FAIR TRADE FOR LIVERPOOL!!!!

Liverpool is a trade built city that was basically the scab on the arse of the British empire to try to prettify it up or make it what it isnt or could be come is a pipe dream of the middle classes.
A nation of thieving swindling shopkeepers yes that rip off the poor at any opportunity thrice and thrice no again. To help to win or curry favour in the council is not a very noble facet of anti capitalist agenda but are are we we just have to put up with the hare brained scheme of the middleor muddle classes.

Capitalism is sucking dry the people of this city making people at the top richer and richer but fight them no lets make it a Fair Trade city and ease our class conscience.

Whoever thinks robbing half starved peasants(Fair trade) to eat ethically and healthy needs to think again socialism on a small scale is bunk you are either part of the solution or part of the problem wake up and smell the blood stained coffee.

To help confused readers (see previous comment)understand what Fair Trade is:
for more information see www.fairtrade.org.uk


Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay above market prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their lot and have more control over their lives.


The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on UK products as a guarantee that they have given their producers a better deal. The Mark is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation, a registered charity set up by CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement. It shares internationally recognised Fairtrade standards with initiatives in 17 other countries, working together as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO).
What does Fairtrade mean for third world producers?

For 500,000 workers and farmers in the developing world, Fairtrade means better terms of trade and decent production conditions. The Fairtrade Foundation, with its partners, maintains these standards by regularly inspecting third world suppliers, and checking contracts and trade terms.
What products are available and where can I find them?

It takes much time and money to develop criteria to ensure that new Fairtrade products really will benefit producers. The initial focus of Fairtrade was on agricultural commodities, such as coffee and tea, which have the most widespread impact on the livelihoods of small producers in the developing world. More products are following year by year – we hope you will see Fairtrade rice, cotton and a variety of Fairtrade fruit in the shops over the next couple of years.
My existing tea/coffee supplier assures me that they pay a fair price and treat their suppliers decently. Isn’t this as good as Fairtrade?

The purpose of Fairtrade is not merely to avoid exploitation of suppliers but to help make a real improvement in people’s lives. Fairtrade is based on a clear set of internationally-agreed criteria, which are independently assessed and monitored, and the whole system is open and transparent. The FAIRTRADE Mark is the only independent consumer guarantee of fair trade. If a company is claiming that it meets these standards, ask them whether they are prepared to subject them to the independent scrutiny and monitoring of the FAIRTRADE Mark.
What is the difference between fair trade and ethical trading?

Ethical trading means companies are involved in a process of trying to ensure that the basic labour rights of the employees of their third world suppliers are respected. The FAIRTRADE Mark, which applies to products rather than companies, aims to give disadvantaged small producers more control over their own lives. It addresses the injustice of low prices by guaranteeing that producers receive fair terms of trade and fair prices – however unfair the conventional market is.
Are there organic Fairtrade products?

There is a wide choice of organic coffee, tea, honey, cocoa and chocolate products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark and the range is increasing steadily. You can read more information on the differences between Fairtrade and organic.
What about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)?

At the moment there are no GMO crops in the categories covered by the FAIRTRADE Mark* so all Fairtrade products are GMO-free. Should GMOs become available in these categories the Foundation and its partners would consult widely with producers and take account of any public concern on this issue before allowing their use – the key factor for Fairtrade organisations is whether such developments would help producers in developing countries.
I use, sell or promote Fairtrade products, so can I use the FAIRTRADE Mark on promotional materials?

We are usually delighted for people to do this, but you will need to obtain our permission to do so first. Read the terms and conditions for use of the FAIRTRADE Mark, and download copies to use.
Why do some products claim to be fair trade but not carry the Mark?

Some organisations like Oxfam and Traidcraft have been trading fairly for many years, and sell a wide range of fairly traded products. Consumers can trust these organisations, because challenging poverty is their main purpose (see more about our partnership with Oxfam and Traidcraft). However, some other companies make their own ‘fair trade’ claims without having the independent scrutiny of the FAIRTRADE Mark, or the interests of producers at heart. If you are shopping and see tea, coffee, bananas or cocoa products without the Mark, there is no guarantee that they give producers a fair deal.

This is all very admirable, and most certainly a step in the right direction if it is indeed as you say it is, but, and there is always a but(!), what are 'CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement' doing about poverty in the 1st world, the poverty that continually seems to be conveniently ignored and sidelined by the same people who are crusading about poverty in the rest of the world?

Where are all these movements when we need to challenge the horrendous differences between the wealthy middle and upper classes and the overworked and underpaid working classes of Britain. Is that just a little bit too close for comfort? A little bit too fair for some people? Where is the fair trade for poor people in England, the North West, Merseyside and Liverpool? Where are the organisations challenging greed and injustice in Britain? The big corporations in this country, the big landowners, the profiteers in this country.

Charity must begin at home. We cannot tell other governments to treat their own people fairly if we live in a society that promotes low wages, long and hard hours, bad housing, low educational and promotional prospects for some people, and for others promotes high wages, good housing, good prospects and basically the best of everything. That a sizeable majority of lefties are middle class or from more comfortable backgrounds is borne out by the fact that any such local issues, surrounding the often huge differences between those who are poor and those who are rich in Britain and Europe, are continually and almost defiantly and blatantly ignored and sidelined. This is not a letter specifically to Agatha by the way, and for what its worth I admire fair trade and the aforementioned organisations for challenging the injustice and the gross inequalities that do exist all over the world. What I would like to see is some sort of balance, some acceptance that poverty doesn't just exist in far off and exotic places, it also exists in wealthy countries too.

Poverty

There are plenty of initiatives aimed at fighting relative poverty in post industrial states like Britian (as opposed to absolute poverty in the so-called developing countries).

Save the Children UK, for example, has an excellent programme aimed at combatting childhood poverty in Britian.
I think poverty is more than about lack of income - it is about lack of freedom to follow the life one chooses to value, lack of choice, lack of security, social and cultural exclusion...

They are both sides of the same coin and all such social movements are part of the fight on our hands to combat the spreading of economic globalisation and counteracting the impacts of the neo-liberal politcs (it is after all an ideology).

in solidarity
Agatha