TelBoy

I've always wondered whether these things achieve their desired results.

Are they a means for the developed world to believe they're "doing something", or do they really make a significant, long-term difference?

Should we be trying to influence the forces of nature as to where mankind can/cannot live? Does sending aid to these regions just delay the suffering for future generations?

Any thoughts?

Wish

iTrader: (2)

A lot of the artist singing on the track where not even there !
Which seems a bit pointless.

Old_Fart

Well mate, we either need to make more of the world habitable, or exercise some sort of population control. We've proved that life can exist in previously uninhabitable stretches of Essex (Chafford Hundred, South Ockenden, Pitsea) so, with the right resources we can make it work.
Cman

Brendan Hughes

Oh. So you don't want to discuss re-hashing pop egos and publicity, but more the overall principle of any charity to third-world countries?

Just to be clear...


BTW - chuck, I thought it was Essex that NEEDED population control?

Senior_AP

Will be a good thing but never emulate Queen in 1985 (was it 85??).

Amazing.

ProperCharlie

IMO a bad thing for several reasons:

Geldoff is annoying enough as it is, without another b**dy hobby horse to keep him on telly for the next hundred years.

The single was sh*te last time, and will be utter, utter sh*te this time.

People starved then, people starve now. People have starved at all times in between, and before, and in all likelihood will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Ergo - this execrable record serves no genuine purpose.

Redkop

Do you mean that dreadful cover version by Electric 6 of Radio Gaga... that is awful!!!

Clarebabes

I think they've missed the whole concept of the original band aid which was spontaneous. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure just got a load of their mates together to record a song which did benefit a huge number of people.

The new one has been used by certain people to support their flagging careers and is a huge publicity stunt. I just wish that Justin Hawkins would get back under the stone, (or should that be stoned), he's been under and shut the **** up.

Ok, so it's awful that people are dying in the world and the conditions are terrible. Nature cannot be beaten, so eventually people have to give up and give in to it. Maybe it makes people feel better that they are doing something to help.

Should we let thousands of people die? Well no, but I understand what you are saying Telboy. Perhaps we should look at Ethiopia a generation down the line and ask if it made a difference or not.

the moose

A tad harsh, d'you not think?

People like Blair were young professionals at the time, and Band Aid will undoubtedly have influenced them massively.

Now they're in government, more is done now to assist the 3rd world than ever before, though clearly marching into Iraq is a bit of a retrograde step, it must be said.

Overall, the money raising is less important than the consciousness raising; without the latter, you'll never get the former.

davegtt

its just publicity aint it. load of old cr@p

ProperCharlie

Most people who are starving are doing so as a result of the political situation in their countries, not due to severe weather. Sending in truck loads of food may help a few people for a short time, and look good on TV, but in the long term is more likely to damage these countries already battered economies, and therefore perpetuate the situation.

PG

well I am sure the last lot of cash helped save a good few kids who have now bred like rabbits only to increase the problem.....cynical...me, never

the moose

Which is why money is spent on irrigation systems and education, for example, not just on immediate disaster relief.

And yes, OF COURSE a lot of it is politically-driven, but that doesn't cut much ice really

Westerner: What's caused your particular hardship?

Starving woman: I really don't give a ****.

Westerner: Y'see, if it was natural disaster, I'd be able to help. But if it's politics, it's clearly your own fault

Starving woman: You callous *******.

Old_Fart

Well Brendan, I'm certainly gonna be keeping *my* legs crossed from now on
The fact these things raise public awareness of the issues is a good thing IMHO, the cash taken on the night is secondary. A handfull of people will be influenced enough by what they see that they will dedicate their lives to charity work...so that's nice.
Cman

TelBoy

But, moose, can you EVER, really provide enough assistance to these areas to make them truly self-supporting, for more than the period of time in which they're in the public consciousness? Isn't one answer some sort of birth-control programme, so that a smaller population has a better chance of making use of what scarce resourses there are?

Senior_AP

Any way of raising money for worthy causes AND entertaining people is good imo.

