Fia8co

After Live8 I am aware:
That British Music (that being what is liked by, as well as what is produced by British people) is in the most desperate state for twenty years.
That against all odds Slash has found someone to stand on a stage with who is more odious than Axl Rose.
That Ricky Gervais isn’t funny, just a really deeply unpleasant person.
That Robbie Williams must be stopped.

I remain unaware of:
Where to get a ‘Make Poverty History’ wristband. Between myself and the two dozen odd people in the office we have eliminated all the usual suspects (Sainsbury’s, Woolies, Boots, Tesco).
Why it is so difficult to get a wristband if the point of all this was raising awareness.
Which shop chain would have (cannot be did or you bet we’d have heard about it) refused to carry the wristbands.
Why there was a tactic of making public Live8 events ticket only.
Why there was such pleasure taken in the elitist “If you haven’t got ticket, you wont hear a note” attitude.
Why Live8 didn’t organize free big screens in public parks all over the city (with stalls for petitions and information etc), so that families and friends could have all joined together and watched the events with a picnic, and covered the country with large crowds of aware people for the news to film.
Why in fact Make Poverty History screens weren’t set up for people to watch Glastonbury and Wimbledon then Live8. All sorts of people would have been attracted by that.
Why there was not a Make Poverty History presence at every single sporting and cultural event that weekend.
Why, if Geldof doesn’t want our money this time, he didn’t ask for our time instead? Properly organized a Time Bank would have allowed the screens with information stalls, event presences and far far more.
Why, as aid is not the point of Live8, Geldof and his rich powerful friends haven’t started a company to provide affordable credit to African small businesses? They could sell shares in the company, which we could buy or club together to buy, and what we invest could be given directly to the people who can really make a difference on the ground in Africa, rather than to corrupt governments. Long term change is necessary, but that doesn’t stop us trying to do something now surely?
Why, with all the money, resources, famous/high profile/rich/powerful people, media influence and goodwill available to him and his cause, Mr. Geldof decided to organize a pop concert.

I very much feel that all the new and important information I have recently acquired about the problems of Africa has come from the BBC news, not from Live8. I feel that the only awareness really raised was about Live8 itself and the people involved. And most of all I feel that with all that needs doing, and all that could have been done, it was feeble, self-congratulatory and almost counter productive to organize a mere pop concert. If Geldof had stood there and asked for my time, be it handing out Make Poverty History information leaflets at Wimbledon, packaging mosquito nets for Kenya, whatever, with the passion with which he asked for our money twenty years ago, I’d have given it gladly, and I bet you woulda too.