'Dr Geldof' hails Brown and Blair over poverty

from The Yorkshire Today

Campaigner Bob Geldof lavished praise on Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday for their work in tackling world poverty.

He said that without their work things like cancelling Third World debt would never have been possible.

"Without question Blair and Brown have completely altered the possibility of this issue (world poverty) being celebrated today," said Geldof. "If there wasn't Blair and Brown I can't imagine where we would have gone.

"What is clear and I have spent enough downtime with them is that there is no question in my mind that they feel as personally impassioned on this.

"I guess because it is relatively easy to get your head around this as a solvable issue. Dealing with the NHS may not be."

Geldof was speaking before he received with the Chancellor an honorary degree from Newcastle University celebrating the work of the Make Poverty History campaign.
He said Mr Brown and Mr Blair were genuinely interested in the issue.

"It is like they get all 'studenty'," the former Boomtown Rat singer said.
Sir Bob said that in the 1980s it was not possible to change world policy on poverty and hunger because of the Cold War – but times had changed. "Brown has focused development as foreign policy and it has been elevated to the really highest part of British policy," he said.

The Chancellor and Sir Bob were among five people receiving honorary degrees from Newcastle University to mark the work of the Make Poverty History campaign.
They all received an honorary doctor of civil law degree from university chancellor Lord Patten.

They were honoured alongside political economist Susan George, former President of Tanzania Benjamin William Mkapa and Dr David Golding, of Make Poverty History North East.

The Chancellor was instrumental in getting the G8 countries to agree at Gleneagles in 2005 a debt relief package for the world's poorest countries.

As the politicians met in Scotland, Sir Bob and U2 front man Bono organised the Live8 concerts, which formed part of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Mr Brown said: "This is a very special day because
it is the celebration of the contribution of some the individuals I admire most in the world."