This, Watson, is the salient fact to be gleaned from the stramash over International Development funding. There is nothing especially wrong with aspiring* to spend 0.7% of GDP on overseas aid but it’s wrong to legislate to make this a legal requirement. Wrong because government should not try to tie the hands of or otherwise control their successors. Sure, Messrs Blair and Brown may have done this to Dave and the Gang but, as even a cursory acquaintance with the Good Book should remind them, that’s no excuse for doing likewise to their own descendents.
Similarly, of course, putting the so-called “Military Covenant” into law is a Bad Idea.If Dr Fox weren’t so enthused by his own ill-judged piece of symbolic claptrap he’d have a better case for opposing the similarly ill-judged pieces of claptrap favoured by other departments.
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