It was made up of environmentalists, aid agencies, trade unions, revolutionary socialists, Reclaim the Streets activists and various other beardies and weirdies. Each group had a slightly different agenda which temporarily found common cause, but whose unity was never likely to last.The protestors divided into two groups. The rejectionists had a political or cultural hatred of modern capitalism and the transnational corporations which increasingly dominate the world economy. The reformists, however, were not so much “anti” globalisation as wanting it to take a softer, more human form.This second group, by far the majority, accept a role for the market, but believe it must be better regulated and managed to offset current social injustices and unsustainable environmental practices. For the World Social Forum scheduled for Porto Alegre next month its slogan is “Another World is Possible”.Though anti-globalisation protest has vanished from the streets there is evidence that the gradualist campaigners for change are growing stronger.

Leaders of the reformers had already decided that there were diminishing returns in summit street demos, especially since violence had by Genoa, where a protestor was killed, become the main focus of media interest.Instead the reformers’ impetus has shifted behind the scenes and direct to the Third World – despite Clare Short’s disparaging remarks about “misguided, white middle-class activists” in the North, the largest protests over the WTO have been in India and Brazil.It is beginning to bite. In Doha at the WTO ministerial meeting, African countries showed a new strength and sophistication which forced the US and the EU to make concessions to secure agreement.This push is being aided by lobbyists in the West who are blitzing politicians with mass mail protests, and targeting companies and investors, and working through trade union and political party structures. They also feed the media with critiques of government policies and trade rules, and expose violations of democracy and eco-systems in the Third World.The approach is producing dividends, with a new readiness from national and international policy makers to listen to moderate voices.And if that does not work then, as the post-11 September mood gradually fades, both sides know a return to the streets is always possible.. A worldwide hunt for Dame Shirley Porter’s fortune will begin today when Westminster Council launches debt recovery proceedings for £26.5m owed by its former leader for her role in Britain’s worst political corruption scandal.

The 71-year-old, who cited Margaret Thatcher as her political inspiration, once owned luxury homes in London, Palm Springs, California and Tel Aviv. She now spends most of her time in Israel.Many of her assets are believed to have been taken out of the UK and she has disposed of almost all her shares in Tesco, which was founded by her father Jack Cohen.A spokeswoman for Westminster council said that it was left no alternative because Dame Shirley had failed to offer any positive response to its demands for payment by midnight last night.Simon Milton, the council’s current leader, has written to all of its staff explaining that the decision by the House of Lords is “final” and “brings an end to a matter that has dogged this authority for too long”.Dame Shirley and her colleagues had planned to gerrymander the 1990 local elections by selling off council homes that were earmarked for the homeless. By replacing the homeless, described by one Tory councillor at the time as not “our natural supporters”, the Tory leader aimed to pack marginal wards with Tory voters.In his New Year message, the clearest attempt by any senior Tory to distance the authority from the Porter years, Mr Milton states that her actions occurred almost 15 years ago and that “circumstances that have long since changed”. Mr Milton said that Westminster’s reputation today was underlined by its public satisfaction ratings and the Government’s decision, earlier this month, to award its housing department special status and extra money.He said the authority now had a proper code covering the standards of behaviour expected from councillors and officers alike and he added: “The new political arrangements of the council will maintain the highest levels of propriety and integrity.”. The Independent did a random survey of British companies to ask them if they would accept payment in euros from 1 January and, if so, in which outlets or branches, and whether the euro exchange rate would be displayed when transactions were made.