it can also be used as a generic noun but is considered slang) so I’ll bother everybody with my uninformed questions such as, does this report primarily point to Humans as a catalyst of this up coming great extinction or does it also contain theory’s that it is a climate shift that is out of our hands except the part where we are accelerating it with out jackassery (another form of jack and the place that shit comes from i call this applied knowledge but you might see it a retarded or possible irritating…)
  “The choice is yours…Go PLanet!!!”

• Comment by james on May 4th, 2007 at 7:25 am:

  In completely unrelated news…

  After vetoing legislation Tuesday that gave him the money to continue his war but required that he accept loose limits of its ultimate duration, the president told the nation, “I recognize that many Democrats saw this bill as an opportunity to make a political statement about their opposition to the war. They sent their message, and now it is time to put politics behind us and support our troops with the funds they need.”-Commander in Chief of the United States of America

• Comment by tom on May 4th, 2007 at 7:29 am:

  yeah, I want to Kill the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, too.

• Comment by caítlin on May 4th, 2007 at 12:39 pm:

  Again kind of unrelated (although it *is* another Independent article), but.. anyone who remains under the impression that Ireland is a good place to live should read this:

  http://news.independ...e/article2511437.ece

  And then impregnate that fucking goon of a
  taoiseach.
  -

  I suggest that tomorrow, while we’re partying it up in our respective cities and singin’ the International, we spare a thought for labour organisers and activists in places like Nigeria, Colombia and Kazakhstan facing an even more menacing spectre than plain ol’ global capitalism.

  http://www.guardiann...r.com/news/article20
  http://www.zmag.org/...icle.cfm?ItemID=3937

• Comment by kate on May 4th, 2007 at 5:02 pm:

  hey kids, long time no random posting. I missed you!

  just a quick note:

  a while back i posted a few links to sites with information on consumer boycotts. I have since come across a wiki project that is pretty cool.

  Sage Francis is behind it.

  It’s at http://www.knowmore.org

  But you probably all knew about this already right?

  why doesn’t anybody tell me about these things???

• Comment by caítlin on May 5th, 2007 at 2:07 am:

  Thats a cool site Kate [I wonder if there’s a European equivilant? Most of them are over here anyway…]
  I’m still not sure where I stand on boycotts though. If I know a company has especially bad labour/animal/environmental practises I won’t buy their shit, but I suppose I don’t really see the point in switching from Nestle to Kelllogs [ i dont even know if they are two separate brands but for the purposes of my point, it’ll do]. What I’m trying to say is, it seems like a lot of the time these boycotts send people running into the arms of another capitalist giant instead, which is kinda pointless.
  And I have a head cold :(

  There are questions about who feels the impact too [is it the corn growers or the CEOs who feel the pinch when you don’t buy?].

  The only thing I can think of that I’ve ever consciously boycotted was Coca Cola [and, shock horror, in my fourteen year old enthusiasm I started drinking Pepsi! Perhaps I’m assuming everyone follows my hypocritical standards].
  If a better alternative exists, definitely you should try to support it, but the whole thing still feels a bit dirty.
  I guess I just don’t think there’s such a thing as “good” capitalism and “bad”.

• Comment by falcore on May 5th, 2007 at 2:39 am:

  here is a great site that talks about working class struggles http://libcom.org/

• Comment by caítlin on May 5th, 2007 at 1:26 pm:

  Happy May Day! Has the revolution come yet?

  On a completely unrelated matter, sign this, schmucks.
  http://getactive.pet...mpaign/savefelixuk07

• Comment by kate on May 5th, 2007 at 8:04 pm:

  Hey Caitlin.

  I get what you’re saying (I think) and I’m sure there are many people who agree with you, but I guess I see it differently.

  (To begin with a short anecdote):

  Yesterday I visited a friend of mine. She is totally uninterested in politics, the environment, social justice movements and pretty much any of the things discussed in this blog. Whenever i even mention the words ‘protest’ or ‘corporation’ she gives me this look like ‘you are such a fucking poser’. We share things in common, just not these things.

  So, yesterday, I say “I’m going down the street, can i get you anything?” and she says “Yeah, a Coke.” Now, she knows where i stand on this kind of stuff, but it’s been well established that she’s impervious to any kind of reasoning and long ago we agreed to disagree and moved on. I’m generally not the righteous type, and i have, on occasion, bought her a Coke on request. But yesterday I said “No”. She said “What do you mean “No”?” I said “I just read this article about Coca-Cola being accused of consorting with paramilitaries in Columbia to get rid of union activists. If you wanna support that then fine, that’s up to you, but I’m not gonna help you.” No matter how un-righteous i tried to make that statement, she was always gonna give me the ‘poser’ look.

  My point is this: a week ago i probably would have bought the Coke. I would have felt weird about it but i wouldn’t have made a scene. Obviously i don’t drink the shit, or consume anything owned by coke, but I’m not the ethics police, y’know? But after reading the article you (Caitlin) linked to, the unbelievably fucked-up practices of this corporation were just too fresh in my mind to ignore.

  I need to be constantly reminded of this stuff. The reality is that i have no idea what it means to be a union activist in Columbia. Or a child slave in the Ivory Coast. I’ve lead a relatively privileged life in a first world country. This kind of stuff is beyond my comprehension. And it can be hard when the people around you are unsupportive and make you feel like a cliche, or accuse you of being ungrateful or self-righteous. But when the information is right in front of you, the specific names and locations that help you remember that this is real and these are real people, it’s just so fucking obvious that people’s lives are more valuable than a fucking carbonated beverage or chocolate bar. And I no longer feel guilty or ignorant for taking note.

  But you’re probably thinking “Woohoo, one fucking Coke didn’t get bought, you’ve singlehandedly saved the entire planet! Idiot.”

