The G8 Summit

Umm I think lots of those protestors are crazy!

I can kind of understand cancelling outstanding loans on some of the poorer african nations. Increasing aid though I dunno... Thing is, You don't distribute wealth, you Produce it! Just giving them more aid isn't going to change much the situation much in Africa no matter how much rhetoric you throw at it! Personally I think the best way to help them out is to create factories and jobs in those areas. It's the old saying, Give a man a fish and he won't go hungry for a day, teach a man how to fish and he will never starve.

Also I think those protestors are going to start throwing around a lot of crap, ie most likely the G8 leaders aren't going to allow any of the protestors near them and are most likely going to have heavy military guards around them. Of course the protestors are most likely going to be so foolish as to thing the leaders just "don't want to face the truth" blah blah blah, truth of the matter is, If I was one of those G8 leaders, I wouldn't want a bunch of crazy fanatics around me, especially considering the fact that one of them might just happen to have a bomb or gun with them!

I think Live8 was a great event and I think that the vast majority involved were there for the right reasons and wanted to make a difference for the better in many lives, but I’m not convinced that an awful lot is going to happen.

It appears at times that it’s the diverse cultures of these 50-odd countries that make the continent what it is are also the reason they are in such a state and unless these cultures are changed I don’t see how more financial aid from ‘the west’ is going to help in the long run.

Simply freeing someone of debt doesn’t necessarily make them better equipped to run their finances more successfully next time.

20years ago an awful lot of money was raised for a very good cause and this was followed by an awful lot more money. Where did it all go? Why has the situation not improved?

I saw a report by the BBC’s Michael Burke who’s original report from Ethiopia prompted Bob Geldof into action in ’84 where he returned 20years on to see what had happened. He found a very nice UN building near the massively expensive but deserted airport and a couple of 5star hotels in the capitol but people were still starving in rural areas. To make matters worse one of the interviewees he’d spoken with 20years ago, and who’d lost most of his family to the famine, when asked if he was bitter toward his governments virtual abandonment which caused (or at least greatly contributed too) the original disaster and the continued poverty etc. wouldn’t blame them. He was convinced that the only reason his family died was God’s punishment for something he must’ve done.

It’s education, and the will to educate, that would help this guy not more cash alone.

NB it’s been an hour or so between hitting reply and submit ‘cause I’ve been to lunch so a lot of this might already have been said, it would’ve been the 1st reply had coffee not called!

mpw said:

20years ago an awful lot of money was raised for a very good cause and this was followed by an awful lot more money. Where did it all go? Why has the situation not improved?

Click to expand...

I remember seeing images on TV, and pictures in the newspaper, from 20 years ago of ships laden with tons of grain rotting in their holds at the docks of Ethiopia and Somalia. Virtually none of the money raised, or the food that the money purchased, made it to the intended recipients.

Truly a very sad situation for which nobody has any real answers.

Rhodesia/Zimbabwe is a classic example of how corruption destroys a country.

Under Ian Smith they had a viable economy and exported minerals (copper, emeralds etc) and fruits and vegetables to Europe and America. On the black market of course, due to sanctions at that time.

Now under Mugabe, they can't even feed themselves And not one African leader has the courage to stand up to Mugabe, instead telling Europe and America that they should work with him?!?!?