New new deal

This from the World Bank's president ""This is about recognising a growing emergency, acting, and seizing opportunity too. The world can do this. We can do this. We can have a new deal for global food policy."


It is difficult to explain why the heads of the IMF and organisations like it bother with pronoucements like this. The meatphor of card games - the "new deal" - is surely the clearest sign that nothing is going to be done. Whenever a politician speaks of a 'new deal' one can be forgiven for discounting whatever they say next. There will be nothing 'new', there is nothing even 'dealt', in the sense that one may receive a playable hand. To prolong the wax museum analogy, the dealer dispenses with the formalities of the game and just takes the money.


Nevertheless, they feel the need to carry on in their dripping irony and cynicism. Let him have the last word - it's a poor enough ending. . .

"Zoellick called on rich countries to provide $500m (£250m) to meet emergency food needs identified by the United Nations, stressed the need for an expansion in safety-net programmes for the poor, and said there was a need to boost long-term financial support to boost production."