BONEHEAD OVER AFRICA!

I was reading that "Ireland's historic experience of famine has inspired the country to help tackle global poverty" according to U2 frontman Bono. The "rock legend" is part of the Irish Government's Hunger Task Force, which was set up last year and met for the second time this afternoon in University College Cork (UCC). It was established to examine how Ireland can help combat world hunger, particularly in Africa. (A trifle ambitious, perhaps?)

Anyway Bono reckons that Irish people around the world understood the need to eradicate hunger and poverty because of the country's famine experience. "All the Irish around the world know and feel the poetry in this idea, with Irish history rhyming to eradicate hunger," he said. "Ireland deserves real credit for setting course for 0.7 (of Gross National Product (GDP) for Overseas Development Aid), and can leverage this moral leadership to spearhead global efforts on areas of deep concern for us as a nation."

Sorry Bono - but you are profoundly wrong. Like many others on the political left who like to drag their ever-so-refined consciences through the media, he fails to appreciate that the only way for Africa and other parts of the world afflicted by poverty can crawl out of the mire is for democracy to be established, property rights secured and capitalism unleashed. Naturally the thugs that dominate in many of these African nations will happily take the money Bono pushes their way whilst ensuring that there is no progress of any kind. Ireland would do better to keep its' 0.7% of GDP and stop indulging liberal fantasies.