Paul Vallely
Encyclopedia
Paul Vallely CMG
is a leading British writer on Africa and development issues. He first coined, in his seminal 1990 book Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics and Third World Debt, the expression that campaigners needed to move "from charity to justice" – a slogan that was taken up by Jubilee 2000
and Live 8
.
Vallely was correspondent for The Times
in Ethiopia
during the great famine of 1984/5
. He was commended as International Reporter of the Year for his reports which Bob Geldof
described as "vivid, intelligent, moving and brave". Vallely was the only British correspondent to leave the easy air routes to the feeding camps and strike off across country to find out what was really going on. He uncovered a number of scandals the Marxist government were trying to keep hidden, was pronounced “an enemy of the revolution”, arrested by the secret police and was expelled from the country. He subsequently reported from across Africa, and elsewhere, covering wars and events in 30 different countries across the globe.
In 2004/5 he was co-author of the report of the Commission for Africa
set up by the British prime minister, Tony Blair
, of which Bob Geldof was a member. Vallely ghost-wrote Geldof's autobiography, Is That It? in 1985 and travelled with Bob Geldof across Africa to decide how to spend the £100m raised by Live Aid
and was involved in the organisation of Live 8.
Bob Geldof paid tribute to his influence in a lecture to the Bar Human Rights Committee Lecture, St. Paul’s Cathedral in which he said: "In his book Bad Samaritans of 1990 Paul Vallely wrote correctly: 'For all his skill as a populist Bob Geldof could not shift the agenda from one of charity to one of justice.” Well maybe after 20 years we’ve finally got there." The founders of Jubilee 2000, Martin Dent and Bill Peters, have also acknowledged being inspired by Vallely's book. (The book is sometimes confused with the 2007 text Bad Samaritans: Rich Nations, Poor Policies and the Threat to the Developing World by the economist Ha-Joon Chang
which also argues that the current economic policies supported by the IMF and wealthy countries are hindering development and creating poverty.)
Vallely has chaired or been active in a number of prominent UK aid agencies, including Traidcraft
, the Catholic Institute for International Relations
(CIIR), Christian Aid
and CAFOD
. He has been an adviser to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and was the author of their report A place of redemption: a Christian approach to punishment and prison. (Catholic Bishop's Conference of England & Wales, 2004).
He is the associate editor of the UK newspaper The Independent
where he writes about ethical, cultural and political issues. (He was once referred to by Peter Wilby in New Statesman
as "the Independent's resident saint"). He is also a columnist for The Church Times and Third Way Magazine
. He is a director of The Tablet
.
Vallely was created a Companion of St Michael and St George
(CMG) "for services to journalism and to the developing world" on 17 June 2006.
He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester.
In 2008 he was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize
, the pre-eminent prize in Britain for political writing.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
is a leading British writer on Africa and development issues. He first coined, in his seminal 1990 book Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics and Third World Debt, the expression that campaigners needed to move "from charity to justice" – a slogan that was taken up by Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000 was an international coalition movement in over 40 countries that called for cancellation of third world debt by the year 2000. This movement coincided with the Great Jubilee, the celebration of the year 2000 in the Catholic Church...
and Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
.
Vallely was correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
during the great famine of 1984/5
1984 - 1985 famine in Ethiopia
A widespread famine affected the inhabitants of today's Eritrea and Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985. In northern Ethiopia, famine led to more than 400,000 deaths; over half this mortality can be attributed to human rights abuses that caused the famine to come earlier, strike harder, and extend further...
. He was commended as International Reporter of the Year for his reports which Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
described as "vivid, intelligent, moving and brave". Vallely was the only British correspondent to leave the easy air routes to the feeding camps and strike off across country to find out what was really going on. He uncovered a number of scandals the Marxist government were trying to keep hidden, was pronounced “an enemy of the revolution”, arrested by the secret police and was expelled from the country. He subsequently reported from across Africa, and elsewhere, covering wars and events in 30 different countries across the globe.
