Deliver trade justice

750,000 votes calling for trade justice -- not free trade, were delivered to 10 Downing Street on the 8th December, demonstrating the public demand for a fair international trade system.

P&Pers have collected over 25,000 votes for trade justice calling on the UK government to:

fight for rules that ensure governments, particularly in poor countries, can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment. These will not always be free trade policies;
end export subsidies that damage the livelihoods of poor people around the world;
make laws that stop big business profiting at the expense of people and the environment

Santa and four reindeer paid an early visit to assist campaigners in the hand-over.

The sacks of votes were carried by a troop of elves calling on the UK government to deliver trade justice.

The elves handed out gifts to passers-by, including make poverty history themed crackers, and fair-trade fudge.

Elle Gray (right) and the rest of the delgation

“Fundamental flaws in the WTO … promote economic growth for the few, and catastrophic poverty for the many” Elle Gray, Portsmouth P&P. Elle represented student campaigning in the official delegation to Downing Street.

Portsmouth P&P collected nearly 500 votes for trade justice in just one night earlier in the week when they put on a fantastic Fairtrade fashion show.](http://peopleandplanet.org/news/story585 “Read about Portsmouth’s Fairtrade fashion show”)

Also in the delegation was Adwoa Sakyi, from the General Agricultural Workers’ Union in Ghana, who said “Trade liberalisation has already brought extreme hardship to millions of women farmers across the world. The EU pressures us to reduce our tariffs and subsidies but they refuse to do the same. We ask the UK Government to find a way to ensure that the EU respects the right of developing country governments to decide the trade policies that will help reduce poverty, respect the rights of workers and protect the environment.”