Clean the banks

REPORT JUST PUBLISHED (28/7/10): A Bank for the Future

This new report, commissioned by WDM and PLATFORM and written by former PriceWaterhouse Coopers consultant James Leaton, shows how we could create 50,000 green jobs by transforming the publicly-owned Royal Bank of Scotland into a powerful Green Investment Bank.

Download the report here.

A new WDM/PLATFORM report released today finds that transforming the Royal Bank of Scotland into the Green Investment Bank would kick start the green energy revolution.  The research, by former Pricewaterhouse Coopers consultant, James Leaton, finds that it would bring 50,000 new green jobs a year, boost the UK economy, reduce the UK's carbon emissions and improve international competitiveness - whilst not increasing the budget deficit.

This page features the latest briefings and reports about our global financial crisis campaign.

Briefings tend to be shorter (2-3 pages), more concise summaries of our campaign policy which are ideal if you want to get up to speed with our campaign quickly.

Reports are longer (30-100 pages) in depth documents which WDM produces to influence policy makers and governments. If you would like to request paper copies of our materials, please get in touch.

This new report, commissioned by WDM and PLATFORM and written by former PriceWaterhouse Coopers consultant James Leaton, shows how we could create 50,000 green jobs by transforming the publicly-owned Royal Bank of Scotland into a powerful Green Investment Bank.

WDM and PLATFORM have been campaigning against RBS's socially and environmentally disastrous investments, particularly their funding of destructive tar sands mining. But by following the recommendations of the report, the bank could become a force for social and environmental good.

Here is our letter to the Royal Bank of Scotland following the meeting with him after the RBS AGM that was attended by our Scottish coalition to clean up the banks which includes ourselves, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Amnesty International, People and Planet & SEAD.  Also present at the meeting were two representives of Canadian First Nations who are being directly affected by the current tar sands operations...

David Cameron has announced today that his government will be the 'greenest government' ever. We welcome the sentiment but we are sceptical and said that ‘history will judge this government on its green credentials by its policies to cut the UK’s emissions dramatically and getting a fair international climate deal, not by turning off its lights at night.’

It's been announced today that Vince Cable will oversee business and banking in the new cabinet. This could signal good news for our clean up the banks campaign.

30 April 2010

Deborah Doane, Director

I’ve been campaigning for stronger corporate accountability for a fairly long time. So it should come as no surprise to me that I don’t generally see eye to eye with corporate executives. But sometimes, just sometimes, you hope the facts speak for themselves – and that those corporate executives would have a sudden attack of conscience. So when a group of us met with RBS executives in Edinburgh after their AGM, we hoped the facts would speak for themselves.

We met this morning with RBS executives, including Sir Philip Hampton, RBS Group Chairman, after yesterday's protests challenging RBS’ investments in controversial projects, such as tar sands.  This meeting represented a significant concession on the part of RBS who had previously resisted campaigners’ requests for high level meetings.

The campaign groups have been putting pressure on RBS to publicly commit to stop financing companies that are exacerbating climate change or developing projects without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous communities.

Deborah Doane, Director

I’ve been campaigning for stronger corporate accountability for a fairly long time. So it should come as no surprise to me that I don’t generally see eye to eye with corporate executives. But sometimes, just sometimes, you hope the facts speak for themselves – and that those corporate executives would have a sudden attack of conscience. So when a group of us met with RBS executives in Edinburgh after their AGM, we hoped the facts would speak for themselves.