Nearly 600 clergywomen joined one of Britain's most popular television comedy actresses to campaign for ‘Make Poverty History’ on Thursday by marching to 10 Downing Street — London’s most famous street address and home and office of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

At St. Martin in the Fields in Trafalgar Square, comedian Dawn French reminded the women that 2005 is the year to persuade Prime Minister Tony Blair to put poverty on his agenda — to make trade rules fair, cancel debt and ensure targeted aid reaches those that need it most.

Make Poverty History, which formally launched on Jan. 1, is a coalition of UK charities, trade unions, campaigning groups and celebrities, who have come together to demand that rich countries increase aid and make it work better for poor people, cancel world debt and change the rules of world trade so that they favour the interests of the poor. The coalition is part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a worldwide movement that will come together at key points during 2005.

As the women made their way down Whitehall on Thursday, carrying Make Poverty History banners and wearing their trademark white armbands on their coat sleeves, they sang hymns interrupted only by chants of ‘Make Poverty History, Make Poverty History’ and waved their white arm bands at passing taxis, pedestrians and open-topped buses.

A delegation of ten women followed Dawn French, Richard Curtis and Christian Aid’s Mary Bradford into 10 Downing Street—more commonly known as ‘Number 10’—to meet the Prime Minister while the rest of the gathering filled the pavement opposite.

"Poverty is just not acceptable in our world," said the Rev Liz Cannon from St James Crossford outside Keighley in North Yorkshire. "The response to the tsunami has been wonderful but there is a silent disaster every day – thousands of children are dying of poverty."

Frances Tyler, advisor for women’s ministry in the Coventry Diocese said, "I feel very strongly that the world has forgotten how many people live in poverty, just because we live in a nice affluent place."

Tyler, who grew up in Zimbabwe added, "This is a great opportunity, early in the year, to ask the government to sit up and notice our challenge to ensure that poverty must end."

With a general election likely to be less than four months away, Blair said Thursday that much-needed reforms to public services could only be guaranteed if his Labour Party won a fresh mandate from the voters.

According to Agence France-Presse, Blair unveiled his re-election blueprint on Thursday, promising an "unremittingly New Labour third term" aimed at providing "personal prosperity for all."

"I want to talk about the central purpose of New Labour, which is to increase personal prosperity and well-being, not just for a few but for all," Blair said in a keynote speech in Chatham, Kent.

"By prosperity I mean both the income and wealth of individuals and their families, and the opportunity and security available to them through radically improved public services and a reformed welfare state."

Sources say Blair will most likely call for a national vote this spring, probably on May 5 to coincide with already scheduled local elections.




Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press