hmmmmm...

I've generally taken the 'heal the world' utterings of Bono and his ilk with a large pinch of salt. In fact, if I was pressed on the issue, I would generally refer to him as a sickeningly reprehensible c**t seeking - quite successfully I must admite - a gilt-edged berth in the history books. Now I'm not so sure.
This deal that is being struck between the members of G8 and the world's major lending institutions - and for world's major lending institutions read evil, life-sucking suited bastards that make Dick Cheney seem like Barney the Dinosaur - could go a long way towards tackling global poverty. The BBC says so. I generally fall in line with the Beeb. But still I'm sceptical.
Gestures made by the Wealthy West towards a Third World crippled by our crapulence and greed are generally just that - gestures. The type you make when you see a funeral passsing before you. You assume a solemn, sympathetic guise, but you don't REALLY care because the person is unknown to you. We tend to rejoice when deals such as this one are mooted, because we feel like our men in suits are making the world a better place. I am no expert in this area, but I did do pass maths for two years, and to me, 40 billion dollars seems like very little when you consider that total economic activity in this fair isle, i.e., one of the smallest small cogs in the western wheel, amounted to twice that.
I imagine this deal reaching the public domain was not in any way harmed by the involvement of Bono, Geldof et al. So I will withold my venom and follow proceedings. If my best suspicions are validated, then it will be off to Killiney for some playful Bono badgering. If not, well I'll be forced to eat my cape.