An injustice that will cost lives

For reasons as yet unclear, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has stopped its financial support for the Al Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza City. Moderator Albert Bogle has written to David Cameron to ask for his help in what can only be described as an alarming situation. Without this money the hospital will close and the many thousands of Gazans who rely on it for primary and urgent care and treatment will suffer even more.

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, manages the Al Ahli hospital, providing primary and emergency care without any outside interference or political calculation to the almost exclusively Muslim population in Gaza, and does so without proselytizing or discriminating on the basis of religion, ethnicity, politics, or social identification. It is not an exaggeration to say either that the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip are as severe as any on earth, or that Al Ahli Hospital is a rare and absolutely vital source of genuine good news in that context.

This is an injustice that will cost lives. Something must be done.

The Current Financial Crisis - People's Needs first

The decisions facing David Cameron at 4am this morning cannot have been easy. He is pulled many ways and the choices he makes will always be the wrong one to some-one whose support he need.  I understand why he chose in the end to exclude Britain from the next stage of negotiations but I am not convinced that it was the right choice.

It is time that European political leaders, including our own Prime Minister listened to the voice of the people who are protesting on the streets of many European countries. In a crisis situation – solidarity must prevail. It is time for more coherent economic governance, a closer political oversight over financial markets and a move towards a developed fiscal Union – no sustainable future will be found without it.

A global Financial Transaction Tax would be a step in the right direction. It limits financial speculation, redirects a small part of the gains from financial transactions to the needs of the people, particularly in the southern hemisphere and is supported by huge numbers of people – that the financiers don’t want it is not the issue; the people do.

The current crisis is an ethical crisis as well as a political one and the solutions European need to be based one ethical principles and values.  For two years political leaders have attempted to address this crisis – none of them have worked. They have all been insufficient and unsustainable. They have done nothing to regain the trust of the people in the European Union and deal with its crisis economic management and governance. In reality every delay fuels the crisis and is costly.

Decisive action must be taken now. And a financial Transaction Tax would be a good start as it begins with a key first principle for politicians in a crisis; act together- focusing on the needs of the people.

Robin Hood Tax

The Church of Scotland is a member of the Robin Hood Tax campaign.

This campaign calls for a tiny charge of 0.05% on financial transactions such as stocks, bonds, foreign currency and derivatives. It is estimated that if it was introduced by countries across the world it could raise an extra £250billion per year, which could help bolster public services, increase aid to developing countries or help to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Last Monday I, along with representatives of about 70 other organisations, wrote to the Prime Minister ahead of the G20 meeting urging him to consider signing up.

So far the UK Government position has been to oppose the idea of a financial transaction tax, but the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are both in favour of it. We hope that the G20 meeting will be a crucial turning point and that if the UK Government gets behind it, it will sooner become a reality.

 

You can read a comment about how the G20 meeting went on Robin's blog.