In mid-January a dozen sharply dressed activists confidently swung through the glass doors of the department for Business, Innovation and Skills and occupied the swanky lobby. Their demand? To meet Lord Stephen Green. The former chairman of HSBC had recently been head-hunted by the coalition government to take over the role of Minister for Trade. Unelected, one of his first tasks is to oversee free trade talks between the EU and Canada, which many fear will deepen Europe’s involvement in the ecologically devastating Canadian tar sands oil industry.
The activists from UK Tar Sands Network had expected to be immediately thrown out, but the security guards looked on with interest as the protesters opened up their banners and delivered a noisy teach-in, educating the building’s employees about the trade deal no-one has heard of for half an hour.
