Band Aid was a rare point of light in the 1980s, a decade when Margaret Thatcher, Arthur Scargill, AIDS, crack and the Cold War made everyone more miserable than we remember today.
On July 13, 1985, Live Aid briefly brought the country together, arguably the whole world, with two billion watching in 150 countries.
Better still, in the recent words of organiser Bob Geldof, it “kept hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people alive”.
Which sounds like a good thing to me.
The nation cheered as one when Geldof bellowed “Just give us your f****** money” on live TV, even people who would normally deplore the use of the F-word on the box.
We cheered even more when Queen came on, and Freddie Mercury showed why they were the greatest live act in the world.
But most of all we cheered Geldof, who had created a massive, historical event purely through the force of his own personality.
Next day, the carping began.
Critics said it was all a bit self-congratulatory. They said there weren’t enough black or African artists.
They sneered as the stars of the day enjoyed a massive sales bump. They sneered even more when Bob Geldof didn’t.
Then critics got serious. Basically, the whole shebang was white people patronising black people by trying to save them.
They said Live Aid failed to solve underlying causing of poverty in Africa and famine in Ethiopia, such as unfair trade rules, colonial legacies and the scandal of what we used to call Third World debt.
And they were right. It didn’t.
If a lone Irishman could solve entrenched historical problems with a Christmas single and a summer gig, the world would be a simpler, happier place.
At least Geldof gave it a go.
Live Aid wasn’t perfect but it was brilliant (Image: Getty)
Today, 40 years since Do They Know It’s Christmas? was originally released on 25 November 1984, they’re moaning again.
Or rather, Ed Sheeran is.
They’re re-releasing the Ultimate Mix of the song, recorded in 2014 featuring the vocal talents of Mr Sheeran, who happily wasn’t around to ruin 1984 original.
Ed isn’t happy. Why?
“My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release,” he pouted on Instagram.
Sheeran added: “Had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.”
Well, we don’t always have a choice, Ed.
If I had a choice, I would “respectfully” turn off the radio every time one of your songs pops up. Instead, I’m subjected to a jolly family singalong but I don’t whinge because I can see it’s for the greater good.
The greater good isn’t a fashionable concept in an age when people care more about signalling their personal virtue on social media, while shooting others down.
Which brings me to a more serious issue.
If Western aid towards Africa and other struggling parts of the world is seen as patronising, then why do we bother?
I used to sponsor a child in Latin America but wouldn’t anymore. There’s something a bit patronising about that, isn’t there?
It certainly didn’t solve any of the underlying problems.
My partner spent a good chunk of her 20s helping drug addicts in Ecuadorian prisons. I wouldn’t recommend my daughter does the same.
In the 2023/24 tax year, the UK spent £7.2billion on foreign aid. Do we think we’re better than other countries? It’s not as if we’re a rich or powerful country anymore.
Campaigners are calling on the UK to pay £18trillion in slavery reparations. That would see Britons who’ve never owned a slave transferring a huge chunk of wealth to people who’ve never been one.
Wouldn’t that perpetuate the “negative stereotyping of Africa”, in the words of Ed Sheeran?
So by all means have a discussion about Live Aid, but critics should be careful. People might decide the UK has a better use for its money then spending it on “patronising” foreign aid.
