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Musicians react to oil sponsorship of the arts
Recently the call to challenge oil and associated industries’ sponsorship of the arts has been made by high profile musicians from around the world. On 8th September Boff Whalley, Chumbawumba front-man, described how he left Tate Britain part way through his special visit to the Lowry exhibition out of disgust at the number of BP…
1 Oct 2013 admin -
Tribute to Nick Reeves, CIWEM – artist, environmentalist, activist
“BP, Shell and all other petrochemical corporations must be denied control of our arts and cultural institutions, right now.” Nick Reeves Earlier in the summer, we heard the shocking news that Nick Reeves, the vigorous Executive Director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Managers, died after a severe stroke. He was only 60.…
1 Oct 2013 jane -
PACE’s failure to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its Council of Europe obligations leads to sharp increase in political arrests
This morning, I knelt handcuffed and gagged outside the European Court of Human Rights, alongside a picture of Rashadat Akhundov, a 29 year-old Azerbaijani activist with the N!DA civic movement who has been detained since March. Akhundov was initially arrested on politically motivated charges of weapon possession, but now faces more serious charges of inciting…
1 Oct 2013 admin -
More Like People: Social Change Without The Pretentious Corporate Stuff
When did voluntary action become a ‘sector’? When did groups working to achieve social change start to have their own ‘Chief Executives’? When did ‘a seat at the table’ come to trump ‘an ear to the ground’? The professionalisation of social change has come with many costs: out-of-touch services, campaigns that can’t move beyond addressing…
30 Sep 2013 admin -
News from Virginia – The most difficult retreat of all
Mika Minio-Paluello, Anna Galkina and James Marriott are travelling in North America as part of a book-tour to promote The Oil Road – Journeys from the Caspian to the City of London. You can find more info about their confirmed speaking dates in Virginia, the Bay Area, Toronto, Baltimore and Washington DC, New Orleans and…
24 Sep 2013 jane -
‘Art & Activism, Water & Oil, Then & Now’
2 articles by Platform in ‘The Environment’ magazine, Sept 2013 (CIWEM) 1st by Jane Trowell on 30 years of Platform, 2nd by Kevin Smith ‘The arts must not be used to cleanse the reputations of dirty business’ on oil sponsorship of the arts
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The heart of a mountain lain on its side – Blacksburg, Virginia
Mika Minio-Paluello, Anna Galkina and James Marriott are travelling in North America as part of a tour over September and October to promote The Oil Road – Journeys from the Caspian to the City of London. You can find more info about their confirmed speaking dates in Virginia, the Bay Area, Toronto, Baltimore and Washington…
13 Sep 2013 james -
Algeria visit by UK trade envoy raises concerns ahead of London arms fair
Algeria visit by UK trade envoy raises concerns ahead of London arms fair Civil society raises concerns with FCO over arms and human rights A coalition of human rights NGOs have written to Baroness Warsi at the FCO in advance of the visit of trade envoy Lord Risby to Algeria, raising concerns about potential arms…
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Is Lord Risby’s trip to Algeria a warm up for DSEI arms sales?
Special trade envoy Lord Risby is off on a trip to Algeria this week following on from a trip by Cameron earlier on in the year. The trip is happening just before the controversial DSEI arms fair takes place in London. A number of groups, including us, Campaign Against Arms Trade and Algeria Solidarity Campaign…
6 Sep 2013 admin
