Published in The Observer (July 10th, 2011) Idrissa Soumaoro should have been rehearsing with the celebrated Malian musicians Amadou & Mariam for a show at the Manchester international […]
Aid
Ten great myths about foreign aid
Published in the Daily Mail (July 7th, 2011) As he pledged to pour hundreds of millions more into propping up Afghanistan, David Cameron accused critics of his foreign […]
Afghanistan / Arts / Books / World
It’s a fiasco, says our man in Kabul
Published in the Daily Mail (July 1st, 2011) Cables from Kabul: The Inside story of the West’s Afghanistan campaign by Sherard Cowper-Coles (Harper Press) Two years ago, during […]
Europe / Iceland
Iceland brought in from the cold thanks to party of punks and pop stars
Published in The Observer (19th June, 2011) Grey clouds hang heavy in the skies as the scout troop marches into the cemetery, followed by a noisy brass band […]
Health / Policy
Great Ormond Street’s been put on a pedestal it doesn’t deserve
Published in The Mail on Sunday (June 19th, 2011) The lonely death of Baby P was one of those moments that jolted the entire nation. That picture of […]
Politics
The journey’s over, Tony Blair
Published in The Guardian (June 10th, 2011) Switching on the Today programme yesterday, it was like an unwelcome blast from the past. There was Tony Blair, that familiar […]
Drugs / Policy
The war on drugs war is lost. Now it’s time for a rational response
Published in The Observer (June 5th, 2011) Four decades ago, Richard Nixon was casting around for a new enemy to shore up support for his unique brand of […]
Health / Policy
Patients suffer. Standards fall. So why is competition still such a dirty word in the NHS?
Published in the Daily Mail (May 26th, 2011) Living in a high-tech age of instant communication, it is easy to forget how painful the process of obtaining a […]
Politics
Betraying themselves
Published in Prospect (March 25th, 2011) An army of political obituarists is arguing that we are witnessing the suicidal spasms of one of our great political parties. Oceans […]
Africa / Aid / Rwanda
Stop the flow of cash to Rwanda’s despotic regime
Published in The Times (May 23rd, 2011) Somehow, we never seem to learn. This year, we have seen seismic uprisings in North Africa expose the shabby foundations of […]
Aid
Despite our noble intentions, aid does not solve problems – it just makes them worse
Published in the Daily Mail (May 18th, 2011) The Marriott Hotel in Islamabad symbolises Pakistan’s profound problems with terrorism and its amazing spirit of survival. Three years ago, […]