Foreign aid 19, I don't like Mondays... I don't like more Aid

In early July 2005, the G8 leaders (US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, Russia) met for their G8 Summit in Scotland, UK, and discussed more foreign aid, global warming, etc.

Front row, from left to right: George Bush, United States; Jacques Chirac, France; Tony Blair, United Kingdom (host); Vladimir Putin, Russian Federation; Gerhard Schroeder, Germany 

Back row, from left to right: Paul Martin, Canada; Junichiro Koizumi, Japan, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy; Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission. July 6, 2005.

www.g8.utoronto.ca/photos/summits/summit_photos_2005.html

Bob Geldoff (Boomtown Rats band, photo on the right), Bono (U2) and other rock stars organized the "Live8" series of rock concerts in major cities of the said 8 countries. Their mission: pressure the G8 leaders to commit "more aid", "debt write-offs", to many (if not all) African countries.

The International Policy Network (IPN) in London organize the Global Development Summit (GDS), I was one of the panel speakers.

Before the program proper started in the morning, I and a few other panel speakers that day made a short "rock performance" on stage (100+ audience, including some members of British parliament, media, students, NGO leaders,...). Me on the electric guitar, them singing, in the revised lyrics of "I dont like Mondays" sang by Bob Geldoff himself, a famous song in the 80s. I made the lyrics revision the day before.

Here’s the original lyrics and my revision, June 2005.

I Don't Like Monday's The Boomtown Rats The silicon chip inside her head Gets switched to overload And nobody's gonna go to school today She's going to make them stay at home And daddy doesn't understand it He always said she was as good as gold And he can see no reason 'Cause there are no reasons What reason do you need to be sure Oh, oh, oh tell me why - I don't like Mondays Tell me why - I don't like Mondays Tell me why - I don't like Mondays I want to shoot The whole day down The Telex machine is kept so clean As it types to a waiting world And mother feels so shocked Father's world is rocked And their thoughts turn to their own little girl Sweet sixteen ain't that peachy keen Now, it ain't so neat to admit defeat They can see no reasons 'Cause there are no reasons What reason do you need oh, woah Tell me why - I don't like Mondays Tell me why - I don't like Mondays Tell me why - I don't like Mondays I want to shoo-ooooot The whole… day… down Ohh… ohhh… ohhh.

I don't like more Aid (Cords: C-G-F-G // Am-G, F-G_ The G8 leaders are planning more aid and that would mean, more tax-es and nobody's gonna go to shops today they're gonna slash your take home pay and Blair doesn't understand it he said he'd wipe out poverty and he can see no reasons cause there are no reasons what alibi you need to be shown oh-ho-ho-ho tell me why -- i dont like more aid tell me why -- i dont like debt relief tell me why -- i hate protectionism i wanna shoo-oooooot the monopolists! Africa's treasury is kept so clean and it begs to a debt write-off And Mugabe feels so shocked his work is rocked and their guns turn to their citizens sweet 18 ain't that cute and keen no, it aint so neat to admit you're poor and they can see no reasons cause there are no reasons what more aid do you need oh-woh-woh-woh tell me why -- i dont like more aid tell me why -- i dont like debt relief tell me why -- i hate protectionism i wanna shoo-oooooot the monopolists Ohh… ohhh… ohhh.

See also:
Foreign Aid 2: Circuitous and Leaky Process, November 3, 2005 
Foreign Aid 3: Bob Geldoff and More Aid, November 10, 2005 
Foreign Aid 18, Presentation in London in 2005, January 15, 2019