In a short space of time, the British government has made two decisions that will negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. The first was the severe cut in foreign aid announced in March. The second was the similarly severe reduction in Foreign Office support for the BBC World Service. And these from a supposedly progressive government. It doesn’t seem progressive to me, but cheap and reactionary.
I have double interest to declare. I am a long-term BBC loyalist who served the corporation for more than 30 years in the unquiet corners of the world, from Vietnam to Bosnia and from Belfast to Angola. My loyalty survived even such daft editorial decisions as to give an interview with Prince Harry precedence over real news. (That was little more than 10 days ago.) I have also been an MP. And since I left the House of Commons in 2001, I have served as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef UK, the British national committee of the UN children’s emergency fund. It introduced me to still more war zones, in Africa and the Gulf.
