Photo Series: Make Povery History - Dublin
dublin |
summit mobilisations |
news report 
Saturday July 02, 2005 17:05
by redjade
Quote from stage: 'Bono is here in spirit'
{ all photos by redjade } ©
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY: Dublin Rally Thursday 30 June
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70452
Is it a dinosaur? A snake in Ireland? no... Loch Ness Monster, G8 in Scotland, get it?? Yeah.
The kids get it - like, REALLY get it, and the connections too...
Comments (13 of 13)
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The greenies there
Ogra SWooPers?
A Shell Dragon is cooler than a snake...
The Catholics get it too
Maybe even Fine Gael
©
Shinners too
Mr Parnell and the Celtic Dragon
the SP and Joe Higgins
Mr Larkin and that Dragon...
©
Gerry and Martin watching Kila on stage...
Crowds were good - music & sound hard to hear in the back
A Garda's best friend.
Just flicking the channels to see what sort of crowds are attending the mph rally in Edinburgh. Sky News reporting 200,000. Organisers say they are 'delighted'.
The Sky News Reporter asked 5 people why they were at the demonstration, and none could articulate a response. Only 2 managed to utter the words 'I hope so' when the reporter asked whether they felt they could influence the G8 Leaders.
This is either a grave failure on behalf of the self-elected leaders, Bono, Richard Curtis, Geldof, Oxfam, et. al. to integrate a clear political message into the MPH Campaign.
But it's ok cause Everybody is having a great time.
The complete arrogance and imperial, patriarchal, and racist nature of this lobby group seems to have totally passed over the heads of the masses.
100 years ago the British flag was the symbol of imperial oppression. Now monarchy loving Brits are flying the flag as the anointed ones of world povert salvation.
Only 2 years ago the British gvt. were apart of the brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq ensuring another generation of Iraqi's would live in poverty.
If the survived the 1st war, the sanctions, the second war, the occupation, and consequential resistance.
John Pilger's new documentary highlighting the removal of the indigenous population of the Chagos Islands and it's subsequent sale to the US Military to build bases (one of which, Diego Garcia, was a key launch pad for the Afghan & Iraq Wars) is now been investigated by the British High Court.
It's difficult to follow the whole scene but I have not yet heard 'THE WAR' mentioned. And of course it won't be mentioned.
The celebrities on stage are self-controlling or just there to prop their music careers.
The spokespersons will not dare mention the fact that there are folks willing to go to Gleneageles itself to confront 8 White middle-aged Western governmental hench'men' assembling to economically carve up the spoils of Africa's misery.
History will 'make poverty history' history.
It will be the time when we will look back and say to ourselves: ' How the fuck were we so naive'.
Nothing will change unless we grapple
And with all due respect Kofi, who has just told the attendees, 'On behalf of the poor, I thank you'.
Well Kofi, you ain't got a mandate from the poor.
Nor do the representatives of the richest countries in the world and biggest exporters of armaments and neo-liberal economic ideology.
The key problem of course with the MPH Campaign is it's legitimisation of and ego-boosting strategy of these 8 white blokes who the general public have now been convinced contain the power to actually 'make poverty history'.
History proves that the agents of change have always been those willing to dissent (and i don't mean merely be entertained during your day of work when you've fuck all else to do).
Agents of change in the past have been beaten, maimed, kidnapped, raped, killed in order to put a silencer on their mouths.
If poverty is to be made history then readers, we would be far better off going straight to Gleneagles or other symbolic landmarks (Ministries of Defence) and engaging in nonviolent direct action with affinity groups. For those of you/us who cannot, then it is our responsibility to provide financial/moral/court/jail support to the dissenters.
This solidarity will nurture more resistance which in turn will affect change.
As the African proverb echoes, 'Nothing about us, without us'.
The day of G8 leaders and those marching world-wide under the MPH catch-all mantras of 'have fun, be entertained, don't just be a number, click your fingers every three seconds, we the celebrities/politicians in power and you the public are singing from one and the same hymnsheet' is a tragically sad day for the victims of war and poverty worldwide.
Lets wake-up, smell the fair-trade coffee, and wrench power from the G8 by supporting those who are going to try and stop the summit and prevent the new scramble for Africa.
Finally figured out how to resize them with my cheap software.
Drop The Death
Good Dog
Shell Dragon Blockaded
:-)
...
standing in a crowd
all these capitalists who want to make poverty history????!!
lies, lies, lies
they want to force africa to open up its markets and sell off whatever wasnt stolen from it during the colonial years
its all a slick cover up so that corporations can rape africa again
in years to come we will be able to understand it and see how wrong it was
its well known that capitalism and globalisation has created many more poor in the decades since the end of world war 2
turn those self sufficient people into slaves now and lets call it "development"!
it really great to finaaly so some nice pictures somewhere,great to see my face in two of them :)
and I was too busy talking the dog's hippie to notice the deadly canine activist wear. good photos that woman.
Capitalism = Poverty. No one wants to hear your point. Like brainwashed members of a cult, they are having too much of a happy clappy time to hear you. However, you are dead right and will probably be right again in the future when those above get duped into, or capitalise on, the next sleight of hand performed by the powers that be. A sleight of hand that will no doubt be performed to facilitate future murder, theft, or whatever.
When I was a kid you could get these creepy pictures of weeping big eyed children in the local Bargain King. I think the idea was that they gave you a kind of "aaahhhh look at poor creature" feeling, that brings with it the same sort of pleasure you might get from a soppy movie or something. That accounts for a large part of this current fad. More patronising charity without complications. Entertainment with a twist of 'feel good about yourself' for the indulged vampires of the 'developed' world. It'll pass like the whole Diana thing.
Fundamentally the only long term solution to poverty is to ensure people have direct democratic control over the resources they need to sustain life. There are two essentials forms of direct action involved:
1) permaculture - sustainable localised living incorporating all necessary and desirable production and consumption
2) activism - theoretical and practical defence of community autonomy as the basis of all political AND economic systems
Without BOTH of these legs either global justice will be unsustainable or global sustainability will be unjust.
Fundamentally the only long term solution to poverty is to ensure people have direct democratic control over the resources they need to sustain life. There are two essentials forms of direct action involved:
1) permaculture - sustainable localised living incorporating all necessary and desirable production and consumption
2) activism - theoretical and practical defence of community autonomy as the basis of all political AND economic systems
Without BOTH of these legs either global justice will be unsustainable or global sustainability will be unjust.
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