By Amy Merone | 18 May 2011
To view the gallery full-screen, simply press play and then select the enlarge button on the bottom right. To show the captions, select 'Show info' on the top right. Photos: Tom Weller
It’s not every day that you get to meet somebody whose actions have the power to help change the world, but last Friday that’s exactly what happened to me.
Here in the Oxford office we were delighted when the prime minister, David Cameron, agreed to meet with us and some of his constituents at his Witney office in Oxfordshire to talk about Christian Aid’s work ahead of our biggest fundraising week of the year.
It was an amazing way to start Christian Aid Week and most importantly, a unique chance for myself and colleague Jess Hall, and Christian Aid supporters Pip Cartwright, Wendy Maddison, Elaine Chadwick, Catherine Baker and Meg Roberts, to talk to the most powerful man in the country about ways his government can help to bring about change in some of the poorest parts of the world.
Meeting the prime minister is a nerve-wracking and somewhat surreal experience, especially when you’re greeted by more than half a dozen security men as you walk through the door of his modest constituency office, and moments later find yourselves waiting in a tiny room stacked high with boxes.
We began by talking to him about Christian Aid Week; sharing with him the fantastic efforts of Christian Aid supporters in his constituency, before going on to thank him for protecting the overseas aid budget.
Catherine then made the point that poor countries currently lose more money every year from tax dodging than they receive in aid.
Between us we did a good job of focussing the conversation on our Trace the Tax campaign and Mr Cameron seemed fairly receptive to our arguments about the role world leaders – including himself – can play at the G20 summit in November to tackle tax dodging.
When Wendy asked him if he would be prepared to meet with us again after the G20 summit, he went one better and suggested that we meet again before the summit.
There was also the issue of the government’s credentials to be, as the prime minister pledged last year, the ‘greenest government’ ever. Earlier that morning we had learnt that there was disagreement within the government over the climate change targets set out in the fourth carbon budget.
With the press reporting that the targets were under threat, I repeatedly asked the prime minister not to backtrack on his pledge, and to ensure that the recommended targets of the climate change committee are accepted. Thankfully, as we now know, they were.
Outside, after the meeting, I wondered whether it was possible that we had been too forthright. Our photographer, Tom, said: ‘Look Amy, you had 15 minutes to get your point across to the most powerful person in the country and you did.’
Reflecting on the meeting now, I think he was probably right. When it came to it, I thought of the people that I had met on a recent Christian Aid trip to Tajikistan whose lives had been affected by climate change, and it was this that spurred me on.
Justice requires us to be bold and outspoken and after all, it’s not every day that you get to lobby the prime minister in person.
Photos: Tom Weller
