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Post your thoughts/ideas/musings on global poverty and climate change for Policywonk - Mumsnet's blogger at the G20 summit...

187 replies

JustineMumsnet · 18/03/2009 17:08

Ok so hurrah, Policywonk is to be our Mumsnet representative inside the London Summit as part of G20Voice initiative - a group of 50 bloggers connecting the rest of the world with the G20 world leaders.

There is more information about the project at here but in short G20Voice has been organised by a coalition of non-profit organisations Oxfam GB, Comic Relief, and Save the Children with the support of the Blue State Digital and the UK Government. They have convinced the UK Govt to allow 50 bloggers into the summit with equal access to the mainstream media.

It's a 3 day programme starting April 1st the day before the summit and ending the day after. Day one will be about providing the bloggers with information and helping them get to know each other so that they can understand the issues they and their readers care about. It will be fairly unstructured along Barcamp/Unconference lines. We want the bloggers to decide the priorities and the questions they ask the next day.

The day of the summit will consist of a stream of people from the G20 delegations. They'll be asked to speak with the bloggers either en-masse or at round table discussions. People outside the summit can join in via Skype or phone lines.

The analysis day is about feedback from the bloggers and experts from Govt and NGOs on the decisions and announcements from the Summit.

All three days will be filmed and a video and audio stream will be available.

The main themes are global poverty and climate change/the environment but as they say on the website: 'This is the plan but in reality the event belongs to the bloggers. Everyone attending will have the chance to shape the schedule themselves.'

So anyway, that's the background and here's the thread for discussing your thoughts on global poverty and climate change in particular.

OP posts:
onebatmother · 18/03/2009 23:47
onebatmother · 18/03/2009 23:44

in my book of important insights into global politics, it says merkel is intrinsically funny because of it's proximity to mirkin.

an girlish, my dear? Extension of the posh English an hotel? Or perhaps from the gaelic?

AitchTwoOh · 18/03/2009 23:35

ROFL at angela merkel lunge.

please keep a comb-over tally. rimless, yes, hush puppies, yes. what else? i'll only be reading it for the tallies, being just an girlish woman.

pooter · 18/03/2009 23:27

Hi PW. I just wanted to say good luck - you sound like you will cope with it all admirably. I've been racking my brain but haven't been able to come up with a solution to global poverty/environmental catastrophe . Maternal health and female education would be a great start though.

good luck

onebatmother · 18/03/2009 21:51

Pol I've realized that I'm having trouble sending mail, which seem to be taking an hour to arrive.

MNHQ
HelenMumsnet · 18/03/2009 21:50

PW (and everyone else): you might like to have a look at this re work being done and needing to be done to prevent infant/maternal mortality.

(and no, we don't think you're ridiculously worth and dull!)

onebatmother · 18/03/2009 21:48

email sent pw. Will look for stats, will you remind if I don't do it?

policywonk · 18/03/2009 21:41

Oh hello 100x. Thank you for your calming words. Of COURSE people don't need to be experts in anything to participate in this. God knows I'm an expert in nothing except freakishly extended breastfeeding (d'ya think it'll come up?)

Will add sexual harrassment of heads of state and ageing rockers to my to-do list. I don't think I fancy any current statesmen. I used to have a thing for Lord John Russell, but who didn't?

OBM, those statistics would be good if you can unearth them (and also that email contact I asked you for earlier?)

COPD/other pathology arising from biomass fuels (I think - animal dung isn't it?) - yes, good one. Will have a look at that link.

I think I have to go to bed, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Also I have to take a photograph of myself tomorrow for putting up on the site, so I need about 16 hours of sleep. I look forward to reading about the solutions to global poverty that you will all have posted here by tomorrow morning. xx

onebatmother · 18/03/2009 21:15

I'm intrigued - no, disturbed - by MP's Geldof-shaped achilles heel.

PW, do you have any similarly fatal weaknesses which we should know about? If you reveal them in advance we may be able to help, but it will be quite difficult to retroactively explain away a sudden and international-incident-sparking lunge at, say, Angela Merkel.

Habbibu · 18/03/2009 21:10

Women/girls also affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (have just been studying it!) a lot in developing countries because of smoke from cooking fires. Practical Action really good on this.

