Categories: just-life
Date: 27 June 2005 14:44:38
Now before I start I think it's best to say that I'm in full favour of the Make Poverty History campain, and if I could be bothered would have the checker on this blog, and if I hadn't lost my band over the weekend, would be wearing one now.
However, a certain sanctimonious ex-pop star (Saint Bob Geldof) has managed to annoy me so much over the last few weeks that there a bit of me that hopes that everything that can go wrong does. Just to spite him.
Take the Live8 tickets and Ebay situation. I didn't win any tickets, but if I did I'd have been one of the people to have put them up for sale. My reason being is that most of (well all of) the people perfoming at the concert I don't really care a rat's-arse about. Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCrtney, Robbie Williams, Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
It's simply not the sort of stuff that I go to concerts to see. But I was willing to have my £1.50 go towards Live8. And the fact that money was accepted for the entry of the competition it does mean that any tickets won belong to the winners, and that if they want to roll them up into spliffs and smoke them, there's nothing that St Bob can do.
So, if I had won tickets, what would I have done?? Well, I could have given them away (very alturistic, I know) but I'd probably have sold them on ebay. It would be nice to try and remove some of my overdraft in all fairness. And depending on how much I made I'd probably have given 1/3 - 1/2 back to Live8 (or MPH, or another such minded organisation). But then along comes St Bob.......
"We don't want your dirty money"...... which is alright coming from a man who is rich and lives in a mansion, but when you have all these adverts saying that for two pounds a week you can feed a small child, well, I wonder if they'd so happily turn away the extra money raised by the selling of Live8 tickets???
Whether it's dirty money or not is beside the point, it is money that can be used for good but St Bob feels that his moral good is better for the poor of Africa than money that can be used....... then again, who am I to speak?? I'm sure that St Bob when he goes home to his nice warm mansion and tucks into his great big dinner, with maybe a nightcap before bed, he knows what's best for the poor, starving people in Africa.
Now you may have noticed that earlier on I mentioned that I'd lost my band. Now I do hope on finding it (in my room) but if not, well, I can always get another....... of course, being someone who would have sold Live8 tickets, well, my intentions are obviously dirty, as is my money, so is it right for me to get another one....?? I mean, St Bob the Sanctimonious wouldn't approve of me (especially after this rant!!) and if my money isn't good enough for him, is it good enough for any charity....?????
As you can tell, he's cheesed me a fair bit in the last few weeks, which makes me feel so tempted to pray that it rains for the Live8 conncert. And not just gentle rain, the the hardcore rain that they had at Glastonbury. Let there be rivers of mud, all to spite St Bob. (in which case, you will need your Anorak - A is for Anorak) Which I know is nasty of me, but it's just the thought of St Bob, as it all goes horribly wrong.........
Saying that, even if there is rain, I'm sure that almost everyone (both at the concerts and the march) are going to be having a great time (you WILL have a great time) and I hope that it all goes really well!!!!
And while on this topic, it reminded me of something I saw on Newsnight over the weekend. They were in Africa, interviewing people and what they thought, and as they spoke to one farmer he said that they didn't want aid, what they wanted was trade.
Made me think about the saying about giving a man a fish and letting him have a meal, or teaching him to fish, and giving him a living......