[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Stu

He should really stick true to his word and live like he is in the stone age. I'm sure he would raise money and awareness far easier that way. It's a much better way to convince everyone to simply change their energy useage by a teeny, tiny amount if he just lives in the forest walking everywhere putting on untelevised, acoustic concerts.

Silly do gooders. Always trying to do good. Fuck off with your black kids and global wobble, Geldof.

He goes on about normal people using too much energy when he uses 10x as much, everyone is already aware of global warming, we don't need some rich bloke telling us to turn our televisions off standby

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Chewy

He goes on about normal people using too much energy when he uses 10x as much, everyone is already aware of global warming, we don't need some rich bloke telling us to turn our televisions off standby

Everyone is not aware of global warming though. They think they are but how many can really tell you about it or explain it?

What has his money got to do with it? I'm tired of this reverse snobbery. You have money thus you can't preach to me. It's absurd. You're still ignoring the logistics of it. That 10x energy and x amount of money he is using to put on televised rock concerts is attempting to save more than enough power/raise x more money that was spent putting it on in the first place. That's the idea.

You need to reach a global audience in a way that appeals to them. How do you think the ratings for Live Aid and Live 8 would have done if it didn't have anything to do with music for christ sake.

Geldof and Bono are doing a hell of a lot more with their means than I am with mine and for that I applaud them. Who are my to scrutinise if they 'mean it' just because they are famous.

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Stu

Everyone is not aware of global warming though. They think they are but how many can really tell you about it or explain it?

What has his money got to do with it? I'm tired of this reverse snobbery. You have money thus you can't preach to me. It's absurd. You're still ignoring the logistics of it. That 10x energy and x amount of money he is using to put on televised rock concerts is attempting to save more than enough power/raise x more money that was spent putting it on in the first place. That's the idea.

You need to reach a global audience in a way that appeals to them. How do you think the ratings for Live Aid and Live 8 would have done if it didn't have anything to do with music for christ sake.

Geldof and Bono are doing a hell of a lot more with their means than I am with mine and for that I applaud them. Who are my to scrutinise if they 'mean it' just because they are famous.

I can't really argue with ya, I guess your right

[Shasown]

Bono a crook nah he isnt no way, a hypocrite, nah I dont think so, you dont know how much he has in his bank accounts, you have no idea how much he gave to charity over any financial period, you have no idea of his real worth. You havent got a clue about the way U2's finances are set up.

Talk about lashing out in a blind rage.

However he did manage to persuade Gordon Brown and other political leaders to write off billions yes thats billions not just thousands or millions of pounds of debt owed simply on interest on third world debt. And in some cases writing off the debt totally. To be frank not enough is done but...

If nothing else it was a start. And he went out and done that, not anyone else, he did...

Then there is the One campaign try reading up on it.

He also puts his hand in his pocket when its his round, unlike that twat McGregor

Oh and one other thing he may not be the best singer in the world but he is a fecking great songwriter and he can move an audience to actually do something as opposed to a lot in the pop/rock world.

Work out how many lives he has saved in Central and South America, Africa, Asia etc. how much money has flowed into Amnesty, One, Greenpeace and a good many other organisations he has gobbed off about. Then come back and tell me Paul Hewson doesnt deserve to have whatever wealth he does have (which, and lets face it you dont really know, you assume some gob****e journalist is accurate).

Good luck to the man I say!

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Bono a crook nah he isnt no way, a hypocrite, nah I dont think so, you dont know how much he has in his bank accounts, you have no idea how much he gave to charity over any financial period, you have no idea of his real worth.

However he did manage to persuade Gordon Brown and other political leaders to write off billions yes thats billions not just thousands or millions of pounds of debt owed simply on interest on third world debt.

You seriously think they wrote those loans off just because he asked them to? Those loans were never gonna be paid anyways, as everybody knew, so really it was just a superficial gesture. They were all just basking in phoney glory.

As for not knowing what he does/doesn't give; if he gave substantial amounts we'd hear about it one way or another. Huge money doesnt get shifted around that quietly. And with all the flack he's had about this issue I doubt he'd want to keep it all that hush hush.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Zippy

You seriously think they wrote those loans off just because he asked them to? Those loans were never gonna be paid anyways, as everybody knew, so really it was just a superficial gesture. They were all just basking in phoney glory.

As for not knowing what he does/doesn't give; if he gave substantial amounts we'd hear about it one way or another. Huge money doesnt get shifted around that quietly. And with all the flack he's had about this issue I doubt he'd want to keep it all that hush hush.

Thats very true the loans could nor would ever have been repaid but you are missing the point, those countries were PAYING the interest to service those loans and it cost them big style. It may seem a superficial gesture on the part of the UK, it wasnt seen as that by the countries paying back, it really was a life saver. Think about it in some cases their GDP equates to what the UK annually spends on baby wipes

The argument about what he spends on charity, good one mate but unfortunately it cuts both ways, do you not think some whistle blower would have come right and said he only gives twenty euros to Mencap Ireland, by now, its a good earner for someone if its true aint it?

I will tell you something though, you can check if you like its public record, last year he gave over 1.2 million Euros to an Irish Charity as a one off, how does that grab you?

