MESSAGE FROM NO. 10 - "KEEP ON CAMPAIGNING"

23-08-2007

Third World anti debt campaigner Audrey Miller reports on a recent trip from the West Midlands to Downing Street - and an encouraging meeting with Gordon Brown.

" We have a long way to go but we are making progress. Your support is vital.

"I encourage you to keep up the pressure on the UK Government and international community to Make Poverty History"

You may be surprised to learn that these words of encouragement came from the Prime Ministers office in response to Jubilee Debt Campaign handing in the Interfaith petition from Birmingham and the West Midlands.

So there you have it the politicians actually want campaigners to carry on campaigning!

When I received a 4 page reply form "the private secretary" on 10 Downing Street headed paper I was amazed to see the close attention they had taken in answering the points we had made in our submission. Even at one point quoting our own website!

I am sharing this with Stirrer readers because from time to time those of us who want to see change do despair of ever getting our point of view across to civil servants and politicians.

But having received these words from the top office in the land, may be I can be more optimistic? I quote again:

"Local organisations have been tremendously important in shifting international opinion in shaping the debate on debt, aid and trade in the past few years and throughout 2005.

"It is largely because of these continuing efforts that we have achieved what we have"

Taking care not to be seduced by such praise of course I am sure campaigners will just be re energised.

2008 will be the tenth anniversary of the Birmingham G8 Human Chain which called for debt cancellation for the worlds poorest countries.

Millions of people have benefited but 60 countries still await the G8 leaders to act. Like the abolition of slavery it seems to be taking an unacceptable length of time.

I wonder how manymore human chains andletters to Downing Street it will take?