The day after the RBS AGM protests - a breakfast meeting with RBS
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.
“I was shocked to hear the Chairman state that RBS involvements in Tar Sands were seen to be so minute, that they hardly knew what the Tar Sands actually are. Eight billion dollars loaned to companies involved in tar sands extraction is hardly minute. Our local communities are feeling the devastating impacts of tar sands each and every day.” Said Eriel Deranger, of the Rainforest Action Network.
“We welcome RBS’ commitment to take our issues to board level discussion; however talk alone is not enough. We remain sceptical that this will lead to changes in RBS’ practises relating to lending in projects such as Tar Sands or Vedanta. The Chair explicitly denied any significant responsibility on the part of individual banks towards the harmful impacts of such investments. Nonetheless, we hope the board collectively will take a different view.” said Deborah Doane, Director of the World Development Movement.
The groups included Amnesty International Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, World Development Movement, SEAD, People & Planet, Indigenous Environmental Network, Rainforest Action Network and PLATFORM which were targeting RBS over its financial involvement with companies with poor climate change and human rights records.
They made it very clear that they would continue their campaigns to ensure that RBS is not using taxpayers' money to continue to trample on the environment and human rights.
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Well I went to the AGM to
Well I went to the AGM to listen to what Hampton had to say. Ms Deranger complains that he did not answer her questions - but he did. I'm afraid to say that neither she not I liked the answer but he DID answer the questions (several times)
Much as I deplore the environmental impact of the Tar Sands project he has a point - British companies do not have the responsibility to investigate and question projects sponsored and endorsed by the democratically elected Canadian Government. Hampton claimed that the RBS lending policy is as ethical as it can possibly be - and trying to take a dispassionate view, he is right. They do no more or no less than other companies.
Whilst I admire Ms Deranger's commitment to her cause, she picked the wrong time and the wrong audience to try to publicise her cause on this occasion.
Until Environmental campaigners start to think like lobbyists, we are doomed to be seen (as we were at the AGM on Wednesday) as a 'fringe group' with a grudge. The message is lost because the audience is wrong (most people who attended were pensioners who have lost their own money)and the Board of RBS have bigger issues to deal with on behalf of the British taxpayer. The headlines in the papers since the AGM have been about the executive pay packages - that alone should tell you that this was the wrong audience.
We must find a more professional way of raising the issues -and a way of picking the audience for maximum impact.
BTW - Ms Deranger over emphasised her "Frist Nation" lineage - a term that is quite meaningless to most in the UK - perhaps that's a learning point for the future?