Anyway you wont check, coz you have a hard on for Bono hating this week, thats cool fill your boots mate.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Anyway you wont check, coz you have a hard on for Bono hating this week, thats cool fill your boots mate.

This week? Try forever.

And you've just contradicted yourself by suggesting his charity donations are secret...then posting an amount he supposedly gave. Yeah Im sure that amount really forced him to use his teabags twice for a few months.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Zippy

This week? Try forever.

And you've just contradicted yourself by suggesting his charity donations are secret...then posting an amount he supposedly gave. Yeah Im sure that amount really forced him to use his teabags twice for a few months.

Where is the contradiction?

(Will give you clue, in some countries donations have to be given openly and declared in order for tax relief to be claimed by the charity or for the donator to claim back the tax paid etc, hope the smell of urine doesnt spoil the bonfire)

[Lee.]

Ive not read any of this thread ad I need to sleep soon... but don't even get me started on Bono.. I've had many an argument about him!

It honestly baffles me why he is disliked... I daresay people will be quick to tell me why, but I only see a good person

[Lee.]

Bono donated 6 million pounds of his own money towards live 8 a few years ago..

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by happyland

Bono donated 6 million pounds of his own money towards live 8 a few years ago..

Correction; U2 the whole group and their manager donated 6 million DOLLARS (£3.3 mill at the time) from the profits of their Vertigo tour which included a Live8 concert.

These are the kind of charity donations that are done like a business deal; theyre buying good publicity and getting tax breaks for their donations too.

Either way, not quite the "£6mill of his own money" you suggest. His share was apparently more like £665k reading reports.

[patsylimerick]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Correction; U2 the whole group and their manager donated 6 million DOLLARS (£3.3 mill at the time) from the profits of their Vertigo tour which included a Live8 concert.

These are the kind of charity donations that are done like a business deal; theyre buying good publicity and getting tax breaks for their donations too.

Either way, not quite the "£6mill of his own money" you suggest. His share was apparently more like £665k reading reports.

OK, I'll take it you didn't read the earlier post, because you said you didn't, so I'll paraphrase. Mind you, it baffles me why anyone would want to debate with two fingers in their ears.
Bono and U2 almost never disclose what they give to charity; they're damned if they do and damned if they don't (disclose that is), as your above contribution so acutely demonstrates.
However, the President of Amnesty International, when pushed by journalists, admitted to 'sizeable' donations from the band. How sizeable? We don't know. Because U2 don't want us to know. It's almost as if the only way he can win is to stay away from the issue entirely. That's really, really sad.
I've accepted that the tax avoidance is not commendable. Why can you not separate the two issues? Or address the fact that the vast majority people, relatively speaking, try to avoid paying more tax? In the Irish case, most of our tax take is going to pay senior bank bond holders. I'd prefer Bono concentrated his mind on world debt, to be honest.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by patsylimerick

OK, I'll take it you didn't read the earlier post, because you said you didn't, so I'll paraphrase. Mind you, it baffles me why anyone would want to debate with two fingers in their ears.

Obviously I have replied to several posts in this thread as is flaming obvious. But Im not responding to something youve copy/pasted from elsewhere out of pure laziness. Theyre not even your words so why you think I need to reply to them Im not quite sure. You're not debating by stealing other peoples words.

And the example I gave of a donation was a specific one which was clearly done as part of promoting their tour and Live8. It was correcting a big untruth that was posted. Lets stick to facts here.

I have addressed both the tax issues and his charitable donations. You need to wake up and realise that they are actually very interlinked; charity begins at home and the millions that he is denying the Irish goverment could be spent on new schools, new parks, new roads etc etc Ireland is not a rich country and he should be proud to pay his due taxes...if he's the caring saint he parades himself as. If if if...

Obviously you still fail to see the blatant contradictions in how he conducts himself so Im not gonna waste too much time on you.

Besides all that, he should bloody stick to his job. Nobody elected him to be a politician and he really has no place next to elected world leaders. He's just an absolute egomaniac. Because being a huge rockstar isnt enough, right?

Bottom line; he talks the talk but doesnt walk the walk. Nobody needs to hear some megarich tax evader preaching about poverty or charity. NOBODY.

[patsylimerick]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Obviously I have replied to several posts in this thread as is flaming obvious. But Im not responding to something youve copy/pasted from elsewhere out of pure laziness. Theyre not even your words so why you think I need to reply to them Im not quite sure. You're not debating by stealing other peoples words.

And the example I gave of a donation was a specific one which was clearly done as part of promoting their tour and Live8. It was correcting a big untruth that was posted. Lets stick to facts here.

I have addressed both the tax issues and his charitable donations. You need to wake up and realise that they are actually very interlinked; charity begins at home and the millions that he is denying the Irish goverment could be spent on new schools, new parks, new roads etc etc Ireland is not a rich country and he should be proud to pay his due taxes...if he's the caring saint he parades himself as. If if if...

Obviously you still fail to see the blatant contradictions in how he conducts himself so Im not gonna waste too much time on you.