  I believe that ultimately people just wanna fit in. So the more people who publicly take action, the more socially acceptable this type of action will become and support for it will increase. It’s not that people think it’s okay to put profit before people’s lives, it’s that they are misinformed or indoctrinated into believing it’s natural, for a cause, or worse, that they are powerless to stop it.

  But these companies are subject to consumer demand, that’s why they spend billions of dollars manipulating people through advertising, marketing and PR campaigns so that these demands can be reshaped into convenient and profitable ones. It’s not about labeling companies ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it’s about making them accountable.

  However, people are not going to respond to “ummmm, you shouldn’t buy that cos, ummmm, Coca-Cola is, ummmm, all, like, evil and corporation-y.” (trust me, i know from experience) I try to take note of what brands these corporations own and the practices they get up to not so-much to influence my own purchasing (I try to avoid packaged foods as much as possible, and reuse! reuse! reuse!) but so i can convincingly articulate my reasons behind avoiding certain brands to others. You wouldn’t believed how many hippies are surprised when i tell them Vitasoy is owned by Coca-Cola. Just because something is vegetarian or marketed as ‘health food’ doesn’t mean it’s ethical.

  I think the argument that we should keep supporting companies with poor practices because the growers/factory workers are the ones who’ll suffer if we don’t is pretty weak. Instead of giving $5 to a corporation of which $2 will go to marketing, $2 to packaging and transport, $0.95 to profit and $0.05 to the grower/factory worker, how about giving that $5 to a non-profit human rights organisation and (depending on which one you choose) maybe $2.50 of it will get to where it’s needed. (I made up those figures by the way, i have no authority on the subjetc at all)

  It’s important to know where things come from and how they got to you. What people do with that information is then up to them.

  FYI: Kelloggs is an American multinational corporation with ties to the Bush administration, Disney, and has subsidiaries that produce vegetarian and ‘health’ products.
  Nestle is a Swiss multinational corporation accused of labor rights violations incl. slave labour, marketing baby formula in the Third World that has resulted in the deaths of infants, demanding millions of dollars form the Ethiopian Government, selling dodgy pet food, and appropriating public resources.

  rant, rant, rant…..

• Comment by caítlin on May 6th, 2007 at 4:43 am:

  Kate!

  That was very interesting and a lot of what you say makes good sense… although i still don’t think I agree, haha. I’m going to try to respond to as much of this as possible before my head explodes and I have to buy a new, gore-less computer screen.

  I agree with you that when you know a company is worse than usual, you shouldn’t buy their shit. That’s one of my basic principles when I’m shopping. But I see a big difference (and it might sound pedantic, but i think its significant) between me not consuming whatever percent of stuff available because its either sketchily produced or closed to scrutiny, and a mass campaign to boycott something.

  The theory is all well and good, and if it was more consistent, I’d probably support it, but there are still a few niggling little problems with the concept:

  Firstly, unfortunately, the impact on workers *is* real, not in terms of “if i don’t buy this, the worker doesn’t get the 3% or whatever of the profits”, but rather, the very existence of jobs in developing countries.

  Look at the Anti-Sweatshop movement. For all its good intentions and despite several significant victories, it lacked the consistency to significantly change the practices of many companies. I’ve been reading about outsourcing, etc, recently, and the impact of public pressure campaigns. We write to Nike about a factory in Bangalore where there are shadey labour practices, and if we do it well, Nike respond by committing not to use child labour, or promising to follow international labour standards, freedom of association etc. All well and good except that Nike have no reason to keep their factories in Bangalore if they aren’t getting cheap labour there. Are we doing people a favour by getting them a better minimum wage for six months and then risking their jobs when the factory gets moved somewhere where there is no campaign to help the workers? It completely stinks, but it happens, and it begs the question: is a shit job better than no job?
  Now that obviously doesn’t mean that I dander around clad in Nike or consume Coca Cola because if I don’t, I think a factory might close, nor does it necessarily mean that people *shouldn’t* boycott Nike, but it necessitates a continuity I haven’t seen prevalent in, at least, local anti-sweatshop work. As you may have guessed, I’m kind of playing devil’s advocate here…

  Another example I can think of is an Israeli dude I met at a Palestine solidarity event. He was really active back home and impressed everyone with his complete honesty about the actions of his country in the occupied territories [and he was really cute], but he was fiercely opposed to the boycott of Israeli goods. Now, as much as it would stick in my craw to add to the GDP of Israel while it does the shit it does, he had a point. A huge amount of Israeli society - something like 25 or 30%, last time I read anything about it - live below the poverty line, and we all know poverty isnt exactly conducive to peace. Are we really right to punish people born in Israel for the actions of their government? There are good counter arguments, like the fact that Sharon was, well, elected by those people, etc, but its worth considering at least.

  And I most definitely agree its good to be aware of where your food comes from, in terms of brand but also, the country and its environmental conditions. Like soya beans grown in Brazil, flown to the states, mushed into milk in a factory and packaged in unrecyclable cartons isnt exactly my idea of ethical consumerism. And there is yet another argument (which again, I don’t support) that we should all head en masse to Burger King to eat their Veggie Burger because otherwise they’ll pull it from their shelves.

  There are so many things to consider that it really makes my head spin - and how often do you manage to see something that is vegan, organic, fairly traded and environmentally friendly/locally produced? We have to make trade offs all the time, within a framework that is pretty unescapable [according to Time, the kibbutzim are dead] and with limited money. Its a maze. Incidentally, there is a book about the ethics of our food in terms of those things listed above which I can’t recommend highly enough. Whatever you think of Peter Singer, check out “Eating” by him and Jim Masson.

