I am finding myself increasingly increduluous at the news reports being published around the Make Poverty History campaign and in particular the "Live8" re-runs of Live Aid being championed by Bob Geldof.
First of all he's promoting a massive convcert in Hyde Park on the same day as the Make Poverty History protest. What are they doing?
I mean Gordon Brown has encouraged people to go to Edinburgh and protest, and now the pop stars are in effect telling people "no it's ok you can make your statement to the G8 by listening to the reformed Spice Girls in london instead of going to edinburgh"!!
It's quite crazy and I'm sure there are some in the Make Poverty History coalition that would in fact be happier with just a concert, but the rest of the coalition must be wondering what the hell is going on.
I've lost count of the number of news stories that have pretty much just focussed on Sir Bob and his celeb plans or his one liner quotes - Do a google news search and you get 371 articles listed for "g8 geldof" alongside the 946 for "g8 gleneagles"...
And now, not content with the first set of Live8 or whatever they call it, he is now planning on organising another massive concert - this time in Edinburgh (perhaps at Murrayfield Stadium), and this time on the First Day of the G8 Summit!
So not content with offering a non-protest alternative to the make poverty history demo - he is now doing the same to the other mobilisations which planned their protests on the first day of the summit.
What the fuck is this guy up to?
Comments
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Damm that Geldof
28.05.2005 14:48
People like him need to understand that change will only come about by people dressing as Clowns and standing around with banners calling for unrealistic changes to the entire structure of society. Organising charity events which lead to food deliveries and subsequent life enhancing improvements to those who are suffering is not the way forward. For example when Bob was delivering food to Ethiopia what effort did he make to ensure those starving where fed a strict Vegan diet ? None ! Has he done anything to free those cattle and goats held prisoner by the nomadic tribesman of Northern Sudan ? No he hasn't.
Geldof - just a busybody who is getting off his arse and making peoples lives better - we don't need him.
Sammy
good point in Corporate Watch
28.05.2005 15:03
"BOB GELDOF: COURT JESTER OF THE G8
Self-appointed saviour of Africa, 'Saint' Bob Geldof recently hit out at world leaders, appearing to blame them for slow progress on meeting the Development Goals set for Africa. Within the G8 charade Geldof plays a very important role. His fake opposition is needed to preserve the illusion of debate within the process, implying that the G8 summit can, in some way, be forum for good – if only they would listen to the pop stars: “should you come with the intent to stop this open wound then you will be embraced and remembered throughout this century. ”
In actual fact Bob Geldof, and the Africa Commission, of which he is a member, is commited to 'solving' poverty through a neo-liberal agenda, relying on the very forces of international capital that have created Africa's poverty in the first place. As Geldof well knows, the G8 is fundamentally about opening up coutries' economies to the 'free market', or, in plain language, to the control of multinational corporations. A recent Africa Commission report has stated that alleviating poverty will be accomplished through: “Removing the trade barriers in developed and other developing-country markets that frustrate the fulfilment of Africa ’s trade potential. Progress requires the successful completion of an ambitious Doha Round. ” (original emphasis).
The 'Doha round' referred to here, is the WTO trade talks, began at Doha, that lay down the framework for corporate control of government services. The other members of the Commission include former executives of the IMF and of petroleum giant McKinsey&Company. Criticism of such companies was lacking from Geldof's speech."
As for the leaked document re climate change - the UNFCCC has a massive business and nuclear lobby within it anyway,when interviewed before the election Bliar mantained his commitment to cheap air travel ( and implicitly expansion ), everybody completely ingnored the road expansion programme. I could go on but there are plenty of neoliberal reformers that still expect the market to help combat poverty and climate change - this is blantanly impossible and imperialist as can be seen by varuious large scale hydro projects and monculture projects. NGOs can give this arsewipes credibility while at the same time fuckin over non-overdeveloped countries peoples who already had a sustainable mode of living ( such as Brazil with eucalyptus ) while managing to massage their own egos and drawing a large wage - this country is full opf these leeches wherre it can be seen in the housing and homeless sector.
So what we really have is a global rich versus poor and a lot of inflated arrogant apologists that act as a buffer zone - some might call this collaboration ( also from the bourgoius media/consultant/ management classes - the dominant factions of the dominated - who are still very fucking confortable and for them it doesn't really seem to matter that much if change is slow as the people dying are far away or just a nameless subject on a documentary - note subject position).
Anyway - I'm going to hitch up there as I cannae afford the bus or train etc.....
shoot the consultants
C'mon darlings!
28.05.2005 15:25
Bob does paint himself as a 'saint' and back in the nineties inexcusably introduced Michael Jackson's quasi religios farce at the Brits when Jarvis bared his bum!
But don't condemn him for not going through the Stalinist Indymedia/Poples Global Action committees who act like they OWN the G8 protests. Which are something of a waste of time since the Bilderbergesr make the real decisions.
Emma
Emma Peel
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Hey Sammy + Emma
28.05.2005 16:58
Sir Bob is working with a tiny small number of the main strategy people from Oxfam etc and if you speak to many grass roots people from the groups that make up MPH you'll find many unhappy with the celebrity spin angle and the pop concerts, this increases the further from london and the UK you get.
