Aided governments still spend vast amounts on arms, luxuries like palaces and presidential-style airliners, an allow enormous amounts to go to the favoured few, rather than to the deprived people.

When aid does go in direct, this just allows the governments to spend even less looking after their own people.

Geldof should first concentrate on the African governments who do so little for their populations, rather than making life difficult for the 8 countries that already provide so much money for the starving.

Regards, Mike Bellamy Lancing Marine

I agree entirely with Mike Bellamy's opinions and will not offer here my opinions on what we should be doing with (or to) His Excellency Robert G Mugabe.

So I was heartened to hear at the press launch of Sail8 that the aid will go only to those countries able to prove "sound governance". Quite how they will prove such a noble ambition remains to be seen. . .

But without the Geldofs of this world, absolutely nothing will ever be done to help the less than fortunate.

Personally, I would prefer that we collect some money and spend it on sorting out a few of the problems we suffer here in the UK before attempting to save the rest of the world. But I'll willingly drop a couple of quid into Geldof's collection tin in the meantime.

Peter Nash Editor Boating Business