Gotta love Bono. He doesn't pull any punches. Really like these lines:
"We know who's causing the trouble and who isn't. And we know that Canada blocked progress. We know that Harper blocked it."
He described the prime minister as out of step with Canadians who enjoy a prosperous economy and surplus public finances and would like to help others."
Bono said he doesn't believe the prime minister was too busy to meet with him at the summit - the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Britain managed to do so.
"It's not the pop stars he doesn't want to meet. It's the movement that we represent," Bono said.
"I said some years ago that the world needs more Canadas, and I meant it. I can't believe that this Canada has become a laggard. I think he's out of sync with the people."
Well, well, well. If the cajone-less Canadian media didn't take a bold shot at Harper, at least Bono is still there...
3 comments:
Perhaps, reviewing the (liberal dominated) Senate report on aid to Africa should be Bono's night time required reading.
The short and sweet: throwing money at Africa ain't working Bono! Time to rethink the whole process.
Plus, Canada is the ONLY G8 country on track with their aid commitment, and Canada is doubling foreign aid as well.:
OTTAWA | March 30 , 2007 — 'A Senate committee's conclusion that Canada has wasted billions in aid to Africa has opened a new debate – or rekindled an old one in certain circles – about how best to tackle poverty a world away.
A South African woman, Ma Dlamini, is one of many Africans living in poverty.
Since the late 1960s, Canada has spent $12.4 billion dollars on aid to Africa but the continent is poorer now than ever, according to a Senate report released in February titled "Overcoming 40 Years of Failure: A new roadmap for sub-Saharan Africa". It concludes Africa needs economic growth, not more aid....'
Nice try Wilson. Any student of 20th Century African history can tell you that foreign multi-national corporations (oil, gold, and diamond exploiters), and Western sponsored wars have been the reason for Africa's continued poverty. I did a study in University on the death of the hemp industry in the Sudan, and studied years of foreign colonial interference in Africa. Colonial powers and the cold war ruined Africa.
Putting a lot of money into the challenges there is just the start, to help undo all the money Western Powers took out (In "Western Powers" we CAN include Canada, since we were part of the British Empire when we took part in Africa. This included Canadian troops. The Canadian population is made up of many descendants of British and French soldiers.).
Money wisely spent to fund development and education in sub-Saharan, Central, and East Africa will go a long way to prevent the wars, disease, civil strife, and future refugees the colonial powers left behind.
Even if you reject helping Africa, through some sort of Euro-centrist ideal, you most certainly would welcome the idea of reducing the number of refugees in the world. Especially when people with similar world-views to your's become uncomfortable when said refugees move in next door...
Cheers!
"Money wisely spent to fund development and education in sub-Saharan, Central, and East Africa will go a long way to prevent the wars, disease, civil strife, and future refugees the colonial powers left behind."
Evidence?
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