  I think you’re right that people don’t consume unethically produced things maliciously, but rather, through lack of information. People absolutely should know where their stuff comes from, I fully support raising awareness, and I’m certainly not arguing against people voting with their dollah and using their influence as consumers, but like I said, i think theres a difference between the day to day informed decisions you make [consistently avoiding not just brands like coke and nestle but also the less talked about but no less meanie] and the boycotting of a handful of individual brands. 77 word sentence!!

  Money also comes in to it - I’m not blind to the irony that the stuff I can’t get from the farm or can’t afford to get from the net comes from places like Tesco.. kinda kills the conscience-salve of buying organic, bird friendly fair trade coffee. Another little soul destroying trade off.

  I’m sorry this was so long. I think I sneezed out my editorial skills… This ramble has exceeded my usual standards and I’ve probably contradicted myself a thousand times, but at least I get my point, right?

  Incidentally [i’m always plugging this] - you might be interested in the Openlearn topics on trade liberalisation and sweatshops - openlearn.ac.uk in the ’society’ section. Also that book and another I’ve just started, which at least addresses environmental and labour standards, although not from a particularly sympathetic viewpoint, “Not On The Label”. In faaaact, a certain irish laydee who shall remain nameless can hook y’all up with a free e-book copy of the latter, if you can handle screen-eyes [she asks you not to inform penguin publishers].

  Back to bed…

• Comment by james on May 7th, 2007 at 9:59 am:

  I’ll never be an apologist for sweatshops. It’s like saying. “At least the slaves didn’t experience serrated blades on the whips which lashed their backs…”

• Comment by tom on May 7th, 2007 at 11:01 am:

  kate and caitlin: you are both now deemed “my new cure for insomnia”. please post as many long, drawn out, unrelated rantings as you possibly can. this r.e.m. is great!

  fuck, i was going to address your words and actually link it to the blog topic (which we are all supposed to adhere to) but now i have to run. like you care.

  600 000 000 people drink coca cola products. and by 2012, coca cola’s ceos want over 1 billion people guzzling their shit.

  most species of vegetation and animals will die soon.

  do you see the link?

• Comment by mikea on May 7th, 2007 at 11:37 am:

  I think I’m siding with Kate on this one - sorry Freckles!

  But first of all, i believe that there’s one issue that’s very often overlooked by everyone (me included) and that should be dealt with in first place is ‘to buy or not to buy’: I believe that, the less we buy, the better. Capitalism wants/needs us to buy, and a dollar/pound/euro/yen spent is first and foremost a vote for an economic system - among other possibilities. Fuck, I cringe when i hear that economic growth will solve everything…except if by ’solve everything’, one means the destruction of planet Earth by the human species.

  As about boycotts, I believe there has to be a distinction between boycotting a specific brand, and boycotting a country.

  I believe ALL brands have to be boycotted - anybody remembers No Logo? (by the way, that was a cool site indded, Kate)
  I’m even increasingly reluctant at buying shit that’s ‘ethical’ when it’s produced by a company (even independent) that has ads on TV and that has its products sold in supermarkets.
  I still do, however, as a means to show my support for altenatives within the system, but I believe we gotta look for real alternatives. Chomsky votes, I buy Bjorg’s nayo.

  As about countries, i’m not sure…Poverty in Israel might be a key issue as far as peace is concerned, buuuut…I tend to believe that the issue is -as usual- the distribution of wealth. Along with the probably huge percentage of the tax-payers’ money that is spent to sustain the army, the military occupation, the settlements…and not spent in poverty relief programms…(not that I believe the welfare state to be a model)

  As about the issue of jobs in so-called ‘developping countries’, I don’t believe the question to be ‘is a shitty job better than no job?’: who the fuck on earth wants a “job”? People want to satisfy their needs, some might want extra-comfort, we all like to have fun, but who wants a “job”? I mean, people managed to sustain themselves for centuries before some venture capitalist came to benevolently offer them to make XidotX’s Nike “Air Force One”? I cringe (i cringe a lot these days, yeah) when I hear the typical “if there were no factories, those people would have nothing”: what do they get from those factories anyways? Stock-options? Self-esteem? Free shoes? I feel like filling my stomach with pills and booze right now when consider working 75 hours a week in a cambodian sweatshop as a means of surviving.

  We should support independent, sustainable economical alternatives built on local ressources. We should support workers who have rights, and real actual lives. We should offer, as often as possible, a middle finger response or a ‘fuck off’ to the rest.

  …Completely related (though not entirely): anybody knows a cool place where I could flee from ‘my’ country and its newly elected furher?

• Comment by caítlin on May 7th, 2007 at 1:12 pm:

  James: If you think I’m a “sweatshop apologist”, either you didn’t read what I wrote or I expressed myself more poorly than usual! No-one this side of human would suggest sweatshops are things to defend - what we’re discussing is methodology. Is a flippant boycott campaign really helpful? I’m not convinced, and I think it would be doing the movement a dis-service if criticisms were reserved.

  Tom; Sleep on this [*grabs crotch*]

  Ben - as long as you keep calling me freckles, you can think what you like ;)

  I’m with you, the less bought the better, the more simple the better. I try to cut out stages of processing as much as possible. And yes, it would be niave to look to developing countries and think capitalism will cure all their ills. In my mind that leaves some murky water - perhaps in an attempt to be realistic I’m approaching this from too far within the framework of capitalism, but what is to be done? Does it mean we shouldn’t consume from developing countries (and thus keep the wealth flowin’ in the same old places, and negate what benefits there are from industrialisation)? The only thing I’m comfortable doing is consciously making an effort to support progressive, worker/animal/environmentally friendly initiatives, but that isn’t always an option.

