Mandela Demands Africa Aid, U.S. Snubs UK Plan (We Demand Reform)

The American poverty pimps IGNORE Africa and all of the problems on that continent,unless it's to call upon American taxpayers to shell out more money for the MARXIST dictators.

Thank you for an excellent post. I hope everyone reads it. One little inconsistency though. After a long description of experience with death he said he was pretty much immune to the effects unless, 'accidental.' A little confusing. Regards.

"Back to mud huts! Long live socialist republic of Africa!
Where is Jesse Jackass, Al Sharpton and rest of the African Americans? Your brothers need your money, help them!!!"

Better yet, go there and show them how easy it is to build an economy and get rich.

Considering that the European countries once colonized Africa, maybe justice would be served if they sent their money there.

British East Africa, French West Africa, the Belgian Congo, etc.

Bush slaps down Brown's plan to double Africa aid

By Francis Harris in Washington and Andrew Sparrow
(Filed: 03/06/2005)
The Telegraph (UK)

President George W Bush has rebuffed Gordon Brown's plan to double aid to Africa, days before Tony Blair arrives in Washington to argue its merits.

In a humiliating slap down for one of the Chancellor's pet projects, Mr Bush voiced his administration's dislike of the idea in person for the first time.

"We've made our position pretty clear on that: that it doesn't fit into our budgetary process," he said after a meeting with South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.

Downing Street yesterday played down Mr Bush's remarks, with officials pointing out that the Government was still in negotiations on the issue that will continue until the G8 summit in Gleneagles next month.

But an official at No 10 added: "You should not be too surprised if not all members of the G8 are signed up to everything we want to do. The Prime Minister has deliberately set the bar high on Africa because he believes that we need to make a really significant move forward to help the continent." Despite this, Mr Blair was very keen to get a "critical mass of support" for the idea.

Mr Blair arrives in Washington next Monday for talks with Mr Bush that will cover the African aid proposals. Mr Brown has invested huge personal political capital in the scheme. Both he and Mr Blair are touting the plan, which would double development aid to African countries by £27.5 billion a year.

America was not consulted on the scheme. But, to assume its share of the burden, it would be expected to raise a total of $12 billion (£6.6 billion) a year at a time of severe budgetary cutbacks.

Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, was asked yesterday why Mr Bush had been so "dismissive" of the British idea. There are "many, many areas where we agree", he replied. But, he added, the president had made plain his own stance on the Africa plan.

The American position is likely to enrage aid campaigners such as Sir Bob Geldof, who has urged a million demonstrators to take to the streets of Edinburgh to demand more aid for the continent before the G8 summit. The pop singer this week warned the G8 leaders to come to Scotland only if they were ready to take real action to help Africa.

The Treasury has been trying to persuade its American counterpart of its plans for the scheme known as the international finance facility, funded through borrowing on the capital markets, for much of the past year.

Mr Brown has also lobbied for the cancellation of £22 billion in debt for the world's poorest countries but has run into American objections. Washington has backed the idea but wants to deduct the sum from future aid budgets. The British want to make the debt write-off a gift. Part of America's irritation with the debate on Africa is the way the rest of the world downplays or ignores its own increases in aid.

But the poor personal relationship between Mr Brown and America's treasury secretary, John Snow, is also to blame for the tension between the two counties. While the Bush administration feels affection for Mr Blair, most notably for his support in Iraq, there are no signs that it feels the same warmth for Mr Brown.

They came out with Plan A last week. Milk the richest countries, the US, Japan, etc..India. The usual America haters. Do more, give more, shut up, sit down, solve the world's problems, don't poke your nose where you're not wanted, etc.. But gimme, gimme, gimme.

Amazing essay, thanks!