Author Archives: markdowe1

Britain, Government, Iraq, Islamic State, Politics, Terrorism, United Nations, United States

The West has a responsibility in Iraq

mosul

Mosul: Violence in Iraq continues to escalate.

IRAQ

Intro: Recognising the huge human cost that the war is having on Iraq, we must accept and understand that we have an ongoing responsibility to help bring the bloodshed to an end.

Violence still engulfs Iraq. The United Nations has said that at least 6,878 Iraqi civilians were killed in 2016, a number that is most certain to be on the low side because of the unverifiable number of civilian deaths in war zones. And we do not know the full death toll from the ongoing fighting in that country because the Iraqi government has not published the causality figures for government troops and paramilitary forces fighting in Mosul and elsewhere in northern Iraq. It is a tragic toll.

In December alone, 109 civilians perished and 523 injured in Baghdad. These are largely attributed to Islamic State who have claimed responsibility for a string of bombings. But, as IS get shifted out of Mosul and other areas they have controlled, the bombings will only get worse. Fanatics will carry on the fight on the streets of the country’s cities.

Recognising the huge human cost that the war is having on Iraq, we must accept and understand that we have an ongoing responsibility to help bring the bloodshed to an end. Along with the United States we were at the forefront of the regime change invasion of Iraq that has unleashed such a violent insurrection since. Britain cannot be allowed to wash its hands as if now the mayhem has nothing to do with them. It does.

The conclusions of the Chilcot Inquiry found many failings of the UK but was specifically critical of the way in which the U.S. dismantled the security and intelligence apparatus of Saddam Hussein’s army, as well as describing the whole invasion as a strategic failure. Whilst the immediate violence is largely being perpetrated by IS and its fanatics, the West could have served the Iraqi people much better after getting involved.

It is always difficult to stand back and watch merciless dictators with no compunction committing butchery on their own people, but the long-term costs of not thinking through action from the start is now all too clear. Western intervention and the lack of proper military plans in Iraq – in dealing with all that has happened since that ill-fated invasion of 2003 – explains much of what we are witnessing now. Hideous incompetence.

A lesson we still seem not to have learnt in Syria.

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Aid, Britain, Europe, European Union, Government, Politics, Uncategorized

Taking back control of the foreign aid budget

uk-aid

Destinations and allocations of British foreign aid in 2015.

BRITISH FOREIGN AID

Intro: Enshrined into UK law is Britain’s ill-judged legal commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid which ministers are obliged to spend.

The statement made by the European Commission that hundreds of millions of pounds spent on international aid will be returned to the Treasury will be welcome news for Out campaigners. This goes to the heart of the Brexit cause and why British voters chose to leave the European Union: leaving means that decisions taken in the name of British voters, using money that belongs to British taxpayers, are made by people who are directly accountable to those people.

This is one of the starkest examples of what was wrong with Britain’s involvement with the EU; a situation where large sums of money were extracted from taxpayers and handed to unelected and unaccountable Commission officials to spend on aid and vanity projects about which British voters were never consulted. Regaining control of such cash and such decisions is the essence of Brexit.

But, as things stand, that money will not be used very differently. Enshrined into UK law is Britain’s ill-judged legal commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid which ministers are obliged to spend. This grim irony, a policy which is as unpopular with voters as EU membership was, shares similar undemocratic origins: a political project beloved by metropolitan elites who felt entitled to foist that commitment on taxpayers who did not consent to it.

Taking back control of money sent to Brussels, just as voters instructed, reconciles directly to what Brexit means. The same control must now be restored over the aid budget: the 0.7 per cent target should follow our EU membership into history.

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Britain, Economic, European Union, Government, Politics, Society, Terrorism, United States

2017 will be a year of major challenges

CHALLENGES, RISKS & CHANGE

Intro: There is a sense that the unglamorous hard grind will start to bear down on the detailed practicalities of change during 2017

Following the shocks and political reverberations of 2016 it should come as no surprise that relatively few have jumped forth with confident predictions for the year ahead. Yet apprehension over the future is high as the effects of the past 12 months crystallise in the weeks and months ahead.

Identifying the reasons as to why many are fearful will not be difficult. Nonetheless, buoyant financial markets in both America and the UK over the last few days have seen record highs. Businesses are sensing opportunities under a Trump administration that is pledging a boost to federal government spending on infrastructure as well as a major overhaul to the tax code in the United States. This is likely to lead to tax cuts for households and firms alike. Here in the UK, estimates for third-quarter growth have been revised up to 0.6 per cent on quarter, while household and consumer spending has been boosted by high employment and a relatively modest growth in real incomes. Hitherto, while a notable slowdown is expected over 2017, the dire predictions of economic recession in the wake of the EU referendum vote have proved overly pessimistic and we are starting the New Year from a much firmer base than many had predicted.

But major uncertainty persists over Brexit. The calls by the Scottish Government for Scotland to remain in the Single Market, and the issue as to whether beneficial trading relationships can be established with other EU countries, are clear examples of the muddle and disarray. Whilst lack of detail is frustrating, there is a notable mood across the business world to make the best of our situation and by getting on with the job. The depreciation and fall in the value of sterling offers opportunities for UK firms to boost exports and for many firms in the food and drink sector to build a presence in overseas markets. In Scotland, our tourism and events sector, spanning hotels, hospitality and conference catering, stands to benefit.

There is a sense that the unglamorous hard grind will start to bear down on the detailed practicalities of change during 2017. The focus is likely to be upon legislative changes. However, we also face an elevated degree of geo-political risk. Recent terrorist attacks across Europe and elsewhere are indicative of the challenges facing government and the intelligence agencies.

Barbaric attacks such as those in Istanbul cannot but heighten tensions across Europe. Adding further to security precautions in many European capitals, the woes and fears that governments have across Europe for their people is becoming distinctly palpable.

Fear of further such attacks, including the use by Islamic State of chemical weapons, will undoubtedly increase public anxiety and growing voter mood of unease across Europe. The British Government has already warned that ISIS could unleash such devastating weapons on our streets. Voter discontent is also threatening to bring major election upsets in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the ever-belligerent North Korea has taken another step towards long-range nuclear strike capability. The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has claimed that the country is now close to testing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

A febrile 2017 seems likely to pose challenges as big as anything we have faced before.

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