Indo-UK: News & Discussion

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 21 Feb 2011 20:08

it's from the appendix of Angus Maddison's 'Historical Economies'.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 22 Feb 2011 00:30

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011 ... ing-india/
Economics Journal: Why a Flagging Britain Continues Aid to a Rising India
By Rupa Subramanya Dehejia

Why on earth is cash-strapped Britain giving £1 billion of aid to a country that can afford its own space program?” asks Stephen Glover in the Daily Mail. My question, exactly. The United Kingdom’s aid budget to India amounts to £1 billion, approximately $1.6 billion. As a percentage of India’s Gross National Income (GNI), this is about 0.1% to 0.2%, making it an infinitesimal fraction of a trillion dollar plus economy. So the money is peanuts for India.”Recently, in two pieces I asked the question in reverse. Should an emerging or “emerged” India, which has graduated to middle income status, continue to receive aid?Britain’s international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, admits India is a “development paradox.” But, he notes, there are “more poor people in it than the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
And it raises a philosophical problem. If the concern is poor people, not a low per capita income, Britain, too, has a lot of poor people. Approximately 20% of the UK’s population lives in poverty, according to one study. Should India be giving aid to Britain? In fact, India does have its own aid program but uses the traditional criterion of helping countries that are poorer. In fact, days after the UK aid debate arose, India announced increased aid to the least developed countries.Given the strange optic of Britain still aiding India, suppose, for the sake of argument, that these funds were cut off tomorrow: what would be the impact?First, at a micro level, aid donors evaluate particular projects according to what economists call “social cost-benefit analysis.” By this criterion, there would be a loss to India if these projects disappeared.

Andy Sumner of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK, who testified earlier this year at the International Development Committee’s inquiry on British aid to India, and whose inputs have helped to shape the new “pro-poor” strategy, offered me the following thoughts via email: “For DFID and the NGOs it’s about supporting the poor. For diplomats and the foreign office aid is part of bilateral ties, security and intelligence sharing. Most importantly, the balance of power has swung towards India and the UK wouldn’t want to risk a long standing friendship with one of the world’s next big powers, would it?”
Indeed, if you parse Mr. Mitchell’s remarks to the BBC, he almost admitted as much, when he spoke of the “greatly re-energized relationship with India which resulted from the PM’s significant visit last summer.” This is mostly about the burgeoning commercial relationship, not aid. That is the answer to Mr. Glover’s question.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 22 Feb 2011 06:14

^^^From above link:

Andy Sumner of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK, who testified earlier this year at the International Development Committee’s inquiry on British aid to India, and whose inputs have helped to shape the new “pro-poor” strategy, offered me the following thoughts via email: “For DFID and the NGOs it’s about supporting the poor. For diplomats and the foreign office aid is part of bilateral ties, security and intelligence sharing.

The bolded portion is worrisome, IMO.

UKstan has in the past and continues at present to show worrisome tendencies of providing aid and succor (shelter, propagandu platforms, networking and fund-raising opportunities) to practically every other anti-India secessionist, insurgent, criminal and/or malcontent group in India. From drug-runners to arms-smugglers to murderers to insurrectionistas - no one but no one of consequence with proclaimed damage-India potential has been denied UKstani hospitality. Coincidence, anyone? Innocuous realpolitik?

This DFID piece of crap is not just useless for India's poor but definitively detrimental to not just their material possessions but also their intangibles - rights, rule of law, prosperity and peace. JMTs and all that, of course.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 23 Feb 2011 01:05

Just about SW listeners. I am one and know several people who listen to SW. I am not sure about the 9 million figure though, don't see many people listening to it nowadays for sure. However one thing stands out. 9 million for SW and same kinda figure folks quote for internet in India? Find that a bit weird? I find that Indian stat collection somehow veers more SDRE..conservative, while countries like PRC come out with the top of the line high optimistic range whether in GDP, Mobile usage, Internet etc. I personally know that the study commissioned to predict traffic at NH8, Delhi gave a figure some 2 to 3 times lesser than what really it came about in 2008. They just did not believe that there would be so many vehicles plying the route so soon. Same happened with telecom. GOI planners were predicting 500 million users by 2030 or something somewhere in 2001-2002. It happened around 2008. People are also loath to believe that HH incomes are rising so rapidly as to cause the present inflation, rather they tend to blame the socialist era problems like hoarding etc as root cause. Meanwhile BBC and others provide high optimistic range figures (9 million as an example) to portray reach. While i am all in favor of being conservative in statistical collection of data, it does no good doing so with a mindset that refuses to believe there is progress and SDRE can go much faster than the psychollogically assigned SDRE Hindu rate of growth. JMT/ Figures above might not be exactly accurate, so do correct if incorrect.

Mahendra · Post by **Mahendra** » 23 Feb 2011 01:16

Welcome back Harbansji

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 23 Feb 2011 02:32

Thanks Mahendraji, was/ am in locations where internet access/ mobile networks are unavailable so have to rely only on SW broadcasts for any semblance of news. Sometimes not even the Geostat satellite channels work amongst mountainous regions up up North. So i do rely on Beebs for the West Asia and other news to keep self informed for spells.

jagga · Post by **jagga** » 27 Feb 2011 15:36

UK 'to end direct aid to 16 countries'

The report confirms that direct aid to countries including Iraq and Kosovo will stop, whilst aid to India will be frozen.India is currently one of the biggest recipients of UK development aid, and there have been media campaigns in the UK suggesting an economy growing at nearly 10% a year simply does not need British assistance.But others point out that nearly half a billion people in India are still desperately poor, and efforts to reduce global poverty will not progress without significant aid.

