Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse
Well, 2005's off to a good start. Loads of people dead via a natural disaster, ongoing violence in the Middle East and Africa and so on and so on. Now, to top it all, a load of past-it and D-list "pop stars" (including Tony Blair's favourite God-botherer Cliff Richard, the putridly bland non-talent that is Jamie "mutilating the classics" Cullum and Olivia "I was famous for a bit about 25 years ago, honest" Newton-John) are going to be releasing a single to raise money for tsunami victims.
But hey, every little helps, right? And who am I to point out (as, doubtless, many have already) that the United States' $350 million pledge (as with the two World Wars, better late than never guys...) is but a tiny fraction of the vast amount of money that has been pumped into Iraq? Who am I to suggest that the cost of the vital reconstruction work in the areas affected by the tsunami has been estimated at less than half what the US has set aside to pay (largely) American companies to get Iraq up and running again?
It's the hypocracy of the thing. Like the way the British government pledges £50 million and we're supposed to think "wow, how generous!" when this money is for saving lives. The same government has quite happily wasted BILLIONS of pounds taking lives in Iraq over the last couple of years.
All this bollocks that's been spouted about the world coming together, holding two minutes' silence before the fireworks at midnight and the like, is typical of the self-congratulatory attitude of us holier-than-thou Westerners. Look - we care, alright? We held off boozing for a couple of minutes and bunked you some small change! Now shut up and die quietly because that's all you're getting, and you should be bloody grateful.
Happy New Sodding Year.
3 Comments:
That was right on point. Very good post...
Unfortunately I have to agree entirely.
In a related story, a helpful Democratic Senator imaginatively suggested that perhaps the US should redirect some of the money earmarked for reconstruction in Iraq ($18bn, of which only a tiny fraction has been spent) and use that to help relief efforts in South-East Asia.
The mind boggles...
Hey - chuck enough money at a problem, it'll go away eventaully.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that people are donating in their droves - and that various countries are continuing to up their pledges as a result. It looks like since Colin Powell's visit (it'll be a real shame when he's gone) the US may up its donation again, so we can but hope that some real impact can be made.
But as aeuropean rightly says, money won't solve everything - in the early days they were calling for heavy lifting equipment, now doctors, soon (I hope) they'll need builders, carpenters and the like to help rebuild. Quite what practical help any of us can be, so many miles away, I have no idea - but every little counts.
Not that I've actually helped at all - just moaned like the typical whinging bastard that I am. Nothing's ever going to be good enough, because the scale of the problem - and not just in the tsunami-affected areas but around the world, as I have pointed out in another post - is overwhelming.
That, of course, doesn't mean we shouldn't try - but I'm still rather worried about the motivations of certain governments when it comes to this particular tragedy:
The UK is in an election year and the Labour government don't want to be seen to be stingy.
Bush is entering his second term, and seems to see placating the largely Muslim Indonesia as a good PR move
Most disgracefully of all, India has rejected foreign aid entirely - largely because it wants a place on the UN security council, and so wants to prove it can cope on its own.
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