Shadow Team for DFID

Harriet Harman--Feminist, eqaulities, no previous experience in foreign affairs

Mark Lazarowicz--Climate Change (committees). Minminal experience in foreign affairs--only through committes

Rushanara Ali--Human Rights and probably focused on Pakistan. No experience in foreing issues

I'm not convince that this team can take on Andrew Mitchell, Alan Duncan and Stephen O'Brien.

Alan Duncan, I'll grant you. He was a front-bench foreign affairs spokesman for some time; and has an interest in overseas politics (one of the few good things that can be said for this generally RW and rather unsavoury Tory is that he actively supported Kerry in the 2004 election).

The rest of them - well, they have all had some involvement in business deals with other countries during their pre-political careers: Mitchell as a banker; O'Brien working for the CBI; Duncan, once again, in the oil industry. But I would say that wheeling and dealing in business arrangements with other countries is probably entirely the *wrong* sort of experience for being a good ID supporter. O'Brien grew up in Africa, presumably because his parents were in some sort of business there, but again that's not in itself a qualification for ID work.

I don't know how effective the Labour team will be - but I am not sure that Mitchell is such a powerful force either.

Is there anyone whom you think would be especially good - bearing in mind that ID is unfortunately not generally seen as a top post, so would be regarded as a humiliating demotion by someone who had previously held a high-level Cabinet post?

I never heard of Duncan till his appointment came up and yes he's my least favourite to be second in command of DFID. Mitchell is relatively a suppporter of development but his true colours show's it's development with neo-liberalism.

My contention was that this new DFID Team are not seasoned in anything close to development which was one of the biggest success of New Labour. Who would be better instead of Harriet Harman? No one actually; maybe Andy Burnham. I miss Clare Short.

Sounds like three of the most critical issues relating to international development to me.

Also, why would Rushanara Ali be focused on Pakistan given that she was born in Bangladesh?

Rushanara Ali was for some years a director of the Young Foundation, focussing on research and international work. This is an organization dedicated to developing social innovations, and the international side involves creating links between individuals and organizations working in social development in lots of different countries. This would seem to me to be excellent experience for a post in international development.

She also worked for the Foreign Office, with regard to human rights:
again useful experience.

One could perhaps argue that Ali has limited experience *as an MP* - she was only elected in May - but I would say that her pre-political experience is unusually impressive: in general, and with regard to international development issues in particular.

I'm still afraid they need to catch up fast to take on the Tory modification of DFID.

HR doesn't always mean development btw.

I must have misread her bio.

But my contention is that while those areas as part of development (as seen in the MDGs) they are not will create long term development.