Habbibu · 18/03/2009 20:58

Are you going to have a badge saying PolicyWonk: MumsNet?

Agree education of girls; don't have any relevant areas of expertise, except for some HE links with transition economies.

onebatmother · 18/03/2009 20:43

LOL at G20 being a bit hard, and Obama's barumba.

I think that the education of girls would be a great focus. The extent of female education seems to impact, or at least be intrinsically linked to, many of the areas that interest us as a group, doesn't it?

I recently saw some astonishing statistical differences - across a whole range of subjects - between areas where female education is sanctioned/possible, and areas where it's not.

Gah, where was it? Will look.

ahundredtimes · 18/03/2009 20:31

I said I'm COMING BACK I've got to go and erm - focus my thoughts.

morningpaper · 18/03/2009 20:30

is that your BEST TRY?

ahundredtimes · 18/03/2009 20:29

Right, okay, have read. I understand it all a bit more now. Right. Okay. Am going to go and focus mind, I don't have any expertise in this area though.

morningpaper · 18/03/2009 20:24

Is there any chance you will bump into Bob Geldof? Could you pass him my phone number?

gizmo · 18/03/2009 20:14

Well, if you have a chance of witnessing B.O. (sorry but that has just made me giggle childishly) in the flesh you can forget the detailed intellectual analysis and focus on the real issue de jour: 'Barack Obama: cute ass - or no?'

That should lower the tone nicely. Not sure it will be quite so effective with the undersecretary for lanolin production from Kazakhstan, mind you.

ahundredtimes · 18/03/2009 20:13

You're going to be marvellous PW. I'm so pleased you got the gig.

I will hand out biros to everyone, with logos on.

I'll go and check the link in a minute - are we supposed to be lobbying? Or are you reporting? Or what.

Is all very exciting. You are going to be great.

policywonk · 18/03/2009 20:10

I think MNHQ are (rightly) worried I'm going to be ridiculously worthy and dull. I need you all to keep me low-brow

I've been telling people that I'm going to be attending a Barack Obama press conference. Do you think there is the slightest possibility that this might turn out to be true?

morningpaper · 18/03/2009 20:07

shit it's all a bit... hard isn't it?

policywonk · 18/03/2009 20:07

Comb-overs - check.

We could probably devise some sort of international summit bingo:

comb-overs
Hush Puppies
rimless specs

policywonk · 18/03/2009 20:05

Yes gizmo, the education of girls is another crucial one - and economic participation good too (micro-finance was a very hot topic a couple of years ago but haven't heard so much about it recently).

Ilove... - have a look at this page - the G20 is complementary to the G8, not a replacement. The aim is to include some 'emerging' states (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico etc) alongside established advanced capitalist economies. It meets once a year or so. (It seems like a particularly big deal this year because the meeting is in the UK so we're hearing a lot more about it than normal.)

Re. the advantages or otherwise of organic crops and climate change - my understanding (which is quite vague and possibly wrong) is that these things are very difficult to quantify. For example, an organic crop that is shipped rather than air-freighted might still have a smaller carbon footprint than an intensively-grown crop that is transported locally - it all depends on the crop, the methods used, the mode of transport, distribution, etc etc. Very difficult area I think (but you're right to say it's not as cut-and-dried as organic = low carbon).

Your point about the use of agricultural land in developing countries for export crops is an interesting one. Any economists have views about this one?

[MNHQ: will introduce celebrity underwear chat soon, honest.]

Tortington · 18/03/2009 19:57

can we have a 'comb-over' tally?

gizmo · 18/03/2009 19:47

Yes, that sounds interesting. Maternal/infant health is an obvious one, although I have no expertise in the area to offer! But also, how about women's education and economic participation? Again, I have no expertise, but surely there should be plenty on mumsnet.

Meanwhile, trying to put together a few more pertinent facts on renewable power in the developing world for you...

ilovemydogandMrObama · 18/03/2009 19:44

When did G7/8 go large into G20 and who are the 20 nations involved?

Not sure that organic techniques necessarily are good climate change wise, if the consumers are half way across the globe. Avocados from Chile are great in Chile, but horrendous air miles, not to mention that crops are being used not for local people