Wednesday 3 July 2013

Net price

Inconvenient realities of the aid industry, no. 587: sometimes the stuff you give away suffers the usual fate of unwanted presents.

Note the standard stonewalling tactics from the people who make a comfortable living from spending our money. Step one: accuse the NAO of not giving the full picture because it's only looked at four countries (and it's not like Nigeria is a country of any great size or importance, is it?). Step two: rebut the charge that the programme isn't working by citing stats from Ghana and, er, well, what about Ghana, eh?

Why should they worry? They know they'll get away with it. Business as usual, folks!

Walsall mystery

Last week: bomb left outside mosque. Most serious incident yet in the big enormous Islamophobic backlash.

Then the narrative started to become a little unclear. Having been a little surprised to learn that a 75 year old had been arrested, we then heard that he had been released on bail. And then it all went quiet. Cue indignation from Sunny Hundal at this off-handed treatment of a dangerous terrorist? Apparently not.

What can it all mean?