  In terms of boycotting all brands, i think perhaps we’re arguing the same thing but using different terminology. I don’t see the point of replacing one shitty brand with a slightly less shitty brand, which as far as I can see, is the nature of boycotting. Perhaps I’m just disillusioned from personal experience, but I just couldn’t bring myself, for example, to suggest Burger King because KFC wont take on some piecemeal reform. Maybe its absolutist of me, maybe I’m not seeing the bigger picture enough, but I just don’t believe its worth it.
  In my mind the solution is an attempt at more informed consumerism. For instance, avoid brands as much as possible, which is what i was talking about up there, and i think thats what you’re getting at too. I still retain its impossible to live outside of capitalism, but i think we can cut down our contribution quite significantly.

  As far as not wanting to work goes, as much as I like the idea of the old situationist “jamais travail” stuff, I’m trying to be practical, yanno? My garden and my however many years of education aren’t enough for me to sustain a decent life, thus I have to work, and also, to consume. I’m am in no way a defender of capitalism, but I *am* trying to find the least insane way of living stuck in this system, and while an available job in my town, or anywhere else, is by no means fulfilling, its pretty much the only option. Nobody works in a factory by choice, and the disinclination towards work is just not a reality for the majority of people.

  This has mutated slightly and I’m still not 100% on where we’re disagreeing, but I do apologise if I’m missing the point entirely here..

• Comment by mikea on May 7th, 2007 at 6:35 pm:

  Caítlin - I hope you didn’t take the 4 paragraphs of pidgin english above too personally: i think i just needed a drink;

  We’re clearly not disagreeing on that one and i really don’t believe you’re a sweatshop apologist or a ‘naive’ advocate of capitalism as a cure to all ills.

  “what is to be done? Does it mean we shouldn’t consume from developing countries (and thus keep the wealth flowin’ in the same old places, and negate what benefits there are from industrialisation)? The only thing I’m comfortable doing is consciously making an effort to support progressive, worker/animal/environmentally friendly initiatives, but that isn’t always an option”: couldn’t agree more with yee. I would add that what has to be avoided by all means is paternalism, be it truly benevolent and good-intentioned. It rarely is, and the old “we gotta help the third world” couplet sounds so scornful - and reminds me of Kipling’s “the white man’s burden”.

  “I don’t see the point of replacing one shitty brand with a slightly less shitty brand, which as far as I can see, is the nature of boycotting”: might be just me, but i didn’t think boycotting something implied replacing by a lesser evil. Is it the way it usually happens?

  “As far as not wanting to work goes, as much as I like the idea of the old situationist “jamais travail” stuff, I’m trying to be practical, yanno? My garden and my however many years of education aren’t enough for me to sustain a decent life, thus I have to work, and also, to consume”: I ain’t no ‘primitivist’, Freckles! and i wouldn’t want you to survive only thanks to potatoes grown on loyalist soil ;-
  Most of us need a paid job in order to survive, obviously, and that’s usually not very fulfilling…But i’m sure everybody here agrees that to make clothes (or whatever) for the happy consumers of the empire, for 70 hours a week, in ‘factories’ that are actual slave camps is just no kind of life.

  To our hosts - sorry for the slightly unrelated-to-the-blog-topic filibustering!

• Comment by kate on May 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pm:

  Agreed! Agreed! Agreed!

  Yes, consume less. Yes, reuse more. Yes, recycle where possible. Yes, buy sustainable, ethical products from planet-and-it’s-inhabitants friendly organisations when the former are not an option.

  Maybe i need to talk a little slower cos in my post i was not encouraging anyone to buy anything. I was simply talking about spreading information.

  I’m not sure that we’re disagreeing on anything more than how we use the term ‘boycott’.

  I’m not talking about switching from Coke to Pespi. I’m talking about, as you said, informed consumerism. If something is fucked, don’t support it. It’s as simple as that. If you can’t find an alternative that you’re comfortable with then you need to decide what you value more. I can’t tell people what to buy and what not to buy. I’m as confused as everyone else. How do you weigh up labour rights against the desire to dye your hair? I don’t fucking know, i change my mind constantly about what i’m comfortable with, and i do a lot of things i’m not comfortable with.

  As Caitlin said, there’s only so much you can achieve by writing letters and pulling publicity stunts. Remember Bowling for Columbine and Kmart? I would totally consider that a victory, but in the greater scheme of things the only thing that will really make a difference is if everybody gets informed and says “we know what you’re up too and we’re not gonna give you our money anymore.”

  Wishful thinking i know, but if anyone has a better idea…

  Mikea: i’m not sure about fulfilling the ‘cool’ criteria but you can come stay with me in Melbourne. New Hemisphere, new continent, new country, new fuhrer. That’s the best i can offer. Make sure you have a valid passport though, or they’ll lock you in a cage on some rocks in the pacific ocean for a few years. Seriously.

  Tom: What happened to the ‘i cried when my dog died’, ‘i go feminist discussion groups for men’ Tom that i used to have a crush on?

• Comment by dumdiddee on May 7th, 2007 at 6:55 pm:

  Regarding the poverty in Israel — does the poverty affect the ordinary isreali or is it generally confined to palestinians living within israel? Sorry if this has already been specified, i guess i missed it.

• Comment by caítlin on May 8th, 2007 at 3:01 am:

  Kate:

  Did I just write two essays needlessly? OY! Apologies. Consider my punishment piggy eyes.

  In a damp, dark basement somewhere in Montreal, his many dogs howling a eulogy, Tom’s little heart just broke…

  Dumdiddee, nope, I’m pretty sure its Israelis. I think the report said something like one in three Israeli children are born into poverty… That was a couple of years ago but I’d be surprised if it had changed much. Its a fiercely classist country.

