International aid is the new imperialism. Seriously. The same Christian zeal which inspired the first colonialists-cum- evangelists is back now with two politicians whose fathers were Church of Scotland ministers – Gordon Brown and Douglas Alexander. Wee Dougie is his long-serving disciple, so his being sent to DFID is very important. Here’s why.
The bible our DFID evangelists will be clutching as they head off for Africa is the New Labour orthodoxy, as seen in Brown’s Commission for Africa which last year laid out his manifesto for Africa. It suggested for example that schools should be run by the state (despite proof that private education works best for the poor). Large infrastructure projects should “built and delivered in conjunction with the private sector” (PFI for Africa). African tribesmen should convert to the gospel of gender equality and end “routine exclusion of women” from the decision-making process. No African class size above 40, health spending at least 15% of the budget.
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