David Cameron defends foreign aid pledge as a counter to terrorism

David Cameron justified his pledge to increase spending on aid despite the recession yesterday on the ground that it was in Britain’s interests.

An incoming Conservative administration would tie cash to proven results, fund a wider variety of projects and give the public a greater say in where aid was spent, he said yesterday.

Mr Cameron said that abandoning the UN target for countries to increase their aid spending to 0.7 per cent of GDP by 2013 would be a serious long-term mistake.

“When you look at some of the major threats to our security today — from terrorism to climate change to war — you know they will only get worse unless we help fight poverty and boost the development of struggling nations,” Mr Cameron said, as he announced the party’s aid strategy.

The results of private polls shown to the Tory leader recently suggest that the aid pledge is key to persuading voters that the party has changed.

A firm commitment to international development is also seen as key to winning over Liberal Democrat voters in vulnerable constituencies, such as Norwich North, which the Conservatives hope to take in a by-election next week.

But although aid charities gave a general welcome to the Tory aid policies, Mr Cameron was pressed on whether he would divert some of his proposed aid budget towards mitigating the effects of climate change.

“David Cameron must be clear that the sole purpose of these funds is poverty eradication. Funding specifically to deal with climate change must be additional,” said Melanie Ward, the senior UK political adviser to Christian Aid’s senior UK political adviser, Melanie Ward. continues here

Britain doubles aid to Pakistan

Britain is substantially increasing its aid to Pakistan and outlining a new strategy for how it is spent. 

International Development Minister Douglas Alexander is in Islamabad to announce that assistance will double to £480m ($956m) over the next five years. 

The move comes amid British security concerns over growing Islamic militancy in the country. 

The increase makes Pakistan the recipient of Britain's second largest aid programme worldwide. 

It reflects at least in part London's concern about the influence of Islamic militancy on Britons of Pakistani origin and its impact on British troops fighting over the border in Afghanistan. 

New emphasis 

The aid will continue to focus on poverty reduction and improving health care. 

But for the first time it will be extended to the tribal areas along the border, which serve as a base for militants linked to the Taleban and al-Qaeda. 

There is also a new emphasis on education, apparently to try and counter the influence of extremist versions of Islam taught in some Islamic schools, or madrassas. continues here

How’s democracy going, the fabled everyone has a voice system, ask yourself, have you really a voice, does this government or any for such a long time, represent your views, values or people, did they ask if millions of pounds could be spent abroad, whilst our old shiver in winter and our housing list grows ever longer. Did they ask you, as our NHS stands on the brink of collapse, as our infrastructure crumbles, did they ask, did they ask you ever, you may live in that ethereal dream world, that place where fairy stories come true, where benevolent politicians, elected by the people, serve the people rather than other interests however, perhaps its time now to wake up. Perhaps you should rub the sleep from your eyes and look around you; perhaps you will notice for the first time, the very dire state of affairs we’re in, perhaps you’ll awaken to the sham that is democracy, the utter lie’s they preach, as they busily and seemingly quite happily destroy everything we are. If we are to have anything left, anything to pass on, as is our right, we must resist them now, we must throw off the shackles that bind us and return again to us, we must once again embrace our western values, our western genotype and we must strive to preserve both. 14