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Put Questions to Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for International Development

**helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
Politicians are struggling to engage today’s young people. Voter turn out rates amongst the young are lower than ever. More people belong to the RSPB than mainstream political parties. Many young people won’t even have noticed there were local elections this month, let alone voted.

Perhaps you are one of those young people who think that politics doesn’t matter. Or that politicians don’t really care about what young voters say. Or maybe you think that lowering the voting age to 16 years will help excite younger voters to use their vote. Or perhaps you see the importance of your vote at a time when still so many people are dying for a free vote, for example in Palestine, Zimbabwe and North Korea. Whatever your view of politics and politicians, here’s your chance to ask some frank questions of one of the Government’s youngest Ministers – Gareth Thomas MP.

Gareth has been MP for Harrow West since 1997 and a junior Minister – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development – since 2003. As Minister in the Department for International Development (DFID), Gareth is responsible for the UK’s aid spending in Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and the UK’s Overseas Dependent Territories. This role has taken him to over 40 countries as diverse as Montserrat, Zambia, Afghanistan, Brazil and Finland. He leads DFID policy on a range of critical challenges, including:

-increasing access to treatment for those people living with AIDS;

-helping poor countries get access to EU and US markets through the ‘Doha Development Round’ trade talks, to help create jobs and new businesses;

-supporting more girls go to school in remote parts of countries such as Yemen, Pakistan and Bangladesh;

-promoting reform of the United Nations so it can lead the international community better in the fight against poverty;

-And along with his boss, DFID’s Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP, Gareth leads DFID’s response to international emergencies such as the Boxing Day Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan Earthquake.

If that wasn’t enough, Gareth is also a committed promoter of sustainable energy, particular renewable energy. He has co-authored “At the Energy crossroads: Policies for a Low Carbon Economy” (Fabian Society: 2001). He is also DFID’s Green Minister – responsible for the department’s environmental performance. And when he has a moment off from his busy Ministerial and MP commitments, Gareth is a keen canoeist, Welsh Rugby and Arsenal fan.

This week, Gareth has agreed to answer your questions on anything you like, including: his life as a MP; on serving his Harrow constituency; his 3 years as a Minister in the Department for International Development; his reflections on the 40+ countries he’s visited; his answer to why 2005’s ‘Make Poverty History’ and ‘Live8’ has made a difference; his views on why politics matters for young people; and even his bets on Arsenal’s chances in 2006…….

If you’ve got a question for Gareth, post it here and we’ll forward it to him on your behalf. All responses will be published on TheSite.org in due course.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A quick one off the top of my head. As a "committed promoter of sustainable energy, particular renewable energy" what is his view of his leaders recently comments about nuclear energy?

    Second one. Just how gutted was he yesterday?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are you going to watch Big Brother tonight?? :chin: :chin: :chin: :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Although I am sure that you want questions related more specifically to your job, are you aware that most people in the country want Tony Blair to go? No matter what he does now, his legacy is and always will be, the disastrous Iraq war. What will you personally be doing to convince him to go immediately?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And as a compromise and goodwill gesture because of my previous question, what are you doing for the people in Zimbabwe who have the lowest life expectancy in the world (+/- 40)?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A quick one off the top of my head. As a "committed promoter of sustainable energy, particular renewable energy" what is his view of his leaders recently comments about nuclear energy?

    Second one. Just how gutted was he yesterday?

    Not trying to be mean, but you're not young
    :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you think more needs to be done to raise awareness of the problems in the UK's Overseas Dependent Territories? Do you think enough is being done to help?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    Not trying to be mean, but you're not young
    :p
    Jim V wrote:
    Anyone here should feel free to ask a question
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ok sorry!

    Which did he find the most interesting country to visit and why.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Does he support the war on Jihad and its central front in Iraq?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Has he ever had a proper job?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How can he have visited all these countries if they don't really exist?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lets avoid getting into that psychosis here... please.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Alright, sorry. I was just teasing Klintock.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No worries, it's just he'll normally go off into a seven page derailment of a thread as soon as someone does ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why did you go to Zambia as minister for "Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and the UK’s Overseas Dependent Territories"? What did you learn from this trip?

    What is the DFID budget for 2006/7 as a proportion of government expenditure? Is the DFID actively lobbying for a larger budget?

    What is the net contribution of the United Kingdom government to global aid and development budgets (excluding administrative costs)?

    How can we as globally aware, environmentally conscious consumers reconcile the need to reduce the distance our food travels from production to consumption whilst simultaneously supporting developing (LED) nations through programmes such as Fair Trade?

    How does the government promote grassroots support for global development (e.g. school twinning, local campaigning, business sponsorship) and do you have any plans to improve this?

