(DFID) Swift UK response to un appeal for Pakistan

The UK has given an additional £10 million to help over 2,000,000 people displaced by the fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. This is in immediate response to an urgent UN Appeal for humanitarian assistance for those fleeing the unrest in Pakistan, announced Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander today.

The new commitment brings the UK's contribution to addressing the humanitarian situation in Pakistan to £22m. The £10 million will be distributed through the UN to aid agencies working in NWFP. They will provide food, water emergency shelter and other critical humanitarian help to those most in need.

Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander said:

"The UK is deeply concerned for the wellbeing of over two million people displaced by this conflict. A mass movement of people of this scale poses huge humanitarian challenges. The aid agencies on the ground are doing heroic work under extremely difficult conditions and we are determined to support their efforts. This extra money will help the UN manage a coordinated and effective international response to this crisis to allow those affected by the fighting take the first steps towards rebuilding their lives.

"The UK stands ready to assist the Government of Pakistan to combat the shared threat of violent extremism and we remain strongly committed to our partnership with the people of Pakistan."

DFID is providing £665 million of assistance to Pakistan from 2009 to 2013. By 2011, it will be the UK's second largest development programme worldwide. We are committing £250 million over five years to help put more children into school, improve teaching and provide the skills young people need to get jobs.

Aid for Burma, a Windfall or the Possibility of Another War?

Well an interesting start to the week. Politically last week was about as bad as it could have been for Gordon and his gang. Senior back benchers have come out this morning to say that he is not going to survive the year. There a reports that other senior labourites have been parading the PMs skeletons all over the place to sell their own memoirs and books. Dear Cherrie Blair has even been out and about, although supposedly she has been very restrained about her good old friend Gordon. My views are clear about New Labour. They are an absolute man made catastrophe, however I have written enough about that recently and I presume that I will continue to comment as long as they are in power but for now, I will move on to something different for a change; a natural catastrophe: Burma

The disaster in Burma happened a week or so ago now and has caused an absolute mess. An estimated 100k people died within the first couple of days after cyclone Nadia smashed it to pieces. The PM has pledged £5million in aid. Meanwhile, Chelsea have bought a chap called Bosingwa to kick a leather ball round a field 2 or 3 times a week for £16.2million. Farepack customers have been told to expect as little as 5p on the £1 in their claims for compensation. Some families have lost between £400 and £2000 and the total claim is said to be somewhere in the region of £38million. British Gas has announced profits of £581million presumably because their prices have increased by nearly 100% in a year.

I think we could have done a little better than £5million when you look at some of the other numbers in the headlines today, but then I think the US only offered a derisory amount too which set the bench mark. However I don't think I can criticise too much because the Burmese government does not appear to want much help. I think it seems like they are happy to take the aid but do not want to allow anyone in to help with the distribution. This is worrying. From what I can gather as a country we already oppose the regime in Burma.

This being the case, do we really want to give them any money without any control over where it goes. How do we know it is not just going to be split evenly amongst the Burmese Generals and used to buy investment property as student accommodation for their offspring when they come to Europe to study the arts or the classics or used as a holiday fund to Disney Land or somewhere. If I wanted to pay cash into the bank, I would not give it to a crook to pay it in for me so I am pleased in a way that we have not given the Burmese any more money than we have, although the charities are hard at work as we speak.

Apparently the reason I understand that the Burmese are a bit worried about accepting aid, particularly from the US is because they think it will be used as a precursor or even a smoke screen for military invasion. Presumably this fear is real for them because they have oil. It could also be that they are aware of world opposition to their regime and their human rights record. The prospect of "regime change" after Iraq and Afghanistan would presumably be a legitimate fear of any despot government weakened and highlighted internationally by national disaster. Whatever the reason for the paranoia, there is definitely something a bit sinister lying under the surface here and I am not sure we will ever know what.

What is interesting is that our benevolent PM has sent a war ship to the region to help with the aid process. It will be interesting to see what the Burmese will think about that given their fears. They might just totally ignore it and let it do what it is there to do. On the other hand it could be an absolutely embarrassing international incident and blunder in the making. The Burmese might see this deployment as an act of aggression and may chose to defend themselves. Lets hope to god not. As a country, we cannot afford another war and as a leader, Gordon cannot afford another blunder.