Christian Council for
Monetary Justice: CCMJ

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URGENT ACTION: Religious leaders take on the World Bank
World Bank-financed coal mining and oil drilling projects often spell disaster for indigenous peoples, sensitive ecosystems, and entire countries; the profits often prop up oppressive governments and fuel civil wars (Sudan is only the best-known example).
A recent World Bank report admitted this and recommended specific, meaningful reforms, but the Bank's management has now suggested that it may refuse to listen. More than 100 religious leaders, including Jim Wallis on behalf of Sojourners, have sent a letter to urge World Bank President James Wolfensohn to do the right thing: http://eireview.info/doc/eir_signatures.doc
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Laureates wrote Wolfensohn to urge him to help stop the "war, poverty, climate change, greed, corruption, and ongoing violations of human rights...all too often linked to the oil and mining industries": http://eireview.info/doc/1_Tutu.doc
Concerned people can send their own message to Wolfensohn:
http://www.foei.org/cyberaction/eir.php
To read more about how badly designed oil industries lead to corruption, oppressive governments, and - ironically - increased poverty, see Christian Aid's report: http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/news/media/pressrel/030512p.htm

 

Below is a framework of Proposals for Action, with indications of members bearing special knowledge of the activity. We need to be aware of the prevalence of 'mobile truth', which enables us to serve both God and Mammon; and to seek ways to reach closer to the mature intrinsic truth for contemporary society and future generations.
WE SUGGEST THAT YOU DRAW CONCERNED CHRISTIANS TO EXAMINE THIS MATRIX AND SEEK IDEAS RELATING TO ANY OF THE THRUSTS MENTIONED.

Challenging MAJOR ABUSES within the current system, eg

• Curtailing the activities of high-interest loan sharks and credit card companies: new Credit laws in train (Richard Murphy)

• Preventing banks from forcing people into bankruptcy: SAFE (Keith Wincup)

• Critiquing proposed new legislation - for example on PPPs etc (Chris Cook)

• Knowing the range of literature (CCMJ Librarian Ken Palmerton).

• Addressing the Public (CCMJ Press Officer Kevin Donnelly)

• Alerting our representatives: The Forum for Stable Currencies is in regular exploration and debate in the Palace of Westminster and proposes Early Day Motions (EDMs) (Sabine McNeil) and Private Members Bills eg Ministry of Peace.

Supporting incremental change by means of: COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES which can run alongside the current system:

• Credit unions offering lower interest rates (Peter Bussy)

• Cash-free exchange networks, e.g. LETS and Timebanks

• New modes of investment involving risk-sharing rather than usury (Chris Cook)

• Pension Reform by investment in building projects not the stock-market (Richard Murphy)

• Know of the co-operative advantage represented by the International Co-operative principles (John Courtneidge)

• Dialogue with Churches, Mission agencies, Muslims, Jews (Peter Challen, Rodney Shakespeare, David Pidcock )

Developing a coherent set of comprehensive, electable, STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE

• Who. if not commercial banks, should create and issue "national currency"?

• To underpin essential social investment, how could funds be issued which are without interest and repayable in some circumstances?

• State support of social infrastructure - social credit, land rental income, "Open Capital", etc

• How could the complex pattern of social security payments be replaced by a single basic income?

• Kow the lucid description of the Monetocracy that is dominating our private and our public lives, and the nature of holistic democracies "Gaian Democracies - a Schumacher Briefing)

• Educate with basic primers, eg David Boyles's Little Money Book" or work by Frank McManuys or Richard Greaves