G8 summit: Gordon Brown has eight-course dinner before food crisis talks
"Gordon Brown and his fellow world leaders have sparked outrage after it was disclosed they enjoyed a six-course lunch followed by an eight-course dinner at the G8 summit where the global food crisis tops the agenda.
The Prime Minister was served 24 different dishes during his first day at the summit - just hours after urging the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand" for food and calling on British families to cut back on their wasteful use of food.
Mr Brown and his wife Sarah were among 15 guests at the "blessings of the earth and the sea social dinner".
The dinner consisted of 18 dishes in eight courses including caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef and a "G8 fantasy dessert".
The banquet was accompanied by five different wines from around the world including champagne, a French Bourgogne and sake.
African leaders including the heads of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Senegal who had taken part in talks during the day were not invited to the function.
The dinner came just hours after a "working lunch" consisting of six courses including white asparagus and truffle soup, crab and a supreme of chicken.
The lavish dining arrangements - disclosed by the Japanese Government which is hosting the summit in Hokkaido - come amid growing concern over rising food prices triggered by a shortage of many basic necessities.
On the flight to the summit, Mr Brown urged Britons to cut food waste as part of a global drive to help avert the food crisis.
Opposition politicians and charities condemned the extravagant meals.
Dominic Nutt, of Save the Children, said: "It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal to eat.
"If the G8 wants to betray the hopes of a generation of children, it is going the right way about it. The food crisis is an emergency and the G8 must treat it as that."
Andrew Mitchell, the shadow International Development Secretary, said: "The G8 have made a bad start to their summit, with excessive cost and lavish consumption.
"Surely it is not unreasonable for each leader to give a guarantee that they will stand by their solemn pledges of three years ago at Gleneagles to help the world's poor. All of us are watching, waiting and listening."
Mr Brown arrived at the G8 summit held on the holiday island of Hokkaido in northern Japan on Monday morning.
He arrived on a plane chartered from Texas, America, which had to fly empty for thousands of miles to pick up the Prime Minister and his entourage.
Unlike other countries, Britain does not have an official plane to transport the Prime Minister.
The lavish dining will embarrass Mr Brown, who has made tackling the global food crisis a key priority.
On the flight to the summit, the Prime Minister urged British people to cut food waste and "reduce unnecessary demand".
He said: "We need a global plan to deal with rising food prices that are affecting millions of families in Britain. That's why I am proposing that we take action to both increase the global supply of food and reduce unnecessary demand.
"If we are to get food prices down, we must also do more to deal with unnecessary demand, such as by all of us doing more to cut our food waste which is costing the average household in Britain around £8 per week."
Talks between world leaders at the summit will focus on dealing with soaring food and oil prices.
There is also hope for a breakthrough on protracted talks to secure a new global trade deal.
However, the leaders are facing criticism amid allegations that pledges for development aid promised for the third world at a previous G8 summit in Scotland have been watered down.
The Prime Minister's spokesman declined to comment on the menus."
SOURCE
File this under "shouldn't be funny...but really sort of is".
First of all, the title of this article makes it sound like the other 7 were served a Subway $5 foot-long and a bag of chips and forced to watch the Prime Minister feast. Secondly, while I realize it's the principle of the matter that has people upset, this meeting of the minds is taking place in Japan...I'm sure the Prime Minister of Great Britain had little to do with the meal arrangements.
I really don't know what should be done about a thing like this. I maintain that Socialism/equality of means for all persons is the ideal - but ideals tend to not exist in the real world. There will always be an elite...and the elite will always have more than everyone else...generally at their expense - even their demise in some cases. *IF* the ruling elite were good {truly had the best interests of society at heart} then I would have no problem with their elite status. One should be rewarded for ruling well...because that would be no small feat...in fact I'm reasonably sure that it's never actually happened. Unfortunately the elite are not good and proper...this goes without saying and should not surprise anyone who doesn't live under a rock {and even there you'll probably be getting the effects of global warming}. Still, like them or not they have to eat. They may not have to eat like THAT...but they have to eat. Anyone want to propose a new menu? Dirt cookies perhaps?
On another note: It was shitty of them to not invite the African leaders to their meal. Sounds like a shortage of food can't be used as an excuse! Also, someone get the Prime Minister a plane! I know it's one of those elitist gadgets and all that, but for Christ's sake - the man is the leader of Great Britain! It seems to me that given the world society that we have going on at this point in time, having a plane standing by for one of the most powerful leaders of the free world {like it or not} would soon be an investment that would pay for itself.
