Consumer and public protest is not wholly futile. As the Guardian reports this morning:
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is stepping down from Donald Trump's economic advisory council following intense criticism and an online boycott of the company over its ties to the new administration, the company confirmed Thursday.
I am heartened by that, although I have, as a matter of policy, never used Uber anyway.
Maybe, just maybe, the time for boycotts as effective weapons is really upon us.
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yes boycotts work, especially against someone as thin-skinned as Trump. The publicity surrounding a boycott may be as effective as the boycott itself.
A boycott of all Trump commercial interests should start immediately.
If Trump forces May into a terrible trade deal, where we have to accept imports of hormone-fed beef, chlorine-washed chicken or GM crops, then consumers still have the power to refuse to buy these goods (assume we know what they are through labelling.)
I have been boycotting anything containing soya unless I know for sure that it is Organic,. Having found Soya in most chocolate ,then in bread, yoghurt and biscuits in which I consider them a contaminant anyway, I found a packet of very popular American sweets which states quite plainly- made with GMO soya. Too much USA interferance with the production of our food.
I was really impressed with the gentleman who recently got Lego to stop issuing free sets through the Daily Mail because of their hate mongering headlines.
That is the way to go.
BTW – Radio 4 is on in my house and I’m hearing that May is turning up as Trump’s messenger girl in Malta!!
I am heartily sick of my country being the lap dog the USA.
I’m sure that if an opposition party wanted to tune in to the UK’s anti-US contingent they then might find some success. In my view we need to cool our relations with the US – our recent relationships with them have caused us nothing but trouble.
I look towards a more independent Britain in the future – one where we are interdependent with viable democratic states in Europe and elsewhere of our choosing and not failed ones like the USA. Also a country that stops playing at being a super power and just commits to looking after its people and having friendly relations with other states.
It’s odds on that Trump is going to start a war, sooner rather than later, and serious rather than minor. With May and co in charge, they will undoubtedly commit Britain to the resultant dangerous mess. Which given Trumps behaviour will get out of control quickly
Painting the choice that Britain is making as being between Trumps USA and Europe feels to me like a promising avenue to pursue? There must be many in the non-bigoted part of the Brexit camp who must be starting to feel uneasy. A great opportunity for some creative images and messaging. Building on Mays hand-holding. The UK towed off to be some kind of Trumpyland holiday destination and tax haven just off Florida perhaps? Covered in Trump-owned golf courses? Not to mention the first and nearest target for retaliation by whomever Trump goes to war with. More British troops in body bags.
Alarmist? Yes. We need to be alarmist as the fires have clearly been lit
Agreed – boycotts can work though they need to be noisy. As Miles said, the publicity is perhaps more important than the boycotts themselves – im not sure my quiet boycotts of Amazon, Starbucks and Nestle have had that much effect.
That means persistently targeting the CEOs of organisations supporting Trump, and for that matter those supporting the UK government whilst it tears up our relationships with Europe. These CEOs know perfectly well how bad the medium term impacts will be
So where do we start? Who are the Torys major business donors? And Trump corporate supporters?
It’s very promising, but I wouldn’t put it past Trump, or his new bestie-best-friend Theresa May, to restrict the right to promote such actions or to ban local authorities, universities or any other public institution from enacting boycotts on utterly spurious grounds like incitement or other such hogwash.
This is, after all, what they’ve doing to the Israel BDS movement.
They have threatened it now against a Californian university: I can’t remember which, but one of the notables
University of California at Berkeley
As Robin says, it was UC Berkeley, for daring to ban that foul, odious, Breitbart toad Milo whatevergreekname he has. There was a review of his hate filled “show” in The Guardian earlier in the week, which is going down well with right wing republican youth across university campuses in the US just now.
On the issue of boycotts, I understand there’s been a boycott of Ivana Trumps products for some months now, though I don’t know how effective it is. I suspect a lot of people who have enough money to buy her tat are Trump supporters anyway.
just means that we’re in for a long and bumpy ride, but hey we’ve been asleep far too long. Neeeds disipline and the willingness to persevere.
They’re banned, do it anyway. As long as it’s peaceful you’re exeercising free speech. So what they gonna do, lock everyone up or shoot em if people are banned from holding a rally which just happpens to be outside Harrods or wherever and oh look thev’ve spontaneously produced placardsetc. if it’s the organiser of the rally they go after – it’s called filibustering.
There seems to be a huge group of people, who are aware of what’s going on, but are impotent. Somehow or other, they need to control the media (MSM and social media) and get their message across in terms which resonate amongst the angry.
There’s an article today on the BBC about Russian hacking and ‘Putinbots’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38850907
Reading the comments is quite frightening. I have no idea how much truth there is in the article, but I have no doubt there is some truth. You only have to see how quickly comments appear, criticising the ‘global elite’, ‘liberal extremists’ etc. The angry are being goaded to direct their ire towards these elites (whoever they are) in an uncomfortable coalition with people like you, Richard. The trouble is that they are also encouraged to sneer at sites like this and papers such as the ‘Guardian’. George Soros has become a particular demon. People sneer at those who realise what’s happening.
There needs to be an alternative, positive vision, which can be ‘sold’ to all the angry people, but I have no idea where that will come from.
Fallon was on the Today programme waxing on about Russian “fake news” just after an item when the Government completely contradicted a report that said cutting benefits to disabled people did not work as an incentive to get disabled people to get into employment.
The Government is constantly issuing fake news in relation to any fact about the impact of their policies. Our news media – Daily Mail / the Sun / The Telegraph in particular frequently report “facts” that are not facts. I’m not happy about any Russian possible interference- but to pretend that our current indigenous media is blameless, or to ignore the interference that we, and USA have done in other countries is ludicrous. This fuss about Russia is to ensure we all look out there and don’t see what’s going on under our noses.
The Making Tax Digital impact assessment is fake news….
I’m no Trumpeter. I’m a socially liberal, economically democratic socialist, internationalist remainer. But I have a different angle on why the icons of silicon valley are reluctant to engage with him. I suspect it is because they are outraged that a mere elected politician might think that he can interfere in any way with their God-given right to rule everything.
‘Then, you wake up one morning and find out the President is running the country without your permission. The son of a bitch, how dare he?'(Jim Phelps – Mission Impossible 1)
Uncut was very successful in what it did, as was friends of the earth. Huge public awareness was achieved.
Maybe it’s time for a bit more public shaming of the corporates and wholesale product boycott.
I know many who already boycott Monsanto, Amazon, Google et al. But not noisily enough!
Personally I won’t buy a product from Tory donors e.g. Vodaphone,Lycafone etc.
A bit of civil disobedience is perhaps all that we left?
I’m in.
Thanks for the lively blog Richard
Paul
I’m all in this afternoon….and much to do
But I agree with you: maybe action is now on the agenda, even for a decidedly grey haired accountant
I also don’t use Uber.
Mind you I do use Amazon and also Apple products but i guess I have to start somewhere. I also keep an eye out for the Fair Tax Mark in shop windows and such and will certainly use such businesses when I find one. I know Lush have a FTM but I don’t really use their products.
Keep up the good work Richard.
There’s a new FTM map out soon….
Thanks