Phallacy of Free Market is revealed

Meanwhile, a third of the world's population are living in absolute poverty.

The fact is this, nobody wants or needs to consume genetically engineered products. But it is clear from investment patterns that business views it as a potential profit bonanza.

Monsanto - the agrochemicals firm currently forcing genetically engineered Soybeans onto the European market in order to sell more of its herbicide - spends $120 billion a year on research. It recently paid over $1 billion to purchase three seed companies. Corporate money is pouring into universities and crop research centres.

PPL Therapeutics, who funded the creation of Dolly the Sheep, recently launched on the stock market for œ100 million.

Integral to the market creation strategy is the removal of choice from the consumer. Monsanto and Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis) have fought to prevent the labelling of their products on supermarket shelves. Evidently, their biggest fear is that fully-informed consumers would boycott their products and reduce profits.

It is crucial for consumers to recognise that genetic engineering and the patenting of new life forms by biotechnology companies, represents a global strategy by big business to secure control over the world's food markets. There has been a recent rash of corporate mergers as pharmaceutical, agribusiness, chemical and food companies join forces in order to enjoy the profits of the new biotechnology era.

Monsanto, Novartis, SmithKline Beecham, Hoescht and Boehringer are already monopolising the sale of seeds and chemicals to a new generation of farmers.

A Global Week Of Action on genetic engineering is planned from April 21-26.

Groucho Marx once said "humour is the first retreat of the cynic". But as optimist we devoted only our front page to humour.

The election is the defining moment of our so called democracy . Ever more hideous it confronts us like a huge advertising war between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Both claim to be the real thing and as the campaign piles farce upon farce it becomes clear that if our problems have solutions they lie outside the parliamentary fray.

Martin Bell standing against Sleaze", summed up feelings felt by a lot of us "There's been a poison in the democratic system, which means the democratic system is unable to operate." There are many poisons in the democratic system - the whole notion that democracy is about representation and not direct participation for one.- and that putting a cross on a piece of paper every five years is the limit of our democracy are poisons enough - but another poison has emerged, one that eats at the heart of the concept of democracy, the fact that power is rapidly shifting away from our locally "elected representatives" towards unaccountable bodies such as TNCs and financial institutions.Bodies who exist to replicate money and to maximise their profit at any cost, and who have no other interests. Democracy has been sold to Corporate culture and we and the ecosystem are all paying the heavy price.

The next day The Sun publishes its revelations about the sexual misconduct of Piers Merchant MP, information it is believed to have known since February. The result? The Tory campaign is knocked into a swamp of sleaze for another week and Labour is left with a much needed 'window' of time in which to regroup itself.

Coincidence or yet another example of the transnational media abusing its influence to insure its own omnipotent position in any future power structure?

Political parties, governments and corporations have long realised the awesome power of the transnational media to sway public opinion, summed up by The Sun in its own infamous headline "It's the Sun wot won it!" after the 1992 general election.

The political allegiance of the Media giants is a potent weapon for any political party and is too valuable to sacrifice for such principles as the rights of the citizens of this country to an independent, free and democratic press.

It is clear that since his meeting with News Corp executives in Australia in July 1995, Tony Blair has reassured Murdoch that any Labour government will refrain from legislation which would threaten Murdoch's grip on the British newspaper industry. Nor will Labour undermine with regulation, the monopoly that Murdoch's BSkyB holds in the UK.

Blair might now have the political backing of the most widely read newspapers in the land, but he must remember that the Media Moguls are highly skilled opportunist and the same power which could take him to No 10 could also be used to devastate his government if the Tories suddenly seem a better deal.