It really is amazing how Sir Bob can whip up the media and entertainment industry into action, and how that spurs those with political power into being seen to do something. And it’s great to see Live8 put it’s weight behind Make Poverty History, rather than become a separate campaign. It would have been a great pity if Live8 had just been another fundraisingathon for charity handouts, as my world-wise 19 year old pointed out the day the event was first announced.
Actually, one interesting point has been the reaction to the megalomaniac call for a million to march on Edinburgh. The Lothian chief constable couldn’t miss a justification to get his budget increased. Walking to Edinburgh from where ? Hyde Park, London, the Channel Ports ? How far ? How many ? Get real Bob, but I wonder. If anyone could make it happen.
Never hopeful about international committees meeting to agree anything. But if the leaders at the alternative summit at the Scottish Parliament could work out some practical mechanism to turn the declarations of commitment (and funding) into reality, then never mind Sir Bob, scrap the conclave, we have our next Pope.
Seriously though, I hope the outcome is not simply waiving third-world debt – something more subtle needed to reward those who attempt to improve their lot, national governments or any other constituencies. The problem would be to have a transparent allocation of funding (or debt waivers) to avoid any kind of corruption, cynical or well intentioned.
I know, just give Bob the money, (everything the fundraisers raise, everything governments pledge, in money and debt relief), oh, and a camera crew ….
There’s your reality TV for the next decade. A panel of celebrity judges, third-world banana-republic leaders (official or rebel) invited in to make their case for a handout for their pet project, the judges mock, the public votes, and next month we send Alan Titchmarsh and his mob round to check how your looking after our money. The spin-off shows rake in the advertising income (with a contribution to the shows coffers). Seriously, it’s a winner, surely ?
Update … this BBC Story contains plenty of figures, countries and issues around African debt relief, and proposed “deals” based on policies moving forward … I still say the Reality TV / I’ll take a Billion Bob / game show approach is the only way to organise the transparancy of how the benefit is deployed.
this morning i saw a piece on the news about tony blair meeting with george bush. it said that one of the topics on the agenda will be aid to africa and that because blair has supported bush’s agenda so stalwartly, he should be able to influence bush to support his.
i wonder how you could get word to these guys about your tv show idea.
Oddly, Sir Bob also got slated for making a positive reference to Bush supporting African aid. No-one is entirely bad – you just have to find one positive thing to add something positive to – Bon said as much about Bush too – I blogged that earlier.
As for the idea – I guess enough people just quote / link to it, that someone in a real media production company takes notice.