The gentleman effectively avoided an answer to Mr. Bate's question. I was then able to subtly point this out by asking the question again in a slightly different form. ICCS members also used this tag-team strategy at a discussion regarding environmental standards later in the week. The free market side must act to directly affect the debate rather than comment on it from afar. News pegs and credibility.
Attendance provides credibility.
Simply by being in attendance at an international event like the WTO meetings, free market NGO's open up avenues outside the event for presenting their information. Magazines and newspapers are more likely to print an opinion piece or an article by someone who is at ground zero. Julian Morris of the Institute of Economic Affairs in London placed an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Europe . The hands-on perspective he was able to offer by actually attending the world trade meetings, no doubt aided in his ability to get printed. In addition, free marketers who attend such international meetings will benefit when they engage in future debates.