Not another beer festival review but this time an interesting story on BBC News Online - the UK Govt has withheld a £50m donation to the World Bank because it doesn't like the strings the Bank attaches to aid it gives to developing countries (forcing them to liberalise markets, privatise basic services, etc.)
£50m is not going to derail the neo-liberal economic imperialist project which people like Joe Stiglitz have correctly identified the World Bank as indulging in, but it is at least a step in the right direction from a Government that often does just the opposite in its capitulation to corporate power (PFI, Health Service privatisation by stealth, etc. etc.) Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for International Development, is, IMHO, one of only two genuinely decent people in the Cabinet (the other one being Alan Johnson, of whom more v soon.)
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Whilst I'd agree that the World Bank is dubious, surely it would be better to withhold the £2 billion that is being spent on the EC's common Agricultural Policy. Whilst you hint at some valid criticisms of things such as the PFI and Liberalisation of markets (as opposed to what? - captivisation? - a la Henry Ford/ British Leyland in the 1970's -'Any colour you like as long as it rusts!') you don't seem to hint at any viable alternatives.
If conditions aren't attached to aid you get anomalies such as the situations in Sudan /CAR etc where aid is used to buy weaponry & conduct offensives against Civilians, as well as countless other examples over the 4 decades of the aid industry's existence. I look forward to hearing your post on Johnson, or indeed if future posts will discuss these issues in a more nuanced fashion.
Fair do's but gimme a chance mate - we've only been up and running for about 4 weeks and there isn't time (or room, or indeed, patience) to write a book chapter every time I post. I think Hilary Benn isn't against any conditions whatsoever - just economically dogmatic ones. There's a big difference between saying "you can't have aid if you're going to use it to buy weaponry and conduct offensives against civilians" and "you can't have aid unless you privatise the water supply". Viable alternatives will hopefully emerge on this site in due course but they are already out ther if you know where to look. CAP reform is a biggie which we will surely here more of on this site as time goes on...
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