Introduction to the campaign

The election for the new Edinburgh Council is now less than a month away. Every political party is casting itself as the party of social justice and the environment.

However, a report from Campaign Against the Arms Trade, for example, shows that Edinburgh Council holds 2 million pounds in shares in BAE Systems - an arms company that has in the last few years supplied weapons to some of the world's most brutal regimes - including Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Colombia.

The council is also making profits out of an illegal and immoral war - against Iraq, by investing in arms, despite many councillor's expressed opposition to this war.

This campaign is to bring the principles of our councillors and their constituents in line with the investments that the council makes.

Edinburgh University has had an ethical investment policy for several years now, allowing students and university workers to propose disinvesting in companies not in line with their ethos. For example the medical department proposed disinvesting in British American Tobacco - which it successfully did.

The same company manages Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh University pension funds, so the switch will be relatively easy to make.

All it takes now, is the will of our candidates now, and councillors after May 03rd to go ahead with it.

Keep checking for updates. We will be contacting each of the parties, and will post their responses.