information from Quaker Peace and Social Witness

Take action on TTIP

Many Friends are concerned about the ongoing negotiations regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade deal between the EU and the US.
On 10 June the European Parliament will be considering a set of recommendations to the European Commission regarding TTIP, including on the controversial investor-state dispute settlement mechanism (ISDS). Both QPSW and QCEA are concerned about the implications of ISDS, which could give large corporations access to an exclusive form of justice, through which they could sue governments for billions of Euros for loss of profit due to implementation of legislation.

Despite a vigorous civil society campaign, and five European Parliament committees calling for ISDS to be excluded from TTIP, the resolution that the European Parliament will be voting on calls for a revised version of ISDS rather than its exclusion altogether. This is unlikely to solve the problems.
The Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) are encouraging Friends to write to their Members of European Parliament (MEPs), to raise concerns about ISDS. They have provided background information for Friends wishing to write to MEPs. Find this here www.qcea.org/2015/05/noisds/ or email office@qcea.org. The Trade Justice Movement are also running a campaign focussing on ISDS and you can find out more and sign-up here.

You can also read more about TTIP and ISDS in this article by Scarborough Friend David Malone, which was published in a recent edition of our Earth and Economy newsletter.

Climate lobby

17 June, Central London
For those of you that wish to come to the Climate Lobby in London on 17 June 17, this is a reminder that there is still time to sign up! The Lobby is an opportunity to meet with your newly elected MPs to call on them to take action on climate change and to challenge vested interests. Let us know you plan to come, and to receive more detailed information by signing up online.

If you have signed up already then please let your MP know that you plan to be there, and ask that they meet with you on the day. To write to your MP you can use the ‘for the love of’ online tool. You may also want to add the following sentence into their template letter:

Quakers are calling for climate justice. We want justice for those who have been unequally impacted by climate change and a global climate commitment that stops this injustice continuing. We are working to build an energy and economic system which has equality, justice and sustainability at heart. 

For those planning to attend, QPSW has put together a pack containing a mini-briefing to give to your MP, plus some tips on lobbying, www.quaker.org.uk/day-climate-action.

We're hoping for a strong Quaker presence at the lobby, so please encourage others in your meeting to get involved. Remember there's lots you can do even if you can't come to the lobby.

A ground-breaking new film exposes the tide of militarisation

An increasing military presence is entering schools across Britain. Even as the government slashed education maintenance allowance (EMA), disabled students allowance (DSA) and mental health services for young people, £45 million of new military programmes have been introduced since 2011. Help us start a public conversation about militarism in our society.

Before the film goes live help us to record examples of militarisation in the world around us. Use hashtag #unseenmarch to record examples of militarisation. Any questions email ellisb@quaker.org.uk

Watch the film online at www.unseenmarch.org.uk Going live the week of 22 June
Share the film with friends, parents, teachers, school governors and young people.
Find out about actions you can take to challenge militarism at: www.unseenmarch.org.uk

If you are not able to watch the film online, we will have a limited number of DVD copies, available for meetings. Please email the Quaker Centre at quakercentre@quaker.org.uk or call 020 7663 1030 to request these.

Programme newsletters

Advocacy actions such as these, and other news, are included in our programme newsletters. Please do encourage Friends in your meeting to sign up if they are interested.
Earth and Economy (Economics, Sustainability and Peace Programme) www.quaker.org.uk/earth-economy-signup
Educate and Disarm (Peace and Disarmament Programme) – contact Sam Walton: samw@quaker.org.uk
EAPPI monthly E-update EAPPI update - sign up
Making Waves (Turning The Tide programme) – contact Steve Whiting: stevew@quaker.org.uk