In 2004/5 he was co-author of the report of the Commission for Africa
Commission for Africa
The Commission for Africa, also known as the Blair Commission for Africa, was an initiative established by the British government to examine and provide impetus for development in Africa. Initiated in Spring 2004, its objectives include the generation of new ideas for development and to deliver...
set up by the British prime minister, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, of which Bob Geldof was a member. Vallely ghost-wrote Geldof's autobiography, Is That It? in 1985 and travelled with Bob Geldof across Africa to decide how to spend the £100m raised by Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
and was involved in the organisation of Live 8.
Bob Geldof paid tribute to his influence in a lecture to the Bar Human Rights Committee Lecture, St. Paul’s Cathedral in which he said: "In his book Bad Samaritans of 1990 Paul Vallely wrote correctly: 'For all his skill as a populist Bob Geldof could not shift the agenda from one of charity to one of justice.” Well maybe after 20 years we’ve finally got there." The founders of Jubilee 2000, Martin Dent and Bill Peters, have also acknowledged being inspired by Vallely's book. (The book is sometimes confused with the 2007 text Bad Samaritans: Rich Nations, Poor Policies and the Threat to the Developing World by the economist Ha-Joon Chang
Ha-Joon Chang
Ha-Joon Chang is one of the leading heterodox economists and institutional economists specialising in development economics...
which also argues that the current economic policies supported by the IMF and wealthy countries are hindering development and creating poverty.)
Vallely has chaired or been active in a number of prominent UK aid agencies, including Traidcraft
Traidcraft
Traidcraft is a UK-based fairtrade organisation, established in 1979. The organisation has two components: a public limited company called Traidcraft plc, which sells fairly traded products in the United Kingdom; and a development charity called Traidcraft Exchange that works with poor producers in...
, the Catholic Institute for International Relations
The Catholic Institute for International Relations
Progressio is an international development charity that enables poor communities to solve their own problems through support from skilled workers. Throughout its history, the organisation has attempted to influence decision-makers, secular and religious alike, to support liberation movements and to...
(CIIR), Christian Aid
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
and CAFOD
CAFOD
The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development, previously known as the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, is a United Kingdom-based international aid agency working to alleviate poverty and suffering in developing. It is funded by the Catholic community in England and Wales, the UK government...
. He has been an adviser to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and was the author of their report A place of redemption: a Christian approach to punishment and prison. (Catholic Bishop's Conference of England & Wales, 2004).
He is the associate editor of the UK newspaper The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
where he writes about ethical, cultural and political issues. (He was once referred to by Peter Wilby in New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
as "the Independent's resident saint"). He is also a columnist for The Church Times and Third Way Magazine
Third Way Magazine
Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian perspective. It is distinctively biblical, fairly highbrow and culturally aware...
. He is a director of The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
.
Vallely was created a Companion of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG) "for services to journalism and to the developing world" on 17 June 2006.
He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester.
In 2008 he was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize
Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize used to be regarded as the pre-eminent British prize for political writing.Three prizes are awarded each year: one for a book, one for journalism and another for blogging...
, the pre-eminent prize in Britain for political writing.
Publications
- With Geldof in Africa (with David BlundyDavid BlundyDavid Blundy , was a British journalist and war correspondent. Son of an antiques dealer who had a shop at the Elephant and Castle, he was educated at the City of London School and Bristol University...
), 1985; - Is That It? (with Bob Geldof), 1986;
- Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics and Third World Debt, 1990;
- Promised Lands: Stories of Power and Poverty in the Third World, 1992;
- Daniel and the Mischief Boy (for children), 1993;
- The New Politics: Catholic Social Teaching for the 21st century, 1999;
- The Church and the New Age, 2000;
- Live Aid DVD sleeve notes 2004;
- A Place of Redemption: A Christian approach to Punishment and Prison (ed), 2004;
- The Fifth Crusade: George Bush and the Christianisation of the war in Iraq, 2004;
- Our Common Interest: report of the Prime Minister’s Commission for Africa (co-author) 2005;
- Live 8 Official Programme notes 2005;
- Live 8 DVD sleeve notes 2005;
- Geldof in Africa (with Bob Geldof), 2005;
- Hello World: the official Live 8 Book, 2005;
- "New Labour and the New World Order" in Remoralising Britain, 2008 .
- How Islamic inventors changed the world 2006