Manchester Social Forum in Action

Use solar electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen then burn the hydrogen (giving water) as fuel - no pollution! This fuel cell technology was demonstrated at 3rd Manchester People's Assembly by the Campaign for a Hydrogen Economy. The technology could supply limitless energy, giving even the poorest countries access to free energy from a renewable power source, removing the monopoly of the multinational oil companies. The fuel cell is a reality and is already available for use in vehicles and for electricity generation. A clean energy source which favours the global south: campaigners had a glimpse of an oil-free future.

They also explored the future of campaigning with workshops on environment, community struggles, anti-war, asylum seekers, freedom to work, health, gender and sexuality, psycho-geography and transforming the experience of the city. These brought campaigners and interested members of the public together in a non-party-political atmosphere to discuss radical alternatives and look at ways campaigns can work together to better understand how complex issues are interrelated and how the campaigns themselves can benefit from mutual aid and resource sharing.

The Campaigners' Fair in the afternoon, involving 30 different campaigns, started with films of local protest actions and photos of a year of Social Forum anti-war work & campaigning, then stall holders explained their aims and distributed information while brief microphone spots gave further publicity to those who wanted to speak. The event ended with reports from the workshops, calls for action & other useful info.

Sometimes the small things matter most. For example, refreshments were on offer throughout the day, with Fairtrade tea and coffee from the Unicorn cooperative grocer's in Chorlton and an excellent vegetarian/vegan lunch. No supermarkets made any money out of the event! Food and drink were paid for by donation, which meant that people on low or no income ate for free, and the rooms at the Friends' Meeting House were likewise funded by collections. How we live today tells us how our lives will be tomorrow. Ethical, environmentally-responsible living is the only way to guarantee our survival on this planet. Cooperation is no longer a luxury - it is now an essential necessity.

Pete Field, Manchester Social Forum (mcrsocialforum@hotmail.co.uk)

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