attac/uk status

Just wondering about the same, also I see an interest here in Nottingham!if u consider it right, maybe we could make a call around facebook/email/blogs/oral communication around our friends with a date to see how many are interested and have a meeting.

Your blog certainly has help me. Lots of thanks for another valuable post. Youve got a design here thats not too flashy, but makes a statement as big as what youre saying.

wood crusher

If you want to do something ,just try straightly or make a plan first ... double blades saw

If you want to do that kind of work then talk to

http://www.forumforstablecurrencies.org.uk/

It's mostly one person, Sabine McNeill, but something tells me she could put other people's energy  to good use

coalition of resistance

In my earlier mail, I suggested that you make contact with a couple of organisations, where you may find people interested in forming an attac group. Here is a more extensive list (in no particular order):

New Economics Foundation: http://www.neweconomics.org/

Development Education Association: http://www.dea.org.uk/ (for educational resources plus ask if there is a Development Education Centre in your area)

Ethical Consumer: www.ethicalconsumer.org (also has a blog site)

LETSLINK UK: http://www.letslinkuk.net (also has a useful links page to other types of complementary exchange initiatives)

Roy Davies: http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/ (also useful for links to complementary currency initiatives)

And please don’t underestimate the importance of a name (attac) when considering people’s attitudes and behaviour – ask anybody working in marketing!

Best wishes

cliff

I agree, "attac" is a bit of an unfortunate name. A group in the UK would certainly have to point out that they are in fact non-violent.

At the same time it would make a UK group part of something bigger, and it also makes a movement interesting which would otherwise be perceived as boring (econimcs? nerds!) by some.

So while the name is a bit unfortunate, I don't think it is really a showstopper.

The otehr points are of course equally and sadly true, but that is even more reason we need attac over here!

cu  robert

I forgot to add to the last post:

"attac" is an unfortunate name because it sounds like "attack" and would tend to turn off people who are not interested in being associated with violent activities. From the point of view of broadening the membership amongst people who know nothing about attac, this is probably the most important point.

Best wishes

cliff

The lack of an attac group may have something to do with one/some of these:

The New Economics Foundation http://www.neweconomics.org/ used to busy itself with these things. I don’t know to what extent it still does.  I have somewhat lost contact with UK initiatives – I am in Austria.

Many globally focussed initiatives previously took “debt cancellation” as their main theme.

Local regeneration initiatives have been either:

Quangos (Regional development Boards or similar) OR

LETS / Time Bank initiatives

When the Agenda 21 initiative started, the UK government (and their quangos) of the day excluded from their publications the human rights aspect of Agenda 21 and focused almost entirely on environmental management (sustainable exploitation of people, instead of human-sensitive sustainable development)

From the end of the 70s, the government drastically reduced/removed funding from these areas:

- Development education – for the current situation and resources, I suggest you contact the Development Education Association http://www.dea.org.uk/

- Political education

- Philosophy studies

Consumerism as the path to happiness is a religion which still has a very strong hold and perhaps those who cannot benefit from it are suffering from a sense of powerlessness or busy trying to get back in the race.

Economics is not something that is taught in an understandable, interesting way – but this is not just a UK problem!

The residual racism against initiatives from other countries – especially France

In the UK, the environment, or more specifically, furry animals, have tended to be more important than people, especially foreign people.

As you can probably gather, I was previously involved in some of this in the UK – please see www.eco-life.at

By the way, if you start something in the Brighton area or would like an “exchange” with attac Austria, please let me know. I may be able to help.

Best wishes

cliff