BRITISH A.T.T.A.C. WILL SEEK TO DISARM THE MARKETS
Benjamin Geer | 09.11.2001 21:40
The worldwide popularity of ATTAC, an association that
promotes controls on the financial markets, has inspired an
attempt to set up an ATTAC group in Britain.
promotes controls on the financial markets, has inspired an
attempt to set up an ATTAC group in Britain.
The worldwide popularity of ATTAC, an association that
promotes controls on the financial markets, has inspired an
attempt to set up an ATTAC group in Britain.
ATTAC, an international network of national and local
pressure groups in 26 countries, has raised broad support in
Europe for a tax on currency speculation (the Tobin tax),
and for reforms of financial institutions, aimed at reducing
the human costs of globalisation. At a public meeting at
London's Conway Hall on the 17th of November, British
campaigners will speak alongside representatives from the
French, Irish and Swedish ATTACs, to discuss the question of
how a British ATTAC could work.
In the three years since it was founded, ATTAC has enjoyed
spectacular growth in membership and influence in several
countries. Its French chapter now has 30,000 members. Its
campaign for the Tobin tax has forced the French and German
Prime Ministers to take the proposal seriously, and put the
issue on the agenda of the European Council. Although the
national ATTAC groups have a common platform, each one has
its own structure, and campaigns are closely linked with
local issues.
ATTAC's work combines education with peaceful confrontation,
as when hundreds of members of ATTAC France sailed to Jersey
this past June, to debate with local authorities about
Jersey's status as a tax haven, and to attend workshops
where they learned about proposals for eliminating money
laundering. ATTAC also functions as a kind of think tank;
its vigorous critique of free-market economic policies comes
from an informal network of academics, who also provide a
steady stream of alternative proposals for parliaments to
consider. This approach appeals to a large number of people
who are alarmed by the power of market forces in their
lives, and who feel disenfranchised by party politics.
More information on the initiative to launch an ATTAC in
Britain can be found at
http://attac.org.uk. The
international ATTAC web site is http://attac.org.
Friends of Le Monde diplomatique
Press contact: Marcus Bischoff
Tel.: 07855 193 406
Email:
marcus@attac.org.uk
promotes controls on the financial markets, has inspired an
attempt to set up an ATTAC group in Britain.
ATTAC, an international network of national and local
pressure groups in 26 countries, has raised broad support in
Europe for a tax on currency speculation (the Tobin tax),
and for reforms of financial institutions, aimed at reducing
the human costs of globalisation. At a public meeting at
London's Conway Hall on the 17th of November, British
campaigners will speak alongside representatives from the
French, Irish and Swedish ATTACs, to discuss the question of
how a British ATTAC could work.
In the three years since it was founded, ATTAC has enjoyed
spectacular growth in membership and influence in several
countries. Its French chapter now has 30,000 members. Its
campaign for the Tobin tax has forced the French and German
Prime Ministers to take the proposal seriously, and put the
issue on the agenda of the European Council. Although the
national ATTAC groups have a common platform, each one has
its own structure, and campaigns are closely linked with
local issues.
ATTAC's work combines education with peaceful confrontation,
as when hundreds of members of ATTAC France sailed to Jersey
this past June, to debate with local authorities about
Jersey's status as a tax haven, and to attend workshops
where they learned about proposals for eliminating money
laundering. ATTAC also functions as a kind of think tank;
its vigorous critique of free-market economic policies comes
from an informal network of academics, who also provide a
steady stream of alternative proposals for parliaments to
consider. This approach appeals to a large number of people
who are alarmed by the power of market forces in their
lives, and who feel disenfranchised by party politics.
More information on the initiative to launch an ATTAC in
Britain can be found at
http://attac.org.uk. The international ATTAC web site is
http://attac.org. Friends of Le Monde diplomatique
Press contact: Marcus Bischoff
Tel.: 07855 193 406
Email:
marcus@attac.org.uk
Benjamin Geer
e-mail:
info@attac.org.uk
Homepage:
http://attac.org.uk
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ATTACK UK MEETING
09.11.2001 22:22
A.T.T.A.C. in Britain: Why and How?
Public meeting
Saturday, 17 November 2001, 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (Holborn Tube)
Entrance £2
Speakers:
Jacques Nikonoff, ATTAC France
Ciaran Mc Kenna, ATTAC Ireland
America Vera-Zavala, ATTAC Sweden
Barry Coates, World Development Movement
Ann Pettifor, Jubilee Plus
Steve Tibbett, War on Want
Plus workshops on the Tobin Tax, Third World Debt, Ecological Debt, WTO, GATS, TRIPs, Financial Crime, Organisation of Social Movements... and a samba band.
Is there a space for ATTAC in this country?
ATTAC is an international network of independent national and local groups in 26 countries. It promotes the idea of an international tax on currency speculation (the Tobin Tax) and campaigns on other issues such as tax havens, pension funds, Third World debt and, more generally, the question of how to recapture the democratic space that has been lost to the financial world.
ATTAC combines activism with the work of a think tank. It promotes practical economic reforms meant to tame the devastating power of the financial markets, and to favour democratic, transparent economic structures that serve the needs of ordinary people. Its scientific committees make alternative proposals in response to neoliberal policies, and educate ATTAC's members so they can make informed responses. ATTAC is independent from all political parties, and brings together labour unions, non-profit associations, MPs, academics and citizens from all walks of life, in education and peaceful action.
How has the logic of the markets disenfranchised you? How can we form a network of autonomous local groups, creating solutions to local problems? If you can't make it to the meeting, and are interested in organising a local group in your area, please email us for more information. Click here to download a leaflet in PDF format.
Organisations supporting the meeting: Bretton Woods Project, Forum for Stable Currencies, Friends of the Earth, Jubilee Plus, New Economics Foundation, Oxfam, Positive News, War on Want, World Development Movement
Individuals supporting the meeting: Tariq Ali, Harry Barnes MP, Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Glyn Ford MEP, Chris Keene (Anti-Globalisation Network), Caroline Lucas MEP, George Monbiot, Alan Simpson MP
International website:
ATTAC's platform:
UK Press contact: Marcus Bischoff, tel. 07855 193 406, email
General information: Benjamin Geer,
Public meeting organised by the Friends of Le Monde diplomatique, Flat 12, 91 Blackheath Road, London SE10 8PD,
ATTACK!
REVOLUTION NOT REFORM
09.11.2001 22:47
The World Bank and IMF etc Cannot be reformed through taxes the only solution is the abolition of these organisations. Put the banks into democratic workers control!
Paul Dickson
attack?
10.11.2001 16:08
jojo