Five years on from the historic meeting of the G8 at Gleneagles, Oxfam holds the Auchterarder Audit on Saturday, to mark the anniversary and investigate what actual progress has been made to Make Poverty History since 2005.
It was the week when the world came to Perthshire when Perthshire welcomed the world.
When thousands marched peacefully in Edinburgh, demanding that the leaders of the world’s eight richest nations “Make Poverty History.”
When another largely peaceful march past the Gleneagles Hotel a few days later was within earshot of George W. Bush and Tony Blair.
When the cordon known as the “ring of steel” was breached and battles were fought in fields between a minority of protesters and police at the “Battle of Gleneagles” just a day before the event was overshadowed by the July 7 London bombings.
For The Courier team who covered the G8 in 2005, it was always going to be a week to remember and five years on, the memories of Chinooks swooping from the sky and riot police clashing with protesters are as vivid as ever.
For me, the week began covering the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh.
There was a definite sense of common purpose for everyone who headed to the capital that day.
It was surreal to arrive and discover that things were much different.
Aside from a subtle police presence, rows of crash barriers had been set up.
In the concourse area, all the seats had been removed.
In Princes Street, icons of capitalism such as Burger King and Costa remained open with security guards on the doors.
The political beliefs of many who would take part in the march became apparent.
Leaflets and loudhailers urged people to join the march against “Bush the terrorist” at Gleneagles, and asked to sign a petition saying “Fight Poverty, Not War.”
Everywhere there was a multi-cultural, international feel as protesters, young and old, set off on the march around Edinburgh amid a sea of fluttering CND, Bread Not Bombs and Peace flags, banners and placards.
With the exception of a run-in between riot police and anti-capitalists on Buccleuch Street, the day was hailed a massive success.
It was here I got my first taste of radical anti-capitalist groups such as The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, Black Bloc, Dissent and The Wombles.
For The Courier team, however, the real G8 didn’t begin until the Tuesday morning when we travelled from Dundee to meet our Perth office colleagues and went to the media centre within the cordon at Gleneagles.
Here were housed 2000 journalists from all over the world. We set up camp next to the Russians.
One of the funniest stories relates to this first day when my colleagues Steve Bargeton, Chris Ferguson, Jack McKeown and myself were stopped by police at the Broxden roundabout only to be told that the A9 had been blocked by protesters.
Showing our G8 media passes, he asked if we were “media cops,” to which we replied, no, we were just media.
The officer insisted that we must be media cops and suggested we find a back road to Gleneagles.
It was only afterwards that we twigged he must have read “DC Thomson” on our passes, only to think we were detective constables attached to CID.
The abiding memory of the G8, for me anyway, was the “Battle of Gleneagles.”
It began with a few protesters deviating away from the official protest route outside the Gleneagles Hotel.
It ended with hundreds of anti-capitalist protesters punching a hole through the “ring of steel” security cordon surrounding the Gleneagles resort, and scenes more akin to a war zone.
The march up to this point had been peaceful enough, albeit with a strong message.
Amid the 3500 or so marchers there had been a carnival atmosphere interspersed with cries of “No G8, no police state” and “We’re coming to get you, Georgie Boy.”
However the march slowed when protesters passed the section of perimeter security fence only around a mile from the hotel, on a bend.
An abiding image that stays with me is that of a young man who staggered towards me, blood pouring from a head wound.
He said riot police “smashed him with a baton” as he stood outside the security fence, albeit in the field.
As he was bandaged by police medics, he told me, “I came here for a peaceful protest and this is how they treat people.'”
It’s likely that the protests would have continued the following morning, July 7.
However, there had been what was reported as a “power surge” on the London Underground and turned out to be the London tube and bus bombings.
There was silence in the media centre as we watched events unfold.
It was surreal to hear, minutes later, a helicopter taking off outside, knowing that it was transporting the then Prime Minister Blair to London.
Much has changed in the world since the G8 summit at Gleneagles but serious poverty continues being a major issue in many countries as reports this week testify.
When Oxfam hold their discussion tomorrow, it’ll surely be an opportunity to take stock, examine what promises by the G8 have been kept and look at what still needs to be done.
For The Courier team, however, the real G8 didn’t begin until the Tuesday morning when we travelled from Dundee to meet our Perth office colleagues and went to the media centre within the cordon at Gleneagles.
Here were housed 2000 journalists from all over the world. We set up camp next to the Russians.
One of the funniest stories relates to this first day when my colleagues Steve Bargeton, Chris Ferguson, Jack McKeown and myself were stopped by police at the Broxden roundabout only to be told that the A9 had been blocked by protesters.
Showing our G8 media passes, he asked if we were “media cops,” to which we replied, no, we were just media.
The officer insisted that we must be media cops and suggested we find a back road to Gleneagles.
It was only afterwards that we twigged he must have read “DC Thomson” on our passes, only to think we were detective constables attached to CID.
The abiding memory of the G8, for me anyway, was the “Battle of Gleneagles.”
It began with a few protesters deviating away from the official protest route outside the Gleneagles Hotel.
It ended with hundreds of anti-capitalist protesters punching a hole through the “ring of steel” security cordon surrounding the Gleneagles resort, and scenes more akin to a war zone.
The march up to this point had been peaceful enough, albeit with a strong message.
Amid the 3500 or so marchers there had been a carnival atmosphere interspersed with cries of “No G8, no police state” and “We’re coming to get you, Georgie Boy.”
However the march slowed when protesters passed the section of perimeter security fence only around a mile from the hotel, on a bend.
An abiding image that stays with me is that of a young man who staggered towards me, blood pouring from a head wound.
He said riot police “smashed him with a baton” as he stood outside the security fence, albeit in the field.
As he was bandaged by police medics, he told me, “I came here for a peaceful protest and this is how they treat people.'”
It’s likely that the protests would have continued the following morning, July 7.
However, there had been what was reported as a “power surge” on the London Underground and turned out to be the London tube and bus bombings.
There was silence in the media centre as we watched events unfold.
It was surreal to hear, minutes later, a helicopter taking off outside, knowing that it was transporting the then Prime Minister Blair to London.
Much has changed in the world since the G8 summit at Gleneagles but serious poverty continues being a major issue in many countries as reports this week testify.
When Oxfam hold their discussion tomorrow, it’ll surely be an opportunity to take stock, examine what promises by the G8 have been kept and look at what still needs to be done.