From: "Gaz" 
Newsgroups: uk.politics.misc alt.politics.british alt.politics uk.finance
Subject: Re: When will the Blair, Brown, Geldof gang learn?
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 21:28:15 +0100


"Ian Bailey"  wrote in message 
news:1118174937.862820.302280@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> Dave wrote:
>> When will the Blair, Brown, Geldof gang learn that that money given to
>> corrupt wasters will be wasted.
>>
>> Billions has been wasted in Africa on white elephants and arms.  The
>> countries in Africa will fail to learn the value of money if they keep
>> getting their debts cancelled.
>>
>> If they don't have enough money then they can borrow some more, and
>> if they default on payments they should be subjected to special terms
>> like individuals in the UK.  At least by following some rules they
>> should learn to value prudence.
>>
>> Why should I get up at 07:30 228 days a year and leave the house for
>> 11.5 hours each time to pay for Africans to sit in the shade? The
>> African countries have been independent long enough to take
>> responsibility for their condition, anything else is neo-colonialism.
>
> I quite agree. They should take unilateral action and tell their
> debtors (ie us) that we can stick their repayments up our arse.
>
> Ian

They are sovereign nations, they are, and always have been able to tell us 
to stick our repayments up our arse.
Now why dont they?
Clearing third world debts might in the short term ease the problems of some 
nations, but it offers nothing more then a short term solution.
The problems of Africa are African, they are not the fault of Europe, 
America or anyone else. Our attitude to Africa does not help the situation, 
our restrictive trade practices penalise agricultural producers, yet we 
preach that these nations should open their own markets.
The problems of Africa will not be solved by ending third world debt, by 
increasing aid, or by 'fair trade', it will only be solved by Africa 
themselves, our efforts to help have been many ways conterproductive, and we 
seem to have learnt little.


Gaz