Geldof and Live 8

Has Bob Geldof learned anything from his experiences with the Live Aid concerts in 1985?

Well, I haven't seen any pronouncements from him yet this time, but I well remember when he was promoting Band Aid and Live Aid back in the 80's. His mantra back then was "This is not about politics". "This" being poverty, of course, the implication being that anyone who dared to mention the political realities - by which I mean the actual causes - of hunger in places like sub-Saharan Africa was, by definition, an anti-humanitarian monster. Of course, it didn't help the actual starving victims of Africa's political realities that Geldof got his come-uppance when his first convoys of "humanitarian aid" to the region were seized by the dictators-of-the-moment in the region.

At least, that's the way I remember events. Didn't hear much from Geldof about that, as I recall.

So I'm rather surprised to see him trying the same trick again, twenty years later. Or should I be?

I think the next time Geldof claims that hunger and poverty don't have anything to do with politics, somebody should call him on it and remind him of what happened the last time he said that.

And tell him that there is a sure-fire cure for poverty and hunger, but it's not a rock concert: it's laissez-faire Capitalism.

In other words: FREEDOM.