Punish Esso, punish Bush

If, as seems likely, the Bush regime blocks any action on climate change at the G8, we should be all ready to take action that will make him, and the people who support him, realise that he cannot continue to act as if American oil interests and the American economy are the only thing that matters in this world.

Consumer boycotts of American goods are the way to go. Politicians are creatures of their commercial paymasters. The way to get change is to make business realise that they will suffer for Bush's policies. However, it would be unrealistic to expect the whole population to boycott all American goods: there are simply too many of them, and they are woven into the fabric of our life. So how can we do it?

If we have a really strong boycott of top American companies, focussing on them one by one, we can realistically achieve change.

By concentrating on American Company #1, while at the same time telling company #2 "You Are Next", by the time we have damaged #1, numbers 2, 3 and 4 on the list will be lobbying Washington for a change of policy.

I suggest that we make Esso/Exxon #1 on the list, and MacDonald's #2. Esso is already the focus of the Greenpeace: Stop Esso campaign, so it just needs a relaunch, and MacDonald's is already wobbling for a variety of reasons; a final push might even bring about its collapse, which would be a newsworthy event.

So what do people think? Shall we go for it?

Or shall we just think about it for a second then have a snooze?

Richard Lawson
www.GreenHealth.org.uk/