Geldof calls G8 summit 'a farce'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6735109.stm

 

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Bob Geldof praised Tony Blair's efforts

 

Poverty campaigner Bob Geldof has condemned leaders of the G8 nations for coming up with a deal on Africa which he says is a "farce".

 

He praised Tony Blair, who he said had "gone down all guns blazing" in an effort to get the eight nations to deliver on previous aid commitments.

 

But he said he also felt sorry for the out-going PM as he had secured "no legacy stuff" in the two-day talks.

 

And he launched a strongly-worded attack on the other summit leaders.

 

At a joint press conference with fellow rock star and Live8 organiser, Bono, Mr Geldof said: "When richer nations so flagrantly view pledges as disposable, if they become too inconvenient, their ability to urge the leaders of the poorest countries to stick with difficult changes is much reduced.

 

"This is seen throughout the world, throughout any shape of politics, where people talk about numbers or the poor, as a nonsense.

 

"I won't have it spun as anything else, except a farce."

 

'Grotesque failure'

 

Earlier, the G8 leaders vowed to deliver on pledges to Africa, and agreed a $60bn (£30bn) package for fighting Aids, malaria and TB.

 

On the final day of their summit in northern Germany, they repeated a commitment made at the 2005 Gleneagles summit to double aid for Africa by the end of the decade.

 

Mr Blair, who is standing down as prime minister at the end of this month, hailed the deal as "immense progress".

 

But Mr Geldof, who led global calls for action on Africa ahead of the 2005 Gleneagles summit, said the summit had been "a grotesque failure".

 

He used strong language to describe the leaders of the G8 nations.

 

But he told BBC News 24 that he and Bono did have some respect for Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, who set to replace Mr Blair in Downing Street.

 

"In this issue, he and I and all the other thousands of people wouldn't have got very far if Blair and Brown hadn't been doing their thing for the last few years."

 

And he said campaigners would continue to put pressure on the world's leaders ahead of the next G8 summit in Japan.

 

You can watch a video of Geldof talking about it HERE

Geldof hits out at G8 'farce'

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/development...2098835,00.html

Guardian Unlimited

 

 

Bob Geldof: 'The last two days was bollocks.'.

 

Rock star turned aid activist Bob Geldof today launched a blistering attack on the G8 summit despite a $60bn (£30bn) pledge to fight HIV/Aids and an agreement on climate change.

"The last two days was bollocks," said Mr Geldof, who was on the Africa Commission put together by Tony Blair.

 

"I don't want to see 2005 [the Gleneagles G8 meeting] reiterated endlessly. I want them [the G8] to commit to it ... This wasn't serious, this was a total farce."

 

Mr Geldof, who has been accused by fellow activists of getting too close to government officials, did not hold back at a press conference, where his version of events contrasted markedly with that of the G8 leaders.

Tony Blair said that "immense progress" had been made at the Heiligendamm summit in Germany.

 

He said that the G8 had reasserted the Gleneagles goals, "but the important thing is we have set out how we are going to do them".

 

Although Mr Geldof's language may have been intemperate, he was summing up the exasperation felt by many activists who felt let down by the G8 despite such good intentions.

 

Aid groups said that the summit for "growth and responsibility" had failed to live up to commitments made two years ago at Gleneagles, Scotland.

 

"Unable to unite, they have opted for a weak declaration that is long on good intentions and short on specific commitments," said George Gelber, head of public policy at Cafod, the Catholic aid agency.

 

"The G8 has sailed at the speed of the slowest but that speed is far too slow for the world's poor, who will pay in dashed hopes, blighted lives and needless deaths."

 

Even the UN's secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, sounded tepid in his support of yesterday's agreement on climate change, described by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, as a breakthrough.

 

Mr Ban said that the decision to pursue an agreement under the framework of the UN was the right course of action, given its wide reach and access to experts.

 

"We have an ever-expanding arsenal of technologists to address the threat and also have significant resources at our disposal," he said.

 

But "what we are desperately in need of at this time is political will at the leaders' level to make significant emission reductions and to help countries to adapt to climate change ... We will need leadership by the G8 countries".

 

The G8 yesterday agreed to "seriously consider" proposals to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases by 50% by 2050.

 

The non-binding language was a compromise between the EU, which wants mandatory cuts, and the US, which opposes them.

 

Bob's telling it like it is, simple as.... The G8 Summit is a fukkin' farce.... It's good to see Bob getting back to his no-nonsense approach, I was seriously worried for a while when he started cosying up to David Cameron....

Yeah, it certainly is good to see. I love his big rants, he gets so worked up. I'd love to see him in an arguement with Bush or Blair :lol: Appernetly he and Blair were having a texting war over the issue. I can only imagine how pissed off Bob must be, all his endless work for what? Broken promices and bull$h!t from politicians. <_< Even Bono was getting pissed off, which is'nt something you see very often. :lol: