Alnwickdotes: No 1 “The Dartford Warbler”

Quite often I tell stories about the lighter things that happen in overseas development work.  One about the “Dartford Warbler” two weeks ago produced the same response from the listener as many before him.  “You should write it up!”  So this is the idea for this series of anecdotes.

The Pantomime of Human Rights

This photo of Newcastle'sTheatre Royal is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Foreword

Readers unfamiliar with British theatre and the background to this blog, will need an explanation.  My theme in all postings is to relate earlier experiences in Northumbrian life to contemporary Cambodia, and/or to developing countries generally, for lessons to be shared.  The Theatre Royal in Newcastle dates back to 1788, and the present fine building to 1837.  Nobody today would deny that the UK in those days was enlightened when it comes to human rights, but very important reforms were begun, for example in relation to employment and children in 1833.  

In response to enquiries about Cambodia's various human rights committees I have added notes of explanation below.

Care(less) in the Community

Our Cambodian Children Dancers proving that "we can do"  and that it is not their disability but their ability that matters.  They were taught to peform publicly by our great partners Epic Arts.

The biggest disappointment I have is the slow and non-existent progress in areas of development, where it is clearly needed and perfectly possible to make.  Social protection and services is but one, not just in Cambodia but in other countries where I have worked.  Sometimes it is simply misguided if well-intentioned projects that have not worked.  Most often, it is because of a real lack of will in top leadership to make things happen.  In Cambodia, a lack of compassion for poor; vulnerable and disabled people is often dismissed as “due punishment this life for sins in a past life”.

At the borders of Northumberland for many years, to emulate Shakespeare’s or Thomas Hardy’s country, we used to have “Welcome to Catherine Cookson” signs.

A blessed and charmed childhood

 Dunstanburgh Castle

 The same jocular theme appears in a later blog: 

Longhoughton Beach
Rob's great video can be seen here.
One more aerial musical view. 

Dunstanburgh Castle was to the north of our childhood coastal playground in the 1950/60s.  Our local beach was Longhoughton but we wandered freely up and down the coast, from Alnmouth or Amble, all the way past Boulmer, around Howick; up to Craster and beyond. Bamburgh, occasionally Holy Island, was as far as our little legs on our bikes would take us. (Well worth logging in to videos links right.)  During school holidays we would camp out, away from home for days on end. We were relatively care-free and safe. 

For today’s children, life is more restricted.  Holidays, as I blogged last year, are when a child is most at-risk.  In Cambodia that risk is increasingly from holiday-makers. This is why I co-ordinate for colleagues in campaigning for more responsible tourism. (If you are interested in spreading the word, please follow us on social media; visit my website or e-mail me.

Now I do want to make a very important distinction. 

  

"Smarter Aid, not more Aid!"

Photo: flettrek.wordpress.com

Built to Last.  Robert Stephenson’s 28 Arch English/Scottish Border Bridge has lasted since 1850. An earlier bridge nearby over the River Tweed is also proving its longevity with a little modern help. 

In most professions like doctors, lawyers, and teachers, practitioners maintain direct or close contact with clients even after attaining leadership positions.  In Foreign Aid almost all top professionals are as far removed as possible from clients in all respects. Some may once have been practitioners in the field, but the system and culture soon elevates them away, to seniority in capitals in developing countries, with the most successful back to home countries and aid agency HQs. Does this disconnect between professionals and their clients in #foreignaid help to explain its ineffectiveness?  (The Unlikely Aid Worker)

Blog count: as on 4 March 2025

This my most popular blog has passed 56,385 viewings since posted on 18 Feb 2015

 New Preface Added

The UK's House of Commons International Development Committee on 23 June 2022 released its report on Racism in Foreign Aid, with considerable details of its manifestations in so many ways not just overtly - that it does at times - but most commonly through the basic way the entire sector operates.  I am biased. It is precisely what people like me have been saying for decades and been given the cold shoulder for doing so.  I hope that the report does lead to an entirely new philosophy underpinning how Foreign Aid exists.

Well in October 2025 the committee has launched a more radical wider-ranging review of how UK Foreign Aid is administered. Good questions but will the answers be too long, too varied, and too difficult, encountering too entrenched interests? I have submitted evidence on a few pointers.

Why is longevity elusive to Foreign Aid and the various "development" professions? 

Typical TV advert seeking donations

Whenever I am home in Northumberland and watching TV, I keep seeing numerous advertisements from charities.  They follow the same style.  They depict pictures of hardship to evoke pity and ask you to hand over cash.  If you do not feel guilty when not doing so, you may take comfort in that your tax has helped the UK Government to meet its over-generous commitment to devote 0.7% of GDP to overseas aid, and thus claim moral leadership among the world’s rich nations.

They are misguided.

Some celebrity donors around the world learned the hard way.

Alnwickdote No 11 On unsung heroes and charity shops

 

This blog is a thank you to the Northumberland Gazette for publishing my letter, and of course for helping me to make a few points.

Saturday 17 January 2015 

Better late than never! Christmas gifts from Alnwick.

Unsung heroes – we have a few to thank. The check-in lady at Newcastle Airport who kindly overlooked our excess weight, so various toys, chocolates, shortbread, smoked salmon and even a Christmas pudding found their way to Cambodia.

Print and be Dammed or “Haad your Gob?”

Foreword to this blog added September 2017. 

Very sadly things in Cambodia have taken a dramatic downturn for the worst in Press and Media Freedom. By far the worst development is the closure of the Cambodia Daily - precipitated by the hostile government - whose journalists have been a vital element in our human rights work for all of my 20 years in Cambodia. Numerous references and extracts appear in this blog. Many stories and eulogies appear, many from the many journalists all around the world whose career started there.  See for example: Richard Paddock. Also last edition after almost 25 years here and visit the Daily's Facebook.  See also CCIM's report on media generally in 2017.

The UK is 36, Cambodia 147, out of 197 countries for Freedom of the Press 2014 according to Freedom House.  We need Foreign Media to help Cambodian Media.

(For the 2016 report go to its website, here or this report) for 2017 here 2018 here.
For 2019, and a further erosion: go here.)

Print and Be Dammed

Freedom of expression is a most important human right.  Yet it is still routinely challenged in many countries, whenever criticism upsets powerful people.  I don’t intend to argue against that here.  Instead I want to ask about self-censorship and highly selective writing and editing, especially when editors decide that a story or issue “would not interest our readers!”  I wonder why certain kinds of stories always make it. Often they are ones most lacking informed comment.

You will see from my blogging supporting Cambodian child rights, that we are opposed to sex tourism; orphanage tourism; and things like “gap year” stays that can be harmful and counter-productive.