The Unfair Games

by >>>>>Seainín Thu Sep 11, 2003 03:56

The poor countries of the world remain poor mainly because of their sick mediaeval political cultures. These countries receive billions of dollars in aid from richer countries every year but you might as well throw your money in the sea for all the good it does.

The fact is that only Europe and the US experienced the Enlightenment of the 18th century. The rest of the world lives in feudal darkness.

Certain people try to make it appear that the developed nations conspired to make trade unfair for the poorer countries. Untrue, since we'd like NOT to have to bail them out with aid money every year. The present tariffs are designed to prevent western manufacturers going out of business by being flooded with cheap imports from poorer countries with lower wage structures. This is a reasonable thing for any coutry to do, protect it's own people's jobs.

Similarly, farmers are essential to provide us with the food we eat, their produce must be subsidised to some extent to give them an incentive to actually produce the food we put in our mouths.

by kokomero Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:13

A good example of "aid" is the state-of-the-art telephone exchange equipment provided by Siemens to the Ethiopian government during the famine there during the 1980s. The Ethopian government was actually given money by the Germans on condition that it was spent on equipment manufactured in Germany. The final insult was that at the time there was only a requirement for a few hundred lines in Addis Abbaba and the equipment they bought could handle 10000 simultaneous calls!

by Anonymous Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:10

Seanin,

For every $1 of aid that goes into the developing world, $5 comes back out again in "interest" repayments (never mind the capital sum).

The developed world is making a fortune out of the developing world, rather than giving it "aid" as you see it.

Survival of the fittest. Doesn't take a genius to work it out Seanin.

Read a few books.

Regards.

by >>>>>Seáinín Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:33

If you look at thetrade figures for the EU and America, you will see that the vast, vast bulk of our trade is aming ourselves. The trade with third world countries barely matters. So, we're not making our fortune out of poorer countries.

BTW, if you looked at the cover of yestersay's UK Indepedent, you would see it says that we get $2 back for every $1 in aid.

If you read real books instead of swallowing wholesale the crap Noam Chumpski feeds the gullible, you would be sensible like me.

by anon Thu Sep 11, 2003 12:39

I think the Games are a great idea - hope the Thursday night shoppers take notice! You can't really ignore how unfair Trade is. It's time people thought a bit more about how we are all inter-connected, and how what we do actually impacts on others around the world.
Fair Trade not Free Trade!!

by Anonymous Thu Sep 11, 2003 13:45

Seanin,

I grossly dispute the figure of $2 coming to us for every $1 we give to them. It is much closer to $5.

But even taking the 2 to 1 figure - does this surely not explain your opening comment above "These countries receive billions of dollars in aid from richer countries every year but you might as well throw your money in the sea for all the good it does."

This money does do a lot of good, and millions more every year would die without it - but it looks like it is doing no good as millions continue to die because of the west's exploitation of the developing world through things such as interest payments (for every $1 that goes in $2 comes back) - there are loads of more ways the west exploits such as through terms of trade, drug patent embargo's, arms sales etc.

On a personal level Seanin, does it concern you at all that:-

70% of the world's population are living in poverty (this includes many in the "developed" world - particularly in the USA & Ireland)

50% are living in malnourishment.

and millions upon millions are dying every year from chronic malnourishment, starvation, Aids, diahorea, malaria etc. etc. and life expectancy for many countries is abut 45.

You can argue the percentages but its give or take a few here or there.

And we are all indirectly, and sometimes directly implicit in this continuous disaster of humanity.

Does this concern you at all?

Regards.

by Seáinín Fri Sep 12, 2003 12:28

Not much but a little.

Look, we can blame tariffs or farm subsidies but the truth is that the only hope for developing countries is to clean up their lousy political systems. People starve because of misrule and corruption.

I'm sick of having my tax money going to some lousy corrupt regime in Africa, where hardly a penny get's to the people who need it.

by .. Fri Sep 12, 2003 13:46

You don't mind giving your tax money to Western Lousey corrupt regimes?

by Seáinín Sat Sep 13, 2003 02:42

I don't mind paying tax to our government, at least I get something back for that. One good thing I get for my taxes is a police force, to protect me from anarchy.

by Anonymous Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:27

I am glad to see it bothers you, at least a little, Seanin.

It is only by pure fluke that we are born where we are born - on another day, it could have been you or I who is "them".

Regards.

by The Insider Sat Sep 13, 2003 20:38

"The fact is that only Europe and the US experienced the Enlightenment of the 18th century. The rest of the world lives in feudal darkness. "


Wow, feudal darkness. God bless imperialism and colonialism, eh Seanin, white man's burden and all that.

Of course, when we look at our own experience of colonialism, things look a little different. Is that a famine I see over there? Nope, sorry, it was just economic ruin from unfair trading laws.

But hey, it's a totally different story over in Africa. Because they're black!

by >>>>>Seáinín Sun Sep 14, 2003 02:08

You're in need of some enlightenment yourself.