Brown New Deal

It's rare, these days, for a bank to be condemning the government rather than the other way around, but that's what a new report by HSBC does. It reveals that despite promises to "lead the world in building the low carbon society with a low carbon economy", Gordon Brown's actual investment in anything resembling a 'Green New Deal' is tiny compared to other rich countries. China, whose emissions are regularly referred to as an excuse for not tackling our own, is devoting 110 times as much money to environmental investment. Brown loves to jump on any bandwagon that rolls by, but just like with Make Poverty History, it seems he's not actually serious about the Green New Deal.

The HSBC report points out that by investing in green energy, the government could create more jobs than with conventional financial stimuli, as well as cutting emissions and solving energy supply issues. All well and good. But when the principles of the Green New Deal were originally brought together last year, they included proposals such as a windfall tax on energy super-profits. Although campaigning was done around this issue, it doesn't seem to have made its way so strongly into mix when the Green New Deal is talked about in the mainstream. There is a danger that HSBC, Brown or anyone could cherry-pick the corporate-friendly policies, calling what they've done a Green New Deal, but losing the vital essence of the proposal; to fundamentally challenge the neoliberal model that got us in the mess in the first place.

I think its important to remember, though, that its possible to both critique and push further any Green New Deal -style proposals. We should use the momentum created by the fact that mainstream alternatives to free market dogma are starting to be implemented to demand proposals which contain more social justice and a more sustainable basis on which to run our economy. That means more co-operatives and credit unions, more local food production and sustainable transport systems, not just investment in hi-tech green energy projects which are most suitable for multinational corporations, thereby confirming their place in our future.

A space to build a movement?

Yesterday was a long day. I've been on the organising team for 6 Billion Ways and yesterday it happened - all 14 hours of it. But it was also a real success. We don't have a final figure for the number of people who came, but it was getting close to 2,000 over the course of the day. They came to hear a mix of international and UK speakers talk about everything from whether getting climate justice necessitates getting rid of capitalism, to whether overseas aid is a good thing or a bad thing.

One of the original inspirations for the event was 'McPlanet', which various campaigning NGOs hold in Germany every two years, but the feel was very much like that of a mini social forum. That was deliberate on the part of the organisers. While there is nothing new in campaigning NGOs working together on events, what set 6 Billion Ways apart was that it had at the centre of it an idea of building a movement. This was just one event, of course, but it aimed to contribute to something wider, instead of simply seeking to build either the brand of even the particular campaigns of the organisations that put it on.

It was also clear, from both the numbers that turned up and the things they were saying, that the event struck a chord with lots of people who are becoming deeply disillusioned with the global order. I'm sure very few would have failed to be inspired by the day which was very buzzy and featured a photo exhibition, radical bookstore area, campaign stalls, skills workshops, films and a party at the end.

The inclusion of speakers like Tariq Ramadan, and the involvement of City Circle (an organisation of progressive Muslim professionals) as one of the organisers, also meant the event drew a diverse crowd. At the final plenary, speaking last after Susan George, Tariq Ramadan, Bianca Jagger, Trevor Ngwane and Meena Raman, Mark Thomas quipped that he was glad to have been included on the panel as the token white male. He then went on to be as angry and impassioned as I've seen him and gave us a very fitting end to the day.

After worrying about whether people will turn up and all the logistical and programmatical headaches that come with a big event for the last few months, we're now left with a question. Surely we have a responsibility to do something with the enthusiasm we've created for the 6 Billion Ways idea - and if so, what?