The next crucial stage in the battle to regulate speculation in food commodities and stop the bankers gambling on hunger will take place in Europe. In October, the EU will propose new rules on commodity speculation, so we need to make sure that our MEP’s are aware of the issues. WDM Scotland has invited them all to:

Regulation, Speculation and World Food Prices

Friday 16 Sept, 10:30-12:30, European Parliament Information Office, The Tun, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ

All the parties are sending someone, so why not come along and make sure they realise how important this is – European regulation has never been so interesting!

See http://www.wdm.org.uk/events/regulation-speculation-and-world-food-prices for more info…

We’ll be in the centre of Glasgow with info about our campaign on food commodity speculation.

No, it’s not an advert for Nike – it’s a film about environmental direct action

5pm, Sunday 14th August, GFT

A year in the life of people who stand up (or sit down…or climb…or whatever…) for what they believe in.

Over the next few weeks, we’re planning to meet up with as many of the local MSPs as we can, to introduce ourselves to the newbies and make sure the re-elected ones haven’t forgotten us. Let us know if you fancy joining us to meet your local MSP and remind them of the importance of global poverty and injustice…

In just a few hours at Festival Sunday in the West End of Glasgow, 161 people signed a campaign card telling the Secretary of State for International Development that they don’t agree with locking the world’s poorest people into more unjust debt.

Time to listen up, Mr. Mitchell – the Daily Mail might be ranting about the ‘shame’ of the UK giving aid to poorer countries, but the Glasgow public think it’s only right that we should give grants to tackle the effects of climate change.

Come and see us at the West End Festival, rescue a polar bear, win a prize…oh and take action on climate change whilst you’re at it…

Sunday 5th June, 12-6pm, Kelvin Way

Everyone’s a winner!

Using tax-payers money, RBS is helping to finance the ridiculously polluting, carbon-intensive extraction of tar sands. Thousands of lives and livelihoods are under threat from French oil giant Total’s plans to mine tar sands in Melaky, one of the poorest regions in Madagascar.

Come and hear Holly Rakotondralambo, toxic pollution & health researcher for VOARISOA Observatoire Madagascar, speak about the threats to the people and biodiversity of Madagascar from the tar sands industry.

Public talk. Boyd Orr Building, University of Glasgow, 6-8pm, 23 May, free entry

BOOK online at http://bit.ly/dN5mlP

Just in case you were in any doubt about the validity of the science behind climate change, we recently observed concrete (or rather sponge) evidence at our climate cafe hustings.

Oh, and we talked to some politicians too, whilst we were eating the world. They all seemed committed to tackling climate change here in Scotland. We’ll see what the public make of their promises on 5th May…and then it’s up to us to hold them to account once they’re in Holyrood.

It’s funny how often people agree with you when you suggest that bankers aren’t perfect. Now all we need to do is keep the pressure on the politicians to understand this basic point…