One Concert to Rule Them All

8 global cities and Barrie played host to the biggest music event ever. Unlike the first Live Aid concert, this concert was not a fundraiser event but a massive publicity effort. Live 8 is not a one-time concert to raise temporary foreign aid but its goal is to pressure governments for more foreign aid, fair trading rules, and debt relief. Live 8 rejected the traditional charity concerts missions of raising money by providing a band-aid solution, and put all of its marbles in one basket in hope the eight most powerful men in the world will listen to Africa’s needs. If the G8 does not listen than the concert, organizers just gave up a chance to raise a $1 billion to make a dent against poverty. Tony Blair is focussing the G8 summit on the fight against African poverty and global warming. His legacy on is on the line because if the rest of the G8 his deaf to his call his legacy will be the same as George W Bush’s. Even Dubya is promising to help Africa by doubling aid to the continent, but the US needs to promise even more because it still leaves the US behind all the other developed counties in per capita foreign aid funding.

Lack of funding is not the only hindrance, over-funding has been just as disastrous. Protectionist trade subsidies in the US and Europe have made it impossible for southern nations to compete with artificially low government subsidized prices in the G8. The third plank is debt relief which already is been offered to severely impoverished countries with accountable governments. The rich countries realize they probably will never get the money back but they are still giving up revenue from interest charges that the African countries are forced to pay. Ridding themselves of debt stresses allows African nations more resources in targeting poverty.

Unprecedented coverage of the need for foreign aid and trade justice was generated by the Live 8 concerts but it was not enough. A major problem with the idea is in the end it is an entertainment event and too many people went to the concert for a free show. These people at the concert were cheering when major stars read out grisly stats of the people who were dying and how it is our responsibility not to sit back.

This concert has not been without it critics. Bono and Sir Bob Geldof have been chastised. The harshest voice of anger from the franchised as come from libertarians who believe government’s hands should be tied when they want to fight poverty in the third world. Libertarians believe the government’s role should be restricted to providing a military and painting white line on the road. That line of though existed before the Great Depression and has re-surfaced today because of the rise in neo-conservatism. Neo-conservatives are actively attempting to re-write history. US republicans in Congress are attempting to remove Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s image from their currency because of his poor planning Nazi Germany was defeated, the UN was formed, the Marshall Plan (though this happened under Truman), and his New Deal unfortunately gave millions of Americans employment as the US escaped the Great Depression.

"The most dramatic improvement in living conditions will result from western nations reducing tariff barriers and liberalizing trade to give Africans greater economic opportunities. And when aid money is to be spent, project outcomes must be defined so results can be measured. This means focusing on combating the AIDS epidemic or providing clean water rather than developing an economy." Canadian Taxpayer's Federation

Okay Canada's most infamous libertarian special interest group recogonizes Africa needs fairier trade which is one of the planks of the Live 8 concert. But the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation position that we should only give emergency aid and we shouldn't provide development aid to help them out of their distress is irresponsible. Foreign aid should not be restricted to solely providing food to those in need but we should provide assistance to build infratructure and educate them to be reliant. Give a man a fish - feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish - feed him for a lifetime.

"Taxpayers support providing emergency aid when disasters strike, but not funding economic or regional development projects. They know this type of grant-giving will not work any better in Africa than it has in developing our Atlantic Canadian economy or native reserves. Regrettably, this is the type of foreign aid championed by government aid agencies with the backing of Live 8." Canadian Taxpayers Federation

It's easy to argue your position when your cherry-pick your examples and distort history. According to this organization's position developmental aid has never worked. After World War Two, the Marshall Plan was a billion dollar plan that rebuilt war-ravaged Europe. But the CTF probably would thought it would have been better to leave them alone and reliant on aid solely from "Uncle Joe" from the great USSR. The world today was mainly shaped by the imperialism of the 18th and 19th century. There is a reason why colonies like Canada, US, and Australia were able to develop. Brittish colonies were provided with aid to build and develop. Even countries located in the developing world like India and South Africa are in better shape than non-Brittish colonies like the Ivory Coast because unlike the French the Brittish invested in their colonies to maximize the amount of resources they could acquire and the commonwealth also produced a sense of loyalty. When Great Britain was in need during the world wars they had their former empire ready to bail them out of alienation. With terrorism and a struggling economy crippling the US today, americans should never be so arrogant to think that there will never be a day where they will need help from us.

According to CTF, Atlantic Canada should not be provided any aid because projects like Hibernia don't yield any economic benefit. It is time to discard this invisible hand deceit and read the facts. The Canadian Taxpayer's Federation is aware it membership is from western Canada that's why it's allright to attack the Atlantic provinces. Their hypocrisy is proven by the fact they stay mum about the government handing out billions of aid to farmers effected by mad cow and drought. When people are in peril aid is the best solution because when people are desperate they do anything to survive. This includes staging a communist revolution or joining a terrorist group.

"Are we all human, or are some more human than others? Certainly we in the developed world act in a way that suggests we believe that our lives are worth more than the lives of other citizens of the planet." Romeo Dallaire

Another point to consider is the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation definition of an emergency. If 30, 000 Africans dying per day is not an emergency- what is an emergency? There weren't any press release criticizing why Canadians were aiding the US after 9/11 because 2500 Americans who died was not an emergency. But right-wing groups did recognize 9/11 as a callamity. But 10x more Africans dying a day is considered "development aid". When people lives are started to be judged by the colour of their skin or where they live- there is a world that starts with the letter "r" that should apply to this ideology, but it rampant through society.

When a tragedy it's in the developed world it's called a tragedy but when it happens over there is different because "it's over there". This mentality must be corrected. Last Boxing Day a 9.0 earthquake created the greatest tsunami to ever occur in the television age. Initially there were people who felt it was another over there tragedy but as the cameras arrived it was clear there was alot of white tourists. The world is now more interdependent than ever. We travel more than ever before and all our goods are internationally produced. Most of our products are made in China, shipped by MNC's who cannot be identified as being from a specic country, who drink coffee whose beens come from Latin America, and when we want to complain our calls our routed to a call centre based in India. We are in this together and when region is inflicted with a problem, we all are. We either are in this together or we go down together.

"If we cannot provide hope for the untold masses of the world then the future will be nothing but a repeat of Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Congo and September 11." Romeo Dallaire

Related Rants:

Human Rights and 9/11

Ka Ching

Romeo Dallaire Bio

Related Links:

Live 8 Offical Website

Millions rock to Live 8 message

London Live 8 performances rated

Aykroyd, Arden give edge to Live 8

The Limits of 'Live 8' and the G8 in Making Poverty History

Live 8: A Solution that is Simple, Direct and Wrong

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Updated: April 29, 2007
Created: July 4, 2005

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