CBI (Confederation of British Industry) in Brum, Nov 16-18
Steven Kelk | 23.10.2003 10:29 | Globalisation | Social Struggles
The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) are having their national 2003 conference
in Birmingham from November 16th to 18th. There will be a focus on "international
competitiveness" - you know, the economic dogma that pits people against each other and
keeps conditions sweet for profit maximisation. They have an "all-star" cast of
people from various dark worlds such as the WTO (Supachai), lobby groups (Strube, head
of UNICE) and industry (Fitzgerald, top dog at Unilever), as well as a crop of
UK ministers such as Hewitt.
in Birmingham from November 16th to 18th. There will be a focus on "international
competitiveness" - you know, the economic dogma that pits people against each other and
keeps conditions sweet for profit maximisation. They have an "all-star" cast of
people from various dark worlds such as the WTO (Supachai), lobby groups (Strube, head
of UNICE) and industry (Fitzgerald, top dog at Unilever), as well as a crop of
UK ministers such as Hewitt.
CBI's conference logo
Friends!
Between November 16th and 18th (2003) the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
are holding their annual national conference in Birmingham. (At the ICC) See:-
http://www.cbi.org.uk/conference2003/default.htm
According to the CBI homepage,
"The UK's international competitiveness will be the central theme of the CBI National Conference when it begins in four weeks time. From 16-18 November, delegates from across the country will be gathering to hear the big names in business and politics. Speakers include Chancellor Gordon Brown, US Treasury Secretary John Snow and Alan Greenspan."
They truly have a wide array of big-name speakers from the world of business,
international trade, corporate lobbying, government and industry. In addition to the
people above, other dubious speakers currently include:-
Panitchpakdi Supachai (Director General of WTO)
Patricia Hewitt (UK. Sec. of State for Trade & Industry)
Jurgen Strube (head of powerhouse EU business lobby group UNICE)
Niall Fitzgerald (head of Unilever)
Peter Hain
Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridge CBE (UK's National Contingent Commander for operations against Iraq)
Alec Erwin (South Africa's ministry for trade and industry)
Various big-name industrialists
The focus on "international competitiveness" is particularly annoying. It is this
obsession with trade/investment competition between nations, for so many people
a defining feature of economic globalisation, that pits workers and citizens against
each other and facilitates profit maximisation for corporations.
We all know the damage the WTO does to global society, so the crimes of trade characters
like Supachai, Hewitt and Erwin need no introduction. The influence of groups like
UNICE has been instrumental in advancing and maintaining the EU's neoliberal
economic strategies. Heads of large corporations (such as Fitzgerald) preside over
the huge, damaging concentrations of power and wealth represented by transnational
corproations. Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridge...well, that one speaks for itself
really.
What a collection!
Between November 16th and 18th (2003) the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
are holding their annual national conference in Birmingham. (At the ICC) See:-
http://www.cbi.org.uk/conference2003/default.htm According to the CBI homepage,
"The UK's international competitiveness will be the central theme of the CBI National Conference when it begins in four weeks time. From 16-18 November, delegates from across the country will be gathering to hear the big names in business and politics. Speakers include Chancellor Gordon Brown, US Treasury Secretary John Snow and Alan Greenspan."
They truly have a wide array of big-name speakers from the world of business,
international trade, corporate lobbying, government and industry. In addition to the
people above, other dubious speakers currently include:-
Panitchpakdi Supachai (Director General of WTO)
Patricia Hewitt (UK. Sec. of State for Trade & Industry)
Jurgen Strube (head of powerhouse EU business lobby group UNICE)
Niall Fitzgerald (head of Unilever)
Peter Hain
Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridge CBE (UK's National Contingent Commander for operations against Iraq)
Alec Erwin (South Africa's ministry for trade and industry)
Various big-name industrialists
The focus on "international competitiveness" is particularly annoying. It is this
obsession with trade/investment competition between nations, for so many people
a defining feature of economic globalisation, that pits workers and citizens against
each other and facilitates profit maximisation for corporations.
We all know the damage the WTO does to global society, so the crimes of trade characters
like Supachai, Hewitt and Erwin need no introduction. The influence of groups like
UNICE has been instrumental in advancing and maintaining the EU's neoliberal
economic strategies. Heads of large corporations (such as Fitzgerald) preside over
the huge, damaging concentrations of power and wealth represented by transnational
corproations. Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridge...well, that one speaks for itself
really.
What a collection!
Steven Kelk
e-mail:
skelk@dcs.warwick.ac.uk
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