Fair trade may be the world's last, best hope

By Mathew Hulbert

The reason I consider myself to be a progressive, a campaigner on Social Justice issues and a promoter of a world that is free, fair and green is because, since my teenage years, I've read and heard about people-in lands far away from my own-that suffer not through any fault of their own but because of the deep-seated unfairness that marks the way much of the world s governed, and the way economies are run.

Since my early teens I've been a consumer of and a supporter and campaign for Fair Trade products.I now have the great privilege and honour of being Co Fairtrade Co-ordinator at my church, Hinckley URC, and a member of the Hinckley and Bosworth Fairtrade Forum, a group of like-minded people and an official from the local authority.The job of the Fairtrade Forum is to promote Fairtrade products, and the cause itself, in South West Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England in the UK.

But, as important as that work is, what we really need to work for is a world where Fairtrade products aren't actually needed.What I mean by that is that the whole reason the Fairtrade movement came into being is because a number of very special, passionate, inspired people looked at the utterly unfair trading rules, many years ago, and decided that they needed to do something to help the Developing World to help itself.

They took action when Western Governments were doing nothing but sitting on their hands and getting rich and fat by kicking and punishing their poor relations-instead of offering the hand of friendship, removing restrictive and prohibitive trade rules, and saying 'come and join the party, it's time to spread the wealth.'

Ever since then, despite the best efforts of campaigners and lobbyists, a great number of restrictive trade rules have remained in place.That means fair trade and other movements have been needed to continue campaigning for fairer rules.So far, by and large, Western Governments have failed to listen.

Now, with Barack Obama in the White House, there is a real sign of hope.

Holding others back, instead of allowing them to trade freely and fairly, is utterly backward looking and, ultimately (as we've seen), doesn't help our economies.

The great irony is that Developing World nations, who've done nothing to contribute to the current world economic downturn, will suffer first and the most because they've been held back by the very countries whose economic policies have gotten the globe into this mess.

Removing the barriers to free and fair trade may be the last, best, hope we have of kick-starting the global economy.It's time for freedom and fairness to reign!

Mathew is a reporter with a group of radio stations in the English Midlands and writes for a number of local newspapers, and writes for the Speak Up for Change blog in an independent capacity.