Comments on: What’s the problem with the If campaign?

By: elora

elora — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:05:01 +0000

IF campaign ignores the massive distortions in trade system caused by the subsidies to agrocorporations in the EU and US.

Most agricultural subsidies (which make up 40% of the EU budget) go to industrial agro-corporations, that continue to pollute and prop up the system of cheap factory-farmed food in the West, at the expense of greener farming and smallholders in developing countries.

Yet the mainstream NGOs have gone silent on this, just like they have gone silent on climate change. Have they given up?

By: Susan Murphy

Susan Murphy — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:40:52 +0000

I think this article is helpful ~ and maybe the IF campaign allows some people to engage with “big issues” through it, as a first step ~ we now need to see the messages expanded.

It did not get the publicity of “Make Poverty History” which energised far more people ~ let us all try to find ways to build on the awareness it did create ~ WDM produce excellent materials for further work during the summer ~ at local fetes, in church magazines, in the local press ~ for the majority of people, busy struggling with their every-day lives, the steps have to be simple ~ and I wholeheartedly support those who engage more deeply, and can help us understand the “weaknesses” and even, sometimes “deception” of statements we read ~ we want to involve ordinary people, and then the groundswell of feeling may bring about change ~ we do not all have the time and skills to analyse what we are fed ~ THANK YOU for helping us to see beneath the simple message ~ I WAS very concerned about the role of government and big business ~ I am even more convinced that concern was justified.

By: Leanne

Leanne — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:56:15 +0000

In addition to the above, I have to say I find the ‘not doing enough’ objection tired. The global financial system cannit be changed overnight, and to me it is better if at least people are being fed while we’re playing the long game of overthrowing cspitslism entirely……we have to have realistic focus and achievable aims. It always appears that the people criticised for ‘not doing enough’ are doing more than those criticising!

By: Leanne

Leanne — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:51:32 +0000

I disagree with this article, I have heard about this campaign via many separate routes, to the point I was sick of getting the same information duplicated! I think anyone who is even vaguely interested or connected to this type of organisation or movement will know about it. But I suppose we will see on Saturday how many are truly aware or interested.
To suggest that it is some kind of conspiracy between the organisations and the government strikes me as fantastical – I am perfectly able to distinguish between parts of the government’s policy I agree with(maintaining 0.7% aid) and which I don’t (most of the rest) so there is no way I am ‘supporting’ the government’ and they won’t be gaining a vote from me.

By: Han Hookes

Han Hookes — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:34:56 +0000

ooops.—-so no trade union bureaucrats are giving their blessing to the IF campaign, therefore, it can’t be beneficial without a banner to hide behind! -Well, I’m a trade union member and a WDM member as are my friends who are rallying on Saturday 8th. We believe it’s co-operation not competition between the’left’ and the’right’ that will bring about change>

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:32:03 +0000

Thanks for this article – it’s really good.

I would like to add Corporate Watch to the list of critical organisations engaged in real empowerment and mobilisation work.

Check out our site: http://www.corporatewatch.org

We wrote a similar article about the 10:10 Campaign in November 2009: http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3441

More coordination between more critical organisations would be really good.

By: Dave T

Dave T — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:43:04 +0000

@Jeremy B – good question, where is it? That is exactly what war on want and WDM and others have been trying to do for some years but unfortunately the power and resources are concentrated among the mainstream NGOs. Unions tend to be defensive and navel-gazing and the wider UK populace just uninterested in the radical analysis – TINA thinking is heavily embedded here. But it’s not for want of trying!

By: Jeremy B

Jeremy B — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:20:01 +0000

Cracking article.

However one thing I wonder is why the organisations mentioned at the end of the article don’t work together in a more co-ordinated fashion?

The Progressive Development Forum is great but it’s basically just a blog.

Where’s the alternative, radical, co-ordinated campaign linking global and domestic poverty with neoliberal economics and the financial crisis that would be more than the sum of its parts? Each of the organisations does great work, but working together they’d be a much more powerful force. Not the whole answer, but something that could make a significant contribution to a bigger movement.