Eddie Izzard earlier today. Photograph: Simon Jeffery
I caught up with comedian Eddie Izzard backstage at the Edinburgh Make Poverty History demonstration. He said:
"I'm appealing to politicians' egos. I'm saying to them: 'Leave a legacy'. We made slavery history - we can make poverty history.
"If you look at it historically, people get tired of things. Twenty years ago it was about raising money. But this isn't about raising money. It's about locking governments in to their promises.
"Look at the UN development goal – the government's promised that 35 years ago, but it still hasn't happened. But people are ready for this now.
"Humans are a lot more savvy. They've got a lot more sussed. And they're putting the pressure on the politicians. It takes a lot to get through to them, but this is where it's going to happen this week.
"Gleneagles is a rarefied place. Tony Blair's got a lot on his shoulders. He's just had a big scrap with Jacques Chirac over the common agricultural policy. And it's all happening behind closed doors. We're not going to know what happened for weeks after.
"But in the name of humanity and civilisation, we have to make this work. That's why we're here on this earth.
"I'm doing this because I was asked to. Anyone who's asked should do this, or they're not human.
"I'm not religious, but I believe in a level playing field for humanity. If I could tell the politicians one thing, it would be: drop the debt. Nigeria borrowed £5bn, it's paid back £16bn, and it still owes £32bn. That's not debt, that's loan sharking.
