Doh, Doh, Doha.

The Doha round of World Trade talks - the fundamentalist capitalist plan for a world where nation shall speak nothing but price unto nation - collapses, and there is equal amounts of hand wringing and rejoicing.
Here are some links from the New York Times, The Times and the Independent.

Let them eat mud-cakes (life, but not as we know it)

Whilst Dickheads the world over swoon at the idea of space tourism courtesy of Richard "Nero" Branson, the people of Haiiti -roundly screwed by exactly the sort of fat-walleted commodity gamblers/sociopaths that Branson is targetting - are reduced to eating mud. I hope Sir Dick is pleased with himself. What is life without its little luxuries? Dick's gobsmacking hypocrisy in claiming that his aim is somehow environmental in nature beggars belief.

Scatology 2

Reading the New Internationalist is an experience everyone should have. This month concentrates on sanitation and technofixes. Reading about the faeces of millions may not be everybody's cup of tea, but you need to know this stuff. You do. Read it - or Frank will come 'round to yours and block your toilet with a Douglas of truly monstrous proportions - and he can!

More digging for victory

This cartoon has been slightly modified due to initially not being...er, what's the word....ah yes....funny.

Green belts are under threat everywhere, and small scaled solutions -from established allotments to the Permaculture movement - are being under funded and under encouraged due to the high energy, high input big-business models favoured by the the international banks. Thanks to Janet Alty for the idea, and to Craig Mackintosh at PRI for handing Frank the spade, which he will be wielding from time to time.

Go and put your name down for an allotment. Go on. Tell your friends to. Overload the system. Bombard them. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

Empire of the nuclear sun

The above toon could just as easily have targetted E-on or any other large energy provider whose practices are effectively dismissive of environmental responsibility in favour of Big Business as usual. But...

Whist the argument - about who is allowed what and who is to be trusted and when are we all going to die - continues to dominate coverage of the Iranian Nuclear Power industry, the French state nuclear power company is poised to buy out the UK state nuclear power company (what's left of it) in a deal that will cost the UK taxpayers billions for ever and a day . This is without any credible guarantees of secure storage and treatment of waste in the quantities now being envisaged and the time scales being projected. What sort of question is this nonsense the answer to? The massive price hikes just announced will calm investors' jitters about this course of action.


I much prefer the Saharan solar array idea - especially if it helps finance the EU/AU green wall plan. Lightly pepper that with some local microgeneration and add a large dollop of permaculture and you're laughing.

In local news the collected Manchester councils have opted to grant a referendum on the congestion charge which is the cornerstone of the transport initiative that could be the making of Manchester in the 21st century. So now the school-runners and the single-occupancy commuters and the would-be-Clarksons and other assorted unfortunates get a real democratic chance to scuttle their own children's futures. I fear they will take this chance only too readily. This churlishness on my part might sound anti-democratic, but that's only because it is. The debate will be dominated by large and expensive poster campaigns from those with the cash to flash. I'm afraid my faith in the considered reasonableness of my fellow man has been dented by lengthy service in the NHS.
But you never know.

Only Planet

Not today's news, particularly, but a pointer towards my ONLY PLANET strip that will be appearing in the unutterably excellent NEW INTERNATIONALIST starting in October. I am profoundly chuffed about this and deeply grateful.
The strip follows Gort and Klaatu's emergency inter-galactic health and safety intervention on the endangered planet Earth - a comic tradition that promises to be fun (for me, at least)- So everybody rush out and renew your subscriptions, because Frank knows where you all live.

In the meantime - go and check out the NewInt website

http://www.newint.org/

As you may see, the mystical art of hyperlinking has at last been revealed to me - by the web gurus of LaughingRobot, who will be building my new site, courtesy of a generous grant from Artists Project Earth

On an arctic roll

To steal a phrase from the FTs John Thornhill - the World's emotional cycle is swinging from greed to fear. This doesn't seem to change as much as one might imagine. We still have a war not only on terror, but on discomfort, embarrassment and inconvenience - and it looks like common sense will remain a prominent casualty.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/riches-in-the-arctic-the-new-oil-race-876816.html

For Mancunians, the Info below is not only pertinent, but urgent;

The Three Billion Quid Question: The Transport
Innovation Fund's climate change implications to be
debated in public

On Thursday 31st July, a three billion quid question
will be posed. At a public debate, organised by
Manchester Climate Forum(1), panellists from the
Momentum Group, United City, Clean Air Now, Campaign
for Free Public Transport and the GMPTA will discuss
the Transport Innovation Fund and the need to drive
down carbon dioxide emissions from transport.

Each panellist will outline their response to the
statement "given the reality of climate change, and
the need to cut emissions from all sectors- including
transport- the TIF bid is a sensible way forward."
before being quizzed by the moderator. Members of the
public will then have ample opportunity to
cross-examine the panellists.

The panellists are Toby Sproll, (director of United
City), Dave Coleman (Clean Air Now), Roy Wilkes
(Campaign for Free Public Transport), Councillor
Andrew Fender, (member of the Greater Manchester
Passenger Transport Authority, but speaking in a
personal capacity) and a representative of the
Momentum Group

Marc Hudson, convenor of Manchester Climate Forum,
said "Feelings are running very high on the TIF bid
and the congestion charge component. This is a great
chance for people to look at the question from a
broader perspective."

The meeting is free, and open to all. It will run from
7.30pm to 9.20pm at the Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount
St., Manchester.