The Prime Minister was served 24 different dishes during his first day at the summit - just hours after urging the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand" for food and calling on British families to cut back on their wasteful use of food.
Mr Brown and his wife Sarah were among 15 guests at the "blessings of the earth and the sea social dinner".
The dinner consisted of 18 dishes in eight courses including caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef and a "G8 fantasy dessert".
The banquet was accompanied by five different wines from around the world including champagne, a French Bourgogne and sake.
African leaders including the heads of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Senegal who had taken part in talks during the day were not invited to the function.
The dinner came just hours after a "working lunch" consisting of six courses including white asparagus and truffle soup, crab and a supreme of chicken.
The lavish dining arrangements - disclosed by the Japanese Government which is hosting the summit in Hokkaido - come amid growing concern over rising food prices triggered by a shortage of many basic necessities.
On the flight to the summit, Mr Brown urged Britons to cut food waste as part of a global drive to help avert the food crisis.
Opposition politicians and charities condemned the extravagant meals.
Dominic Nutt, of Save the Children, said: "It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal to eat.
"If the G8 wants to betray the hopes of a generation of children, it is going the right way about it. The food crisis is an emergency and the G8 must treat it as that."
Andrew Mitchell, the shadow International Development Secretary, said: "The G8 have made a bad start to their summit, with excessive cost and lavish consumption.
"Surely it is not unreasonable for each leader to give a guarantee that they will stand by their solemn pledges of three years ago at Gleneagles to help the world's poor. All of us are watching, waiting and listening."
Mr Brown arrived at the G8 summit held on the holiday island of Hokkaido in northern Japan on Monday morning.
He arrived on a plane chartered from Texas, America, which had to fly empty for thousands of miles to pick up the Prime Minister and his entourage.
Unlike other countries, Britain does not have an official plane to transport the Prime Minister.
The lavish dining will embarrass Mr Brown, who has made tackling the global food crisis a key priority.
On the flight to the summit, the Prime Minister urged British people to cut food waste and "reduce unnecessary demand".
He said: "We need a global plan to deal with rising food prices that are affecting millions of families in Britain. That's why I am proposing that we take action to both increase the global supply of food and reduce unnecessary demand.
"If we are to get food prices down, we must also do more to deal with unnecessary demand, such as by all of us doing more to cut our food waste which is costing the average household in Britain around £8 per week."
Talks between world leaders at the summit will focus on dealing with soaring food and oil prices.
There is also hope for a breakthrough on protracted talks to secure a new global trade deal.
However, the leaders are facing criticism amid allegations that pledges for development aid promised for the third world at a previous G8 summit in Scotland have been watered down.
The Prime Minister's spokesman declined to comment on the menus."
SOURCE
File this under "shouldn't be funny...but really sort of is".
First of all, the title of this article makes it sound like the other 7 were served a Subway $5 foot-long and a bag of chips and forced to watch the Prime Minister feast. Secondly, while I realize it's the principle of the matter that has people upset, this meeting of the minds is taking place in Japan...I'm sure the Prime Minister of Great Britain had little to do with the meal arrangements.
I really don't know what should be done about a thing like this. I maintain that Socialism/equality of means for all persons is the ideal - but ideals tend to not exist in the real world. There will always be an elite...and the elite will always have more than everyone else...generally at their expense - even their demise in some cases. *IF* the ruling elite were good {truly had the best interests of society at heart} then I would have no problem with their elite status. One should be rewarded for ruling well...because that would be no small feat...in fact I'm reasonably sure that it's never actually happened. Unfortunately the elite are not good and proper...this goes without saying and should not surprise anyone who doesn't live under a rock {and even there you'll probably be getting the effects of global warming}. Still, like them or not they have to eat. They may not have to eat like THAT...but they have to eat. Anyone want to propose a new menu? Dirt cookies perhaps?
On another note: It was shitty of them to not invite the African leaders to their meal. Sounds like a shortage of food can't be used as an excuse! Also, someone get the Prime Minister a plane! I know it's one of those elitist gadgets and all that, but for Christ's sake - the man is the leader of Great Britain! It seems to me that given the world society that we have going on at this point in time, having a plane standing by for one of the most powerful leaders of the free world {like it or not} would soon be an investment that would pay for itself.