Having stood up in a public meeting and suggested a 'fair trade fuel' (which means nothing to Marxists who seem only concerned with the notion of fair trade meaning a workers co-operative set up to avoid major stakeholders controlling trade) I do feel a little daft as this is only likely to have looked contradictory to many. 'Fair trade' tends only to operate for relatively labour intensive industries such as the farming of tea, coffee and fruit such as bananas not for those that are less labour intensive, like fuel production.
The notion of 'Fair Trade' has earned a relatively good reputation over the last few years and I like the notion of 'Fair Trade Fuel' despite the industry of fuel production requiring a less labour intensive process of production, it could be worth considering. It may appeal to the British public who may prefer to buy from Chavez or others who don't have the same links with facilitated war than the multi-nationals who appear never to be directly connected to wars that occur in nations who experience coups and violence when there is significant interest of 'oil companies' who often remain nameless and faceless. Are the mass media too strongly influenced by the same investing groups that control oil production...? I don't know what the solution is to this little conundrum and I suspect that the idea was planted elsewhere without my full awareness... are the SWP, the RESPECT coalition or any other organisation likely to be willing to influence markets so we can buy fuel with only the guilt of destroying the environment?
Has anyone got a spare few billion quid? Maybe we could get Branson and Sting together to put their names to fuel with a slightly better image: '...a not for profit fuel organisation offering proceeds to environmental projects in the developing world which will not invest in politically unstable economies or risk destabilising them.... '. Maybe one day, or maybe I should just write some more poetry....!?!
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