[OccupySheffield] WDM E-News March/April 2013

[WDM sheffield]

 WDM IN SHEFFIELD ENEWS: MAR / APR 2013
 *
*Hi everyone,
We have big changes planned with our meetings, so that we are more central,
everyone is there at one time and there is less duplication, see below for
details
*ALL CHANGE!  –  MEETINGS AND VENUES**  *
 *From April, the campaigning meetings are moving from CURC to Quaker
Meeting House, but still usually on the first Thursday of the month,
7–9pm..   *
**
*The pub meetings will no longer be at the Red Deer on a Monday. Instead we
plan to go to the Church House pub, next door to Quaker Meeting House after
the Thursday campaign meeting at approx. 9.15–10.15pm.  If you plan to come
only to the pub then make sure you contact us so we can meet you, (phone
07800 666553 or leave a message at the QMH) occasionally if people are very
tired we might not make it to the pub and don't want people to end up
sitting there on their own.*
**
*For details of particular meetings, see the Meetings section below. *
* *
*WDM*
**
*As most of you know, WDM (World Development Movement) is a campaigning
organisation for justice for the world's poor and people before profit, and
you can find out more about us on the website below. **If you would like to
be a bit more involved or re-involved this year, whether this is helping
out on a stall once, sharing a few ideas or a bit more, then let us know.  *
*Hope to see you somewhere soon.*
*Website:  www.wdm.org.uk/sheffield*
*Phone:  07800 666553 *

*WDM EVENTS*
* *

*Thurs. 4th Apr., **Campaigning meeting:*
*Follow-up meeting on Food Sovereignty, all welcome:   *free refreshments
at 6.30pm. for a 7pm. start, till 9pm, Quaker Meeting House, St. James'
Street, Sheffield
This is in response to the huge interest in Food Sovereignty shown in the
impressive turn-outs to the two showings of the Growing Change film, about
the encouraging developments in Venezuela. The aim is to get down to
discussing what campaigning actions we can develop, both to further raise
public awareness of this human-rights and social-justice approach to hunger
and poverty wherever it occurs in the world, and to get elements of this
approach put into practice.   We will identify a number of themes at the
start of the meeting and split into groups to discuss these, suggestions so
far include getting the concept of food sovereignty into the "IF" campaign
supported by Oxfam and Christian Aid, Sheffield food policy, can we help
developing countries follow a different path on food. Other suggestions
will also be appreciated. We are hoping very much that as many of the local
campaigning and growers' groups as possible, represented in the audiences
for the film showings, will be able to come and contribute their ideas and
perspectives.

Very likely to be followed by a *Pub Meeting <http://wp.me/PPV0V-2Z> *at
the Church House pub, next door to QMH, approx. 9.15–10.15pm.:  to be
confirmed at the main meeting that evening, so catch us at the end of that
meeting if you can't come earlier  – and then we definitely will have one!


TBC Thurs. 6th June
AGM (7pm.), followed by public meeting with guest speaker, (7.45–9pm.),
[Quaker Meeting House]: *date and venue to be confirmed.*
 **
Sat. 8th June, Peace in the Park stall, approx. 12.00–6.00pm. (to be
confirmed).   Stall helpers needed!   Please volunteer!   *Contact Oliver
on 0114-265 5896 or at o.blensdorf at virgin.net.*
Sat. 13th July, Green Fair stall, approx. 10–5pm. (to be confirmed).
Stall helpers needed!   Please volunteer!   *Contact Oliver on 0114-265
5896 or at o.blensdorf at virgin.net.*
* *
*WDM MEETINGS*

*Thurs. 2nd May, **Campaigning meeting**,** *7–9pm., *Quaker Meeting House*,
St. James' Street, Sheffield.   Including any further work on Food
Sovereignty, finalising arrangements for the AGM in June and planning our
summer stalls.

Sat. 15th June, national AGM, and conference entitled "Not the G8:  a real
agenda for global justice".   In *Leeds* this year, so a good chance for
Sheffield members to attend:  please get in touch about travelling together
and/or looking out for each other there.

