There’s no nice way to say this: The world’s richest countries are deliberately, and as a matter of policy, promoting poverty and starvation in the world’s poorest countries.
That’s a quote from Tim Bray’s The Hunger Barrier, posted back in 2003. He goes on to describe the ridiculous lengths that governments go to to ensure that the poorest people of the world can’t get a break. They’re unable to trade because we just can’t bear to force our farmers to compete honestly.
Yesterday’s concert was performed for a purpose: to create and maintain awareness of world poverty. It’s only fair that, in exchange for such a great free concert, we hold up our side of the deal and make sure we know what’s going on. A good way to start is to read that article. Of the three main aims of the Live 8 organisers (increase aid, cancel debt, and make trade rules fair) guess which one isn’t going to happen? Let’s just hope that, eventually, we can make it happen.