Wiggles said:Helping the people in these countries get real regime change should be the first step......
CCOVICH said:The few successful (little or no bloodshed) examples of regime change that I can think of in recent times are in Eastern Europe (Georgia and the Ukraine spring immediately to mind). This was accomplished through the will of the ordinary people, rather than any military aggression.
I've no doubt it's against posting rules but if anybody out there would like to do something concrete for the week that's in it please follow this link and set up a standing order:Wiggles said:Made me very proud to hear an Irish person talk about this with such great passion and understanding. I think Bob Geldof and Bono have the ability to get the mases listening, but what is also needed is someone like John O'Shea to bring knowledge of the real issues to the table.
HI Oysterman - Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't in any doubt your good intentions or the great work done by GOAL.oysterman said:I've no doubt it's against posting rules but if anybody out there would like to do something concrete for the week that's in it please follow this link and set up a standing order:
[broken link removed]
3) Private donation is needed to make good on the venality of our own Taoiseach who was prepared to make promises on ODA when he was running for the UN Security Council but was obviously, at the time was making the promise, prepared to drop it as soon as he got the votes he needed. It was just about the most cynical thing Fianna Fail has ever done - and it simply beggars belief that the PD's were prepared to stand idly by (and indeed to marginalise Liz O'Donnell who at least has the decency to be ashamed if not the courage of her convictions to resign). If we can't be relied upon as a nation to make good on our promises to the world's poorest then the national basking in the feelgood shadow of Sir Bob and Bono's efforts at the weekend is simply nauseating.
Hi Ubi - I accept all that you say about the dangers of using GDP as a benchmark. However, it's important to remember that all these dangers were clearly visible to Bertie when he went before the UN and made the pledge to reaching 0.7%. It was of course entirely co-incidental that he made the pledge around the same time as Ireland was seeking support from African & other countries to get voted onto the Security Council.ubiquitous said:Taken in isolation the above is fair comment but there is also another side to the story - that the 0.7% of GDP benchmark is in itself a flawed measurement of a state's commitment to overseas aid.
and shame on Conor Lenihan for failing to stand up & be counted as Minister for Overseas Aid.[/QUOTE said:Fair play to him for getting around to eating some Turkish food - didnt quite make it to the kebab though - flippin eejit.
By who?ubiquitous said:Bertie possibly felt himself boxed into a corner when he made that pledge.
He's not really 'openly ignoring it' - he's claiming that it wasn't really a promise in the first place - it was really 'a target'. I wish I got away with that kind of revisionist spinning with my boss.ubiquitous said:At this stage, I would respect him more for openly ignoring the promise than taking the cynical route of fulfilling the committment by wasting money on dodgy "aid projects" designed to enrich Irish companies operating in the Third World - as many countries do for their own companies.
sherib said:I've been following this thread with interest and wonder if people here think the outcome of the G8 summit was good
sherib said:Africa will never play in a fair market so long as it hasn't got access to European and American markets on the same terms that apply to us in rich countries. And aid, as currently structured, will continue to be tantamount to filling a bath of water with the plug out.
sherib said:A photo of Bush shaking hands with the Nigerian President spoke volumes. Oil is where it's at
Àctually no - I'd give credit to Luscious Liz on this one - she did made a real stand with some limited effect, unlike Kebabs Lenihan who was more interested in toeing the party line.Purple said:The only notable exception to this is the brave stand that Liz O'Donnell took as junior minister for foreign affairs with responsibility for overseas aid when she said publicly that she would resign if the proposed cuts went through.
I'm sure rainyday can tell us why this is not true and was nothing but cynical manoeuvring by one of the evil right-wingers in the PD's.
Originally posted by RainyDay
Shame on Bertie for his hypocracy and shame on Conor Lenihan for failing to stand up & be counted as Minister for Overseas Aid.
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