Methodists to Join Make Poverty History Lobby for Trade Justice

A mass protest lobby of Parliament organised by Make Poverty History and the Trade Justice Movement will take place on Wednesday 2 November 2005. Thousands are expected to descend into central London to lobby their MPs and apply pressure for something to be done for trade justice.

|TOP|The Methodist Church has offered its complete support to the event, having been involved in the trade justice campaign since its beginning, and was originally one of the main attendants at the campaign’s first mass lobby in 2002.

The lobby held in 2002 was one of the largest of its kind in the UK and is seen as a turning point in the gaining of political and media attention.

Next month’s lobby will build further on past lobbies and look to progress on from this year’s 225,000-strong G8 rally in Edinburgh. The lobby will clearly be calling for MPs to bring about trade justice and not free trade.

President of the Methodist Conference, Revd Tom Stuckey said, “Thousands of people marched in Edinburgh to demand trade justice, debt cancellation and more and better aid. There is now a common understanding that we can all play a part in ending poverty, by pressing our leaders to change harmful policies. The commitments on aid and debt made at the G8 summit will achieve little, unless there is also major movement on trade policy. This lobby provides an opportunity to step up our campaigning and to get more people involved.”

The Director of the Methodist Relief and Development Fund, Kirsty Smith said, “The timing of this lobby is crucial, as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meets just six weeks later. Pressure is increasing on the UK Government to take a lead at the WTO meeting in rewriting world trade rules to benefit poor countries and the environment.

“Our government needs to stop pushing poor countries to open their economies through the WTO and European Union policies and to respect poor countries’ right to choose their own trade policies. We cannot make poverty history unless this happens and I hope that many MRDF supporters will join the mass lobby on 2 November, even if they have never lobbied their MP before.”

|QUOTE|The Methodist Church has pointed out Mali as an example of what needs to be done. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a third of the population dependant on cotton production. However, the world price of cotton has decreased by 50 percent over the past decade after being suppressed by government subsidies handed out to cotton farmers in richer countries.

For example, Western African are able to produce cotton at a third of the price of American cotton, yet as the US cotton is so highly subsidised it can be exported at below the cost price, under-cutting poor African, Brazilian and Indian farmers. This is just one of the many ways in which the current trade laws suppress poorer countries, tell the Methodist Church. If trade justice can be pushed through by MPs then people like those in Mali will experience a hugely improved level of life.

The huge lobby at Parliament will follow the prime Minister’s Question Time and will take place with many other lobbies being held across Europe and in various cities around the world.

In addition, Westminster Central Hall will be hosting an ecumenical service at 4.30pm on the same day as the lobby.

In the UK, already half a million people have voted for Trade Justice in a special ballot, which called on the government to support fairer trade rules.

If you are interested in joining the campaign, please register by clicking HERE. From the website you may also receive more information and contact your MP’s in advance of the lobby.