Month: December 2009
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Effective Aid: Building states, supporting citizens, transforming lives
Since the release of Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid, cynics have been lining up to call for the aid system to be overhauled or abandoned completely. Sajid Javid’s blog, rapturously received on Conservative Home, is but the latest to use lazy assumptions and selective evidence to pursue ideologically driven policies that would hurt communities across the…
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Come along to our Launch event with Douglas Alexander!
At the Houses of Parliament, on Tuesday 02 February at 7pm, we will formally launch the Labour Campaign for International Development group. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, will give a speech and answer your questions. The event will take place in the Wilson Room in Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament.…
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Review of Copenhagen
(First posted on Labour List) As Douglas Alexander wrote on this site a couple of months ago, climate change is the defining test of our era. 300 million people are already affected, and if nothing is done to avert it the impact is predicted to be catastrophic for billions of people. The test then, from…
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Initial Reaction to Copenhagen
Disappointment all around after the end of the Copenhagen climate change talks. More reaction to follow, but credit has to be given for the tireless work by Gordon Brown & Ed Miliband at these talks, if only Obama and others followed their lead. We have no option but to carry on, and push on and…
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Conservative Careerism in Rwanda
Just stumbled upon this Independent article about Cameron’s ‘development’ project in Rwanda. Compassionate Conservatism or a chance for self promotion? Here are some extracts: “…Handily, it can also benefit the political careers of the volunteers. Our group included Andrew Mitchell, the shadow International Development Secretary, Nick Hurd, shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering,…
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Douglas Alexander on Copenhagen – Progress Article
Article by Douglas Alexander on Copenhagen for Progress. For the world’s poor an agreement in Copenhagen is not a window of opportunity but a window of necessity Last weekend tens of thousands of progressives took to the streets in London, Glasgow and Belfast and this weekend the Global Day of Action showed again the strength…
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Meg Munn MP writes for Progress on Rwanda | Article on child slavery
Interestering articles on Progress’ website on Rwanda and child slavery. – Recovering Rwanda – 15 years on since a vicious civil war, Rwanda has made great strides on the road to recovery. By Meg Munn, MP for Sheffield Heeley “Rwanda is moving away from its past. The country has the highest number of women legislators,…
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Population v Climate Change
Interesting article by Duncan Green, Oxfam’s Head of Policy, in the New Statesman this week. “People cause climate change, therefore cut the number of people. Right? Not really. A closer look shows that the conventional view is wrong, or at least a gross over-simplification.” “The population debate matters, especially in these two Copenhagen weeks, because…
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Fabians expose Tories “We were against the Copenhagen development deal before we were for it” say Tories
The Tories International Development spokesperson slags off new Brown’s new Copenhagen pledge, only for Greg Clark, Climate Change Shadow minister, to back it 8 minutes later. Thanks to The Fabian Society General Secretary, Sunder Katwala, on Next Left, for highlighting this: “Tory DFID spokesman Andrew Mitchell has attacked the EU’s pledge on Copenhagen development assistance…
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Climate Change Adaptation Fund proposed by Brown, Britain to contribute £500M
A global ‘Tobin’ tax on financial transactions should be used to pay for the long battle against global warming, Gordon Brown announced in a joint statement with Nicolas Sarkozy today. The UK would be the biggest contributor, giving £500m pounds a year. The statement came alongside a European Union commitment of €2.4bn a year from…
Labour Campaign for International Development 