Sandra has been highly active in the campaign against Dungavel Detention, and is a member of the cross pary group onAsylum and Immigration. Asylum and immigration are reserve issues, but Sandra talks here of the role that dissenting MSP's have and can play in the Parliament - how they got rid of the degrading voucher scheme system of benefits, for example. But she also make sit clear that what is really needed is for Asylum and Immigration to become a devolved issue - and that the first thing that would happen once it was would be the closure of Dungavel.

Caledonian University - Glasgow - 23rd April 2005 - - -

In the wake of the Governments much hyped "Commission for Africa" came a reply - a conference not so much "for" Africa, as by Africans. There were excellent presentations and speeches by the usual suspects - Patrick Harvie, Tommy Sheridan, Aamer Anwar, representatives from Oxfam and G8 alternatives - but the most succesful aspect to the conference, what made it really striking, was the African speakers. Of the several hundred people who attended, perhaps half were African.

Taiye presents a set of demands for Africa - an end to exploration for oil with exploitation, unconditional cancellation of the debt, a cheap source of drugs to combat HIV, an end to the financial support of corrupt regimes, and an end to the sale and profit by the West of arms and other destructive technologies.

Gill says that enough is enough - we've been waiting for the G8 leaders to get their act together for over thirty years, and they not making things better - they're policies are making things worse. The G8 conference is not a chance to "Showcase Scotland" as some of our leaders have suggested , but a chance for the Scottish public to show the World that another World is wanted and anotheer World is possible. She urges everyone turn out for the G8 counter conference on the Sunday after the Make Poverty History March to get involved in the battle for ideas.

Ndaywel cites the huge debt of over 300 billion dollars owed to foreign creditors as being the greatest obstacle to Africa's developement. The top eight countries in Africa alone have to spend 13.5 billion dollars servicing this debt every year. This crippling burden prevents investment and maintenance of health care, education, and the development of sustainable economies. Historically, these debts were acrued by irresponsible lending to corrupt and dictatorial Governments - the money did not go the African people.

Angela was at the conference representing the Make Poverty History campaign, part of a global effort of groups trying to make our generation the one that finally ends poverty in the World. This is a critical year for us - with the rich worlds leaders gathering at Gleneagles, we can really force our agenda for debt relief, better aid, and fairer trade. Aid tied to economic liberalisation must end, and economic subsidies for Western farmers are a travesty - a point whcih even the Commission for Africa makes clear.

Patrick touches briefly on all the themes to be covered in the conference, and points out the strengths and weaknesses of the Commission for Africa Report. He points out that increasing Aid is not enough, when inappropriate aid, such as out of date medical supplies, are so often given. Conflict is addressed in the report, but the role of the West in controlling arms exports needs to be addressed. He points out that the report only contains a couple of pages about sustainable development out of some four hundred - and that climate change could lead to terrible resource wars in Africa.

Session 1 - Debt, Aid, Trade - Make Poverty History -

Caledonian University - Glasgow - 23rd April 2005

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