International development
The man who would be shadow international development secretary
Guido says that Gordon Brown wants to become shadow international development secretary. This rumour is uncorroborated, as far as I can gather, and I’m sure it’s a joke. But I… Continue reading
29 CommentsA General meeting
The machinery of British foreign policy has been transformed to accommodate a larger role for DfID; that is one reason why the aid Budget is increased. Andrew Mitchell is a… Continue reading
6 CommentsCameron’s foreign policy is music to the ears of a resurgent FCO
Tim Montgomerie observes that the FCO now stands for Foreign and Commerce Office. David Cameron is determined to conduct British foreign policy in our economic interest. And, in that spirit,… Continue reading
20 CommentsInternational development’s statist underpinning
Why increase aid to Afghanistan by 40pc when troops are dying from a lack of body armour and helicopters? The pledge to not just protect but vastly increase the aid… Continue reading
26 CommentsThe chaos of military deadlines
The leaked communiqué, obtained by the Independent on Sunday, stating that British troops will not be fighting in Afghanistan by 2014 has further confused the Afghan war at a time… Continue reading
15 CommentsMitchell’s right move
Andrew Mitchell’s decision to prioritise Afghanistan in the development budget is sensible. It demonstrates that Mitchell, a former soldier, understands that the Britain’s overseas aid needs to be in support… Continue reading
7 CommentsThe malleability of ringfences
Rachel Sylvester is on top form in the Times today, and I’d urge CoffeeHousers to delve behind the paywall (or borrow someone’s copy of the paper) to read her column. … Continue reading
16 CommentsBritain’s foreign aid should empower women
Here is a question. Which politician said the following: “We’ve seen too that when women are empowered economically they are more likely to have a voice in the community and… Continue reading
22 CommentsRAB
ABC was the acronym used for meetings of Madeleine Albright, Sandy Berger and William Cohen when they all worked for the President Bill Clinton. RAB will hopefully in future be… Continue reading
2 CommentsWho could Britain place in the UN’s humanitarian department?
After Sir John Holmes retires as the head of the UN’s humanitarian activities later in the year, the Cameron government will have the chance to make its first high-level international… Continue reading
23 CommentsThe Department for Fragile States?
The Department for International Development (DFID) should forsake peaceful but poor countries and instead turn into “a world leader in tackling the problems of fragile states.” That’s what a new… Continue reading
10 CommentsBuilding on the coalition’s good start
A week in, and I am loving the Conservative-led government. The new line-up of Secretaries of State is very impressive and, though a few solid Tory politicians missed out on… Continue reading
20 CommentsOverseas aid could be a Tory winner in Con-Lib fights
As the Conservatives start looking at areas where the Liberal Democrats are weak, or where differences can be drawn between the parties, they are honing in on international development. In… Continue reading
25 CommentsWhat is ring-fencing in LibDem land?
On Sunday, on the Politics Show Vince Cable said that David Laws had been wrong to say on Newsnight that the health and international developments budgets were ringfenced. But the… Continue reading
8 CommentsAn election victory is only the start of the battle for Cameron
The News of the World has done its poll of marginal seats today (story here, Anthony Wells here) – a hugely expensive operation, but worthwhile because British elections are decided… Continue reading
39 CommentsGetting rid of the 0.7 percent aid target
A leader in yesterday’s Times concentrated on the Conservatives’ aid policy – and, in particular, their commitment (shared by the government and by plenty of developed nations) to spend 0.7… Continue reading
20 CommentsLabour may not be able to exploit one of the Tories’ biggest weaknesses – but that doesn’t mean others won’t
Here at Coffee House Towers, we frequently point out the risks with the Tories’ pledge to keep on increasing health spending in real terms. As I suggested last week, the… Continue reading
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