• Comment by Tony UK on May 8th, 2007 at 4:18 am:

  “Remember Bowling for Columbine and Kmart? I would totally consider that a victory”

  This is right on. When i next get a job, chances are itll be in some shit-hole clothes shop that sells Vans,Bench, whatever. Its looking more and more like a part time job at ASDA Walmart up the road for christs sake. But with the money i earn from that Nightmare on Elm Street of a job, i can then try to support progressive, good natured companies, buy books, records that might expose new ideas/perspectives etc. Its best to keep optimistic fo sho, or you just get depressed and help no one. I think people have gotta remember that alot of lifestyle decisions can be very circumstantial, and i think alot of people confuse other peoples lack of information/ignorance on consumerism with their lack of time to think so heavily about it, what with shite wages, bills to pay, homes/families to look after. It was actually my mum who informed me about Nestles overseas practises, she used to work as a health visitor in a clinic, weighing babies, making sure they were growing fine etc. Heres an article about it:

  http://www.breastfee...-you-boycott-nestle/

  Unbelievable stuff, but whenever she goes shopping she’ll still buy that kind of stuff, more through not thinking about it in the supermarket, theres limited choice, she doesnt drive, hasnt got that much money, isnt gonna get a bus across town to the overpriced health food shops etc. Can anyone tell me why health food shops are so expensive? Its the main thing i struggle with…

• Comment by caítlin on May 8th, 2007 at 7:14 am:

  [Sorry to change the subject Tony, bit of a pressing matter.]

  A friend of mine faces deportation from my city very soon to a country where her safety cannot be guaranteed. I am reluctant to post the very private details of her case on a blog, but our concerns are very real and the thought of sending this wonderful woman and her beautiful baby into danger is horrifying. We need people to send faxes as a matter of urgency to speak out against her deportation. I can send you info if you want it, or a number if you have access to the rip-offs that are fax machines. If you’re happy to have a fax sent on your behalf, email me your name and address [your city will do] asap, asking for more info if you want it. saoirse_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

• Comment by james on May 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pm:

  Caitlin: Post the faxable/ emailable info and I’ll try to get some support over here.

  I wasn’t accusing anyone on this blog of apologizing or compromising with sweatshops. I was making a point of seeing the exploitation through rose colored “better than nothing” glasses and calling it for what it is. I side with the basic idea that it’s not necessarily the proper support one individual can give to another halfways across the world while the “Company” is the one profiting the most off of cheap land, cheap labor, and cheap restrictions. It helps my country out paying for our g.d. deficit what with the cheap importing en masse of this consumer shite, as a favor for the massive amount of money borrowed from these countries (at least as far as I know).

  I know the damage has been done; I’d be naive to argue that treating the topical expressions of a faulty system is a means of riding out the present until a proper cure surfaces.

• Comment by caítlin on May 8th, 2007 at 3:43 pm:

  I’m still not sure that posting this info is the right thing to do, when you consider how delicate it is, but if it helps…
  You can read about her case here:
  http://www.ncadc.org...zine82/lodorice.html
  included in which is a model fax, and then you can contact:
  Liam Byrne MP, Minister for State for Nationality, Citizenship & Immigration, Fax: 0207 035 4745 (from outside the UK + 44 20 7035 4745)

  If you end up re-posting it please use discretion where possible.

  Things are going well so far - around 40 people have signed today and I’m waiting to hear from more. The situation is very urgent though, so if people are going to send faxes, they should do so within the next few days [her flight keeps getting changed but if her appeal is refused, it will be soon].

  Also, if anyone can’t get to a fax machine, send me details (name, address/city, country) and I’ll send one on your behalf.

• Comment by tom on May 8th, 2007 at 11:13 pm:

  well, ive just tried to post and kept deleting what i was going to say so fuck it. i wish i could articulate as well as you people.

  in any case, being informed of what you consume ( and having a conscience) is a good, obvious first step to taking the power back from these multi nationals. buy locally, fair traded, buy less etc…..

  boycotting isn’t really going to leave a lasting impression unless most consumers decide to inform themselves and what they’re consuming, and decide to abstain from buying the products offered by these fucklips. but in terms of the individual boycotting something can be a very empowering, spiritual expeirence.

  i can understand why someone could argue that because 30% of israelis are born into poverty, one would choose not to boycott israeli products. but by buying israeli products, and therefore supporting the israeli economy, you’re supporting and illegal, genocidal apartheid state. and what would change if there was a massive boycott of isralei products? would the class system change? would there be more poverty? would there be less tanks?

  i dont think a single fucking thing would change. honestly, the capitalists will do whatever they can to keep things going there way. as long as they have the power to control the means of production, distribution, capital, there’ll be poverty.

  that’s not to say that any minute action doesn’t have its value. any action taken to deflect the power we hand them everyday is a good action, however small, or seemingly fruitless it may be.

  fuck this i cant think anymore. i think i just repeated like 20 things, i’m saying nothing at all.

  even scarier though are the fresh water multi nationals. i think its 5 or 7 corporations own most of the planets capacity for drinkable water. its definately worth looking into, i heard a radio report on these earwarts on was scared fartless.

  argh!!!! i never have a point! *punching myself in the head* sorry guys

  kate: i’m really sorry if i made you feel bad, that’s just my sense of humour being an asshole. i actually do very much appreciate reading what you have to write, all of the time. you’re funny and articulate and you can tell you’re from australia. haha. one day i’ll hit those gorgeous beaches and flaunt my browned, tan line free body. and then a bunch of people will puke. i miss my dog alot but i have 4 other buddies to keep me company, lick my ear, shit on the floor, get humped by. fuck this is horribly long, so will you just email me, you beach!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! atrophic [dot] limbs [at] gmail [dot] com haha

  This post not brought to you by Brent Corey.

• Comment by caítlin on May 9th, 2007 at 5:56 am:

  Tom - you have a point about where our money ends up, but doesn’t that apply the same way to the US/UK/Canada?
  I’m being devil’s advocate again, its fun! I think food miles alone are good enough reason not to buy Israeli products.

