Challenging the Billionaire Takeover – Reflections from Global Justice Now’s Summer Gathering
On Saturday, campaigners from across the Scotland came together at a Global Justice Now event to reflect on some of the big challenges facing the world today — and how people power can make a difference. We heard from Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, and Seema Syeda, the organisation’s digital and trade campaigner. Both offered some sobering insights, but also a strong message of hope and action.
Nick opened with a blunt truth: the way our economy is currently set up turns everything we care about – health, community, even nature – into commodities to be bought and sold for profit. The result is a world facing climate collapse, social division, and rising authoritarianism. But crucially, this crisis isn’t inevitable. It’s a political choice made by those in power, and it can be unmade.
Nick argued that many of the world’s most powerful corporations, particularly in the tech and fossil fuel industries, are choosing to resist climate action and cling to their wealth, even if it means backing authoritarian regimes or fuelling global conflict. His warning was stark: “If we can’t stop a genocide in Gaza, how are we going to stop climate change?” But he also reminded us that some of the biggest breakthroughs in history, including victories against apartheid and unjust trade deals, were made in moments that felt equally bleak.
There was a clear call for a more transformational kind of climate action, one that redistributes power, protects people, and puts communities in charge. This isn’t just about switching energy sources, but about challenging the systems that allow corporations to profit from destruction in the first place. For Fair Trade campaigners, this is a familiar idea: the belief that trade should serve people and planet and not the other way around.
Seema Syeda built on Nick’s points, focusing on how the world’s largest tech companies are not only avoiding tax and undermining workers’ rights, but also driving surveillance, militarisation, and climate harm. From AI systems used in military operations to trade deals that block countries from taxing or regulating tech giants, her message was clear: these corporations are wielding unprecedented power, and governments are letting them get away with it.
But Seema also spotlighted the resistance. Countries in the Global South are standing up, from Brazil’s new digital sovereignty charter to Uruguay’s publicly owned internet infrastructure. These are stories we don’t often hear in the UK, and examples we could learn from, and they show what’s possible when communities put people and democracy ahead of profit.
At Scottish Fair Trade we are concerned about global justice. We want to see a world where the rules of trade, tech, and power are set by communities, not billionaires. When tech companies dodge taxes or when trade deals stop Global South countries from developing their own industries, the consequences are felt most by the very producers we in Fair Trade claim to support. This is why Fair Trade campaigners should be thinking about also campaigning for corporate accountability, for ethical trade rules, and for climate action that supports the most marginalised.
Nick reminded us of our collective power, recalling how campaigners helped bring down the controversial Energy Charter Treaty, a little-known deal that allowed fossil fuel companies to sue governments for climate action. “Most people hadn’t even heard of it,” he said, “but you made it happen.” For those of us working in Fair Trade, it’s a vital reminder that even the most entrenched global systems can be challenged, and changed, when ordinary people come together.
The speeches closed with a message of resilience. Seema referenced the Palestinian concept of ‘sumud’, a kind of steadfastness and quiet determination in the face of struggles. While the challenges ahead are daunting, we see hope by the continued actions of campaigners, producers, young people, and communities refusing to give up.
As Nick put it: “These are frightening times, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But if we look back at history, it’s at moments like these that the biggest changes happen.”
To find out more about the work of Global Justice Now and get involved with their current campaigns visit: Global Justice Now in Scotland.
Louise Davies, 7 July 2025