Wake up for heavens sake! This is not about attacking x person / campaign, it's about looking at a proper discourse about the issues at stake at the G8 and the potential for change - not whether the fucking spice girls are coming out of retirement for a headline message grab. There's also a serious debate about which forms of action are appropriate, and it's clear there are many diffrences of opinion. But staging pop concerts in competition with protests around the G8 just stinks to me.
Hey ho - maybe if I buy another charity single, get a neat sodding rubber wristband to wear with pride, go to the concert and get active by writing an email to Blair things might change...
bob the coalition builder ;)
Murrayfield concert plan for G8 summit
28.05.2005 19:17
Some of the world’s biggest music acts, including Oasis, Robbie Williams, Bono, Annie Lennox and Sting have been approached to play at the event.
It will follow a Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, which is expected to involve 250,000 protesters and is intended to put pressure on world leaders to drop Third World debt.
Fathers 4 Justice is also planning to disrupt the summit. The group, which campaigns for better child access for estranged fathers, hopes to embarrass the government in front of world leaders.
The concert is scheduled to take place on July 6, four days after a similar event at London’s Hyde Park. Geldof and Ure, who organised the original Live Aid concert at Wembley in 1985, were in the capital this week to discuss arrangements.
Pete Irvine whose company, Unique Events, organises the annual Hogmanay street party in Edinburgh, is also expected to be involved. Irvine confirmed there had been a meeting to discuss the event but would give no further details.
It is hoped that the expected 70,000 sell-out will also feature Scottish bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Mull Historical Society, who are not on the bill for the event in Hyde Park.
The plans were welcomed by David Anderson, leader of Edinburgh council, who said: “We will, of course, be involved in making sure it all goes smoothly. It would be an enormous challenge but it could be very exciting.”
Murrayfield said the event promised to bring extremely high calibre performers to the stadium.
Colin MacIntyre, of Mull Historical Society, said he would be keen to take part, if approached: “I don’t think musicians should necessarily be running around shouting about politics but this is really about basic humanity. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want to be involved.”
Cerne Canning, manager of Franz Ferdinand, said: “We were approached about the Hyde Park gig a few weeks ago, but unfortunately we can’t do it. However, if we are approached about the Scottish concert we would be happy to sit down and talk about it.”
Organisers of T in the Park are believed to have ditched plans for a one-off music festival in Perthshire to coincide with the summit.
It had been hoped to attract bands known for their strong views on racism, capitalism and the war in Iraq, such as Asian Dub Foundation, Badly Drawn Boy and Massive Attack.
nessuno
Re: unrealistic changes
28.05.2005 20:25
Don't give me your 'realism', please.
Back in the days when people were opposing slavery you'd have been one of the people arguing for voluntary codes of conduct on humane treatment of slaves because anything more radical would simply be 'unrealistic'.
The fact is that people are starving in Africa not because they are helpless and weak and incompetent and generally to be pitied, but because there is deep structural injustice which needs to be tackled.
Treating the symptoms may appear easier and may offer temporary relief, but in the long run, nothing's going to change unless we tackle the UNDERYLYING CAUSES - and yes this does mean imaginative changes in the fabric of global society. Vested interests need to be taken on, unequal power relations need to be flatened.
What Africa needs is not charity but JUSTICE.
Mr Cholmondley-Warner
sing along now....to the pipers tune
29.05.2005 10:12
feed the proles
don't they know they're being steered
feed the proles
don't they know they're being steered
feed the proles
don't they know they're being steered
feed the proles
don't they know they're being steered
paul c
Bob Geldolf
30.05.2005 14:21
Those that question Geldolf's efforts might just bit a little bit jealous because he has taken the light of the sun away from the 'activists' who have been protraying themselves as the last hope on earth.
Bob
Who is this Bob chappy ?
31.05.2005 10:57
rummy dummy for poodler bliar
Music as the new opiate for the masses does not much benefit the thousands slaughtered by USUK in Iraq, and foetal murders for years to come (4.5 billion) by USUK DU.
Stop paying taxes, action for a proper democracy with PR might help, vote anti-war.. The important issue is to avoid another Bliar disaster ever again.
MPost mod music person
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Get your dates right
01.06.2005 10:49
matron
bob geldof
01.06.2005 13:17
COME ON YOU STUPID HALF WITE
LIVE AID IS THE DOGS BOLLEX! AND YES WERE GONNA GO UP TO EDINBURGH and celabrate!!!
shem
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i agree
04.06.2005 17:45
gavin
A mixed up 'Boomtown Rat' causes clash.
05.06.2005 02:51
I could say something, but I'll let you figure it out.
Disregarding the childish arguments above; the point is that Mr.[sic] Geldof could have worked with those who already had protests arranged rather than without them. It does seem like an embarrasing mistake for Geldof, rather than a burst of arrogance. I'm going to the Make Poverty History event, because I think it needs all the support it can get. The London event is not going to have a problem gathering attention. Whatever you think of Mr. Geldof, he has upset a lot of people, whether they wish the G8 event to go smoothly, the Edinburgh protests to achieve what they wish or the Make Poverty History co-ordinators to get sustainable turnouts. It's questionable whether he has really raised the profile of the event raised awareness that there is some event, somewhere, about something.
Pete Davidson
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