  Once again peeps, sign this sucka http://getactive.pet...mpaign/savefelixuk07

• Comment by me&ikea on May 9th, 2007 at 6:37 am:

  http://www.thebeaver...ion=ext&page=WC2

• Comment by caítlin on May 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am:

  If anything is evidence of people power, my friends, its that.

  … so use it, damnit! You still have time to fax Liam Byrne in protest of Lordorice and Imelda’s deportation. Keep up the pressure, pleeeeeaaasssssssssse. This woman has done nothing wrong and she belongs here.
  For more info including draft fax:
  http://www.ncadc.org...zine82/lodorice.html
  Fax to:
  Liam Byrne MP, Minister for State for Nationality, Citizenship & Immigration, Fax: 0207 035 4745 (from outside the UK + 44 20 7035 4745)
  Or email me to have your name added to the next fax sent out from here:
  saoirse_ioannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

• Comment by rippin on May 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am:

  You gotta love it! Chris Hannah the worst canadian! Among the ranks of celine and shania. Most people are probably like who the fuck is Chris Hannah.

• Comment by kate on May 9th, 2007 at 3:54 pm:

  Caitlin:

  The two email links you’ve posted are different.

  saoirse_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk
  saoirse_ioannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

  my research suggests the first is the correct one, but maybe you wanna make that clearer.

  Tom:

  Calm down. I said *used to*. ha.

• Comment by rippin on May 9th, 2007 at 3:59 pm:

  Ditto on kate’s response. The email I sent got bounced back to me due to non-existent email address. Let us know the correct one please!

• Comment by caítlin on May 10th, 2007 at 2:31 am:

  Shit sugar fuck pants poo piss bollocks!
  I wonder how many times I’ve done that in the past few days… Can radiation poisoning hit so quickly? Thanks for the headsup!

  Sorry lads, its been an absolutely hectic few days [a good sign, me thinks]. The correct address is
  saoirse_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

• Comment by caítlin on May 10th, 2007 at 7:12 am:

  Yo peeps,

  Just off the phone - Lordorice has decided that she’s ok with media involvement now so we’re trying to arrange interviews and stuff. It sucks that she has to expose herself to this extent to be heard, but anyway… that also means that for those of you with websites/lists or who frequent other activist/poserpunk blogs, you can post her story if you think it will do any good.
  And thanks for the emails so far! She was amazed to hear we’re getting names from all so far away.

• Comment by caítlin on May 11th, 2007 at 5:05 am:

  Yo! Here’s the craic..

  Thank y’all so much for the emails - since going to bed last night and waking up this morning I had like 7, and two of you have passed the info on!
  I’m going to keep nagging the rest of y’all till I get banned/Lordorice comes home. I really believe there is still hope here and you guys have a lot of power just because you’re so far away. It makes an impact.

  It drives me crazy to think that my friends are pretty much in a prison. A detention centre is no place for a baby. Help us to get them out of there and away from the risk of sexual violence and persecution back home. Please.

  Do it for me! If Lordorice gets deported, who is going to give me hand massages at women’s group? And if Imelda is sent away, whose unbelievably chubby legs can I coo at, and who can I have whole conversations in clicks with?
  Yup. Its really me who stands to suffer here, and I’m white, so….
  Ok, I’ve tried the pushy approach, the sentimental approach and the sarcastic approach, time for bribery:
  Send a fax or send me your name and, should we ever share air on the same piece of land, I’ll buy you a pint of the good stuff!
  saoirse_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

• Comment by Asshole on May 15th, 2007 at 1:48 pm:

  sweet ride!

• Comment by caítlin on May 16th, 2007 at 9:33 am:

  Hey peoples,

  Just got an email from a very active anti-deportation group over in Britain, about another fuckedup case.
  If you can take a minute to read this lady’s case, Im sure you’ll find the time to fire off a fax or two before 9.15 UK time this evening.
  Her story is absolutely horrifying and I really hope you’ll step up to help her out. Unfortunately its already 4.30 here and the fax place closes at five, so unless you can reach me in ten minutes y’all will have to do this one yourself, but please please take the time.
  I’m really not sure if these online fax yokes work but you can give them a go. You can also fax through the net for a small price.
  Those of you in different time zones have a lot more time to deal with this - please do!
  Ridiculously there is no link for this one so here’s the info (sorry Derek!)

  Ndagire is a 31-year-old woman who escaped from Uganda in 2003. She has been living in Coventry, with her 3-year-old son, Andrew Wamala.

  Ndagire and Andrew were seized by immigration officers at home last night and are presently in transit to Heathrow. They are due to leave the UK on British Airways flight BA0063 to Entebbe at 21:15 this evening.

  Ndagire sought sanctuary in the UK following the disappearance of her Rwandan husband. She has had no contact with him since his disappearance and he is believed dead. Ndagire herself experienced gang rape and severe torture at the hands of the Ugandan authorities prior to her escape.

  The Uganda/USA Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (2006)
  The government’s human rights record remained poor: serious problems remained, including: violence and discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); violence and abuse of children, particularly sexual abuse; trafficking in persons; violence and discrimination against persons with disabilities; forced labor, including by children; and child labor. Unlawful killings by security forces; disappearances; security forces use of torture and abuse of suspects; vigilante justice; harsh prison conditions; official impunity; arbitrary arrest; incommunicado and lengthy pretrial detention; restrictions on the right to a fair trial and on freedoms of speech, the press, and association; limited freedom of religion; abuse of internally displaced persons (IDPs); restrictions on opposition parties; electoral violence and irregularities; government corruption:

  Ndagire has been in receipt of ongoing treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since her arrival in the UK. Mental health professionals consider her to be at risk of self-harm and suicide. She is convinced that she will be re-arrested on arrival in Uganda. Every professional who has had contact with Ndagire believes her account to be 100% genuine.

  Both Ndagire are at extreme risk if this evening’s planned deportation takes place. Please show them your support; this vulnerable woman and child should not be deported against their will.

