Brown spins but won’t end debt

G8: make poverty history - make capitalism historyGordon Brown – arm-in-arm with Oxfam – is proclaiming himself as the
new champion of the poor and making his bid to be the next Prime
Minister.

Gareth Davies

 Is he really breaking from the New Labour mould, or simply
issuing empty populist promises?

Brown intends to "reverse the fortunes" of Africa and pull millions
of people out of poverty by writing off the debts of the world’s poorest
nations and doubling aid by 2010.

George Bush has already poured cold water on his proposals,
earmarking a paltry $370 million, from money already committed to
another aid budget, towards Brown’s pet project. Compare this to the US
defence budget for 2006 – a staggering $491 billion.

The World Bank estimates the total external debt stock (the total
amount of debt) of the developing countries is around $2.5 trillion,
with nearly two-thirds of that figure being owed to private western
investors. Sub-Saharan African countries owe $68 billion to
international institutions, but $220 billion to private lenders. So in
cancelling all debt stock payable to public bodies, many countries would
still be massively in debt, and Brown would just be ensuring that the
private companies got paid.

Yet, in most cases it won’t be the debt stock being wiped out.
Rather, they will have their debt service (the periodic amount paid back
plus interest) put on hold on condition of the country adhering to World
Bank/IMF criteria (for this read privatisation and cuts in public
spending).

A recent ActionAid report claimed that only 10 cents of every dollar
of US aid is ‘real’ aid, with two-thirds wasted on ‘phantom’ aid, such
as employing expensive Western advisers and consultants. Whether
doubling aid would see a twofold increase in real aid is doubtful.

Brown’s bold words are in fact thinly veiled attempts at deceiving
the public whilst continuing to act on behalf of big business and the
rich.


Charities like Oxfam are too close to New Labour

One of the biggest events of the G8 protests at Gleneagles will be
the Make Poverty History (MPH) rally, which is expected to attract over
200,000 people. Oxfam is one of the main charities in MPH, a coalition
of 450 non-governmental organisations (NGO).

Arwyn Thomas

This movement has been enthusiastically embraced by Tony Blair, who
has been photographed wearing an MPH wristband, and Gordon Brown. The
millionaire rock star Bono called Blair and Brown "the Lennon and
McCartney of poverty reduction"!

Some NGOs accuse Oxfam of allowing New Labour to co-opt the movement
for its own ends. An NGO spokesperson complained: "They have incredible
access, and that has meant that Oxfam are the ones called to speak on
behalf of the whole development movement…. They have decided that, in
the longer term, their interest is best served by being in with the
government."

Three years ago, Oxfam published a report that advocated the
liberalisation of markets in the EU and other wealthy nations as the key
mechanism for eradicating world poverty. This became the British
government’s position at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks at
Cancun.

There is a revolving door of personnel between the charity and the
Dept for International Development. This is the same department that
recently awarded the Adam Smith Institute the lucrative contract to
advise on privatisation of industries and public utilities in the ‘third
world’, with disastrous consequences (see the socialist issue 394).

Oxfam’s former director, Frank Judd, became a Labour peer in the
1990s and then Labour spokesperson on international development in the
House of Lords. Justin Forsyth, Oxfam’s director of policy and
campaigns, moved seamlessly into the Downing Street Policy Unit. On the
panel to choose his successor was Brown aide Shriti Vadera.

Vadera is well known to the rail unions. As SC Warburg’s transport
economist, she was deeply involved in rail privatisation, particularly
the valuation of the BR rolling stock companies. These companies were
grossly undervalued, allowing teams of BR managers to become
multi-millionaires overnight.

She was then seconded to the Treasury to advise on Tube
privatisation. When PPP policy came under enormous pressure, she was a
hardliner in pushing the deal through. According to the transport writer
Christian Wolmar: "Throughout the negotiations, she was particularly
adamant about ensuring that control of Tube investment should not remain
in public hands, and Kiley felt she was there to veto any vestiges of
control with London Underground."

Vadera is now Brown’s advisor on ‘third world’ debt. Privatisation
has set back the rail industry decades. Free market fanatics, like
Forsyth and Vadera, are not the solution – they are the problem. British
officials at the WTO blurted out the government’s real attitude when
they told War on Want’s John Hillary: "You have got to get real, the
development agenda does not go very far. We have to be pro-business and
pro-trade."

Blair is cynically using the MPH campaign to try to rehabilitate his
image after Iraq, particularly with young people. Most of the people
involved in the MPH campaign put in their time and effort with the best
intentions but Blair will try to use the charities to subvert the aims
of the anti-capitalist movement. It is essential that we put forward a
clear socialist programme as the only way to really make poverty
history.


ISR backs school student walkout

ISR supports the call to school students to come out on 6 July in
protest against the G8 and their neo-liberal policies.

Sarah Sachs-Eldridge

Nationally, International Socialist Resistance (ISR) took the first
initiative in calling for school student strike action against the war
in 2003. However, it would be arrogant for ISR to claim we organised the
strikes. Our initial call, along with that of other parts of the Stop
the War Coalition, was seized upon by countless students as the best
means of making their voice heard against the tumult of pro-war
propaganda.

On the day the war started, hundreds of thousands of young people
took to the streets internationally in opposition to the imperialist
invasion of Iraq. Since then school students have taken part in many
other struggles such as the tens of thousands of French school students
who struck against attacks on education.

ISR calls on every young person who is angered and horrified by the
poverty and inequality that blights our world to join our international
youth camp in Scotland – from which we will be taking part in all the
anti-G8 demos (see column for details). You will be joining with young
socialists from all round Europe as we discuss and debate the only
realistic way to make poverty history.

