BBC Radio 4 Appeal

[William Waddilove]

You may be interested in the current BBC appeal for Mines Action Group made by Rosamund Pike

The link is:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qlp1

William W

[Andy Smith]

Mmmm.

 

I note that both MAG and NPA have been obliged to cut their programmes in Lebanon at short notice - https://www.the961.com/jobs-lost-uk-funds-mine-clearance-lebanon/ They have been doing quite well there, but have far from finished. Yes, I was there earlier this year and was unexpectedly impressed.

 

Apparently the UK government funding has been cut in “a political decision related to the British government’s priorities and strategy”. That’s not much of an explanation but very obviously the decision was not taken on humanitarian grounds. Lebanon is not quite the basket case many think – but it will be if everyone abandons it. And the UK’s ‘strategy’? Beyond saving money, don’t ask me, or anyone else, it seems. their budgets were based on predicted GDP which has fallen of course, then cut again in a popular if short-sighted attempt to promote ‘island Britain’. It was inevitable that demining funds would be cut. One upside may be that it breaks apart the unholy Trinity (the GiHAD’s term for it) of HALO, MAG and NPA which has shared the funding.

 

Globally, what happened to the cluster munition campaign? The accident record involving DPICM amongst deminers in Lebanon shows the longevity of these indiscriminate weapons, and their largely random distribution for victim initiation provides a criminal example of their use as de-facto landmines. Can’t the campaign raise some funding for the MAG and NPA programmes to continue? Being air dispersed, there are many in the most inaccessible places – so some money to research reliable detection and disposal on rocky hillsides (used by adventure tourists) would be welcome too. No chance? Sigh.

 

Whatever, may 2021 see more real work done.

 

It certainly is a funny old world,

Andy

 

 

www.nolandmines.com
www.ddasonline.com

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From: demi...@googlegroups.com <demi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Andy Smith <a...@nolandmines.com>
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2020 9:59:14 AM
To: demi...@googlegroups.com <demi...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [HD] BBC Radio 4 Appeal

 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/demining/A9450B59815944198A01C977CABA0A00%40AndyPC.