they will come spreading -isms and schisms
they will try to divide and conquer, yea-ah
but they not counting on I an I searchlight
I and I, duppy conqueror

(piss off back to New Scotland Yard)

Don't attack these guys, they're doing good work.
Bono genuinely cares about this stuff, he spends hours everyday educating himself about the complexities of third world debt. I don't think he'd do that just to be in the spotlight - I can think of easier less effortful ways of getting publicity. He may be rather proud of what he does but you probably would too - it's only human. At the end of the day, the reason he does it is because he cares. Ditto Bob Geldof.

Also, when you said source: geezer down the pub, are you taking the piss or what? OH SOME GEEZER DOWN THE PUB SAID IT SO IT *must* BE TRUE!


And even if you do have disagreements with these people, DON'T SPLIT THE MOVEMENT. Unity is what we should be striving for.

And yes environmentalism is dominated by middle class people. Would you be happier if these middle class people didn't care about the environment? It would sure make it easier for you to slag them off. OK so they're not perfect. But if you were lucky enough to be rich, would you really give all your money to charity? Of course not!

Let's have some more positive energy. Let's not base our movement on negativity and bitching.


peace.

I agree that people such as Bono et al may well be "on our side" - but only in the sense that their hearts are in the right place.

Unfortunately their ideas often consist of some minor reform to the global injustice that is capitalism. Which is great - except that they delude themselves that the problem will then be fixed. Reform is better than nothing, but it doesn't tackle the root of the problem, it misses the big picture - that capitalism is the problem.

And when anything radical enough to actually make a difference arises, the role of celebrite supporters along with the bought-off leaders etc is to be wheeled out by the authorities to "denouce" us.

eg: Ken Livingstone Mayday 2001

That's my view, but I'd be pleased to discuss others,
GtR

The "popular" duo Geld-off & Boner, are the 'celebrity-faces' of anti-globilisation, they make Putin, Blair and Bush appear human, "in touch" with "protest," revealing the pleasant face of Fascism.

Geldof endorses Blair and Blunkett's accusation that protestors are nothing more than 'football hooligans' who come to fight police, for the thrill, (of being shot!) And so the governments can now treat activists like yobs, and deny their right to travel, have them spotted, tagged and filed...thanks to Bob.

Putin's KGB launches terrorist attacks on his own citizens, so he can blame Chechen Muslims and ethnically cleanse their country, Bono kisses this genocidal maniac's arse.

More people than ever are starving, not less and charities can't 'Feed the World,' not if Jeffrey Archer is embezzelling it.

How can the be on the side of anti-capitalists when they denounce them as hooligans to New Right fuhrer Blair?

How can the be on the side of anti-capitalists when they denounce them as hooligans to New Right fuhrer Blair?

AFTER GENOA

July 2001 – one person’s thoughts


·We must not fall into the age-old trap of “divide and conquer” that the state wishes to use on us, with the media as their tool

·We must not allow the term “black bloc” to become synonymous with any one thing, just as much as we must not allow “anti-capitalist” or “protestor” or “activist” to become synonymous with any one thing. We are lots of different people who do different things at different times for different reasons – we are diverse and we do not accept labels

·Having discussions about violence and nonviolence, personally, or within the “activist” community, is healthy and necessary. Having these discussions in the media or press releases is useless, destructive and damaging to us all

·We must base all discussion, about and with those whose tactics we may disagree with, on the assumption that we all share the same desire for a just, free world. Sometimes we might have to agree to differ along the way – and learn how to handle that

·We must deal with the fact that what we are doing is hard, and we need to make choices based on sustainability if we want to be in it for the long haul. We must allow for the fact that we may get discouraged and weary, and that affects how feelings, choices, and needs

·We must continue to use our own media to communicate the issues and the facts – leaflets, newsletters, papers, workshops, public meetings, squat cafes, alternative news nights, indymedia…

·We must keeping putting energy into support systems including legal and prisoner support, as well as good communication, information sharing, and skill sharing

·We must put energy into facing our own personal and group challenges, to become very open with each other, very honest with each other, willing to respond to criticism, willing to change, and strong enough and close enough to look after each other in whatever situations we face

·It is only going to get more challenging and perhaps scarier – WE NEED EACH OTHER. We must learn to work with the diversity of actions and choices that must exist in a sustainable society, and see it not as confusing and overwhelming but as exciting and inspiring

·We must continue to create as well as resist – and to celebrate how far we’ve come already

I would take these self-appointed saviours of our planet a bit more seriously if they sold their huge houses, cars, studios etc and tried to live like the rest of us. we attack corporate fat cat salaries - why not salaries of these shite popstars.
I also notice that Geldof was slagging off all the protestors and talking about getting into a dialogue with the G8 and what a good job they were doing etc. well howcome all the mainstream media and middle-of-the-road pressure groups (including famine relief groups like Oxfam) said that the summit failed to produce anything of worth? even the AIDS programme was woefully short of what the UN wanted. Bob Geldolf was obviously well off the mark and he is only granted the opportunity to talk to world leaders because he rich - what about the rest of us?
in any case U2 are shite and Bob Geldof hasn't had a hit since about 1940. so that proves they must be wrong.

Layyyyy-la!