During the last six weeks, unknown to most people, there have been a series of public debates up and down the country about whether the government should allow the commericalisation of GM crops in the UK. The deadline for public input is now over - did you have your say?
In an exclusive film made for Indymedia, people from all over the country reveal that the public consultation was a poorly advertised, ill concieved and miss-managed farce that failed to engage ordinary people. The film also demonstrates that much of the public believe that the decision has already been made to push ahead with GM (regardless of the will of the people) and that the government is an undemocratic tool of U.S. interests and big business.
GM Nation? The Public Debate. A sham and PR job; or an exercise to get "people at the grass roots level whose voice has not yet been heard to participate", "create widespread awareness among the UK population of the programme of debate" and "provide intelligent qualitative information about public views emerging from the debate in a report to Government" [aims & objectives]
Organised by an "independent steering group" on behalf of the government. The meetings have been running over June and go onto the end of July [list]. This is just one strand of the "national dialogue", the other two a review of the science and a review of the economics. The Strategy Unit were pretty on the fence about the ecomomics [Press Release].
Reports so far published on Indymedia from around the country about the debates have indicated that the people who have been involved have had a healthy scepticism. Reports from: Birmingham, Liverpool, Swansea and York . One can only wonder how the independent steering group will provide their qualitative information to the government.
Other recent GM News:
Crops removed recently report, and activists on a previous action win appeal news from Scotland. Also an interview with GM Protestor at Glasgow's Frock On festival.
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Greenpeace Shopper's Guide to GM now on-line
27.07.2003 19:40
The new Shopper's Guide to GM is now on-line at:
Vote with your wallets!
Simon
GM Nation events in Lancaster and Morecombe
01.08.2003 12:14
We decided not to use the 'offical' method of doing things (in which you watch a video and then discuss amoungst yourselves) because we felt it didn't provide people with enough information or the ability to ask questions. Instead we had speakers, small group debate (with the essential tea/coffee and GM free biscuits) and then a whole audiance debate followed by filling in the questionaire.
The people who came along we generally against the growing of GM crops in the UK (all except a few scientists from the university).
The people involved in organising the debates felt that the questionaires were biased towards planting GM crops, as several critical issues were left out. The information packs given out by the GMnation? body were not nearly as good as speakers (who you can question) We also heard a rumour that the scientific review was being deliberately kept back form publication until afer the consultation was compleate. If so it makes a bit of a mockery of the exercise. At the national level the consultation was poorly funded- otherwise there would have been more events and advertising was poor.
The events were organised through North Lancashire Friends of the Earth (one of the reasons being because they have money for venues etc)
We also sent 2 representatives to Lancashire County Council's GM Nation event.
tom furniss