"Make Poverty History" Edinburgh Local Custom Tip by Nemorino

During my most recent visit to Edinburgh, the city was getting ready for the big "Make Poverty History" march on July 2, 2005, on the occasion of the G8 Summit Meeting which is to be held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire on 6 to 8 July.

I used to think "G8" meant "The Greedy Eight" or "The Gluttonous Eight", but in fact it stands for the 'Group of Eight' nations, namely the eight richest countries in the world. The purpose of the march is to demand "trade justice, debt cancellation, and more and better aid for the world's poorest countries."

Related meetings and events were already being held, including the "Time to Talk" program, which includes exhibitions, conferences and talks, music, as well as theatre and dance performances.

These events are co-sponsored by the Edinburgh City Council, which says "as a Council we congratulate the organisations that have contributed to, and promoted, the success of the Make Poverty History Campaign. All parties in Council support the principles of the campaign, which are to provide developing nations with an appropriate aid rate, to promote Fair Trade and export subsidies, and to cancel the national debts of the poorest countries."