A big thank you to all our supporters who took part in Stop Week. Your actions brought our anti-arms trade message to thousands of people. You can read about some of the actions here.
With Farnborough Airshow in the news, read CAAT's view of this weapons jamboree at the Guardian's Comment is Free pages.
Please forward this bulletin to anyone you think would like to be involved in our campaigns. If you are having problems reading this mail, try the online version.
Read on to find out more...
CAAT is delighted to announce that comedian and activist Mark Thomas will be the guest speaker at our National Gathering on 6 November 2010 in London. If you haven't heard Mark speak before, you definitely should. If you have, then we need say no more! Mark reckons "CAAT is a frisky minx of an NGO... These folk do serious business."
Make sure you and your friends are there to help us do that business: challenging the arms industry in the run up to the world's largest arms fair next year. Book now and secure places at your preferred workshops.
Thank you to supporters who contacted their MP to ask for the closure of the government's arms sales unit, UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO). So far, we have already reached half the 650 constituencies.
The bad news is that, since we last wrote to you, Conservative Minister Peter Luff has said there's no "embarrassment in this government" about selling arms, and pledged a "very, very, very heavy ministerial commitment to the process". We think the government should be embarrassed that arms continue to be promoted and exported to countries with appalling records on human rights and to countries involved in conflict.
The good news is that some MPs agree, and have signed up to an EDM (a parliamentary petition) on arms sales. But we need more to sign before parliament breaks for the summer on 29 July!
Please ask your MP to sign the EDM today: http://bit.ly/EDM460.
The new Prime Minister has told us that spending cuts will affect the country's "whole way of life" for decades to come, yet the Government has indicated that the Defence budget will be less affected than most other departments and it has stated it is determined to support arms exports.
The Government has launched its own online Spending Challenge where you can tell the government what you think should be cut. We say that that top of the list should be subsidies for arms exports - and a good start would be to abolish the government's arms sales unit UKTI DSO.
Go to http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ and, under "Central government" add your comments.
We suggest a comment like this: "Stop subsidising arms sales: Close down the UKTI Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO). Close down UKTI DSO and end its functions. Instead of pushing arms sales around the world, this money could be diverted to security challenges such as climate change, which would generate large numbers of jobs in a sector that is expanding rapidly and has far more earning potential than selling arms."
Summer is a great time to get the anti-arms trade message out to your local community via stalls at fayres, events and on your high street. CAAT has devised a simple survey to help you get talking and changing perceptions of the arms trade. Get in touch to order materials for a stall or email this survey link to your friends and colleagues now: /issues/jobs/whose_priorities.php
CAAT now has an official Facebook Page. If you have a Facebook account, please show your support for CAAT by visiting the Page and clicking the Like button. CAAT updates will then show up in your personal newsfeed.
CAAT has had a Facebook Group for the last three years, but we are moving to the Page because it provides us with a more professional and effective presence.
Remember, you can also follow us on Twitter at wwwcaatorguk.
Are you an IT whizz? Can you spare one day a week to help us? CAAT wants to recruit a volunteer to help improve our IT systems and our online presence. You should have broad IT knowledge and aptitude for learning new software.
We pay travel expenses and provide a vegetarian lunch in a friendly setting.
More information, including a job description, on CAAT's website.
This year we have four dedicated runners taking part in the Great South Run on 24 October. Beth Smith, Chris Browne, Kat Hobbes and Debbie Payne are training hard and need your support to raise vital funds for CAAT. Remember, they take the pain, and we take the gain!
Please sponsor them today and help them reach the target of £3,000 - funds that we need to continue struggling to end the arms trade. You can sponsor them online at: http://bit.ly/bb0seF
Thank you for your continuing support.