Will the G20 summit achieve anything?

This week will see the leaders of the G20 descend upon London. The hope is, that they will come to a global agreement to help resolve the world economic slump.

Sadly, the chances of this happening are about as low as Peter Mandelson defecting to the Tories and becoming David "call me Dave" Cameron's right hand man.

The main stumbling block appears to be the need for governments to be seen to be doing the best for their country. As a result, free trade is inevitably being hit hard, and protectionism is blossoming.

Our Prime Minister Gordon "call me Gordon" Brown, has been frantically crossing the globe this week in an effort to convince leaders that they need to pump more money into their economies.

Brown also wants them to up their levels of foreign trade, but this will be a big ask, even for the silver tongued Brown. For too long many countries have had a perception of our PM as someone who loved to lecture others, on how they should run their economies.

This was all too apparent when Brown spoke in Brussels this week. The chamber was only a quarter full and the biggest news to come out of his visit was the attack from a Conservative MEP, Daniel Hannan.

People do not like being lectured, and Brown may now be reaping what he has sown. During the boom years, he was happy to take the plaudits and dish out advice, but now things have turned sour he is less willing to admit his failings.

Brown's favourite phrase at the moment is "fiscal stimulus" but the problem is, the UK may not be able to afford another one. This is a big problem if you are trying to convince other countries that it is a great idea.

Indeed, Mervyn King's words to the Treasury Select Committee this week appear to have confirmed this worry. King said:

"I think the fiscal position in the UK is not one where we could say, 'well, why don't we just engage in another significant round of fiscal expansion'."

For the Governor of the Bank of England to say this as the Prime Minister is looking to launch another fiscal stimulus, it was unlikely to be unrehearsed.

If King is worried about overstretching the British economy, then we should all be worried. One must remember that Keynesian economics are not fool-proof and spending your way out of a recession is an extremely risky business.

Brown has called the Conservatives a "do nothing party" for months now, and laughed at their caution towards hefty fiscal measures, but now it appears they are not alone in having doubts.

The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso warned this week against a second EU stimulus plan, and it should be considered that the initial rounds of demestic stimulus packages will take months to have any real effect.

It should be said though, that King's words do not endorse Conservative economic policy as David Cameron tried to suggest. They do however give the Tories more authority, something they have been lacking when talking about the economy, up til now.

Brown seems worried about doing nothing, or at least being seen to be doing nothing. Indeed, one could argue that by introducing fresh economic measures every week is not achieving anything, in terms of helping people in the real world.

The measures that have already been implemented need to be given time to take effect, and by continually introducing more and more schemes, the government could be perceived as being in a bit of a panic.

New Labour created an idea of an all-providing state, but with the economy faltering this could ultimately be their undoing.

When things get really bad, people will begin to look towards the government, but it is unlikely that they will be able to solve most people's problems.

The state cannot always provide, and the enlargement of the welfare state under New Labour has created a culture of people who feel they are owed something.

In the US, Barack Obama warned against this kind of expectation in his inauguration speech when he said:

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."

Governments can only do so much in crises such as the one the world finds itself in today, and it will have to be a huge collective effort that gets us through it.

The G20 summit has been built up massively by Gordon Brown, but anyone expecting a global solution from it may be disappointed.

Of course we are all hoping for a miracle, and no-one more so than Gordon Brown; the man who appears to have gambled his political future on securing a quick fix to this global problem.

The IPL moves to South Africa

On Sunday it was revealed that the IPL (Indian Premier League) would not be taking place in India this year. This, a decision that would have saddened many Indian cricket fans.

When the IPL was created, it represented a modern India, mixing Bollywood glitz and big money with Twenty20 cricket, to form an exciting brand of entertainment. It seemed set to eclipse the traditional test cricket format.

However, the recent attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore and the earlier Mumbai terror attacks appear to have forced the competition from its home.

Initially it appeared that the competeition could move to England, but South Africa has now been confirmed as the new venue. English weather conditions for April and May may have swayed IPL boss Lalit Modi's decision.

A cold and windy Old Trafford is a far cry from a baking hot Mumbai, and it is hard to imagine the MCC embracing the tournament at Lords. For a stripy blazer wearing MCC member, the IPL would be far too vulgar.

TV rights may have been a factor that forced Modi's hand, as the ECB holds a contract with Sky, but the IPL holds one with Setanta. In South Africa there is no such problem, so this must have worked in their favour.

Another plus for South Africa must have been that their cricket season has finished. Therefore all of the grounds will be available for use. In England the domestic season will just be beginning, and the congestion of fixtures could have been a problem.

It is a terrible shame that the tournament is not being held in India, because in many ways this means that the terrorists have won.

The Indian government said that because the tournament was happening at the same time as the general election, they would not have enough security forces to make the competition completely safe.

I cannot help but think this is a convenient excuse for a worried nation. By not hosting the tournament at all, India has waved any responsibility, but the country will also lose out on a big payday.