Brendan Hughes

TelBoy, you're into finance. I see Jeffrey Sachs has a lot to say on this matter, have you kept up with it? Apparently he wants one huge cash injection to get over major hurdles. I read a review last week and I remember his analogy, it's like sending one fireman to deal with a forest fire, and then when that fireman proves to be ineffective, no-one wants to send any more as one didn't work.

the moose

Almost all responsible aid programmes offer food and medicines first, then irrigation and education, together with increased hygiene.

Most of the problem comes with the expectation that you NEED to have, say, six kids on the basis that four of them will die. Clearly, if you cut this death rate, then you have a population explosion unless the concept of contraception is introduced.

What's doing for Africa at the moment, of course, is AIDS - there are scores of millions of people infected with this in sub-Saharan Africa, which will remove the possibility of population growth for many years to come.

Stueyb

I think the old classic should be left as they are. Doing something new and novell perhaps. It was a spontanious thing back then. This is just for publicitiy junkies and hasbeens. Don't get me wrong, money going to africa is good but so far to me its the biggest overhyped load of screaming cats trying to outdo each other I have ever heard.

Im sick of it already and its not out !

David Lock

I think you peeps are being a bit ott on this. It is lives that are at stake here. Just because they are far away is no reaon to **** on their plight. I couldn't give a monkey's arsehole about pop star's egos but if the result is a few lives saved then great. I also agree that just sending in food isn't the long term answer but money does go into agricultural development, technology transfer, basic health and birth control (not help by catholic church's attitude to condoms). Many aid workers aren't that naive. DL

SiPie

Well said David

TelBoy

Brendan, to be honest, no i haven't, but i've just been looking at that story - $150bn a year. To me, that's a LOT of money, and even then, i don't know how he's come up with that number to "cure" world poverty. To me it all sounds a bit idealistic and unrealistic. Although maybe that's just an affluent Westerner talking, i'm not sure...

TelBoy

I agree, the pop angle is almost irrelevant, although it's certainly one way of raising money. The question is whether it's the right thing to do *at all*. Yes, lives are at risk, but then you could argue that there are lives at risk in THIS country from various underfunding issues. So which is more important? Keeping people alive in a desert with a tyrannical regime thwarting development, or ensuring our own citizens receive a decent crack at escaping the poverty trap?

lightning101

Can't we just move them all to france ?


Seriously though - its probably re-education of the people that needs to happen, they have no schools, no homes, therefore nothing to do but eat and breed. Thay are doing nothing wrong in their eyes, as they don't know any different. Same can be said for the Aids epidemic. As soon as britain and america heard of aids, it was condom promotion, safe sex campaign and education on what aids does, how it spreads etc, even kids at primary school get taught these basic things.

Colinj

I thought it was a good thing until I heard Busted were to perform, I swear Im sure I saw the lead singer at the weekend...just those eyebrows staring at me - bijesus!!!

I chased the lad to the taxi que and annoyed him anyway

MJW

I think the record and its release is a good thing but it will never change the fact that 90% of the planets' resources & wealth are controlled by 10% of its population.

David Lock

In John Lennon mode. Imagine if the USA had diverted its troops and resources to help Africa instead of kicking the ****e out of Iraq. Africa would have benefitted and USA would be welcomed back into the wider world instead of upsetting the whole middle east region for decades to come. I suspect american soldiers would have returned home happier at having dug water wells for villages rather than graves for Iraqi kids. DL

ProperCharlie

moose - I agree that a lot has been learnt and aid programmes now give more than just food. i was being a bit polemical earlier. however, the truth of the matter is that many people are in the plight that they're in because their govt. is either directly or indirectly kicking the sh*t out of them. giving aid may stop them starving to death for a year or so, but will it enable them to change the regime?

ozzy

But David, I very much doubt the extremists in the World would look on it so simply. In Dafour, Sudan it's Muslim groups which are commiting genocide on the Black population.

Nothings ever that simple unfortunately.

Stefan

ozzy

As for Band Aid; the songs cr@p, I don't like some of the musicians, but if it raises money and saves lifes then it can't be a bad thing.