Hi there
I’m contacting you to ask if you would be interested in working with others to create a ‘Stop TTIP Yorkshire and Humber’ group or network.
TTIP (The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) is a threat to democracy, public services, workers’ rights and environmental protection. You can read more on the World Development Movement’s ‘Ten Reasons Why You Should Be Worried about TTIP’ http://www.globaljustice.org.
Your group is a group that has come out as opposed to TTIP- or a smaller local group who we think may be sympathetic. You can see the full list of groups (including your own) on the final page of the #No TTIP Times. You can see this here http://www.globaljustice.org.
At the bottom of this email is a complete list of recipients in the region.
A Yorkshire and Humber network could be a way of making links between local groups (e.g. mapping the lobbies of MPs that have taken place), collectively lobbying MEPs and possibly coming together for some sort of demonstration on a day of action (There’s talk about the next one being in April). We don’t have a huge amount of time. Our regional MEPs are expected to vote on TTIP in May (see https://www.opendemocracy.net/
Leeds Tidal have very kindly offered in principle to host a meeting of ‘Stop TTIP Yorkshire and Humber’ to help to get the ball rolling.
I would like to leave this proposal with you and to ask you to get in touch if this interests you by one month today ie 18th February. (This allows for all groups to have an opportunity to discuss at a monthly meeting). My suggestion would be that, of those who reply we could then discuss suggestions about when would be a good time to meet and what would be a good agenda for the meeting. (I would imagine that this would be a Saturday in March).
When you reply I would be grateful if you could clarify whether you’d be happy for your email address to be shared with others (ie in the ‘To’ or ‘CC’ boxes). This would mean that groups can communicate to each other and not just via me.
At the bottom of this email is a complete list of the organisations that I have sent this to. While I know the network in my area – Kirklees, West Yorkshire- well, I am very much ‘feeling my way in the dark’ with other areas. Therefore, I’d be really grateful if people could forward this to other groups in their area and let me know who they have sent this to. I haven’t included the Labour Party contacts in this email as the party’s does not seem to be anti-TTIP in a straightforward sense- but you may know individuals within your network and will know whether grassroots Labour activists are opposed to TTIP. Please share this with them.
It’s likely that I will send a reminder at some point during the next month about this but will only do so to the organisations I have contacted through email addresses- not contact forms.
I am also going to contact 38 Degrees to ask if they will send this to individuals within the Yorkshire and Humber region.
I hope that your group will be interested in engaging with this project.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
All the best
Tim Padmore
Kirklees Campaign Against Climate Change
More on TTIP at this link.
Download War on Want’s booklet about TTIP here.