  What you can do to help
  1. Fax Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration, using the model fax ‘Ndagirebyrnefax.doc’ attached, which you can copy/amend/write your own (please ensure inclusion of Ndagire Oliva Mubira and Andrew Wamala: Home Office reference: M1210799. Ask for Ndagire’s removal to be deferred pending consideration of a review of her case.

  Fax: 0207 035 4745 (+ 44 207 035 4745 from outside the UK)

  2. Fax Willie Walsh, BA Chief Executive Officer, using the model fax ‘NdagireBAfax.doc’ attached, which you can copy/amend/write your own please ensure inclusion of British Airways flight BA0063 from Heathrow to Entebbe at 21.15 this evening, in the fax.

  Fax: 020 8759 4314 from outside the UK + 44 20 8759 4314

  Please copy any faxes sent to:
  davestamp [at] asirt [dot] org.uk

  For more information, please contact Dave Stamp,
  Asylum Support & Immigration Resource Team, on 0121 772 6700.

  Move it peoples!

• Comment by caítlin on May 16th, 2007 at 10:06 am:

  Fuckbiscuits! I am complete cretin. Feel free to beat me with a large stick next time we share a vacinitaay.
  I know faxing is a huge, dinosaur-shaped pain in the ass but just imagine how these two must be feeling right now.
  I’m gonna buy a feckin’ fax machine and get a list of people who want their names to be attached to existing campaigns. Wanna join? Email saorise_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

  Here are the model faxes:
  Willie Walsh, BA Chief Executive Officer British Airways
  FAX: 020 8759 4314

  16/05/07

  Dear Sir/Madam,
  Re Ndagire Oliva Mubira and Andrew Wamala:

  I am writing to you to express concerns regarding the above named woman and her 3-year-old son, who are due to board your British Airways flight BA0063 from Heathrow to Entebbe at 21.15 this evening.

  Mrs. Mubira sought asylum in the UK following the disappearance and presumed death of her husband in 2003. She herself has experienced gang rape and severe torture at the hands of the Ugandan authorities. She has been treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since her arrival in the UK and every mental health professional with whom she has come into conduct is in no doubt that her account of her experiences is 100% genuine. Mrs. Mubira is thought to be at severe risk of suicide and she is convinced that she will be re-arrested on arrival on Ugandan soil.

  Ndagire and Andrew were taken form their home in Coventry last night against their will and are now en route to Heathrow. They have no legal representation and are in no position to argue to for justice in their present situation. The Uganda/USA Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (2006) noted that the Ugandan government’s human rights record remains poor, making specific reference to the violence and discrimination experienced by women, female genital mutilation (FGM); violence and abuse of children, particularly sexual abuse; forced labour, including by children; and child labour.

  There are no family members in Uganda able to take responsibility for Andrew in his mother’s absence. The objective evidence makes it plain that the prognosis for both of them, if returned, is grim and that the level of risk to both of them is high.

  Consequently, I urge British Airways to act in a responsible and ethical fashion by refusing to collude with the forced deportation of a vulnerable and traumatised woman and a young child who is likely become orphaned should this forced removal take place.

  Yours Sincerely,

  Name:

  Address:

  City: Postcode:

  Country: Date:

  and

  Liam Byrne
  Immigration Minister
  FAX: 020 7035 4745

  16/05/07

  Dear Mr. Byrne,

  Ndagire Oliva Mubira and Andrew Wamala: Home Office reference: M1210799

  I am writing to you to express concerns regarding the above named woman and her 3 year old son, who are due to board flight BA0063 from Heathrow to Entebbe at 21.15 this evening.

  Mrs. Mubira sought asylum in the UK following the disappearance and presumed death of her husband in 2003. She herself has experienced gang rape and severe torture at the hands of the Ugandan authorities. She has been treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since her arrival in the UK and every mental health professional with whom she has come into conduct is in no doubt that her account of her experiences is 100% genuine. Mrs. Mubira is thought to be at severe risk of suicide and she is convinced that she will be re-arrested on arrival on Ugandan soil.

  Ndagire and Andrew were taken form their home in Coventry last night against their will and are now en route to Heathrow. They have no legal representation and are in no position to argue to for justice in their present situation. The Uganda/USA Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (2006) noted that the Ugandan government’s human rights record remains poor, making specific reference to the violence and discrimination experienced by women, female genital mutilation (FGM); violence and abuse of children, particularly sexual abuse; forced labour, including by children; and child labour.

  There are no family members in Uganda able to take responsibility for Andrew in his mother’s absence. The objective evidence makes it plain that the prognosis for both of them, if returned, is grim and that the level of risk to both of them is high.

  Consequently, I urge you to show compassion in this situation and take the necessary action as a matter of urgency to ensure that this proposed deportation, which would expose this vulnerable family to a simply unacceptable level of risk, does not take place.

  Yours Sincerely,

  Name:

  Address:

  City: Postcode:

  Country: Date:

• Comment by caítlin on May 16th, 2007 at 12:08 pm:

  Fuck it. Took out a subscription to an e-fax thingy. Anyone who gets this message in the next 2 hours please send me an email with your details so I can fax on your behalf.

• Comment by Duncan on May 16th, 2007 at 9:20 pm:

  crap, I think I was too late for this one.

  How the hell do they even begin to justify deporting these people when they’re so clearly traumatised and facing danger?

  fucking bureaucratic government bullshit.

