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No comment from Londonstani on this, but read the article and comment at will.
Ok, maybe a few excerpts would be useful:
"Foreign Secretary David Miliband was under pressure today to explain why there had been cutbacks in counter-terrorism programmes in Pakistan because of the falling value of the pound.
"...The Foreign Office (FCO) is trying to deal with a shortfall of £110 million, a figure expected to grow in 2010-11, due to fluctuations in sterling.
"...Baroness Kinnock caused astonishment by disclosing that programmes to tackle terrorism and radicalisation in Pakistan had been hit as a result.
"...Her revelation in the House of Lords came hours after Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the Commons that the "crucible of terrorism" on the Afghan-Pakistan border remained the "number one security threat to the West".
And, in case you thought this was due to some sort of unforseen international economic situation:
"Mr Hague said the cuts were the "direct consequence of Labour's decision to remove the FCO's protection against exchange rate movements".
UPDATE:
And where are the cuts landing?
"Kim Howells, a former foreign minister who is now chair of the intelligence and security committee that oversees MI5, MI6 and other intelligence agencies, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that he was surprised at the timing of Kinnock's comments, but not the content.
"It is well known that obviously if a currency devalues against other currencies than you buy less than your money," said Howells.
He did not believe these cuts would affect "the hard end" of counterterrorism activities, he said, before adding: "Undoubtedly what it will affect are those softer diplomatic efforts ... for example, trying to convince the Pakistani government and the regional governments in Pakistan that they should try to improve the material lives of people that will make them less susceptible to the overtures of al-Qaida, the Taliban and so on."
So like in the areas where many analysts think we have the best opportunity to make substantial changes
They could save some money by cutting the size of the DC embassy. As the current Iraq Inquiry is showing, its value for money is questionable and I'm sure the Americans would prefer us to spend money on CT in Pakistan.
Merely a humble functionary - but obviously not with the FCO
In the spirit of f*^@ ups, I'm gonna leave it there.
Yoda syntax and Grammar, Londonstani Elf love would to read, yes.... Old English Pakglish smigeon Chav with..Yes
And Hell in who this abu muqwama person is??
The BBC has this item: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8471608.stm and I cite a couple of sentences: Foreign Office minister Baroness Kinnock said the budget would go from £8.2m in 2009/10 to £9.5m in 2010/11.But in a statement to peers, she admitted this was "not as much as hoped" and that a "small number of... projects that were not delivering as effectively as other projects at meeting CT (counter-terrorism) objectives" had been cut or "scaled back" as a result.
The BBC understands they include education projects and efforts to tackle radicalisation in madrasas - Islamic schools or colleges. Pakistan's High Commissioner Wajit Shamsul Hasan told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that the projects that had been axed were "essential projects" which he hoped would be restored when the British government had resolved its financial problems.
In the Pakistani context UK Pounds 8m this year is "peanuts" and just cutting the succession of grants / contracts to UK-based bodies would keep in-Pakistan projects going IMHO. Look at Quilliam Foundation, Radical Middleway, Deen International and no doubt others with a lower public profile.
Now if the UK FCO budget included paying for police training, even wage support for the police as some advocate I'd agree they would be essential. So the High Commissioner is having a laugh - in what he says.
What is does illustrate is: how precarious UK state spending is; the credibility gap between stated national priorities and actual capability and finally co-ordination in government is missing (that is being polite).
I've been saying we're broke. It's much more true in the UK.
I don't think they're gonna alienate what's left of the UK support by sending money out of the country. Not that I if I was a UK taxpayer would believe it well spent...
People to include experts are gonna have to learn to deal with shoestring budgets...or no money at all.
Hey, why bother to allocate resources according to given strategic imperatives, when the boys still need their toys? Its not like any buerocrat ever listens to strategy when it leads to cutbacks in *their* budget-allotment. Turf wars trump real wars. How is that UK hangarship going?
Love the announcement that the threat level in the UK has gone up to severe...not an announcement designed to take the spotlight off the funding and swing it toward the real badies (ie not those slashing budgets) of course. To get to critical requires specific intel - so I doubt we'll get that heads up now.
It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion. -- Dean William Inge
Good point for Europe in General.
As far as the UK budget cuts...well we can't well ask the Good Citizens of the Estates to take a hit in the GIRO's now can we? How is someone unemployed for life supposed to stay drunk 24 hours a day without a guaranteed income?
And what about your unemployed for life children? How will they learn to hold their liquor (or not) without the paternal hand of state patronage?
Remember the only reason they are bombing us is they're not all in London and on the dole. Yet. When they are, we won't need intel.
What's the most confusing day in the Estates? Fathers Day !!
Oh come on--things got cut across the board. For implementers who get multi-year grants (and that's what usually happens, a two year grant cycle is standard) the money comes in tranches, wired in Sterling to institutional accounts. Well, if you plan for no variation in currency and it falls...do I really need to explain what happens. What else is new?
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