Negative Band Aid Article

[Ric.ror]

I'm sure I saw a recent article in one of the newspapers claiming that Band Aid had actually exacerbated the situation rather than alleviated it.
Anyone else see this?

[Old_Geezer]

I wouldn't know about that, I'm sure different opinions exist; but more importantly surely they are not going to put out yet another version of the Xmas for all song ?

[Ric.ror]

Oh they have changed the words OG to make it more appropriate

[Hopkirk]

But Bono is till there.

He sticks out like a sore thumb among all the bright young things.

[weecalf]

did he fall and break a bono in his arm

[Ric.ror]

I am wondering if the article was about all overseas aid now

[douglas9401]

Talking of appropriate, is St Bob the ideal poster boy in a situation where hygiene is paramount?

[gness]

Ric....I haven't seen the article but many years ago at a Save the Children AGM I asked the speaker for his opinion on Bob Geldof...Band Aid...etc..

He was horribly scathing....I think the big charities can be very precious when they see those they consider to be amateurs making a difference....x

[Ric.ror]

Oh I don't know Douglas - not much is going to live in that hair with all that product on it

[ichkeria]

Sir Bob was on TV earlier praising Britain for its charity efforts.
At the risk of sounding like the great man himself (aog that is) I'm surprised he's not been on to mention it :-)

I am also sure that we'll squeeze every last negative aspect of Band Aid out onto this forum.

[maggiebee]

Don't care how old they are, what they look like etc. etc. Just so long as they raise enough money to alleviate the Ebola crisis, that's good enough for me.

[237SJ]

Was it this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2830892/Geldof-s-right-fight-ebola-noble-intentions-Band-Aid-s-harm-good-writes-IAN-BIRRELL.html

[snags]

''He sticks out like a sore thumb''

Doesn't he... should change his name to ***.

[maggiebee]

Snags - that's just pure nasty!

[ichkeria]

The logic of Birrell's article does not stand up to scrutiny.
You can't blame Band Aid for the iniquities of the Ethiopian regime (which are indeed many). He seems to be implying that without Band Aid Ethiopia today would be a model of human rights. As he points out himself, that country was already in the grip of a vile regime to start with. I think there's a common theme there ...
And this is a different issue in a different part of the continent ...

[ichkeria]

Ebola, I mean

[mikey4444]

I heard Sir Bob being interviewed on the Today Program this morning and I thought he gave a very good account of himself and what are they trying to achieve.

[TTG]

He is indeed a very, very clever man.

[Ric.ror]

23 - Yes that is the article - not had time to read it yet but I will do soon

Thank you

[Gavmacp]

So what do you do?
Do we just stand, watch, wait and hope?
Rather perplexing damned if you do damned if you don't.