In the run-up to the G8 summit at Gleneagles and the tremendous response to the appeal for helping the poor in Africa, Members of the Scottish Parliament have been involved in presenting interesting 'Motions' on these issues. Extracts from two of these are presented below:-

Make 2 July 2005 Free Transport Day

Tommy Sheridan:—"That the Parliament recognises the obscene reality of 30,000 human lives being prematurely snuffed out by poverty across our world each day; further recognises the opportunity presented to Scotland for a huge protest against such unnecessary and unacceptable poverty in a world as rich as ours on 2 July 2005 in Edinburgh at the Make Poverty History march and rally, and, to facilitate the maximum participation in this one-off opportunity for Scots to stand up in the name of the world’s poor, considers that 2 July should be declared “Free Transport Day” to and from Edinburgh and the necessary arrangements made for trains, buses and ferries to be free for those travelling to the Make Poverty History demonstration on that day."

Don't Stop at Edinburgh

Frances Curran:—"That the Parliament welcomes the call by Bob Geldof for a million people to take a day off work or study to come to Edinburgh on Wednesday 6 July 2005, the opening day of the G8 summit in Gleneagles; calls on them, however, not to stop at Edinburgh, but to continue a few miles north to Gleneagles to take part in the mass demonstration called by G8 Alternatives against global poverty, climate change and fair trade; notes that G8 Alternatives is an umbrella for many of the Scottish grassroots organisations protesting at the summit and is already supporting the call for people to take to the streets of Edinburgh on 2 July for the Make Poverty History demonstration, and calls on all those coming to Scotland on 6 July to come to Gleneagles to let their voice be heard and extends that invitation to Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.

For more information on MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY visit www.makepovertyhistory.org