SAA R__ RE AaaROUHOUOR ORY

are. This is exactly what the companies want - a harmonisation of standards and respectability world-wide, while
they carry on their own operations, largely on a business as usual scenario.

The most dangerous document is Shell's "Profits and Principles: Does there have to be a Choice™. “We care what you
think about us, it says in hand-writing” on the inside cover, whilst also mentioning dialogue. Shell, by the way are
also spending $30 million changing their image. Despite the great green rhetoric, fundamental differences exist be-
tween Shell's vision and our vision for the future. Take the issue of globalisation. It says in the Profits and Principles
book that "Shell strongly supports globalisation for a way to ensure greater prosperity for all".

Many people now realise that the issue of globalisation is becoming the most important ecological, economic and
social issue of our time. Globalisation represents a race to the bottom for the economy, for the environment and for
equity. It represents the age of insecurity for the likes of you and me. To Shell it represents a business as usual fu-
ture.

What is our vision for the future? We cannot just highlight the problems, we also have to start working on solutions.
Do we accept Shell's and Monsanto's vision of a globalised world dominated by Microsoft and McDonalds and other
unaccountable corporations, who see no limits to growth or limits on manipulation of life. In essence, do we believe
that TNCs are part of the solution or problem? You should ask the Ogoni 19, who were arrested for campaigning
against Shell, who were arrested by Shell's own Nigerian Police, and who have languished in jail for four years de-
spite Shell's newly found commitment to human rights, what they think. You should ask the Ogoni 19 whether they
believe Shell to be part of the problem or solution. | think you would find that they believe there is a difference be-
tween principle and profit.

Andrew Rowell is the author of Green Backlash, Global Subversion of the Environmental Movement, (Routledge,
1996) and will be speaking on the Counter-strategies panel. The main area of Green Backlash work that he has car-
ried on undertaking has been corporate PR and the strategies being used by companies against activists. Quite a lot
of this work has centred around the oil industry and biotech industry, with special emphasis on the PR initiatives by
Monsanto and Shell. He is one of the very few people in the UK who tracks companies and their PR behaviour. He
has been a leading dissident against the consensus that we should sit down and dialogue with TNCS, and he spoke
out against this in a speech given to 100 leading environmental and development activists last year, which was co-
ordinated by Oxfam.

ENGINEERING OF CONSENT
UNCOVERING CORPORATE PR

EXCERPTS FROM A BRIEFING PAPER ON THE NESTLE COUNTER-STRATEGY AGAINST BABYMILK-CAMPAIGNERS, PUBLISHED
BY THE CORNERHOUSE, MARCH 1998

One of the major challenges facing citizen groups campaigning to prevent, minimise, limit or regulate socially-irresponsi-
ble or environment-degrading practices of transnational corporations is how to deal with the corporations’ increasing call
for ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation’. Many transnational corporations say they have seen the error of their ways and have rec-