Tory leadership candidate attacks Christian agency on trade justice
-10/11/05
Leading
Tory leadership candidate attacks Christian agency on trade justice
-10/11/05
Leading UK-based international development agency Christian Aid has invited Conservative Party leadership contender David Cameron to a discussion, following his unexpected attack on one of the aid organizationís trade justice campaign posters.
Mr Cameron publicly criticized a poster that compares deaths caused by poverty to those caused by the tsunami, suggesting that it was helping to foster what he called ìBritainís cultural hostility to capitalismî.
Speaking at an event organized by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Mr Cameron said: ìFor too many people, profit and free trade are dirty words.î
He continued: ìWe need to campaign for capitalism, to promote profit, to fight for free trade, to remind, indeed educate, our citizens about the facts of economic life.î
The 39-year-old Witney MP said developing countries need support if they are to seize the opportunities of free trade.
ìWith such support we can help entrench market economics in poor countries, and lay the groundwork for growth and poverty elimination,î he declared.
The Tory leadership contender added: ìFor too many people, profit and free trade are dirty words. You can see it in the Christian Aid poster that compares free trade to a tsunami.î
But Christian Aid spokesperson John McGhie called the MPís words as an ìill-advised gibe.î
Inviting the Tory leadership contender to discuss trade justice face-to-face he said: ìRegrettably it seems that Mr Cameron, in the heat of his own leadership struggle, has missed the point.î
ìChristian Aid is not anti-free trade and we have no objection to profit,î said Mr McGhie, whose organization was instrumental in last weekís huge lobby of parliament on global trade issues.
He explained: ìWhat we do say is that the way that trade rules have been stacked against poorer countries is neither ëfairí nor ëfreeí and that developing nations should be entitled to the same measure of protection that developed countries employed on their way to becoming rich.î
ìWe make the comparison with the tsunami to highlight the sad fact that somewhere in the world a child dies needlessly of poverty-related diseases every three seconds,î said the Christian Aid representative.
Concluded Mr McGhie: ìIt would perhaps have been more appropriate for Mr Cameron to have checked with us first before making this ill-advised gibe. We would welcome a meeting with him soon to discuss world trade ñ whether or not he wins the leadership race.î
Christian Aid director Dr Daleep Mukarji has today sent Mr Cameron a letter inviting him to a meeting to brief him on the agencyís trade policy.
ìWe have a long history of engagement with the Conservative Party and we look forward to continuing this with Mr Cameron,î said Mr McGhie.
Christian Aid was recently attacked as anti-capitalist in an intemperately worded article on the Business Online website, which said that ìbully-pulpitî tactics can ìseriously damage your wealthî.
A pro-Israeli government activist has also established a weblog to suggest the agency is peddling ëhateí because of its support for the peace-with-justice agenda of partners in Palestine and Israel.
As an ecumenical development organization supported by a wide range of British churches, and respected internationally, Christian Aid has come to view criticism and a certain amount of controversy as ëcoming with the territoryí.
But nonetheless it seems determined to set the record straight with a man who might conceivably be playing a key role in a future British government.
[Trade Justice ñ A Christian Response is available through Ekklesia.]
Tory leadership candidate attacks Christian agency on trade justice
-10/11/05
Leading UK-based international development agency Christian Aid has invited Conservative Party leadership contender David Cameron to a discussion, following his unexpected attack on one of the aid organization’s trade justice campaign posters.
Mr Cameron publicly criticized a poster that compares deaths caused by poverty to those caused by the tsunami, suggesting that it was helping to foster what he called ‘Britain’s cultural hostility to capitalism’.
Speaking at an event organized by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, Mr Cameron said: ‘For too many people, profit and free trade are dirty words.’
He continued: ‘We need to campaign for capitalism, to promote profit, to fight for free trade, to remind, indeed educate, our citizens about the facts of economic life.’
The 39-year-old Witney MP said developing countries need support if they are to seize the opportunities of free trade.
‘With such support we can help entrench market economics in poor countries, and lay the groundwork for growth and poverty elimination,’ he declared.
The Tory leadership contender added: ‘For too many people, profit and free trade are dirty words. You can see it in the Christian Aid poster that compares free trade to a tsunami.’
But Christian Aid spokesperson John McGhie called the MP’s words as an ‘ill-advised gibe.’
Inviting the Tory leadership contender to discuss trade justice face-to-face he said: ‘Regrettably it seems that Mr Cameron, in the heat of his own leadership struggle, has missed the point.’
‘Christian Aid is not anti-free trade and we have no objection to profit,’ said Mr McGhie, whose organization was instrumental in last week’s huge lobby of parliament on global trade issues.
He explained: ‘What we do say is that the way that trade rules have been stacked against poorer countries is neither ëfair’ nor ëfree’ and that developing nations should be entitled to the same measure of protection that developed countries employed on their way to becoming rich.’
‘We make the comparison with the tsunami to highlight the sad fact that somewhere in the world a child dies needlessly of poverty-related diseases every three seconds,’ said the Christian Aid representative.
Concluded Mr McGhie: ‘It would perhaps have been more appropriate for Mr Cameron to have checked with us first before making this ill-advised gibe. We would welcome a meeting with him soon to discuss world trade – whether or not he wins the leadership race.’
Christian Aid director Dr Daleep Mukarji has today sent Mr Cameron a letter inviting him to a meeting to brief him on the agency’s trade policy.
‘We have a long history of engagement with the Conservative Party and we look forward to continuing this with Mr Cameron,’ said Mr McGhie.
Christian Aid was recently attacked as anti-capitalist in an intemperately worded article on the Business Online website, which said that ‘bully-pulpit’ tactics can ‘seriously damage your wealth’.
A pro-Israeli government activist has also established a weblog to suggest the agency is peddling ëhate’ because of its support for the peace-with-justice agenda of partners in Palestine and Israel.
As an ecumenical development organization supported by a wide range of British churches, and respected internationally, Christian Aid has come to view criticism and a certain amount of controversy as ëcoming with the territory’.
But nonetheless it seems determined to set the record straight with a man who might conceivably be playing a key role in a future British government.
[Trade Justice – A Christian Response is available through Ekklesia.]