How would you vote on the boycott?

beanyb

themole wrote:

Booooo.
It is indeed misleading. I presumed the coffee was fair trade because of the sign.
Their coffee is muck anyway, only go there when everything else is close. Or i'm right beside it and feeling lazy.

Any ideas if O'Briens is fair trade?
Its the closest and best coffee near me. (the new obirens)

The tea is but the coffee isnt.

Sure if you're close to the new O'Briens you're close to Cafe Brava which is 100% fair trade

Het-Field

Vainglory wrote:

Interesting that you mention God.

As someone known for your own strong convictions of the existence of God, I'm sure you will now be able to point me towards the "concrete evidence" that supports your belief.

*waits*

Its called taking a leap of faith. Sombody pulls the strings somewhere, and the idea of God was implanted in our minds years and years ago. Explain the apparitions of Fatima, Lourdes, Metagorga etc, the wonderful miracles that have occured in Churches from Knock to Madagascar.

It is also said that the Lord helps those who help themselves. This is the single greatest vindication of the Free Market in the World. Countries like Germany, America, Spain and Ireland have thrived as a result of the get up and go attitude that is instilled in them. Unlike former communist countries with regulated markets and nationalised enterprise. Citiznes of these countries expect the state to wait on their e3very need, and as a result poverty has ensued.

Now given that you posed a question I feel I can pose one too.

Give me concrete evidence of Coca Colas wrongdoings and provide me with information which will lead me to believe that they were responsible for those poor peoples deaths.

PS, it has been said befoe, I dont want links to www.killercoke.org or Indymedia.ie. I might ask santa to chair a debate on weather Christmas is cool

boneless

Funny... I thought the free market existed because the developing world gets raped of its raw materials by our glorious transnational/global companies so a low paid worker in another country can produce goods to sell in a country that is marginally better off until the cost of labour in a growing economy becomes too much so the transnationals can move production to a developing country where labour costs are lower so they can then sell goods back to the country where they moved the manufacturing base from and still have the raw materials close at hand... I'm so glad I live in a capitalist free market economy...

I'm really confused now... but hang on... isn't this what Coca Cola does all the time? Ah, yes. Now I remember... Check out the record of Coca Cola in India... It's not just in Columbia they are killing people.

Hackman

I heard of what Coke did in India. They bought up water rights and denied access to the farmers and villages. I would support a ban on their products.

Has anybody here read a book by a Columban Father, Sean MacDonagh? I cannot remember the name of the book, I think it is "Dying of Thirst" or something. It highlights issues like this and is very disturbing.

themole

Hackman wrote:

I heard of what Coke did in India. They bought up water rights and denied access to the farmers and villages. .

The does indeed sound bad.

But is the India government not more to blam for allowing this to happen?

Hackman

themole wrote:

The does indeed sound bad.

But is the India government not more to blam for allowing this to happen?

Whether the Indian government is complicit or not is another issue, I feel. Are Coke not wrong for this type of unethical and immoral action? I thought the debate here was on Coke and Nestle... I'm new, so allow me some slack!!!!

themole

Hackman wrote:

Are Coke not wrong for this type of unethical and immoral action?:D

Most likely, I would need the full facts to have a concrete position.

The role of a company is to make money.
The role of the government is to force companies to act in a way which is to the best benefit to the citizens of the country. The government should force the companies to follow a moral course of action.

Why didn't the India government stop coca cola from buying water rights?

Why didn't the columbian government force coca cola to pay its workers more through employment law?

I don't expect most companies to be nice and have good morals on their own. I beleive you need the people to protest against immoral actions, but also the government must weigh in to force them to act in moral and just way.

Hackman

Coke probably gets away with it the same way most big companies do. They bribe and corrupt. Has ethical business dealings got no place in the world today?

As a member of the Society of Friends (or Quakers, as we are known) I am appalled by the way the world is being run and ruined by these companies and their pursuit of profit.

I suppose I have a political agenda in here somewhere but I speak as a human being first and foremost.

boneless

Hackman wrote:

Coke probably gets away with it the same way most big companies do. They bribe and corrupt. Has ethical business dealings got no place in the world today?

As a member of the Society of Friends (or Quakers, as we are known) I am appalled by the way the world is being run and ruined by these companies and their pursuit of profit.

I suppose I have a political agenda in here somewhere but I speak as a human being first and foremost.

This is possibly the best analysis of the situation that has been posted so far.

Fair play and honest dealing should be promoted and rewarded.