Creative Forum

Open Forum
Achieving Civil and Social Rights
Towards a 21st Century Constitution
Wednesday 26th July 6.30pm
D2 - Diorama Arts Centre
3-7 Euston Centre, Regents Place, London NW1 3JG

nearest tubes: Warren Street, Euston

In the present climate of a failing British state and creeping authoritarianism we need to find a way to work together as individuals and groups to transform our political culture. Recent reports indicate that both the major political parties are now considering constitutional reform, and there are even hints of support for a written constitution. We propose a series of alternative events aimed at a grassroots campaign around:

1. an inclusive written constitution that embraces the aspirations of the powerless majority and
2. a civil and social rights mobilisation in support of its terms.

You are invited to attend the launch of our Open Forum on 26th July to debate these goals, share campaign stories and help plan future events together. We hope you will be free to come and join us.

Organisers and sponsors so far include: Mark Barrett (People in Common); A World to Win; Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui (Muslim Parliament of Great Britain in a personal capacity), The Creative Forum.

More information: info@aworldtowin.net 07871 745258 or marknbarrett@googlemail.com

As those of you who saw Greg Palast speak at the NUJ last week will know, the recent presidential election in Mexico was marred by blatant vote rigging and Florida-style fraud.

An emergency picket outside the Mexican embassy has been organised for tomorrow, Friday July 14, from 1pm to 2pm to support the demand by social movements in Mexico to count each and every vote. These pickets are taking place in many different countries around the world.

In front of half a million supporters last Saturday, the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador formally challenged the July 2 election results, charging fraud and citing other irregularities with the electoral process.

Without a doubt, the elections were rigged to prevent the PRD from winning the elections. The Mexican ruling elite are prepared to go to any lengths to prevent Lopez Obrador from becoming the next president of Mexico.

We must protest against this attack on democratic rights. Please join the picket of the Mexican embassy tomorrow and pass this info on to anyone else you think might be interested. The Mexican Embassy is situated at 16 St George Street, Hanover Square, London W1 (nearest tube: Oxford Circus).

Letters of protest should be sent to the embassy at mexuk@easynet.co.uk - and see www.gregpalast.com and www.narconews.com for the latest news from Mexico.

Then this Saturday July 15 from 1pm to 7pm there is the Radical Activist Network conference on Latin America: Social movements fight back, at the University of London Union, Malet Street, London WC1 (nearest tube: Goodge Street).

Oscar Olivera, spokesperson for the Coalition in Defence of Water and Life in Cochabamba, Bolivia, will be speaking, as will Hilary Wainwright (Red Pepper), Andy Higginbottom (Frontline Latin America and Colombia Solidarity Campaign), Sue Branford (Latin America Bureau and War on Want) and Jorge Martin (Hands Off Venezuela).

Sessions and workshops will include: Social Movements and Left Governments, Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution, Social movements in Bolivia, Brazil’s Landless movement and the continuing Zapatista revolt in Mexico. Entry by donation (£2 suggested), more info: http://www.radicalactivist.net/latinamerica

Finally, next week’s Wednesday meeting will be from 6.45pm at The Inn On the Green, 3-5 Thorpe Close (under the Westway), Portobello Green, W10 (nearest tube: Ladbroke Grove), where we will be holding the British premier of the new documentary Five Factories, about workers’ control in Venezuela, followed by a debate and social. We hope you can make this special event, more info at
http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&Itemid=&agid=4&year=2006&month=07&day=19

Best Bolivarian wishes everyone from the London Hands Off Venezuela crew.
Via the Creative Forum list

The agenda is available here as a PDF

A free-to-attend conference looking at many aspects of Peak Oil is taking place on Saturday 15 July 2006 at the BedZed development in Hackbridge, just outside London. The event, Peak Speak 2, is the follow up to the successful Peak Speak 1, held at the same location last year.
Organised by PowerSwitch.org.uk, and run in a friendly and informal manner, it is designed to give plenty of opportunity to discuss an issue that will dominate the 21st century – the ongoing decline
of global oil supplies, how it will affect all lives and what we can do about it. Along with Climate Change, it will make this century very different to the last.

As Jeremy Leggett wrote in the Independent, January 2006, “We have allowed oil to become vital to virtually everything we do. Ninety per cent of all our transportation, whether by land, air or sea, is
fuelled by oil. Ninety-five per cent of all goods in shops involve the use of oil. Ninety-five per cent of all our food products require oil use. Just to farm a single cow and deliver it to market requires six barrels of oil, enough to drive a car from New York to Los Angeles.” Meanwhile there is a quickly growing acceptance of the concept of imminent Peak Oil. Notable figures such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore believe we are at Peak Oil while the oil company Total sees it as occurring around 2020. The challenges that Peak Oil and Climate Change presents are stark indeed, and it is important for individuals, businesses and government to begin addressing this as soon as possible.

For some, Peak Speak 1, which had seventy people in attendance, was a life changing experience.
“Peakspeak-1 motivated me to take the plunge and change direction so that in the year that followed I have almost completed an MSc in Renewable Systems Energy Engineering, and hope to make a career in that area going forward, and contribute to the coming problems in some way,” wrote a previous attendee.

The speakers include:

• Donnachadh McCarthy, author of Saving The Planet Without Costing The Earth (3acorns.co.uk);
• Chris Vernon, of PowerSwitch and OilDrum UK, with analysis of UK power supply; Norman Church with his follow up to Systems and Interdependencies;
• Doly Garcia speaking about Peak Oil Action in Brighton, and Naresh Giangrande who will be discussing Biofuels on the back of Hubbert’s Curve.

The emphasis, however, will be on everyone participating.There will also be an opportunity to see and discuss “The Power of Community : How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” as well as a workshop in learning how to “ Build Networks and Relationships for a Post Peak
World.” And as last year, there will be the PeakNik’s Picnic.

Entry is free but you will need to register in advance as places are limited. Email
info@powerswitch.org.uk or call 020 8123 2500.

The event takes place at the eco-friendly BedZed Pavillion, BedZed, in Hackbridge, Surrey, 25
minutes by train from London Victoria. More details about BedZed can be found at www.bedzed.org.uk.

PowerSwitch.org.uk is dedicated to raising awareness of Peak Oil. More information can be found at www.powerswitch.org.uk and details on other Peak Oil events can be found (and added) at www.powerswitch.org.uk/peakoilevents

info@powerswitch.org.uk

Technorati Tags: peakoil london events energy post-carbon

Via the Creative Forum list