Even within Scotland’s sometimes turbulent history, the Highland Clearances stand out as a notorious episode which changed the face of our country. Families were ripped away from their homes and stripped of their livelihoods. Many moved from the Highlands to the Lowlands, but many more left these lands forever. As they made new lives in…
This week saw an interesting and lively debate in the House of Lords on recent developments in the European Union. While Members’ contributions were varied and focused on a range EU issues, I chose to highlight the impact of the Union as a driving force for poverty reduction and peace in some of the…
This week, as the world watched with baited breath the violent clashes in Gaza, Goma and Syria, the harrowing images and stories broadcast on our television screens offer a cold reminder of the human cost of conflict. There is little dispute that conflict, development and peacebuilding are intrinsically linked. Yet the current development framework in…
As the nature of conflict has changed in the post-Cold War era, so too has the UK government’s policy discourse on development aid. Since DfID’s first White Paper in 1997, Eliminating World Poverty: a challenge for the 21st Century, we have witnessed a growing recognition that development and security are intrinsically linked. Over the…
There are few things that make me more angry than waste, especially when I see waste of resources generously donated to assist those struggling to live with the daily challenge of extreme poverty. But lazy thinking by people who should know better comes close. Earlier this week, Lord Ashcroft wrote an open letter to…
