Does the G8 Summit matter?

[Grigia]

Yes, has nothing to do with third world but with subsidies applied by the "first world". If they wouldn´t make it they wouldn´t be exporters at all and probably third word countries would perceive more money for they products.
In fact, developed countries forced the third word to agree rules to open the commerce of manufactures in the General Agreement of Tax and Tariffs (GATT). In exchange, the developed countries promised to open the market for agricultural products but they never made it. At least, Blair spoke about that in the last summit.
Funny thing: The States usually gets worried because of the coke plantations in Bolivia but refuse to open the market to agricultural exports like cotton.

[Dobbyniania]

cfes said:

If you're relating rural poverty to agriculture, then how about it being because the USA and Canada can flood the market with cheap grain, it's nothing to do with the third world. North America was the largest exporter of grain on the planet last I checked - hell it even supplied the USSR during famines.

we won't be for much longer though. once the ogala aquifer dries up the great plains won't be sustainable for that kind of farming.

[Ketoprofen]

Bumped into this. What was that Dobby?

[EuroSoviets]

I'm just wondering if Jako has time to bow down and admit that he is wrong, that Labour is ideologically bankrupt and that just because Western nations can improve their standard of living under capitalism is not reason to declare QED on the question of whether or not the developing world can do the same.

[Star City]

cfes said:

that Labour is ideologically bankrupt

Mandi:

We're all Thatcherites now

[The Red Factions]

Jako is going to be away for awhile I believe. Travelling in Eastern Europe ...

[EuroSoviets]

I can wait lol.

[Dobbyniania]

ketoprofen said:

Bumped into this. What was that Dobby?

The type of farming that goes on in the Great Plains involves massive inputs of water pumped up from a massive underground aquifer. Once that aquifer runs out then the vast majority of farming in the Great Plains region will be unfeasible.

[The Red Factions]

The depletion of the ogala aquifier is a long-term problem that has gone unrecognized and probably will continue to do so for the next decade or so .... This might bring up some dirty local power struggles over water at the expense of the population.

I haven't read too much about this, but do you know when the aquifier is supposed to dry up if you continue to use it at the same pace as you are today?

[Dobbyniania]

I hear a wide variety of estimates, but it will probnably run out within the next decade or two. Not only will it create dirty power struggles; it will eliminate a large quantity of the world's grain supply.

[EuroSoviets]

And we'll all be back to relying on the Russian, Kazachistani and Ukrainian Steppe. Top notch.

[Ketoprofen]

And what is being done about this?

[Dobbyniania]

This is capitalism ket, eviromental disaster is not part of the economic model you silly goose. In other words, not a motherfucking godamned thing.

[Star City]

They use up all the resources in an area and then move on to somewhere new and the process continues. Same with wages, move all over the globe in chase of cheap labour.

[EuroSoviets]

That's so not true, poverty can be eradicated under the virus that is capitalism. Trickle down theory r0x0rs and it has definitely worked for the Western nations, it can work everywhere else - QED. I know that there's no argument to back up what I'm saying but it is just common sense; we let the capitalists make lots of money and it's bound to get back to us somehow. So we're exploited and they earn money for doing sweet F.A., but that's what a meritocracy is all about - cos they're obviously better than us and work harder at university (Bill Gates DEFINITELY worked harder than a Miner or a binman all his life) and so they deserve twelve yachts while people starve. Look, we even tax them progressively, so they can only have eleven yachts and two less people starve.

Okay so along the way we have to break our necks to ensure our sell out leaders protect some small slither of the environment, safety at work and we still pay our Union dues to people who are so in bed with capitalism it's not funny any more (I mean these desk jockey Union boys obviously are more deserving too because my General Secretary produces nothing like I do but still gets paid more). And let's not forget our sons and daughters die in the wars of capitalism while our 'representative' governments impose their will all across the globe - and we just lap up how the enemies were bad men so that makes it alright. Ignoring that we just replicate a bad government system by invading such countries and promote fundamentalism rather than eradicate it. But it's all okay because Tony and Gordon say so.

[/end bullshit]

FUCK OFF LABOUR.