    Does the government tie aid to overseas business deals? If so why?

    Does the government tie aid to political reform? If so why?

    What is the government doing to improve the electricity crisis in East Africa (Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania) and do you think that is more of a concern to us than whether we use nuclear, wind or coal power stations here in the UK?

    How do the DFID and the DEC work together to ensure that aid money gets to where it was intended, and not absorbed into the general budgets of the larger charities?

    What is the future for the UK Overseas [Dependent] Territories? What is your role in this?
    **Helen** wrote:
    -promoting reform of the United Nations so it can lead the international community better in the fight against poverty;
    How exactly are you achieving this aim? The slothful response of the United Nations in Rwanda in 1994 - its size, the diversity of its member states and their various agendas surely make it unmanageable when dealing with global development? How does the UK ambassador to the UN make a difference in real terms?

    And Helen, what's wrong with the RSPB?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PussyKatty wrote:
    Not trying to be mean, but you're not young
    :p

    :p

    Besides, young compared to who?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i almost soiled myself with scaredness when i saw the thread title

    "Put questions to Gareth........"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What's your favourite cheese?

    Who's gonna win the world cup?

    Is that your real hair?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When will the Labour party accept the inevitable and concede that it is a corrupt party made up of hypocrits and liars and cheats and will have no choice but to die a humilating death and dissappear for 12 years into the wilderness of opposition.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    subject13 wrote:
    When will the Labour party accept the inevitable and concede that it is a corrupt party made up of hypocrits and liars and cheats and will have no choice but to die a humilating death and dissappear for 12 years into the wilderness of opposition.

    when will he accept that other parties are the same :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MrG wrote:
    i almost soiled myself with scaredness when i saw the thread title

    "Put questions to Gareth........"
    :lol::lol::lol::D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    as the grandaddy of the site ...who is so disilusioned with the lot of you ...who has vowed to never vote ever again for any of you ...forget it ...i just know it will all be bullshit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    as the grandaddy of the site ...who is so disilusioned with the lot of you ...who has vowed to never vote ever again for any of you ...forget it ...i just know it will all be bullshit.

    How do you think that you should deal with this kind of disillusionment about voting and politicians - given that the pair of us are part of an older generation and the kids will see the jaded views of the likes of Mr Roll and myself and wonder why they should bother?

    On that kind of subject, why are ID cards a good idea?

    How is it acceptable to put restrictions on people's rights to protest in a "democratic" country?

    What has happened to principle and integrity in politicians?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What is DFID doing to ensure that development initiatives target the most marginalised and excluded in society?

    Countries need to be given the opportunities develop their own economies before they are in a situation to open up their markets to liberalisation. How is DFID going to ensure that undue pressure is not put on developing countries to liberalise their markets under the WTO and Bilateral trade agreements?

    How is DFID working to combat corruption which is endemic to many societies in developing countries?

    Given that succession by Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union has now been delayed, will DFID be making funds available to these and other Non-EU Eastern European and NIS Countries for development activities?

    Why is there such a high turnover of staff at the DFID East Kilbride Office?

    Much of DFID’s funding is channelled towards advocacy activities rather than the direct provision of services (getting local communities to lobby their own governments to create policies which address their needs) however many governments in developing countries do not have the budget to provide any of these services themselves, which can leave communities disheartened and disillusioned. In the future what steps will DFID take to provide funding to locally based organisations to provide much needed services to their community?

    How will DFID ensure that disabled people are not excluded from development initiatives?

    I think I can probably trot out DFID's stock answers to most of them though - maybe I should and see weather they match...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As minister for international development, how can he justify his existence in a government that has done absolutely nothing for the international community in almost ten years of power?

    How can he go to bed at night thinking he's done a good job for the world when he was a warmongerer as boss, and presumably voted for the war in Iraq in order to further his own career? How can he justify his role in a government that has murdered thousands of people for economic gain?

    I also don't expect an honest answer from a labour politician either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    I also don't expect an honest answer from a labour politician either.
    you expect one from who?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you expect one from who?
    Good point.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    How can he justify his role in a government that has murdered thousands of people for economic gain?
    Are you suggesting that the government should be boycotted by all its MPs?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are you suggesting that the government should be boycotted by all its MPs?

    No, I'm saying the MPs should form a new Government.

    The PLP is directly responsible for the leader we have. They made him, they should break him, but they're all too busy climbing the greasy pole to give a fuck about booting out of office the most evil, corrupt and unprincipled PM this country has ever seen.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Good point.

    people like me give honest answers, people like me also dislike politics as a career and would rather keep my soul
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