Blair hails Rwandan revival as 'inspiration to the world'

KIGALI (AFP) – Former Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday praised genocide-scarred Rwanda as "an inspiration to the world," after talks with President Paul Kagame.

"Rwanda has in a remarkably short period of time become a role model for Africa," said Blair, highlighting the small central African state's tourism industry just 15 years after a genocide that that left around 800,000 people massacred during a 100-day carnage.

"A country that was once a no-go area attracted more than a million visitors in 2008," Blair stated.

Foremost proponent of “Genocide is gud for you”? Brits AND Americans better watch out. Recent recommendation of an 80% reduction of Brit population made by a utopian pseudointellectial in Britain...he thoughtfully includes the US in is recommendations. Obama has indicated in the recent past to Mr. Brown that Brit ideas would find favor in his administration and the UK would no longer have ‘poodle’ status.

Here is an excerpt:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5950442.ece

From The Sunday Times
March 22, 2009
UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt
Jonathan Leake and Brendan Montague

JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must

drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.

Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT),

of which he is patron.

The trust will release research suggesting UK population must be cut to 30m if the country

wants to feed itself sustainably.

Porritt said: “Population growth, plus economic growth, is putting the world under terrible

pressure.

“Each person in Britain has far more impact on the environment than those in developing

countries so cutting our population is one way to reduce that impact.”

Population growth is one of the most politically sensitive environmental problems. The issues it

raises, including religion, culture and immigration policy, have proved too toxic for most green

groups.

However, Porritt is winning scientific backing. Professor Chris Rapley, director of the Science

Museum, will use the OPT conference, to be held at the Royal Statistical Society, to warn that

population growth could help derail attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Rapley, who formerly ran the British Antarctic Survey, said humanity was emitting the equivalent

of 50 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.

“We have to cut this by 80%, and population growth is going to make that much harder,” he said.

Such views on population have split the green movement. George Monbiot, a prominent writer

on green issues, has criticised population campaigners, arguing that “relentless” economic

growth is a greater threat.

Many experts believe that, since Europeans and Americans have such a lopsided impact on the

environment, the world would benefit more from reducing their populations than by making cuts

in developing countries.

This is part of the thinking behind the OPT’s call for Britain to cut population to 30m — roughly

what it was in late Victorian times.

Britain’s population is expected to grow from 61m now to 71m by 2031. Some politicians

support a reduction.

Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, said: “You can’t have sustainability with an increase in

population.”

The Tory leader, David Cameron, has also suggested Britain needs a “coherent strategy” on

population growth.

Despite these comments, however, government and Conservative spokesmen this weekend both

distanced themselves from any population policy. ”

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