-----Original Message-----
From: tom stafford [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 26 June 2007 14:59
To: tom stafford
Subject: Elsevier campaign victory + party invite

This is just a follow up email to the announcement on June 1st that Reed
Elsevier will cease organising arms fairs.

Again, many thanks to everyone who was involved in every way. It was
this combination of pressures that made clear to Reed Elsevier that
academia and the arms trade don't go together

Thanks also to everyone all over the world who got in touch - this was
truly an international effort. I think this internationalism is one of
the great strengths of academia.

Immediately below are some news links, at the end of this email is an
invitation to a victory party in London on the 6th of July - I'll be
there and it would be great to see anybody who was involved in the
campaign, or anyone who would simply like to join in celebrating with
us.

Yours
Tom

NEWS & LINKS
============

Lancet editorial (1st of June)
http://multimedia.thelancet.com/pdf/ReedElsevier.pdf

Reed Elsevier press release (1st of June)
http://www.reed-elsevier.com/index.cfm?articleid=2084

Guardian
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2093273,00.html (1st of June)
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2093564,00.html (2nd of June)

Times
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/ar
ticle1873095.ece

(apologies for being UK-centric)

I saw a couple of stories which (in my opinion) misascribed the reasons
for Elsevier's actions, i.e.:

'Shareholder revolt' (Independent, Business Section)

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/article2659
736.ece

'Boycott' (ScienceBlogs)

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/06/elsevier_stops_arms_sales_
afte.php

You can read a more thoughtful discussion of how the campaign was won in
this Guardian comment by piece by Symon Hill of CAAT
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/symon_hill/2007/06/laying_down_armsl
.html

This is the text of a short letter which was published in the UCU
Magazine this month

//
Colleagues will be pleased to hear that on June 1st the publisher Reed
Elsevier announced that it will cut its links with the arms trade. A
statement by CEO Crispin Davies leaves us in no doubt about motives: "it
has become increasingly clear that growing numbers of important
customers and authors have very real concerns about our involvement in
the defence exhibitions business"

I would like to commend all those in the academic community who put
pressure on Reed; who signed petitions, wrote letters, boycotted
journals and persisted despite Reed's insistence that they would carry
on organising arms fairs regardless.

This victory demonstrates the power of we can have when we act
collectively. It also gives support to a view that many of us already
hold --- that, as it is currently run, the arms trade is immoral,
illegitimate, and stands in total contradiction to the values of
academia.

Please join me in calling on Reed Elsevier to donate the profits they
will make from organising their final arms fair in London (DSEI, in
11-14th September) to Landmine Action (landmineaction.org) to start
making amends for the harm they've done.

Yours,

Tom Stafford
University of Sheffield
//



THE FUTURE
==========

For a sobering thought, there are signs of Reed already positioning
itself for the sale of the exhibitions part of the business, e.g. here:
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/FREE/70608
005/1078

No doubt they will sell it, but we've shown that involvement in the arms
industry is a liability for any company that hopes to be 'respectable' 
and, hopefully, we've played a part in making arms fairs - key engines
of arms industry business - more vulnerable to campaigning. Speaking of
which, see you in september?

DSEi: http://www.dsei.org/

You may also be interested in

Changing the academic publishing system: 
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/journals.html


PARTY!
======



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Reed campaign celebration drinks
Date: 	Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:38:40 +0100
From: 	Anna Jones <[log in to unmask]>

Hello everyone,

To celebrate the amazing success of the Reed Elsevier campaign we will
be meeting for celebratory drinks - please join us!

** Friday 6th July, from 6:30pm till late*
**
** Soho Theatre Bar, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE. Map:*

It would be lovely to see you there to toast everyone's hard work!!

Please forward this invitation to others you know who've been
involved...

hope you can make it!

Anna

ps. You don't have to, but if possible rsvp so I know how many nibbles
to get in!

http://www.caat.org.uk/campaigns/reedelsevier.php


Anna Jones
Campaign Against Arms Trade,
11 Goodwin Street, Finsbury Park, London N4 3HQ

Tel: 020 7281 0297
Fax: 020 7281 4369

www.caat.org.uk <http://www.caat.org.uk> www.armsfairs.com
<http://www.armsfairs.com>