Stuart Hodkinson, associate editor of Red Pepper magazine, this month wrote an article criticising the Make Poverty History campaign for being too close to the government. He got in touch with Polly Curtis to offer his views on today's actions.
"In theory it's fantastic that more people are involved in global justice politics. But are the 55,000 people going to Murrayfield tonight and hundred thousand in Hyde Park for Live 8 there to make poverty history or because it's their favourite bands and a free concert?
"If you've got to entice people to come out for global justice because there's something in it for them, that's not radicalising people.
"The radical anti-capitalist movements are people who have worked on this for decades. We're being turned into illegitimate protestors. All of a sudden there are good and bad protesters.
"The political message is being dumbed down by celebrities. When did Africa appoint Bob Geldof to be its spokesperson? Everyone admits we [the global justice movement] have had problems communicating our message, but that's because it isn't simple.
"There's been a total deradicalisation of the issues. It's great that these issues are being discussed, but we're not learning anything from this campaign about why poverty exists and our role in it."
