Milawi

Former Member

It's on BBC news at the moment ... these starving children are literally rotting away, there was a baby with purple legs, and another girl with her skin blackened and peeling away.

How can anyone refuse them aid? It sickens me that the people with the power, the money and the means to make a difference don't seem to be doing anything.

But then thousands of people watch this on the news and then turn off and forget about it ... how can we make a difference?

Former Member

Knee High Stripy Socks wrote:

how can we make a difference?

You can write to your MP. Find yours here
Write to them at
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

You can write to Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for International Development at
1 Palace Street
London
SW1E 5HE

Read about helping to end poverty at the DfID website here .

You can also support charities and NGOs working in Malawi and the rest of Africa. Examples are Oxfam, Tearfund, Water Aid, World Vision, International Red Cross etc etc

Former Member

Thanks, that's really good.
I'll draft a letter and probably post it here in a couple of days for your opinion. Thanks Kentish.

Former Member

Writing to your MP won't make any difference.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

Writing to your MP won't make any difference.

What difference does not writing to your MP make?

Former Member

Knee High Stripy Socks wrote:

Thanks, that's really good.
I'll draft a letter and probably post it here in a couple of days for your opinion. Thanks Kentish.

Do you know what you want to say?

Have you written to your MP before?

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

What difference does not writing to your MP make?

The same as writing, except you save some time.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

The same as writing, except you save some time.

What are you going to do about the Southern Africa food crisis?

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

What are you going to do about the Southern Africa food crisis?

There's nothing I can do. What are you doing?

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

Do you know what you want to say?

Have you written to your MP before?

I wrote to Tony Blair when I was 13 and cross about hunting etc.

I don't know what I want to say, I'm going to have to research it a bit more first. Also I will have to calm down about the news report: when I write in a temper it's awful and I never consider the whole picture.

It's not just the situation in Milawi - the extreme poverty of the countries that could so easily be helped but better off countries is an issue I feel strongly about, but this out of all the news reports I've seen is the one that hit me the hardest.

Former Member

I've written to my MP 4 times. About the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill, about the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, about the bombing of Afghanistan and about ID cards. The results were, respectively - no reply and it got made law anyway, it got made law anyway, we bombed fuck out of it anyway, they're going ahead with them anyway.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

There's nothing I can do. What are you doing?

Nothing you can do?

It's because of your apathy and the apathy of most of the population that the food crises occur.

You can do a lot - buy fairly traded goods, buy direct from development projects, support an NGO, sponsor a child, write letters (yes, they get read)...

You can also change the future for these countries - you can go on holiday to Africa, buy African music and crafts, support scholarships for Africans to attend universities abroad...

Nothing you can do?

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

I've written to my MP 4 times. About the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill, about the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, about the bombing of Afghanistan and about ID cards. The results were, respectively - no reply and it got made law anyway, it got made law anyway, we bombed fuck out of it anyway, they're going ahead with them anyway.

But you're not a dictator. Policy is not decided on what you have to say. If everyone who felt strongly about an issue wrote to their MPs then it would make a difference actually.

If you get no reply, you can write directly to the appropriate Minister. Or the PM himself.

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

Nothing you can do?

It's because of your apathy and the apathy of most of the population that the food crises occur.

You can do a lot - buy fairly traded goods, buy direct from development projects, support an NGO, sponsor a child, write letters (yes, they get read)...

You can also change the future for these countries - you can go on holiday to Africa, buy African music and crafts, support scholarships for Africans to attend universities abroad...

Nothing you can do?

Bullshit. 20 years after Live Aid and what's changed? Nothing. Chucking money at it ain't gonna help. There's more than enough food in the world, more than enough wealth. The problem is that there is no political will to distribute it fairly and there never will be under capitalism. Short of a revolution, nothings gonna change.

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

But you're not a dictator. Policy is not decided on what you have to say. If everyone who felt strongly about an issue wrote to their MPs then it would make a difference actually.

If you get no reply, you can write directly to the appropriate Minister. Or the PM himself.

You're naivety is touching.

Former Member

Knee High Stripy Socks wrote:

I wrote to Tony Blair when I was 13 and cross about hunting etc.

I don't know what I want to say, I'm going to have to research it a bit more first. Also I will have to calm down about the news report: when I write in a temper it's awful and I never consider the whole picture.

It's not just the situation in Milawi - the extreme poverty of the countries that could so easily be helped but better off countries is an issue I feel strongly about, but this out of all the news reports I've seen is the one that hit me the hardest.

I'm drafting a letter to Tony Blair at the moment which I will copy to my MP about Africa, specifically Uganda where I was in the summer. I'm trying to summarise the issues that I found important and trying to phrase it in a way that makes him know how much difference he can make, even without G8 support.

You do need to be aware, though, that they will try and fob you off. I've written to my MP a few times and he has ended up just forwarding the letter to the relevant government department. You need to let them know that you are aware of the issues involved - namely that short term aid is not the solution to a food shortage (there has never been a famine in modern history where there hasn't been enough food within the country affected). Corruption and desperation lead to problems of food availability to those who need it most.

