Chorlton Central Church

Is FairTrade enough ?

No

But it is a start, and it is having an increasing impact on the communities where it operates.

Changes are needed to international trading practices and rules.
Debt cancellation - which so far has not progressed nearly as quickly as was agreed several years ago - needs to be completed.

The wealthier nations need to listen to manufacturers and growers who are being exploited.

Banking Reform

As we sit in the debris of the banking collapse throughout the western world, there is a strong feeling that

• fundamental banking reform is needed and
• bankers just don't get it !

Many of the books of 'prophesy' in the Bible are not about the future but about the political and economic situation in which the writers found themselves. This includes economic injustice, and the oppression of the many by the wealthy few. In Britain in 2012, 97% of FTSE Directors have a company pension with a median value of £175,000 per year, but only 34% of private sector employees are members of a company pension scheme. Read more about this from the High Pay Commission.

The Old Testament Prophets would have been very clear about God's view of this situation - and they would not have been polite about it.

The Robin Hood Tax is one initiative which responds to this situation. The campaign name may suggest a 'lunatic fringe' approach, but in fact the campaign is solidly supported by, amongst many others ...

• President Sarkozy of France,
• Chancellor Merkel of Germany,
• Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain, among others.
• FSA Chairman Lord Turner,
• financier George Soros,

• entrepreneur extraordinaire Warren Buffet.
• Nobel Prize winners in economics Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman,
• Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs
• and 350 other economists from across the world.

Q: What do you get if you mix a simple, brilliant idea with people that includes Desmond Tutu, Bill Nighy, Richard Curtis, Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and a global movement of 220 million people?

A: A global campaign of diverse people united in the belief that banks, hedge funds and the rest of the financial sector should pay their fair share to clear up the mess they helped create.

The Robin Hood Tax is also supported by the United Reformed Church, Christian Aid, Church Action on Poverty and many other faith groups in the UK and worldwide.

Micro-credit

We can make some direct difference when investing our own money.

Oikocredit was founded by the World Council of Churches in 1975 to provide a mechanism for Churches and their members to invest in way which would benefit the world's poorest by providing a source of credit. Oikocredit now has £200M invested, largely distributed as Micro-credit to micro entrepreneurs, subsistence farmers and the self-employed. Lack of collateral does not exclude borrowers from access to funding.

To find out about this Christian initiative click on the logo >

Shared Interest is a UK based Co-Operative Lending Society that aims to reduce poverty in the world, by providing fair and just financial services. It was started in 1990 and has around 8,400 members who have invested more than £20 million. It uses the pooled savings of members to facilitate fair trade. Shared Trade works with fair trade businesses all over the world, both producers and buyers, providing credit to enable producers to be paid in advance and to help fair trade develop.

< To find out more about Shared Interest click on the logo (left)

Revised 8 January 2012