[COLTRANE]

As we all know this year UK takes over as the the chair of G8 surely they wont wipe out all of Africas debt relief but I believe if we want we could we can do something about it.

In light of existing analysis on the problems facing Africa, the range of previous political declarations from African Governments themselves, the range of existing – and still unfulfilled – promises of industrialised countries, and the way the UK and EU have ignored African governments in the WTO

the plight of many African countries is not due to a lack of research or understanding. In fact, the analysis of Africa’s problems is already well developed and a wide range of progressive solutions for many of Africa’s problems has already been proposed. What is lacking is political will in the industrialised world to make good on existing commitments and make use of this wealth of knowledge and the strength of feeling in Africa in favour of lasting and radical change.

• African governments have the political space to use alternative development policies – including the kind of policies we in the West used to develop - and are not forced into inappropriate ‘one-size fits-all’ free market economic policy models;
  
• International action to address the commodity crisis, including some form of supply control to stabilise prices;
  
• The domestic policies and activities of industrialised countries do not undermine sustainable development efforts in Africa (eg, agricultural export subsidies, tariff escalation, greenhouse gas emissions);
  
• The operations of industrialised country based multinational companies in Africa are effectively regulated internationally and by home country governments;
  
• African governments have fair representation in international institutions (eg, World Trade Organisation, World Bank and IMF);
  
• African countries have sufficient resources to achieve development (eg, debt cancellation and aid) in order to reverse the net outflow of financial resources from the developing to the developed world;
  
• African people are helped to combat corruption through fostering political transparency and national democratic processes, not through forcing African countries to reduce government intervention in the economy.

But if one looks closely will find out that most of these debt movements all you get is causes of problems in Africa and few solutions but what I believe is we can bring on our views and I believe if we do enough reserch we can start with letters drafted from here in blacknet then for those who dont have time can just copy it and paste it in word and then address it to our local MP'S for a start,and I am sure since they want our votes they will listen to us..I still have hopes that we can still influence things and i will be more than ready to provide info on how .

more info and views are welcome..

[runfromyourwife]

clp)clp)

Fantastic post Coltrane

This is the type on hands on stuff I'm talking about -

You've identified an issue, defined the problems that surround itand given us ideas as to how we can beign to tackle that problem.

I'm inspired Brother - and will act on your advice.

Thank You Sir!

Real Leadership!

[Kunjufu]

Coltrane: I love the idea..I willing to sign up to your suggestion..maybe we should start a petition...gathering as many names as is possible to back up our thoughts.. just a suggestion..

[dimoke]

@Coltrane, how long will Britain hold the chairmanship of the G8?

And congrats, this is such an inspiring thread, apart from what Kunjunfu has sugested here at the BN, do you have any othersugestions on other effective way we can campaign?

[runfromyourwife]

Kunjufu wrote:

Coltrane: I love the idea..I willing to sign up to your suggestion..maybe we should start a petition...gathering as many names as is possible to back up our thoughts.. just a suggestion..

[line]


Great idea Kunjufu - count me in.

[MsPnutt]

i'm in...

we should nominate a member to compose the covering letter that could go wit the petition. post the draft in the forum and once its vetoed we can start collecting names.

we can print out the letter to go wit the names we collect on our own too, to send to our MPs.

gr8 post coltrane.

[COLTRANE]

thanks for the support but we cant move ahead without a set of realistic goals and mind you if we first identify areas that we can work out on then it will bea great thing though the majority would like Debts to be wiped out once and for all.

what should we demand from the UK govt? I have few sugestionsthough anyone can put more.And as far as letter writing is concerned I am not good at writing but I believe we can draw up something then everyone in the village will understand.We also have to identify who are we going to target from westminster and Whitehall but I believe that there are MP's who will listen to us.

now whatshould we demand?



[align=left]
[/align]

1. Support efforts to establish a legally-binding International Arms Trade Treaty and fulfil its manifesto commitment to control UK arms brokers wherever they are located in Africa.
   
2. Call for the implementation of all the recommendations in the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Review (including a cessation of World Bank funding for oil and gas extraction in Africa).
   
3. Require, as a condition for being listed on the UK stock market, mandatory disclosure of the payments made by UK-based oil, gas and mining companies’ to all foreign governments for the extraction of natural resources. A vital anti-corruption measure known as ‘publish what you pay'.
   
4. Commit to non-reciprocal trading relations with former African colonies, as opposed to the reciprocal ‘Economic Partnership Agreements’ (ie, free trade areas) that the EU is using to extract liberalisation out of the poorest Africancountries.
   
5. Reform the UK Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) by developing an Ethical Guarantees Policy that will embody a commitment to socially-just and environmentally-sound development and be consistent with the Government’s broader sustainable development and ‘ethical foreign policy’ objectives. Specifically, stop subsidising arms exports.
   
6. Support within the EU the call of African, Caribbean and Pacific parliamentarians for the European Commission to drop its demand that many African countries open up their water supplies to the free market under the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services
   
7. Support the proposals made by African countries to reform the WTO’s undemocratic and untransparent negotiating processes.

[Anni*]

I think this idea will work and at least we can all share ideas and things. Im sure a lot of people would be willing to help out with this.

[free]

I'm down good idea Coltraneclp)

[TahlibaBiko]

COLTRANE wrote:

As we all know this year UK takes over as the the chair of G8 surely they wont wipe out all of Africas debt relief but I believe if we want we could we can do something about it.

In light of existing analysis on the problems facing Africa, the range of previous political declarations from African Governments themselves, the range of existing – and still unfulfilled – promises of industrialised countries, and the way the UK and EU have ignored African governments in the WTO

the plight of many African countries is not due to a lack of research or understanding. In fact, the analysis of Africa’s problems is already well developed and a wide range of progressive solutions for many of Africa’s problems has already been proposed. What is lacking is political will in the industrialised world to make good on existing commitments and make use of this wealth of knowledge and the strength of feeling in Africa in favour of lasting and radical change.

• African governments have the political space to use alternative development policies – including the kind of policies we in the West used to develop - and are not forced into inappropriate ‘one-size fits-all’ free market economic policy models;
  
• International action to address the commodity crisis, including some form of supply control to stabilise prices;
  
• The domestic policies and activities of industrialised countries do not undermine sustainable development efforts in Africa (eg, agricultural export subsidies, tariff escalation, greenhouse gas emissions);
  
• The operations of industrialised country based multinational companies in Africa are effectively regulated internationally and by home country governments;
  
• African governments have fair representation in international institutions (eg, World Trade Organisation, World Bank and IMF);
  
• African countries have sufficient resources to achieve development (eg, debt cancellation and aid) in order to reverse the net outflow of financial resources from the developing to the developed world;
  
• African people are helped to combat corruption through fostering political transparency and national democratic processes, not through forcing African countries to reduce government intervention in the economy.

But if one looks closely will find out that most of these debt movements all you get is causes of problems in Africa and few solutions but what I believe is we can bring on our views and I believe if we do enough reserch we can start with letters drafted from here in blacknet then for those who dont have time can just copy it and paste it in word and then address it to our local MP'S for a start,and I am sure since they want our votes they will listen to us..I still have hopes that we can still influence things and i will be more than ready to provide info on how .

more info and views are welcome..

So good it as to be repeated

[COLTRANE]

[size=3][font="Times New Roman"]Hello my people

[COLTRANE]

I typed a a document from Word but seems it cant get here