However, as Malawi is a former British protectorate (like Uganda), the British still have strong influence there. I'm sure if you ring the Dept for International Development they will be able to tell you about the projects they already support and fund in Malawi. If you acknowledge this in your letter then they can't fob you off with a lost of their projects you see.

Also, you need to make them know how strongly you feel about it - it's no use writing and telling your MP about some starving kids in a foreign land because it doesn't mean anything. And make a suggestion of what you want your MP to do about it - they can ask a question in the House of Commons to Ministers, or they can forward your letter to Hilary Benn, or they can lobby the PM personally. You can also suggest that your MP makes third world development an election issue and remind him that there are votes in it.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

Bullshit. 20 years after Live Aid and what's changed? Nothing. Chucking money at it ain't gonna help. There's more than enough food in the world, more than enough wealth. The problem is that there is no political will to distribute it fairly and there never will be under capitalism. Short of a revolution, nothings gonna change.

Rubbish. You really think nothing's changed? You clearly have little understanding of the issue then.

You also contradict yourself by saying "chucking money at it ain't gonna help" and also that there is "no political will to distribute it fairly".

You have money. Does someone have to redistribute it on your behalf or will you take the initiative?

You're naivety is touching.

Your arrogance is disheartening.

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

Rubbish. You really think nothing's changed? You clearly have little understanding of the issue then.

enlighten me then

Kentish wrote:

You also contradict yourself by saying "chucking money at it ain't gonna help" and also that there is "no political will to distribute it fairly".

Where's the contradiction?

Kentish wrote:

You have money. Does someone have to redistribute it on your behalf or will you take the initiative?

This makes no sense.

Kentish wrote:

Your arrogance is disheartening.

whatever

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

enlighten me then

Look at Boswana, look at South Africa, look at Kenya. All are now relatively more prosperous than they ever were in the 80s.

The hospital I worked at in Uganda didn't exist when Live Aid happened.

Where's the contradiction?

Either you want money invested in the developing world or you don't. Which is it?

This makes no sense.

If you want wealth redistributed, redistribute it.

whatever

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

Look at Boswana, look at South Africa, look at Kenya. All are now relatively more prosperous than they ever were in the 80s.

The hospital I worked at in Uganda didn't exist when Live Aid happened.

Yes, SA is better than it was. However, millions of people still live in dire poverty. People are still starving in Africa, people are still killing each other with the weapons the west sells them etc.

Kentish wrote:

Either you want money invested in the developing world or you don't. Which is it?

Eh? I think you miss the point. Unless you actually believe that "trickle down" crap?

Kentish wrote:

If you want wealth redistributed, redistribute it.

Yeah, preferably at the barrel of a gun.

Kentish wrote:

Yeah, you are aren't you?

Former Member

Whilst most letters don't change anything some do. Not on their own perhaps, but if there's a ground swell of opinion Ministers have changed policies, if only for the cynical reason that under the British system you need people voting for you to stay in power.

Former Member

You're very good at finding fault in many things, but you don't seem to be making any positive contribution to solving the problems which you so eloquently point out.

You do it your way, I'll do it mine. But I see no benefit in you dissuading KHSS from writing to her MP if she would like to.

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

You're very good at finding fault in many things, but you don't seem to be making any positive contribution to solving the problems which you so eloquently point out.

Hmmmm yeah, I guess the last 2 and half years of my life have been wasted working in the drugs field. Oh well, time to get that job in the city eh?

Kentish wrote:

You do it your way, I'll do it mine. But I see no benefit in you dissuading KHSS from writing to her MP if she would like to.

I'm not trying to dissuade her. Where did I say "don't do it"?

Former Member

NQA wrote:

Whilst most letters don't change anything some do. Not on their own perhaps, but if there's a ground swell of opinion Ministers have changed policies, if only for the cynical reason that under the British system you need people voting for you to stay in power.

While we live with an economic system based on exploitation and greed, not much will change.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

Where did I say "don't do it"?

Writing to your MP won't make any difference.

There.

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

There.

Sorry, where?

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

Sorry, where?

Go and do your drugs work and make the world a better place with your apathy.

Former Member

Please stop blatantly lying about what I post.


Thanks.

Former Member

Blagsta wrote:

Please stop blatantly lying about what I post.

I said "I see no benefit in you dissuading KHSS from writing to her MP". You replied "I'm not trying to dissuade her".

This is a direct quote:

Blagsta wrote:

Writing to your MP won't make any difference

That wasn't intended to dissuade her from writing to her MP?

Why did you post it then?

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

I said "I see no benefit in you dissuading KHSS from writing to her MP". You replied "I'm not trying to dissuade her".

This is a direct quote:

That wasn't intended to dissuade her from writing to her MP?

Nope.

Kentish wrote:

Why did you post it then?

So she's not . Come on, do you really think that writing to an MP is gonna sort out the massive problems in Africa? They just had a fucking G8 summit which achieved fuck all. Writing to your MP can be a good thing to do, to let them know what their constituency think, but it won't make a jot of difference to Africa. You're deluding yourself if you think it will.

Former Member

Think global, act local.

If you think you can't make a difference then of course you won't.