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| Why we must spend on both defence and development | Why we must spend on both defence and development |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The recent debate around defence and aid spending is a false dichotomy. Both are critical to the UK's national interests. In fragile or failing states, security is a precondition for the effective spread of governance, the rule of law and economic and human development. In some situations, the military plays a vital role in disarming and demobilising combatants, training police forces or enabling the delivery of humanitarian aid into war zones. Yet the military is rarely decisive on its own; a holistic approach is needed to address the root causes of conflict. Focused and accountable development spending is essential to achieve this. | The recent debate around defence and aid spending is a false dichotomy. Both are critical to the UK's national interests. In fragile or failing states, security is a precondition for the effective spread of governance, the rule of law and economic and human development. In some situations, the military plays a vital role in disarming and demobilising combatants, training police forces or enabling the delivery of humanitarian aid into war zones. Yet the military is rarely decisive on its own; a holistic approach is needed to address the root causes of conflict. Focused and accountable development spending is essential to achieve this. |
| If Britain is to punch its weight on the international stage, it is essential both to fund defence properly and to maintain our internationally respected pledge to spend 0.7% of national income on aid to help the world's poorest people. The combination of hard and soft power is one the UK's greatest strategic assets; while some countries have bigger military budgets, and others have bigger development budgets, few combine excellence in both fields in the way the UK does. | If Britain is to punch its weight on the international stage, it is essential both to fund defence properly and to maintain our internationally respected pledge to spend 0.7% of national income on aid to help the world's poorest people. The combination of hard and soft power is one the UK's greatest strategic assets; while some countries have bigger military budgets, and others have bigger development budgets, few combine excellence in both fields in the way the UK does. |
| Defence and development deal with matters of life and death. We must not allow the discussion around them to be driven by soundbites and political expediency. Instead, we should be guided by a properly thought-out national strategy to protect the UK's interests and shape the world for the better. | Defence and development deal with matters of life and death. We must not allow the discussion around them to be driven by soundbites and political expediency. Instead, we should be guided by a properly thought-out national strategy to protect the UK's interests and shape the world for the better. |
| Lieutenant General Andrew Graham; Admiral Sir Alan West; Air Chief Marshal the Lord Stirrup; Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely; General Sir Michael Jackson; Lieutenant General Sir Paul Newton; Major General David Shouesmith; Major General Timothy Cross | |
| • This letter was amended on 23 June 2013 to correct some of the names of the signatories. | |
| Rebuild pride in our cities | Rebuild pride in our cities |
| The loss of our public realm, which Will Hutton rightly deplores ("Give us back our public spaces so we can have access to all areas", Comment), is one consequence of the buccaneering form of capitalism that Britain and the US have practised. It is time economists appreciated that by investing in our "common wealth" of public spaces and buildings, we would not only rebuild pride in our towns and cities, but also achieve the boost to our flagging economy that most other European countries have experienced over the last three decades. | The loss of our public realm, which Will Hutton rightly deplores ("Give us back our public spaces so we can have access to all areas", Comment), is one consequence of the buccaneering form of capitalism that Britain and the US have practised. It is time economists appreciated that by investing in our "common wealth" of public spaces and buildings, we would not only rebuild pride in our towns and cities, but also achieve the boost to our flagging economy that most other European countries have experienced over the last three decades. |
| The key, as the Local Government Association recognises in its plea to stop further cuts, is freeing our cities from central government domination. | The key, as the Local Government Association recognises in its plea to stop further cuts, is freeing our cities from central government domination. |
| Dr Nicholas Falk | Dr Nicholas Falk |
| Director, London Office | Director, London Office |
| URBED (Urbanism Environment Design) | URBED (Urbanism Environment Design) |
| An MP's tricky balancing act | An MP's tricky balancing act |
