Trade for life: a vision
Christ Church and St Mary’s, 13th May 2001
Tony Blair and William Hague took a long safari holiday in the African
Bush. One day, needing a rest, they removed their packs and leaned their rifles
against a tree. They were startled when a large, hungry-looking lion emerged
from the jungle and began eyeing them with anticipation. It was clear that
their rifles were too far away to do them any good. Moving slowly, Tony Blair
began to remove his shoes. Why are you doing that?" asked William Hague.
"Because I can run faster without them," replied Tony. "I don't
care how fast you can run, you'll never outrun a lion!" William said. The
now-barefoot Tony explained, "I don't have to outrun the lion. I just have
to outrun you!"
I don't know how enthralled you are with the idea of a general
election. It may seem to you like just
watching a race or a game. Tony Benn
made his last speech in the Commons this week and as MPs listened to the grand
old man of politics he reminded them of the sacrifice of thousands and the need
for us to take our right to vote seriously.
This morning, you may not have decided to vote for, but today I wanted
you think about what you are going to vote for. What is on God's heart for his world, what
really matters to him as we come to this election? If we believe that the world belongs to God, we can't afford to
become apathetic or cynical about our politics. If we believe that we are called to love, and to love in all its
complexity and difficulty, we can't afford to be apathetic or cynical about our
politics. If we believe God desires to
bring a world into being where there is no more pain or tears or hunger or
inequality, then we cannot afford to be apathetic or cynical about our
politics.
So what does God really care about?
What should be our priorities?
He probably cares very much for the families of those 42,000 children
who died last night because of hunger, and, linked to that, he probably cares
very much for those who struggle with the reality of poverty as a grinding
force in their lives.
For example, what does God think about trade? Trade can be a great thing - it can stimulate people’s lives and
economies, be creative and life-giving, but only if it is done fairly. God wants a fair world most of all. He wants a fair world for someone called
Mundo Arroz Tagiz, a farmer in Nicaragua who works in a co-operative supported
by Christian Aid. He has always been a
farmer selling sesame seeds. He could
make a good living from it. But because
of the way international trade is run in the last few years his family has had
to find more money than ever to pay for things none of us can do without: water
and electricity. Nicaragua has had to
privatise these services under pressure from rich country governments and costs
have shot up. The companies profit but
the poorest people are being deprived of their most basic needs. God wants a fair world too for HIV and AIDS
sufferers in Ghana who have been unable to get hold of affordable drugs because
international trade rules only allow certain more expensive ones to be
sold. God wants a fair world for banana
growers in the Caribbean who have not been allowed to sell competitively on the
European market. They face ruin now as
they try and compete with some of the world's largest companies.
This is the start of Christian Aid week, and if you are wondering why I
am talking about trade, it is because Christian Aid are trying to draw
attention to the fact that millions are kept in poverty because of the way our
trade is run. It favours the rich, the
powerful, those who already have a monopoly.
World trade is a technical subject.
It is beyond the limits of our expertise. World trade can be dull, but the fact is that the United Nations
have said that if trade could be done fairly in the world 700 billion dollars a
year could be gained by those who live in poverty. World trade can be dull, but it is worth four trillion pounds
every year. World trade can be dull,
but while a country like Japan has 25 representatives at the world trade
organisation in Geneva, representing its interests, Gambia and Malawi have no
representatives at all. Who do you
think gets favoured? World trade can be
dull, but we now live in a world where transnational corporations, companies
which stretch over continents and control numbers of smaller companies, are
many times richer than countries. In
the world today the three richest people control more wealth than 600 million
people in the world's poorest countries.
General Motors is richer than 37 of the world's poorest countries put
together. World trade can be dull, but
these corporations have few checks on their power or their ability to invest
and pull out of countries desperate for economic aid. Michael Taylor writes in
his book Poverty and Christianity that the free-market spells opportunity to
the powerful, but is a constant threat to smaller producers. Poor countries are exploited, whilst rich
ones are protected. World trade can be
dull, but more than anything else it holds back the vast majority of our world
from living with dignity. Sir Walter
Raleigh said this: whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the
riches of the world and hence the world itself. Kofi Anna, UN secretary general has said recently: as we enter
the new millennium, we must make trade work for the poor.
World trade can be dull, but I think God is concerned about it. Last year we created 200 days worth of work
through our Traidcraft stall after Sunday's services only once a month. That is fantastic. But imagine a world where Traidcraft is no longer necessary
because the idea that people should be lucky to get fairly paid for their work
is ludicrous. Imagine a world where
trade is organised so that the eradication of poverty is a key objective. Where it is the key objective.
At the beginning of Christian Aid week, they are calling us to campaign
and lobby for trade change. I have just
tried to paint the vision of this campaign-I have been impressed with the
amount of detail they go into in calling for changes in agricultural policy,
food import, patents, investment, clothing and textile, services such as refuse
collection, health care, education. If
you want details I can show you them.
Christian Aid want us to give money this week. But even more importantly because of the more far-reaching
implications it could have, they are asking us to campaign in the run-up to the
election. Christian Aid have said they
want you to sign action pledge cards, which you can get today, to show your
support for fair trade in this world.
Next Sunday some of us will be giving these to Julia Drown MP, to try
and persuade her to take up this cause.
If you can come for quarter of an hour it would be great. If you can sign a card this morning to show
at least that you want to see a world where everyone gets a fair chance to
trade, then that would be wonderful.
It's tempting sometimes to think that elections can be about what we get
in our pocket. There’s been a lot of
talk about income tax this week. A man
was taken to hell and saw there thousands of starving people. The irony was that they had huge bowls of
rice in front of them. But the chop
sticks they had were too long for them to be able to put the rice in their
mouths, and so they were starving. Then
he was taken to heaven where he saw people healthy and strong. They too had the bowls of rice and the long
chop sticks. When he asked his guide
why it was that the people in hell were starving and those in heaven full, the
guide said it was simple. Those in hell
kept trying to feed themselves but failed, whereas those in heaven had worked
out that if they fed each other they could all live.
You may be thinking “What is
the point of just signing a card?” It’s
a starting point. Five years ago people
started to campaign for debt relief by signing cards- now $100 billion
cancellation has been promised. Someone
called Margaret Meade said this: never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever
has. You may feel your cross on a
ballot paper on its own is nothing-together our votes can change the world. I
believe Jesus’ call to love requires us to vote and act on the belief that
giving others an equal share is as important as what is in our own
pockets. Let's vote for those who will
support the poor, and let's pledge ourselves to a world where trade is done to
create a better world.