[Acrylic-bob]

I recall, some time ago, when Saint Geldoff was effing and blinding about making poverty history and the sheeple were all bleating about what a world changing moment of history it was, I was moved to advise readers to adopt the practise of purchasing just one item of fair trade produce per week. The reason being that this would effect more good than all of Saint Geldoff's fulminations and the Blair government's simpering agreement with him.

The idea of Fair Trade products is, on the face of it, a fairly sensible one. I do not have any evidence to support T's contention that the system is as riddled with corruption as any other initiative to relieve third world poverty but then, on the other hand, neither do I have any evidence to prove that it is not. But I have to say that, on the balance of probability, I am quite long enough in the tooth to believe people capable of anything, and that must include the creation of fraudulent charities.

I find the idea of Hyndburn's putative status as a Fair Trade Borough, based on a handful of shops, a couple of jars of council coffee and ASDA, to be completely laughable, as is the idea that this will somehow raise the profile of the borough. Someone raised the example of loony left boroughs in the eighties proclaiming themselves to be Nuclear Free Zones. I have to agree that Fair Trade status for Hyndburn will make about as much difference to the borough as the expensive political posturing of the eighties, which is to say, none at all!

The problems of the Third World are so fundamental that a couple of pence added to a jar of coffee is not even going to come close to scratching the surface. All that this Prospects Foundation led project does is to assuage the sense of guilt which comes with the realisation that we are fortunate to live where we do... and they are not.

Of course, it is very sad and regretable that not everyone in the world can enjoy the freedoms and standard of living which we take for granted. It is very sad that some children have to go to bed hungry and are compelled to live lives blighted by war, famine and disease. But, sadly, that is life, it has been the same since mankind first learned to walk upright and I see no immediate prospect of a change for the better, no matter how many jars of Free Trade coffee we buy.There are simply too many people competing for scarce and rapidly dwindling resources.

If Charles Darwin is correct in his hypothesis, nature, red in tooth and claw, will eventually correct the imbalance.