Live aid video

[PhilF]

any one seen it yet, still terrible images of kids starving.
Didnt think much of the reworked version tho, piano too loud - drowns voices, dont understand the electric guitar bit - very dated and not much emotion, hope its another hit tho

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[StellaGirl]

agree sound levels are aweful and you cant hear voices very well - buts its for a good cause so who cares...

<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[longjohnsilver]

Original was far superior, much more energy. They should re-release that as well, even more money raised.

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[Talbot]

Am I the only one to wonder at the hypocracy involved in the Live aid video. Lots of horrible pictures of starving kids, and then being exhorted to cough up our money by senior music people who have multi millions of pounds .

Offering up 10% of their take on their next CD would probably generate more income than the national debt in some countries.

Dont get me wrong it is a very good cause and even some of my own hard earned gelt has been forwarded,

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[abraxus]

Both versions, old and new were terrible songs. Can't help thinking that if they weren't for a good cause no-one would have bought the rubbish.

Nice idea alround but ill thought out.I agree with with previous post about the hypocrisy of the millionaires in the entertainment world (both music and film) pushing the guilt buttons of ordinary folk whilst all the time living in a fantasy world of extreme riches and burying their noses deeper in the trough of greed.

In any case, throwing money at the problem didn't work last time, they're still starving, so what on earth makes people think it will make any difference this time. Sorry to sound unsympathetic, but what on earth is the point of feeding someone today so that he can starve tomorrow.

Far better to do something of long term benefit for a few than short term for many. Why not do a one for one swap with the recidivist dregs of our society and send repeat offenders out to third world countries to starve and in return take in one of theirs to try and make an honest living for him/herself in the developed world.

Personally I think we have a privelidged life through accident of birth and that it shouldn't be taken for granted or assumed a right. So those that abuse it should forfeit their place to someone who hasn't had the chance.

Rant over.

Bill

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[BrendanS]

As I remember from the time, the live aid programme was aimed as much at long term relief, with installation of clean water supplies, and sustainable farming and education as it was at instant famine relief. The following quote backs my memory of the aims of the charity:

"Save the Children has urged Prime Minister Tony Blair to change Britain's aid policy.

The charity's Paul Hetherington said: "Time is running out for the children of Ethiopia.

"Half the money raised by Band/Live Aid went on development, not emergency aid. That pattern has yet to be followed - now would be a good time to start." "


<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[theguvnor]

I only recognise two of the performers - am I getting old ?

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[Peppermint]

Reevelopment Aid

only works if it can get past the many layers of grasping bastards who want to divert it to Switzerland. Governments are very very bad at this.

As to the song. It made me realize that Phil Collins drumming actually drove the whole recording the first time.

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[Planty]

Unfortunately have to agree, blooming good cause, badly executed and thought through. Am I mistaken in recalling that 2 years after original, Sir Bob returned to review situation and was unable to find even one of the god knows how many lorries they had provided. All requisitioned by the armies/rebels as I remember. At least they had a go but to quote their own song "there has to be a better way"

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[abraxus]

The situation will never change as long as we continue to follow the politically correct path of allowing each country to manage itself no matter how badly or how many millions are killed in the process.

If investors put money into a failing business they usually do so on the condition that they sit on the board to ensure the money is spent wisely. This should be no different for countries.

For years African nations have been provided with aid to feed their people and the money gets spent on guns to fight their civil wars. Petty restrictions have been tried in the past where they have been forced to use the money on agriculture, but then all they did was grow peanuts and other cash crops, sell them and buy guns.

Our own ridiculous guilt over our imperial heritage makes us shy away from demanding greater poltical control over these countries in return for aid, but in the short term it's probably the only way. World opinion and shrieks of oppression would rally against western powers taking over a government for the benefit of the people, particularly a white government over a black population. However right now, I'm pretty sure that most Ethiopians would rather have white "oppressors" running their country than their own home grown butchers.

Whatever the rights, wrongs and motives, the population of most of the African continent has a far worse deal under it's own native oppressors than it ever would under external jurisdiction. The attempts to provide racial freedom at any price to black countries have backfired into a far more racist environment by allowing this freedom to extend to turning a blind eye to murder, butchery and ethnic cleansing. As long it is a black man oppressing and killing another black then that is ok.

It's time this hypocrisy was ended once and for all.

Bill

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[whisper]

I agree entirely, SO WHAT CAN WE DO ???

