G8

Well what was that all about?

Am I being cynical here or did we know what was going to happen in the summit before it happened.

There seemed to be three key requests from the Make Poverty History campaign. (Incidentally the MPH campaign has been tremendously successful at putting this item on the agenda)

1. Write of debt
2. Increase aid
3. Create Fairer trade

I admit that I am personally not convinced about the arguments around item 3 because I am not sure what it really means. Fairer to whom? I am all for getting rid of trade barriers but as the recent row over sugar subsidies show it could lead to third world farmers being poorer. I think this is too simplistic. I could argue that the real problem is there has never been 'free' trade to allow countries to export. I also remember in India how they needed export tariffs to prevent every piece of produce being exported to earn dollars, and leaving nothing for the domestic market.

So anyway, we knew they were going to write off more debt (but not all of it), we knew they would increase aid (just not sure where it would go) and we knew they would not do anything about 'fair' trade because it is all too complicated. I also now gather that the communique they sign had been written even before they set foot on Gleneagles soil. So what was the fuss about?

On climate change I have to say that whilst I do not agree with Bush on a lot of what he says about this issue I have to agree with him that it is a pointless exercise negotiating this type of thing without China being present. Putting your home industry into decline when in fact all that happens is that China grows and pumps out more CFC's than you did originally seems a pointless exercise.

I sometimes wonder whether this type of debate represents a very great failure amogst our supra national authorities; the UN, EU etc etc.