Brendan->> I think it's a multi-point strategy, we use every method. We use direct action and we're going to accelerate the direct action component of TLIO in the coming months. And information exchange, press releases, we can actually use the courts to a certain extent. Basically every tool we can get we will use.

Tony->> But it's a two stage process, I think. First of all, you have to devise and design strategy, which is: OK, we want to be able to come up with practical positive solutions ourselves we know will work and that we've tried and tested. And then to have a presence, which means essentially getting out there with literature, on the Internet. But most importantly, having more of a mainstream media presence, getting little bits and pieces into the mainstream media. Really, if you can't do that I'm afraid you're sunk, because you're marginalized. If you can get stuff into the mainstream media, whether it's radio, television, and newspapers. Actually on the TLIO Website, there's a really good guide to how to explore the media written by George Monbiot, who was one of the people that started the campaign. And it gives you a real insight into what goes on in the news rooms, what goes on behind the scenes, and the kind of things that you need to get the journalists on your side. But actually, if you can reach them, if you can convince them that you're serious about what you're doing, they get a lot of misinformation about environmental activists. You'll find that nine times out of ten they're absolutely on your side and they love covering what you're doing because they're fed up with the sort of grind nine to five. Especially with most of the news being created just simply by corporate press releases, corporate announcements really, advertising, being called news. And most journalists love to do a story which is a little bit different, and something that is really coming up from the community, a grass roots group. So, I think it's absolutely crucial that activists are able to make inroads into the mainstream press.

Brendan->> I think it has been a historical problem in direct action activism in this country. I've been involved in quite a few anti-development campaigns where people will take on what I think is a misguidedly precious attitude to the media, "Oh, we don't bother with Babylon, fuck them," you know. It's just stupid, self-defeating.

Tony->> The other thing is, if you can just say to activists, "Just imagine your grandma watching the television on the other side of the camera, rather than the guy who's in the suit with the camera," it's really important. Because nine times out of ten you find that people are really on your side. The other thing is, we've found often the journalists will find all the best about what we're doing. If there's some guy who's throwing up they'll leave him alone. If there's part of your land occupation which is a bit messy because that's a thing that you haven't managed to quite sort out yet, they'll ignore it. They really are on our side, because these people are yearning for solutions too, most journalists are.

Brendan->> Yeah, when I was up at the Manchester airport protest, we had this guy Swampy who was a major media star, and he just wouldn't haven't anything to do with the press, and it was such a fucking waste, you know. You could have milked them, but he just wouldn't have it, it was crazy.

Tony->> It's important to feed really sorted individuals to the press as well, not to just let anybody talk to them. To try and make sure that the press is steered toward the people that really have their heads together. That sounds a little bit, maybe a little bit, elitist but if you want to get your message out you have to do that, to have a press strategy. A lot of campaigns don't have a press strategy. But it's no good having a press strategy if you haven't thought your ideas through beforehand.

mp->> Do you network with other groups?

Tony->> I would say internationally the movement that we have the most affinity with is the Brazilian Landless Movement. One of the most important if not the most important popular movements in the world, gets absolutely no press over here. But we've been working through Brazil Network, which is a small organization in London and making sure that what we're doing actually does get over to Brazil and gets translated into Portuguese so that those people can see that people are doing stuff over here. So there's communication on that level. And also on as many levels as possible. A really important point is that because the globalization strategy and the corporate strategy is a global one, it's really important that people who are countering that, coming up with positive solutions, also form some kind of global movement, and we see ourselves as part of that.

mk->> What are your modes of communication?

Tony->> Well, usually face to face, actually. With Brazil Network, they translate stuff. But I don't speak Portuguese, so it's very difficult for me to immediately communicate with the people from the Brazilian Landless Movement. But we do our best to make sure that they get to know what we're up to, and we also keep tabs on what they're doing. At the moment, really the only way we can do that is by going out of our way to find out what's going on in different parts of the world.

Brendan->> Yeah, I think we pretty well follow the philosophy of Think Global, Act Local. We see ourselves as part of the global world, we keep in contact with it. Our active part of that is to take local action.

mk->> Did you hook up at all with the ICC when they came through Great Britain?

Tony->> Yeah, not personally face to face, but the people who were organizing, we had quite a lot of discussions with them about where were the best places for the Indian farmers to actually visit whilst they were over here. And one of the organizers of the ICC was at our land occupation most of the time up at St. George's Hill, so this kind of communication is going on, you know. Often you come across the same faces, the same people. It's a small world. We work all the time with groups like EF! and loads of different groups really, publicize Urgent which is an organization which is campaigning against building houses in the countryside on green fields sites. And so there are a whole load of campaigns which we cross-publicize, really.

 

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• ICC (Inter-Continental Caravan)
  500 members of the Karnataka State Farmers Association, and 100 folks from other countries, toured around Europe in the spring and summer of 1999 to publicize the detrimental effects of globalization and free trade on their communities, cultures, and livelihoods. Along the way, they participated in protests at the European Union summit meeting in Cologne in May, and at the G8 summit on June 18th. The Karnataka State Farmers Association (a huge Indian farmers's group) along with other Indian farmers and fisherfolk have engaged in such varied actions as burning genetically engineered crops, fasting, blockading harbors, dismantling multinational corporate factories, occupying dam-construction sites, and marching in crowds 50,000 (in Karnataka) and 200,000 (in Hyderabad) strong against government offices.
  
  
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