and I get sick when I'm around, I can't stand to be around

So I've been watching the Live 8 gig.

Sort of.

Alright, I watched U2 and Macca then popped a video in and went out. But I had it on in the radio. Well. I did when I was in the car.

Anyway, I just got home (having luckily completely missed the Stereophonics) and popped the telly on just in time to see miss Dynamite (tee-hee).

I'm all for trade justice and dropping the debt and everything, but if one more uncritical clown on the TV or the radio comes on and tells me how BRILLIANT the whole thing is, or how AMAZING everything is, so help me God I'm going to go out and get some unfairly traded chocolate or something.

All this uncritical acceptance is immediately making me want to criticise everything about the whole bloody thing. I'd turn over and watch the tennis, only I can't stand all that grunting and screaming that Venus Williams makes either.

Grr.

**update** this just in.... I never thought I would say these words, but I have just been moved by Will Smith. His introduction to the Philadelphia concert was fantastic.

I maintain my disgust at the ridiculous fawning by the media about how great this all is (and oh look, as if on cue, Travis are on), and I'm not at all sure if these concerts are the best way of going about things, but I'm not going to lose sight of the objective here.... every three seconds in Africa a child dies for want of basic medication that we can buy in our local chemists. The leaders of the G8 nations can help make this stop.

Tony Blair
Jacques Chirac
Vladimir Putin
Gerhard Schroder
George W. Bush
Silvio Berlusconi
Paul Martin
Junichiro Koizumi
Jose Manuel Barroso

When all the concerts are over, when all the crowds have gone home.... these are the guys who can make the difference.

They know what to do.

(and I'll stick to fair trade chocolate, eh?)