*Thurs. 4th July, **Campaigning meeting**,** *7–9pm., *Quaker Meeting House*,
St. James' Street, Sheffield.  Focus still to be decided.
 *EVENTS ORGANISED BY OTHER GROUPS*
 *Thurs. 14th Mar., "Fixing our Broken Economy", *a talk on Positive Money
by Peter Verity, 7.30pm, Quaker Meeting House, St. James' Street, S1 2EW.
Free, but donations invited towards costs. Refreshments available from
7.15pm.*   *For further details about the group, see:   *
http://positivemoneysheffield.pbworks.com/ *
*"We have 2.5 million unemployed, and we have empty factories, offices and
shops – everything we need in fact to produce the goods and services
society needs. Yet the economy seems to be unable to produce enough real
wealth for lack of money. Where does money come from? Who creates it? And
what is the link between banking and our failing economy?*

*"This talk looks at how our debt-based money system is the root cause of
many of our economic problems, and explains the Positive Money proposals to
reform and democratise our money supply". *

*Sat. 16th Mar., "The Fight Against the Cuts", *Unite the Resistance
regional conference:* *11am–5pm, Novotel Hotel, 50 Arundel Gate, Sheffield
S1 2PR.  *"For every one  –  trade unionists, unorganised workers,
students, campaigners, pensioners, anti-fascists  –  every one.  Come along
to discuss how we can move forward".   *

For full details, including speakers: Web:
*uniteresist.org<http://uniterersistance.org>
*  Twitter: *@resistunite*  Email:  *UtR.southyorks at gmail.com*   Entry £5.
*Book by phone:*  07810-824 223 or 07582-676 242.   *Or send a
cheque*payable to
*Sheffield NUT* to: UtR, c/o Pipworth Primary School, Pipworth Road,
Sheffield S2 1AA.
*Mon. 18th Mar.,* *Occupy Sheffield, *6.30pm, Quaker Meeting House, St.
James' Street, Sheffield:*  *General Assembly, followed by the first
meetings of a choice of Working Groups* *that came out of the recent highly
successful Forum on Debt.  For further details about the group, see:  *
https://occupysheffield.org**
*

*ACTIONS    *

Food Speculation: targeting George Osborne:   if you haven't already done
so, please go to:
*http://www.wdm.org.uk/action/food-speculation-petition*, watch and pass on
the video, and sign the petition, to keep up the pressure on the UK
government (see "Campaign and events feedback" below).
*Aid – **Help us stop big business cashing in on aid:  *please go to: *
http://www.wdm.org.uk/action/mp-aid-inquiry* and send the customised
template letter  –  slightly different according to which MP it goes to  –
 to your own MP and help us stop big business cashing in on aid.
*Over the past decade, the UK government has increasingly put the interests
of big business at the heart of its aid policy.* The result is that the
power structures that keep people in poverty are now even stronger.  While
aid is vital (and the government must not go back on its commitments to fund
it) to be really effective it must be used to bring about social justice and
 equity for the poorest people.

Aid is not, and should never be, a business opportunity.  *An independent
parliamentary inquiry into this worrying trend is urgently needed* - should
the Kelvin coal power plant in South Africa really be benefiting from UK
aid funding, for example?   Please write to your MP now, if you haven't
already done so.

CAMPAIGN & EVENTS FEEDBACK
"Growing Change: a *journey inside Venezuela’s food revolution":**  *after
getting a full house of almost 40 at our first showing of this inspiring
film in November, we still had people wishing they had seen it, so we were
expecting a much more modest turn-out when we gave it a second showing on
Wednesday 20th February.   This time, the turn-out was getting on for 80
people!
We were also delighted that, as well as the many local campaign and
growers' groups being represented again, some members of Venezuela
Solidarity Campaign were able to attend, and in particular Wendy Emmett who
gave an excellent succinct and listenable mini-talk on her personal
knowledge of similar developments in Cuba as well as Venezuela and the
links between the two.
 The interest and enthusiasm was just as great as last time, and this time
we added a concluding plenary to focus on how some of this energy and
commitment to the principles of Food Sovereignty could be taken forward in
practical campaigning and other follow-up.
 *Please come to the follow-up meeting on Thursday 4th April:  see "WDM
Meetings" above.  *
For more info. on the film see
http://www.simoncunich.com.au/

Fairtrade fortnight: Many members were actively involved in promoting
fairtrade over the last few weeks, including visiting shops in Burngreave,
a stall on 9th March in Burngreave, fairtrade coffee mornings at the QMH
and supporting SHIFT events.
>From Oliver and Ruth
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