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[abraxus]

For a start we can provide aid with conditions.

Whether it's the UN or individual governments, external powers should be put in place to govern these countries.

It is likely that if this were allowed, big buisness would invest heavily in the thirld world if it was sure it's investments were secure. It is in the interests of large corporations to transform these communities from a drain on world resources into self sufficient consumers rather than beneficiaries.

Currently this can't be achieved as regime change can see huge investment go up in smoke, so no one wants to do it on a large enough scale.

The opposite problem is that if it were to be considered, then those left of centre would be up in arms claiming exploitation of the black man by white imperialist invaders.

Whilst this may hold some truth, I suspect that given the choice, most would prefer to exploited with a belly full of food, a roof over their heads and other such western "luxuries", than free and starving to death.

Bill

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[PhilF]

dont agree. Its not any one persons responsibility however much money they have.
If a group of people inspire thousands of others to donate thats a good thing, what the individual does is up to them, what about children in need, some of the stories are heartbreaking, instead of all the flash and bling on the forum, perhaps we should have done a forum event, next year maybe

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[Chris771]

Bill,
As someone who frequently works offshore in a number of African countries I get to see for myself what has been gained now that these countries are free from "Colonial Exploitation"

From what I have seen, it appears that about 5% very privileged people (of their own race) at the top now cream off about 98% of the GNP of these countries. The remainder are left living in abject poverty. In Equatorial Guinea the president lives in unbelievable luxury, has built a new airport and a motorway to the door of his presidential palace. He is guarded by Moroccan mercenary guards, as he "Cannot Trust" his own people. This is little wonder when one continues along the old road into Malabo, once one of the most beautiful Island port towns when under Spanish rule, but now in ruins and most people living in poverty. Local workers in the offshore industry are well paid, but the "agency" through which they are employed takes about 3/4 of their earnings, a lot of this being fed back to the president. Any european companies providing specialist services to the oil industry have to give very generous birthday and Christmas donations to the president to maintain their trading permits.

No doubt the politically correct see this as perfectly acceptable as the country is "governed" by indigenous people and not "exploited" by European colonialists.

A similar situation exists in Angola, a country which makes billions of dollars in oil exports each year. A huge amount of money has gone missing from government funds without trace or explanation on an annual basis. In Luanda the roads have barely been repaired since the Portuguese handed over control, rubbish lies everywhere, AIDS is endemic, one sees pregnant 12 year old girls trying to raise a few dollars through prostitution before they die from AIDS and if one wants to go out into the town, as a European one must take an armed guard. But, this is all politically correct. There is no longer any enslavement to the European Colonialists.

Unfortunately most of the do-gooders view the rest of the world through total ignorance and tend to endow the rulers with European morals and values which they lack. The average PC do-gooder would find it totally inconceivable to think that an African or Arab leader would be totally untroubled to see millions of his countrymen starving as long as he has his millions in European bank accounts.

Does it surprise anyone that Arafat's "personal" wealth is certainly hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars? This is the champion of the Palestinian people , who view him as being a totally altruistic martyr to his people, which is certainly well short of the truth. If he had loved his people so much the millions would have been spent on easing the poverty and suffering of the Palestinian people, and not spread over many bank accounts to make it virtually untraceable.

These people do not have the same set of moral values that the European PC do-gooders subscribe to and very often tribal and religious groups visit unbelieveable cruelty and violence upon their countrymen.

However, these days European and US governments find it increasingly difficult to intervene for fear of whipping up a huge PC backlash in their own countries. At this moment we see a whole people in Darfur being driven from their land and starved, because they are not Moslem and do not want to live under Sharia law. A law, which in northern Nigeria allows a woman to be raped by a Moslem man, become pregnant and then be sentenced to stoning to death for adultery. The good Moslem man of course walks free. This is Sharia Law at it's best, but somehow the PC do-gooders seem unable to absorb it. In our own country we have Moslem fundamentalists preaching racial hatred on the streets with virtual impunity, yet if British people condemn these people the full weight of the law comes down on them in a second for inciting racial hatred.

So, whilst I personally agree wholeheartedly with you Bill, I fear that it will never happen. The majority of African people had a much better standard of living under colonialism 50 years ago than they have with freedom today. ~The freedom to have an empty stomach and be exploited by one's own contrymen who have wealth beyond belief.

Chris

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