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Gordon Brown: "Waste some more money!"

It appears that Gordon - who has apparently been spending the last few weeks writing his book rather than getting on with the job of representing his constituents - has broken cover. Apparently, he's been to Kampala in Uganda to lecture us about Africa:

"Gordon Brown has used his first major speech since leaving office to say the future growth of the world economy is reliant upon the development of Africa. Speaking in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, the former UK prime minister said he wanted to see the continent achieve its full potential. Speaking to Ugandan political leaders, Mr Brown said he wished to see the creation of an 'African century'."

In other words, he wants the world to piss yet more money away on Africa. The man is clearly insane - he seriously seems to think that trying the solution that has repeatedly failed will eventually yield a different result.

Thank fuck he's not in charge anymore, even if the "Brokeback Coalition" isn't much cop...
Beep boop. I'm a bot.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hmmm, a growing economy and all UK banks passing the "stress test"... not bad results really...

    As for Africa, he has a point, to an extent. Huge consumer opportunity. Of course, we'd be fucked if all Africans started to consume at the rate that the west does
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's about investment SG.
    It's about developing roads to get the resources to market ...it's about flogging them things they don't want.

    He's not as stupid as you like to paint him.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have to agree with morrocan roll.

    If you ignore politics and individual economies, and look at the world more fundamentally in terms of resources, what you want to do is maximise the utilisation of these resources, in consuming them and producing them into goods and services that can be consumed. The overall goal being to increase the amount of resource utilisation of each individual so in lamens terms everyone has more, and better stuff.

    Africa is ripe for exploitation and development in this way, it is a continent :p rich in resources that could just as easily as the west produce amazing engineers, scientists, arts, materials and so on. We should not see this as a threat to our 'dominant' position, because as they get 'richer' in terms of resource utilisation, so do we.

    Just because we haven't effectively cracked the nut yet in terms of political problems and so on, doesn't mean we should stop trying!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MoK wrote: »
    Hmmm, a growing economy and all UK banks passing the "stress test"... not bad results really...

    As for Africa, he has a point, to an extent. Huge consumer opportunity. Of course, we'd be fucked if all Africans started to consume at the rate that the west does

    Sadly the stress testing methodology was deeply flawed so results aren't worth as much as they might appear. Of course, that's not the banks' fault, merely the ECB who prescibed the tests.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sadly the stress testing methodology was deeply flawed so results aren't worth as much as they might appear. Of course, that's not the banks' fault, merely the ECB who prescibed the tests.

    It's a load of bollox then?:chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    Africa is ripe for exploitation and development in this way, it is a continent rich in resources that could just as easily as the west produce amazing engineers, scientists, arts, materials and so on. We should not see this as a threat to our 'dominant' position, because as they get 'richer' in terms of resource utilisation, so do we.

    Just because we haven't effectively cracked the nut yet in terms of political problems and so on, doesn't mean we should stop trying!
    Fixed ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a load of bollox then?:chin:
    I would say yes in response to that. A convenient way for government to be able to say "look, we helped the banks and look how good a state they're in now". Except they aren't.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its interesting to note that international development was one of the two spending areas (the other being the NHS) that the tories have ring-fenced for not cutting.
    The trouble is, Africa is a cesspit of corruption and war. Until there are stable governments in charge, any aid money is going to waste.
    Unfortunately Britain alone simply does not have the resources to stablilise all the rotten countries in Africa. We are already bogged down in Afghanistan and that's costing us an arm and a leg. Africa is too big a problem. Its going to take the UN to sort it out and they're pretty stretched as it is.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fixed ;)

    Isn't that what I said? :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its interesting to note that international development was one of the two spending areas (the other being the NHS) that the tories have ring-fenced for not cutting.
    The trouble is, Africa is a cesspit of corruption and war. Until there are stable governments in charge, any aid money is going to waste.
    Unfortunately Britain alone simply does not have the resources to stablilise all the rotten countries in Africa. We are already bogged down in Afghanistan and that's costing us an arm and a leg. Africa is too big a problem. Its going to take the UN to sort it out and they're pretty stretched as it is.

    Anyone would think that ID only goes to Africa.

    This links to the 09/10 Annual Report
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