A humble Geldof says he is unsure Live8 will succeed
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Your support makes all the difference.Bob Geldof urged the public to take an active part in the Live8 events yesterday as he admitted for the first time that he was "not fabulously confident" that he could achieve everything he was campaigning for.
Bob Geldof urged the public to take an active part in the Live8 events yesterday as he admitted for the first time that he was "not fabulously confident" that he could achieve everything he was campaigning for.
The call from Geldof to the public to go to Edinburgh on 6 July came as several public figures confirmed their attendance at a rally timed to coincide with the G8 meeting in Gleneagles. The pop singer Daniel Bedingfield, the Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlewaite, and the songwriter Billy Bragg, all pledged their support.
Bianca Jagger, the human rights campaigner who will be speaking at the rally in Edinburgh, said: "I am encouraged that so many young people are committed to this cause but it takes more than a rally to change the world. We need to get away from soundbites and spin from governments and those who are letting them get away with murder.
"Developing countries will only start to get better when they will be able to reclaim their sovereignty, their resources and their livelihoods. The $40bn debt relief is a drop in the ocean."
Despite the celebrity backing, there are still concerns about the event's organisation. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) urged amateur sailors to ignore the singer's call for them to sail to the English Channel on Sunday, saying they could be in danger.
When launching the Live8 gigs last month, Geldof called for those with boats to "re-create Dunkirk" and ferry protesters from France to the south coast, from where they could travel to Edinburgh for the rally.
He said at the time: "We live in a world of timidity and this isn't the time for timidity. If you don't think it will make any difference, you are wrong. We urge you to take due caution but not to take unnecessary caution."
An MCA spokesman said that those without "suitable" boats should stay ashore and avoid the flotilla. The MCA is worried that inexperienced sailors or those in small boats could sink during the 82-mile cross-channel trip from Cherbourg to Portsmouth on 3 July.
Geldof was speaking yesterday at the British Museum in London, with Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, at his side. He stressed the importance of every person making a contribution to obliterate poverty and applauded the recent $40bn debt relief by the G8 nations for 18 of the poorest countries.
However, he emphasised to the Chancellor that it was not enough. "We need proper grown-up politics and people need to be serious. I wouldn't have believed the debt relief and aid six months ago although it is just Europe; I want the Canadians and Americans to do a lot more," he said.
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