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Monday, January 28, 2019

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.

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

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