Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-being in Rich Countries

This UNICEF report has placed the UK bottom of 21 industrialised countries for children's well-being. Only the USA comes near the UK's performance. Based on 40 separate indicators it is a damning indictment of our society. The Netherlands came top where children appear to be happier and healthier.
UNICEF said: "Britain is one of the richest countries and should be doing much better than it is. We have known for some time that Britain has comparatively high levels of child poverty and children living in workless families. However, the UK performance on this league table is shocking".

COUNTERING THE INSURGENCY IN AFGHANISTAN:

This is a title of a report published on 15th February by the Senlis Council. Although not a pacifist organization its recommendations are radical:

1) Immediate cessation of forced poppy crop eradication and bombing raids

2) Immediate widespread food aid An end to the strategy of fear and destruction – a full assessment on the nature and extent of the bombing campaigns

3) Compensation to civilian victims of bombings

4) Military paramedics and field hospitals to aid civilian war casualties

5) The rebuilding of existent hospitals and the construction of new ones

6) Compensation for and rebuilding of villages destroyed by the bombing campaign

7) A complete overhaul of failed counter-narcotics strategies – crop eradication must stop

8) Pilot projects for an opium licensing scheme for the production of medicine

9) Compensation to civilian victims of bombings

10) Development and aid investments equal to military spending

11) To create stability by applying a robust economic response the grassroots insurgency

12) To create a shared long term vision for Afghanistan and to stop imposing ‘Western’ ideals.

The world's second biggest military budget

Britain has a military budget of £33.7 billion in 2006-7. In a MoD white paper published at the end of 2003 it stated "there are currently no major conventional military threats to the UK or Nato". Yet we pay the second largest military budget in the world. The Oxford research Group argues this money would contribute more to our security if it was spent on energy efficiency, foreign aid and arms control.