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Sir Bob & Bloggers

In a comment to the Live 8 post on my other blog Rick points us to an interesting post on The Indepundit (not a regular read of mine), with the hopeful title Saving Africa.

I JUST got off the phone with Sir Bob Geldof.

It started with an email on Saturday from John Hinderaker (aka Hindrocket) from the Power Line blog. John had been contacted by Howard Dean’s former campaign manager Joe Trippi (who is also a blogger), who in turn had been contacted by Geldof’s people. Sir Bob wanted to set up a “nonpartisan” teleconference with American bloggers to help spread the word about Live8, his latest effort to “end poverty in Africa.”

Needless to say, I was flattered to be included on the invite list (fair notice: I actually own a Boomtown Rats CD, so I was very excited to get a chance to chat with Geldof, even if it was all about doom & gloom in Africa). But after checking the Live8 website, which features calls for “doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa,” I was a bit skeptical about what he was attempting to accomplish -- I had visions of long-haired protestors calling for an “end to capitalism,” while food aid rots away on the wharf in Mombasa.

Check out the entire post for more of the conversation, and links to some of the other bloggers who took part. Kudos to Geldof for trying to get beyond the partisan BS, and for the various bloggers for giving him a listen. Now, get behind it.

Thanks for the link, Rick.

Consensus

There is a "powerful consensus" among the majority of the world's "heavyweight donors" to double the amount of development aid being directed to Africa, but the fact that the United States is reluctant to double its aid to the region likely will be highlighted Tuesday when British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush in Washington, D.C., the New York Times reports. Blair is expected to ask Bush to agree to a proposed "Marshall Plan" for Africa already endorsed by the leaders of other wealthy nations, including members of the European Union and Japan. These donors favor a "quick and bold surge" in aid that officials say will help Africa join the global economy, a view supported by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Blair's Commission for Africa and a panel appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. However, the United States advocates a more gradual increase in spending because it says poorer nations with "weak institutions" will not be able to use the funding "wisely," the Times reports (Dugger, New York Times, 6/5).

From Kaiser Network.org

UPDATE: The New York Times has an op-ed piece on the subject this morning.

Just Do Something
President Bush could go a long way toward re-establishing America as the moral leader by supporting Britain in its efforts to attack poverty in Africa.
Link

Pony Up

British Treasury chief urges oil producers to help poor nations
05/06/2005 9:31:00 AM 

LONDON (AP) - Petroleum producing countries that have benefited from recent high oil prices should do more to help the world's poorest nations, Britain's Treasury chief Gordon Brown said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

BBC News link.
Scotsman link.
Canadian Press link.

Whatever Claudia Wants...

Yeah, so I received an email from Claudia Schiffer this morning. (And I've asked her time and time again not to contact me at home!)

Hello,

The emails you've sent over the last few months have helped to put the scandal of extreme poverty onto front pages like never before.

It's been a great achievement - but to truly make poverty history a real impact is needed in the next six weeks. And especially next weekend!

Before the crucial G8 summit takes place in July, there's a meeting in central London on Saturday 11th June, that usually attracts no attention at all - yet it's absolutely vital.

At this meeting Gordon Brown and the other Chancellors from the 8 richest nations on earth, will set out what can and can't be decided at the following month's G8 meeting.

We desperately need to influence that meeting, to ensure that this golden opportunity to change the world isn't wasted.

There are more than a million people reading this email right now across all the G8 countries - and those 8 Chancellors need to know just how many people want them to make HUGE progress at this meeting.

Please, please, click here now and send an email to Mr Brown - which will automatically be cc'ed to the other 7 Chancellors. It could be the most crucial email you send this year. And it will take you under a minute.

Thank You

Claudia Schiffer

Click away, folks. As Claudia puts it - please, please.

Resistance is Futile

President Bush on Wednesday restated his opposition to doubling the United States' financial aid commitment to Africa in advance of the Group of Eight industrialized nations meeting in Scotland next month, the New York Times reports. Bush was meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki at the White House as part of Mbeki's two-week campaign to speak with G8 leaders about Britain's proposed International Finance Facility, which would frontload development aid to help Africa meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (Becker/Sanger, New York Times, 6/2). U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown at a February meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations proposed increasing aid to developing nations to $100 billion annually through the finance facility. Brown has said that more than 50 countries have expressed support for the initiative, although the United States so far has failed to fully endorse the plan. Although the Bush administration supports 100% debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries, the United States does not support the U.K. plan to raise funds for poverty alleviation, according to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/18). During Wednesday's meeting, Bush said that doubling the U.S. contribution to Africa "doesn't fit our budgetary process." Mbeki -- who is urging wealthy nations to "choose their own ways to help" Africa -- said that the European Union is considering a new tax to finance Britain's initiative. "I am absolutely certain President Bush is willing to commit whatever is required," he added. However, because British Prime Minister Tony Blair has received opposition over the plan from Germany and Italy, Bush's opposition could "doom the effort" at the G8 meeting in July, according to the Times (New York Times, 6/2).

(From Kaiser Network.org)

Sounds to me like this guy needs some emails.

Live 8 II & Edinburgh

The BBC have some great coverage of the launch of Live 8, including video of the press conference.

It seems the powers that be in Scotland have realized they may have an extra million people or so wandering around Edinburgh in July. They're appealing for well organized and peaceful protests. (Part of the problem, of course is that MPH is not the only group planning to be there.) And while the teacher's union is warning students not to "bunk off" and take part, Bob Geldof is encouraging everyone to do so.

"What's better - two days of work? Two days of geometry? Or participating in something you will remember all your life," Geldof asked.

I would dearly love to be there...

UPDATE: Additional article from The Scotsman.