| It was cheering to read the interview with the upbeat MP Sarah Wollaston ("I was elected to speak my mind. So why does Cameron keep ignoring me?", News popularity in the constituency where I live should mean she holds on to her safe seat. I fear, however, that the "real person" has yet to learn the harsh reality that effecting change in any large organisation requires a tricky balancing act between challenging the status quo while seeming to endorse the corporate message. While we would all wish her well in her health campaigns, her constituents need to believe also that she has influence in the corridors of power. | It was cheering to read the interview with the upbeat MP Sarah Wollaston ("I was elected to speak my mind. So why does Cameron keep ignoring me?", News popularity in the constituency where I live should mean she holds on to her safe seat. I fear, however, that the "real person" has yet to learn the harsh reality that effecting change in any large organisation requires a tricky balancing act between challenging the status quo while seeming to endorse the corporate message. While we would all wish her well in her health campaigns, her constituents need to believe also that she has influence in the corridors of power. |
| Stephanie Bromley | Stephanie Bromley |
| South Brent, Devon | South Brent, Devon |
| Ex-offenders need support | Ex-offenders need support |
| Yvonne Roberts is right to highlight the effect prison has on vulnerable women ("Why are such vulnerable women still being jailed?", News). It is crucial we also consider the effect it has on 18,000 innocent children who are separated by prison from their mothers each year; and the critical need to reunite them to prevent reoffending and intergenerational offending. Finding suitable housing and having access to support is vital. Housing for Women's Re-Unite project provides family accommodation that brings together ex-offenders and their children, cutting reoffending to just 2.5% from the national average of 54%. | Yvonne Roberts is right to highlight the effect prison has on vulnerable women ("Why are such vulnerable women still being jailed?", News). It is crucial we also consider the effect it has on 18,000 innocent children who are separated by prison from their mothers each year; and the critical need to reunite them to prevent reoffending and intergenerational offending. Finding suitable housing and having access to support is vital. Housing for Women's Re-Unite project provides family accommodation that brings together ex-offenders and their children, cutting reoffending to just 2.5% from the national average of 54%. |
| Jakki Moxham | Jakki Moxham |
| Chief executive, Housing for Women | Chief executive, Housing for Women |
| London SW9 | London SW9 |
| Look and learn, Mr Gove | Look and learn, Mr Gove |
| At last, a valid suggestion for a modern school curriculum. Professor Sugata Mitra outlines a proposal that could transform pupils' learning. It would need "polishing" to include those disaffected by schooling, and for those whose barriers to learning are based in specific conditions, such as autism or dyslexia, but would be a step forward. Your article ("Advent of Google means we must rethink our approach to education", Focus serves to show how far wide of the mark Michael Gove and his cohorts are with their 1950s, rote learning of facts. Looking back, as a person educated in the 1950s, I envied the "lower streams" doing gardening, or building canoes, far more than I hankered after more history, maths or geography! | At last, a valid suggestion for a modern school curriculum. Professor Sugata Mitra outlines a proposal that could transform pupils' learning. It would need "polishing" to include those disaffected by schooling, and for those whose barriers to learning are based in specific conditions, such as autism or dyslexia, but would be a step forward. Your article ("Advent of Google means we must rethink our approach to education", Focus serves to show how far wide of the mark Michael Gove and his cohorts are with their 1950s, rote learning of facts. Looking back, as a person educated in the 1950s, I envied the "lower streams" doing gardening, or building canoes, far more than I hankered after more history, maths or geography! |
| Les Vivian | Les Vivian |
| Southampton | Southampton |
| Can't wait for her memoirs | Can't wait for her memoirs |
| In her interview (News), Anne Hidalgo, candidate to become mayor of Paris, said that she came to Paris at the age of 24 so she could "meet Sartre". As Hidalgo was born in 1960, this would have been 1984. Sartre died four years earlier. I hope Parisian voters can trust her judgment (and her memory). | In her interview (News), Anne Hidalgo, candidate to become mayor of Paris, said that she came to Paris at the age of 24 so she could "meet Sartre". As Hidalgo was born in 1960, this would have been 1984. Sartre died four years earlier. I hope Parisian voters can trust her judgment (and her memory). |
| Simon Newton | Simon Newton |
| Gilling East, North Yorkshire | Gilling East, North Yorkshire |