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You can't change the world, but if you can change the life of one person then surely it's worth it? Too easy to be cynical H.....if you don't like it, just watch another channel. No one is holding a gun to your head are they?

Fair comment Paul and as I'll be at Roots Hall :'( tomorrow night I shan't be watching. It easy to be cynical and after 50 years of seeing these horror stories coming out of Africa etc I am, but I'm have grave doubts that donations to these particular appeals gets to and actually changes the lives of the people who so desperately need the help. I do know, and despite Bob Geldof's protest to the contrary that Band Aid were utterly ripped off by people they trusted to charter ships for them. And once ships arrived in the ports of Massawa & Djibouti the cargo was discharged and remained on quays for months because of what I'll politely term as red tape.
 
Sterilise all the women in the 3rd world countries after that have had one child that we are forking out for...that would save billions.....Build villages etc near water rather than building miles away and having to walk there. Why should and one of have to fork out cos the 3rd world countries can't keep it in their pants

It also doesn't help that they are the most irresponsible people on Earth, passing on AIDS to each other.
 
I only give to UK charities. There are enough needy people in this country, without worrying about elsewhere in the world.

If that makes me a bad person, so be it.

I'm with you on that one. I read recently that we still give India £280 mill each year as they stuggle to feed their own people. Yet they have enough rupees to finance their space travel agenda?. Strange or what!.
 
I'm with you on that one. I read recently that we still give India £280 mill each year as they stuggle to feed their own people. Yet they have enough rupees to finance their space travel agenda?. Strange or what!.

They was talking about that the other day on the radio. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the World. And yes, they can afford space travel experiments, that we can't afford, unbelievable!!
The experts were saying that they budget for all the cash that mugs like us and America give them, and use their own money for other things. Also they said that being one of the most corrupt Countries in the World, a huge percentage of these monies goes missing once it reaches India.
More fool us then.
 
Actually the extremely right wing Christopher Hutchins pointed out that the way to defeat poverty is to give women in 3rd world countries access to birth control and enable them to make the choice (its the guys that tend to do the raping and hold power over there ).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJDXME47K7s (Hitches has since changed his mind on the liberation of Iraq btw ;))

Most sadly are founded on Christian/muslim ethics and or resources removed by international companies who just want a profit (notice i do not necessaries equate that with counties , certain diamond firms ethics are questionable to say the least)

I agree that i give to who i wish to . However Comic Relier does and always has given about 50% of what it recieves to UK charities .

Edited for accuracy,Osy.:smiles:
 
Not sure what that's got to do with anything mate.

nor has the fact that he's a right winger. The point I was trying to make to Barna was it doesn't matter if someone, or even an idea, is left or right wing, it's just a person or an idea and can be good or bad. By bringing politics, and left/right into things all we're doing is fostering bias and prejudgment.
 
Edited for accuracy,Osy.:smiles:

Actually its more the "rather ****ed off with both sides and grew out of labels years ago " ;) . He does still believe in many socialist principles you know ;) . He really is not a right winger or a left . He just took al the best bits of the stuff he liked dissected them and said , i think these work best lets bin the rest .
 
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I struggle to get my head around this too!

I would imagine this has more to do with maintaining good diplomatic links with India, than it does helping any starving people. India could well be a future super power, and it'd arguably be in our best interests to be on their good side. I'd also guess (and it is a guess) that a lot of trade that we get from India could start to dry up should we cut the funding
 
to be fair, was quite enjoyable watching Moyles on the red button last night. Particular highlights being Hip-Hop Kareoke with Nik Grimshaw and James Corden, and pretty much the whole of the first hour between Moyles and Kissy Sellout.
 
£15 donated today. £5 for a raffle where I could be winning £250 in restaurant vouchers and £10 on a cake sale. :slurp:
 
I always support whatever we're doing at school which is usually a non uniform day of some kind but that's about it, I also prefer to give my donations direct to charities in the UK (some of which do support work in Africa and other areas, such as Water Aid) because of the alleged political misappropriation of funds/goods.
 
I've been saying this for years, and then this article popped up three days ago to echo most of my sentiments....

The British population has over recent weeks had to endure the irritating build-up to the annual Comic Relief Red Nose Day event.
This event offers an opportunity for comedians and entertainers to do something to help the poor of the world - both at home and abroad. It has been supported by the public in their millions, since its inception in 1988.
Red Nose Day sits together with Sport Aid, Children in Need and other great charitable events organised allegedly to help the less well off.
Charitable activities to help the poor are of course most laudable and to be encouraged.
But one of the problems with events like Red Nose Day is the crass celebrity-led nature of the process.
One programme in the lead-up to RND was titled Famous, Rich And In The Slums featuring comedic actor Lenny Henry, Eastenders actress Samantha Womack and former newsreader Angela Rippon visiting poor people in the slums of Africa.
Can it get much more patronising?
The celebrities are lauded for giving their time and taking the trouble to find out what is going on.
Another side is that this is easy cheap positive publicity for the celebrity class.
It is a sad society that can only understand poverty and suffering viewed through the eyes of their own privileged and rich celebrities.
These fundraising binges in the main simply reinforce the stereotypes about poverty in the world.
The subjects are victims to be showered with pity.
They pull on the heartstrings and people react giving generously.
They do not address the real causes of poverty and what can be done to eliminate it permanently.
In this country alone, one in five of its population live under the poverty line and over 9,000 elderly people died over the past 12 months from the freezing temperatures.
No mention here that it is the poor and vulnerable who are being hit hardest by the harsh austerity budget designed to cut the deficit.
Questions like these do not arise on RND.
These TV celebrity-led charitable affairs in the main simply tend to reinforce unhelpful stereotypes about the poor.
The donors are made to believe they are really making a difference, but they restore no dignity to the victims, instead simply providing them with a bit-part in a warped soap opera about their own suffering.
What is missing is the all important ingredient of social justice.
Had it been included then the arrangements that keep so much of the world in poverty would become apparent.
The fact that many in this country could not enjoy the lifestyles that they have were it not for the suffering of others needs to be pointed out urgently.
The prevalent world economic system only works if the majority of people remain poor.
If some of these points were raised and a vision for real change offered during RND then there would be a valid point to such fundraising affairs.
At present they are at best band-aids for suffering, at worst a means to massage celebrity egos while reinforcing unhelpful and demeaning stereotypes of the poor.
If the celebrity class want to do something useful they should learn about the causes of poverty and only then use their positions to promote change.
Just imagine the arguments about too little tax being paid by the rich in this country - an uncomfortable subject for many celebrities - or the need to curb arms exports to Africa.
We have seen these fundraising events go on for decades now but how much difference have they made?
The world is now more unequal than ever.
No doubt important changes have been achieved at individual level by the work inspired by these events but this just obfuscates the larger picture of injustice.
Giving to charity is a very simple way to feel good and salve consciences. Questioning why the world is set up in such an unjust way is a much more difficult challenge to undertake.
This requires that justice be at the top of the agenda and that charity does not simply replace it.
 
When the kind & generous people of Britain reached £50 million for Red Nose Day it will equal 1% of what big 3 UK banks will pay in bonuses in 2011.
 
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