The money that the IPL would have generated will now go to South Africa, and the Indian people will be left watching from a distance.

If the IPL had come to England, many English cricket fans would have been thrilled, but somehow I cannot quite see the format working over here.

The ECB have been far too slow in embracing Twenty20 and of course banned their players from participating in last year's competition. Thankfully they have now relented, and fans can now watch stars such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff compete with the best.

This year's competition could be marketed as a bit of a novelty, but if it fails to return to India next year, I can easily see the idea of the IPL disintegrating.

In a turbulent post 9/11 world it is now sport that is feeling the heat, and we can only look on nervously as events unfold. Let's hope the IPL returns to India where it belongs in 2010.

The sad demise of Jade Goody

The decision this week by OK! to print a tribute magazine for Jade Goody is to many people, morally and tastefully abhorrent.

Firstly Jade is still alive, and the issue includes "Jade's final words". This really is obscene and is blatantly an attempt by the magazine to boost circulation.

The issue also includes the dates "1981 - 2009", which for many readers could lead to the assumption that Jade has already died. Surely the editor should have removed this?

The Goody family have supported the publication, but having presumably been paid a large sum of money is this wholly surprising? The death of Jade Goody has been played out in the full glare of the media, but this is one step too far.

For most of Jade Goody's adult life, she has courted the media and done well financially as a result, but in years to come her children will surely look back on these events with shame.

Jade says she is trying to make money for her family, but at what price? Her children may not want this money, knowing how it was raised. No-one should intentionally profit from a death but sadly OK! will do just that.

On the one hand, you could say that Jade allowed this to happen, but in her frail state how can we be sure that this was done soberly? Somebody should have stepped in and stopped the magazine being published. Sadly her family did not do this.

The tragic tale of Jade Goody's demise is a sad snapshot of how reality TV can function. Not only have we seen her life, we saw her cancer diagnosis live on Indian Big Brother, and of course now her slow death.

Is it also a sick joke that the TV channel that her dying has been shown on is called Living? I doubt it, but a sad coincidence all the same. By showing Jade's sad demise, regardless of her willingness for it to be shown, her dignity has been taken from her, and this is truly a shame.

One of the positive things to come out of this horrible episode is the increased awareness of the need for women to have smear tests. This is certainly a positive, but the negatives far outweigh the positives in this case.

The line "world exclusive words from Jade Goody and unseen pictures as the brave star clings to life" sums up the sick voyeurism that Jade's death has now become. It is worrying to think that anyone will buy this magazine, but it will probably do very well.

Reality TV is a programme maker's dream, cheap to make with big viewing figures, but if Jade's life and death can teach us anything, it is that there should be limits to the media's reach.

Jade's addiction to reality TV has been nourished by the greedy, but many people will hope this is the last time we are able to watch someone's demise in such graphic form.

Cricket hit by terrorism

The terrorist attacks in Pakistan yesterday have come as a huge blow to cricket fans. For the first time a cricket team has been targeted by terrorists, in attacks that mirrored the Mumbai attacks of last year.

The Sri Lankan team were travelling in a convoy towards the Gaddafi cricket ground in Lahore, when they were ambushed at a roundabot in the Liberty Square area of the city.

Two cars approached and fired a grenade. At the same time gunmen appeared and began firing onto the convoy. At least six policeman were killed as well as a driver. Seven Sri Lankan players were injured as well as the English Assistant Coach, Paul Farbrace and a local umpire Ahshan Raza.

Sri Lanka were only in Pakistan because the Indian team pulled out due to security concerns, but should Pakistan have hosted a test series in the current climate anyway?

Sri Lanka have had good relations with Pakistan over the years, and the attacks on the national team has left many cricket followers shocked. Indeed Chris Broad, the match official (and father of England Bowler Stuart) who was caught up in the attacks said "I think this has shocked the world of cricket."

Broad has also criticised the Pakistani security forces for not providing adequate protection. "I am extremely angry that we were promised high-level security and in our hour of need that security vanished." Whether or not this is accurate is hard to say at this time but what is certain is that this attack surprised everyone.

Test cricket in Pakistan is surely not a viable option for the near future, and one wonders when the Pakistani security forces will be able to ensure players safety. Many England players were worried prior to their tour of India, but thankfully the tour went ahead safely.

This attack could put this year's IPL season in doubt. Will expensive signings such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff really want to play cricket in India if there are doubts over their safety? I doubt it and this could be key to the competition's future.

It is very sad that in an area of the world that is obsessed by cricket, they may not be able to host matches there. There have been suggestions of neutral venues for future Pakistan series, with England being a possibility for the postponed Australian tour. However, it would be a shame if it came to this.

Pakistan is beginning to look increasingly unstable, and yesterday cricket became tragically involved in this mess. Cricket fans will be hoping that this is never again repeated.