Besides all that, he should bloody stick to his job. Nobody elected him to be a politician and he really has no place next to elected world leaders. He's just an absolute egomaniac. Because being a huge rockstar isnt enough, right?

Bottom line; he talks the talk but doesnt walk the walk. Nobody needs to hear some megarich tax evader preaching about poverty or charity. NOBODY.

It's funny, really, because I don't do gifs, or whatever they're called, I'm not well versed on linking etc. I almost entirely depend on my own words on here. But if you want to fling that as a criticism, fair enough, point taken. I would just ask politely that you reflect on the fact that all of our opinions and views are shaped by the sum of our experiences and what we have read, or more pertinently, not read, shapes us as human beings. We are none of us origiinal. We are the sum of our genes, influences and experiences. So we can twist it and turn it and pound seven shades of shoite out of it to make it our own. But I, personally, have no problem in acknowledging a situation where someone else's words are worthy of applause and repitition. It's not something I do often, but if it's worth quoting, I see no shame in doin so.

But getting back to the subject of the thread, the one thing that unites us all is that we are all going to shuffle off this mortal coil and the very most we can hope for is 80 vital years. I admire anyone who takes a chunk of those years and devotes them to increasing knowledge, awareness or a sense of community. Through his music, Bono has done all three. Through his charity work, Bono has attempted to do all three. If he hasn't succeeded because some people feel that a positive and laudable message cannot be accepted without dissecting the messenger, so be it. I don't think much can be served by my defense of him; but I'll defend him anyway. Because I'd accept mountains of pomposity and vast oceans of illusions of grandeur if the payback was an increased awareness of and discomfiture at the things that divide us.

But that's just me. And your opinion is as valid as mine. The problem is that mine is also as valid as yours.

[Lee.]

What Shasown says ^

[Livia]

I love U2, and Bono in particular. I imagine all those that loathe him so deeply never really liked him in the first place. Personally, and it's the same with all celebrities that I like, I don't much care what he does in his private life.

[ElProximo]

Originally Posted by Livia

I love U2, and Bono in particular. I imagine all those that loathe him so deeply never really liked him in the first place. Personally, and it's the same with all celebrities that I like, I don't much care what he does in his private life.

I think you have it all wrong. Can you believe it? No, its not the same people as if to dismiss this.
Even if it were - still deal with the criticism being put out there.

As for private and personal lives I would agree but that isn't what's happening here. Nobody cares about his personal life,
however,
what he has done is buy and impose himself into the public square with these very public missions, mandates and organizations.

What's worse than some criticisms about tax-evasion or being a flaming hypocrite on electricity is that he has been promoting (publicly) some political agenda's which have caused a tremendous amount of harm to the poorest people on Earth.
His devotion to the Global Warming Hoax movement surely resulted in the deaths of so many Africans.
Not intentionally but what's bothersome is that it wasn't 'good intentions gone wrong' but egotistical intentions.

But as always South Park so crudely called this one right too. Bono is a mega-ego who has lost touch with reality and is dead-set determined to be the biggest, greatest, saintliest so-and-so whether you like it or not.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Livia

I love U2, and Bono in particular. I imagine all those that loathe him so deeply never really liked him in the first place. Personally, and it's the same with all celebrities that I like, I don't much care what he does in his private life.

You have done it again Livia, made me think as has Patsylimerick too. I think I was maybe correct to in my first choice have voted no that he isn't a hypocrite.

I think I've been a bit unfair to him.

[Niamh.]

This thread has been an interesting read, Patsy your first post was very convincing and I've done a u-turn because of it. You're spot on actually.

[Livia]

El Proximo... Don't bother replying to me. I have no interest in your opinions. You could start an argument in an empty room.

[ElProximo]

Originally Posted by Livia

El Proximo... Don't bother replying to me. I have no interest in your opinions. You could start an argument in an empty room.

Better yet, don't bother replying to my replies. They are not for you and I'd expect you to ignore them.

They are for others to learn about and discuss your poor thinking ability and 'chick logic' problems.
Think of your posts as being 'made the example'.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by ElProximo

Better yet, don't bother replying to my replies. They are not for you and I'd expect you to ignore them.

They are for others to learn about and discuss your poor thinking ability and 'chick logic' problems.
Think of your posts as being 'made the example'.

I wonder why you feel the need to be so deeply unpleasant. You reply so that others can discuss my poor thinking ability? Maybe a more suitable topic would be your own slightly mental pontification on... well... everything.

I wouldn't mind so much if you could have a reasonable discussion, but you can't. I feel that you purposefully choose my posts to ridicule and I'm asking you to stop.

[billy123]

Well only 30 seconds into the set and bono is getting a laser shone in his face this could get interesting.

[Stu]

He doesn't mind. He probably paid off the laser guy because his ~doing it for attention.

Someone had a plate of ham sandwiches at Morrissey before him.

Cocks will be cocks etc.

[billy123]

Originally Posted by Stu

He doesn't mind. He probably paid off the laser guy because his ~doing it for attention.

Someone had a plate of ham sandwiches at Morrissey before him.

Cocks will be cocks etc.

They seem to have stopped doing it for now.
Ham sandwiches at morrisey! now that is funny nobbish but quite amusing.