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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2005 6:20:24 GMT -5
Anti-poverty campaigner and musician Bob Geldof is to become a consultant to a new Conservative party policy group on global poverty. Mr Geldof played a leading role in the Make Poverty History campaign in the run-up to the G8 summit in July.
Opposition leader David Cameron launched the party's Globalisation and Global Poverty group this week.
He said he was delighted Mr Geldof - who would remain non-partisan - would bring his influence to the group.
BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said although the non-partisan nature of Mr Geldof's involvement was being stressed, it was nevertheless "quite a coup" to get him involved.
'Concerned citizens'
Announcing the new Tory group, which will be chaired by former social security secretary Peter Lilley, Mr Cameron said the former Boomtown Rats frontman would help the party "go in the direction that he and we both want to go".
He said: "This summer, millions of British people took part in the Make Poverty History campaign.
"A new generation of concerned citizens want prosperity for themselves and progress for the poor, whether living on the other side of the street or the other side of the world."
Conservatives have a "vital contribution" to make to the debate about globalisation and poverty, he added.
"Our policy group will develop ideas to enable the economic empowerment of the poorest people on our planet - for example through property rights and other institutions to promote economic development and wealth creation."
Mr Lilley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mr Geldof had "enormous knowledge and expertise. He's been working on this area for 20 years.
"He knows more people, he's got access to more expertise than almost anybody else in the world and that's why I'm thrilled to have him as an advisor to the group".
But International Development Secretary Hilary Benn, responded to the Conservatives' announcement by saying that "actions speak louder than words".
He added: "Britain has agreed to spend 0.7% of its gross national income on aid by 2013.
"This is an internationally agreed target and Labour is the first government in British history to commit to this."
The poverty group is the third of six policy groups to be announced by Mr Cameron as he tries to position the party to attract more women and younger voters, added our correspondent.
Earlier this month he signed up environmentalist Zac Goldsmith as joint chairman of a group set up to formulate green policies.
He has also made former party leader Iain Duncan Smith chairman of a policy unit looking at social justice.
from bbc.co.uk
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Post by wankinginthebushes on Dec 28, 2005 6:24:35 GMT -5
Yeah was just reading this.
Just Cameron trying his new 'young and cool' approach just like what Blair did with Britpop
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