• Comment by caítlin on May 17th, 2007 at 4:00 am:

  Its insanely cruel. Its also funny just how complicit things like airlines are (and media, who don’t like to touch these stories until a politician says its ok). What pisses me off is they make it look like these stories are just the odd accident, but its endemic.
  Two of three local airports were used for renditions flights for suspects here too, which is so, so fucked up.
  Anyway, that story was so short notice, it was a pretty impossible task. I haven’t heard anything, so I’m assuming its bad news… I don’t really know what can be done when someone is actually in their country. *sigh*
  Thanks for your help with Lordorice and Imelda though :) They are still in detention (which in a sense is good, because they’re still here, but is also bad because they’re in limbo and those places are horrible. There was a hunger-strike in this particular place last week.) Still no news on a new flight and some local politicians (and thus hopefully the media) are involved, so there is still hope.
  What sucks though is that people have been (rightly) working their asses off to get these two home, but we know deportations aren’t going to end there and we know it’ll be so much harder to get people moving again. Fighting deportations is really an uphill struggle.
  A good resource for anyone interested is NCADC in the UK, http://www.ncadc.org.uk and Human Rights Watch issue virtually daily releases about refugees on http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=refugees_news

• Comment by caítlin on May 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pm:

  Some bad news this evening folks. Just got word that Lordorice and Imelda have been given a new deportation date, the 23rd May. So basically, we have nine days to try to stop them being sent to Cameroon, a land completely unknown to Imelda and the stuff of nightmares for Lordorice.
  We’re trying to organise a demo and stuff over here, and the only thing I can think of for you guys to do elsewhere is fire off an email of the models at http://www.ncadc.org...zine82/lodorice.html to the brit embassies wherever you are: http://www.fco.gov.u...mp;cid=1007029395231, email me to have your names added to the faxes if you haven’t already,(saoirse_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk), and pass it on to whoever you know who might have some sympathy.
  Please help us in this last push for Lordorice and Imelda. What really wont take you long could be the difference between life and death. I still believe theres hope.

• Comment by caítlin on May 21st, 2007 at 1:02 pm:

  Hey lads!
  Just a wee update. Tomorrow we are having a protest in Belfast against Lordorice’s deportation with speakers from Amnesty Intl, Refugee rights and antiracist groups, and one genius pinko with a killer rack known only as Caítlin!
  Our campaign has been endorsed by human rights lawyers, NGOs, trade unions and 4 of the 5 main political parties. Sinn Féin, the second largest party, have issued a statement, have had all their MLAs and TDs sign the fax and tomorrow, it is expected that their president, Gerry Adams, and the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuiness, will formally write on Lordorice’s behalf. Tomorrow’s protest is expected to be covered by the regional BBC, associated press and local media, as well as a feature in the largest paper in the region.
  You might sniff at media and political involvement, but it could make a real difference to these people.
  There is still one more thing y’all can do: check out the front page of http://www.ncadc.org.uk for a model fax to send to the CEO of british airways urging him not to collude with removals of people facing persecution. As ever, you can email me to have your name added if you don’t have access to a fax machine.

  Thanks again to all of you. I don’t know that we would have gotten so far without your help :)

• Comment by rippin on May 21st, 2007 at 3:37 pm:

  That’s awesome! Just look what a little Irish girl with a big heart can do! Hope all goes well tomorrow I know thats all I’ll be thinking of. I wish I could be there. You can add my name again but I’m sure you already have. Good luck (but hey you don’t need that your Irish!)

  Jon

  Freedom, Equality, Unity

• Comment by caítlin on May 22nd, 2007 at 12:42 pm:

  Awesome news tonight peoples!! We had a great protest today outside city hall, a good turnout with a lot of media attention (it was a fuckin’ circus) and LORDORICE AND IMELDA’S DEPORTATION HAS BEEN POSTPONED!!!
  I’m not 100% sure how this link works because I need some plugin thingy, but there is a positive news report on local media here [i think]
  http://u.tv/newsroom...ir.asp?q=hi&pt=n along with tonnes of articles around the place like this one: http://u.tv/newsroom...sp?id=82410&pt=n and Lordorice and ourselves have been interviewed extensively. High five!
  Tomorrow this fine piece of revolutionary tail is having a day off but we have a good while now to exert political pressure, exploit media links and network with the people who showed up today, so y’all are urged to keep sending me faxes to Liam Byrne and Willie Walsh, keep joining the [currently theoretical] mailing list, email your local UK Embassys and send me your messages of support for Lordorice, who is beyond touched.

  Yet again, thank you guys sooo much for your part in this. I would apologise for swamping/boring you all with this… ‘cept I’m not.
  saorise_ionannas_aonad [at] yahoo [dot] co.uk

• Comment by Duncan on May 24th, 2007 at 12:03 am:

  That is freakin’ awesome. Hopefully it will go beyond the postponement. It’s good to have truly positive news like that.

  Nice work Caítlin and anyone else here who has helped out. Keep it up!

• Comment by caítlin on May 28th, 2007 at 12:06 pm:

  Tomorrow is crunchtime for Lordorice and Imelda. We’re twiddling our thumbs waiting to hear the court’s verdict before we decide our next plan of action. Amazingly, there is a potential that the fight could be taken to France if she boards that BA plane… Sophisticated kitten purr thankyous to everyone who has helped us so far.

  On a related note, UNHCR in Canada has launched a shiver-inducing photo campaign to battle misonceptions about refugees. Chizeck it:
  http://www.unhcr.ca/help/

• Comment by caítlin on May 29th, 2007 at 10:40 am:

  Well folks. Good news and bad news.

  Good news: Lordorice and Imelda are not going tomorrow. Their removal has been stayed with no new fight scheduled (yet).

  Bad news: The Home Office are really digging their heels in. It took for us to schedule Judicial Review proceedings and issue a press release for them to back down and accept that they hadn’t properly immunised Imelda [yanno, the one year old they’re forcing to a malaria zone she’s never stepped foot in].
  I won’t even get in to what shit they’re trying to pull because this screen is quite pretty and I would rather not put my foot through it. But rest assured, we haven’t given up.

Dialogue has ended on this post.

Archives | RSS