But we understand that not everyone will be able to come for the
whole five days. If you cannot, but want to demonstrate your opposition
to Blair and Bush and the rest of the puppets of big business, organise
a strike or protest in your school or college.

We are appealing to the trade unions and student unions to provide
transport for school students who want to come to Edinburgh on 6 July.
We also support those who wish to plan local protests.

If you would like help or advice about organising a strike or protest
at your school please don’t hesitate to contact ISR on 020 8558 7947 and
we can put you in touch with local ISR members and assist you in
organising action.

We can also help you try to get the support of teachers, and, if (as
is sometimes the case) your head teacher opposes your action and tries
to intimidate students, we can help you defend your right to protest.

ISR stands in solidarity with workers and students around the world
and defends the right to take strike action by all. We welcome the fact
that so many young people are prepared to take international solidarity
action against war and poverty.


International Youth Camp

A 4-star campsite in Strathclyde National Park in very pleasant
surroundings with toilets, hot showers and cooking facilities. A coach
will transport us to the different places we will be going to for
meetings and protests.

Francois, a member of our Belgian sister organisation and a chef,
will be ensuring the provision of tasty cheap food.

Each morning we will meet to discuss issues and developments and to
make plans for the day. There will also be organised political
discussions.

Transport

A coach will leave London at around midnight on 1 July from Kings
Cross for those travelling from the South west, South east, East and
Midlands. Other areas should look at getting student unions to organise
transport but also where possible cars and minibuses driven by members
will be very useful for the duration of the camp. There will be a coach
back to London on 6 July for those who stay for the camp.


Saturday 2 July

Make Poverty History demo

A city centre venue has been booked for an international rally with
speakers from all over Europe. A coach will leave at midnight for those
who have come for the day.


Sunday 3 July

G8 alternatives forum

We have applied for several seminars on the question of socialism –
what it is and how to get it. We have also booked a venue nearby for
those who want to find out more about the Socialist Party and the CWI.


Monday 4 July

Faslane Nuclear Base blockade


Tuesday 5 July

Dungavel Detention Centre

A mass action at Dungavel to demand equal rights and free movement
for all, and an end to detention and deportation of asylum seekers.


Wednesday 6 July

March against the G8

Gleneagles Hotel, Gleneagles, Perthshire or alternative venue.


Transport from London – £35 unwaged, £55 waged

Transport and camp – £85 unwaged, £105 waged

We need a £20 deposit by 10 June.

For more information

ISR: www.anticapitalism.org.uk,
020 8558 7947, PO Box 858,

London E11 1YG.

International Socialists : www.cwiscotland.org

[email protected]

G8 pages on
this site

Committee for a Workers’ International:

www.socialistworld.net

[email protected]


Mobilising for the G8 protests

Young people from Ireland are going to the G8

"I’m going to the G8 summit because I’m not happy with the way our
money is spent. Instead of on guns and tanks to hurt people, it should
be spent on aid and food to help people." James Wilkinson, a new member
of Socialist Youth, expressed well the feelings of young people from
Ireland travelling to the G8 summit.

Paul Murphy

We have received a very positive response in the North, where the
opportunity to protest against Bush, Blair and Berlusconi is one not to
be missed for many young people. So far, 11 people are booked to travel
with us, and we are confident of filling the 19 places on our bus.

We have organised successful public meetings in Omagh, Enniskillen
and Strabane on "Why you should protest at the G8". We also took part in
a Make Poverty History rally in Belfast, explaining why Bob Geldof and
Gordon Brown were incapable of making poverty history and why there was
a need for a socialist solution.

In the South we have met political young people eager to protest
against world poverty, environmental destruction and war. We have
organised stalls around the theme of "Make capitalism history – make
socialism our future".

By combining shocking statistics of world poverty and huge wealth, we
have been able to convince people that they should protest with us at
the G8 summit for a socialist alternative to the profit system. So far,
12 young people from the South are likely to come to the camp in July,
and we will be going all out over the next couple of weeks to try to
increase that number.


"Summat for the Summit"

WE HAVE set up ‘Summat for the Summit’ at Manchester University
Students Union to raise awareness of the G8 and anti-G8 protests, demos
and events.

Emma Linacre, Manchester University Socialist Students

Our society brings together students, charities, grassroots groups
and other activists and we’ve sent reps to the ‘Dissent!’ weekend in
Germany and held two events in the Students’ Union.

The first was part of Fair-trade fortnight and provided an
introduction to the G8 and potential anti-G8 action because we wanted to
get more people involved. The second event was an all-day event and
there were a series of talks in the morning on global issues and
workshops on direct action and street medics in the afternoon.

About thirty people came to the first event and sixty to the second
and both have brought new people into the society and boosted the
confidence of existing members. ‘The caravan of courage’ is a fleet of
minibuses that is being organised to get activists up to the G8 protests
and provide accommodation, transport and food.

‘Summat for the Summit’ is calling to "make capitalism history" – a
different system is needed, one that puts the needs of all people and
the environment before that of big business and the rich.


London plans its campaign

Socialist Party and ISR members met in London on 30 June to plan for
the G8 summit in July. We discussed the need to demonstrate our
opposition and present the socialist alternative to supporters of the
Make Poverty History campaign.

Ellen Buddle and Sarah Sachs-Eldridge

We decided to draw up a list of people that we would try to commit to
coming to the youth camp and demo and committed our time to making
leaflets and banners for the week of protest.

We then discussed ideas about how to raise money and support. We
decided to set aside two days on 11 and 25 June to go into central
London, leafleting and appealing for funds. We also plan to give
trophies and certificates to the worst exploiters on the High Street in
order to raise awareness of our campaign.