I recently came back from an excursion to London and the most poignant image I recall is not the overpriced sushi at Harrods or the extraordinary loot at the Brit Museum. It was the image of a brand new Rolls complete with white-gloved chauffeur driving about the posher areas of Regent Street with Mr. and Mrs. African dignitaries.

Whether Mr Geldolf is on another ego trip or not he certainly is deluded if he thinks he can really make a difference in Africa by appealing to the Western masses and its collective pity sympathy and guilt.

The real cause of African misery lies in not in post colonial oppression but in the real politiks of power politics in Africa. If you have power you rule and when you rule to take everything you can take before someone with more power comes along to take it away from you. Thus we have seen billions of dollars of aid money stolen, National treasuries stolen, oil riches stolen, diamond riches stolen, mineral wealth stolen, whole nation's wealth all are stolen by the African rulers. Since Live Aid the realities is genocide in Rwanda, genocide in Dafur, continuing starvation in Ethiopia, widespread AIDS epidemic - highlights only of the litany of miseries afflicting the continent - in short an Africa much worse off then before. (The proceedings not endorsed or financed by The City or Wall Street Bankers to the dire disappointment of the nutty left wing)

What then can be a solution? Bush style regime changes and nation building - oh the Horror! History will be the judge on that in about 50 years. Well we certainly can't count on the UN. The European Union? Not likely.

Maybe we should appoint Mr. Geldolf as Grand Proconsul of Africa and really kick some fucking asses and get the damn continent running properly without the rampant corruption of its present rulers. Well if Mr. Geldolf can stay honest his ego at least could become fully appeased and he can add one more title to his Grandness.