Maram · Post by **Maram** » 27 Feb 2011 23:42

The days of UK playing Mischief are long gone.Remember Margaret Thatcher allowing fund collection for kshmiri separatism and UK allowing radical groups like al Muhajiroun to form to aid and abbett terror are in the past.

Dawood kaamraan is against multiculturism and labour will change its policy pretty soon.

Generally in the west(US/UK/Western Europe republicans/tories/right of centre parties set foreign policy agenda. The democrats/labour and left of centre parties follow it.

Of course, every rule has exceptions and I am aware of it!

David Muliband was the last foreign secretary who was arrogant.From now on, it will be different ball game.

India have significant investments in the UK. Jaguar/Land Rover/Corus/Tetley tea... Billionaires like the Hindujas, Mittal and Lord Swaraj Paul.. Indians are well entrenched in the higher echeleons of the British elite. London will be quiet about SOUTH Asia for a Very Long time...!

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 03 Mar 2011 14:54

^^ Ye sub to theek hai, but UKstan ka Kashmir Khujli abhi tak meeta nahi hai

PTI informs

SOME TALK: First Secretary of British High Commission in India, Victoria L Whitford, with JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik in Srinagar on Wednesday — PTI

See picture on 2nd Page on ET

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/sk ... ult&pub=ET

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 04 Mar 2011 12:26

Fiji: Queen's head to be deleted from currency

http://www.zeenews.com/news691040.html

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 07 Mar 2011 09:14

Letter From London
No Common Wealth in This Olympics
Sudeshna Sen

These days, if you’re a visitor to London, chances are you’ll be greeted by vast amounts of roadworks clogging traffic, innumerable buildings draped in scaffolding. If you think it’s something to do with the recession, it isn’t. Look closer at the signage behind the shrouded landmarks: big chunks of the city are getting a facelift for the Olympics.

Olympics? Isn’t that sometime in the foggy future? By Indian standards, summer 2012 sounds too far away to get excited about. By London standards, we’re in the last lap of flurried activity. Last week, I had a chance to visit the Olympic stadium in East London. The first of the stadiums is finished, and was handed over a few weeks ago — in time and within budget. The Olympic village is almost done — interiors are being worked on — and will go on the market — for after-Games residential buyers sometime this summer. The massive Press centre looks almost complete. The landscaping is done, we’re just waiting for the trees and grass to grow. Most of the other stadiums are almost finished. The new rail link from central London to East London is on schedule for completion. A massive shopping mall just outside the Olympic area looks almost ready. The whimsical structure that will be the Arcelor Mittal Orbit (more on that elsewhere) is climbing into the skies like a giant beanstalk. These days, they’re working on plans for the complex after the Games.

Meanwhile, ticket sales have started — which reminds me, if anyone is planning to attend the Olympics, I suggest you buy your tickets now. There won’t be any later. A massive education and training programme for the hospitality industry — to make sure that London’s hospitality and tourism business, plus new recruits, can wow the expected influx of visitors — is chugging along for some months. Advertising and marketing campaigns have rolled out months ago. Media organisations already have dedicated Olympic desks and reporters, tracking every nail that’s being hammered. There’s a cabinet minister directly responsible, not to mention the Mayor of London.

Everything, but everything, is planned down to the last excruciating detail. Even a countrywide poetry competition — what you might think, does that have to do with an Olympics? Well, the poems will be used to mask and decorate those ugly little electrical junction boxes dotted around the landscape.

Many Brits are confidently sure that there will a disaster or dozen — but then, they like being pessimistic about themselves. I’ve seen these people in action once or twice before — when they pull out all the stops, like they’re doing now, you see glimmers of the now-lost empire building expertise. The rest of the time, nobody — including most Brits — can fathom how this nation ever managed to build and control a global empire. Sure, something will go wrong. But I’m willing to bet that no footbridge, even if half of them are wooden, is going to fall down. (If you ask why they’re wooden, it’s so parts can be dismantled later to reduce the width of bridges to regular everyday sizes.) The feeling I get when I see all this is a bit of envy — ouch. Why can’t we ever imagine something like this in India — we’re as smart as anyone else? And that brings me back to that old debate about working styles: what’s a more efficient way to get things done? Processes or jugaad? Indians, including me, believe in the great Indian wedding theory. Everything will come together from complete chaos at the last minute, so jump headlong into action, and learn on the run. This, we argue leads to creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, yadda yadda.

Planning, processes et al makes things slow. Okay, so I still find it ridiculous that I have to plan my diary three months in advance and book travel arrangements a year before. But there’s a piece of the bigpicture puzzle we tend to miss when we make that argument.

The Indian workplace style is in a constant state of crisis management, we like to say we thrive on it. We are like this only, mainly because we assume a continuous state of crisis and conflict: nothing will happen like it’s supposed to, everyone else will let us down. We don’t plan because we’re always, but always, working in a hostile environment, whether it’s with government, competitors, clients or just in general. What if the hostile environment is taken away? If you have an efficient and supportive government and policy system, reliable suppliers and contractors who will deliver what they’ve said on paper? If you spend enough time planning and preparing, compromise a bit on speed to ensure there isn’t a crisis a day? What if you didn’t constantly have to do jugaad? What you get is, of course, the success story of Indian entrepreneurs overseas. What you also get is the ability to pull off amega-event like an Olympics, which requires hundreds of specialists, policymakers and bureaucrats from every different walk of life cooperating and working together without creating total chaos. The trouble with the great Indian wedding theory is that it’s virtually impossible to scale up in size, and while it may be great for private entrepreneurs in the growth phase, it collapses for any undertaking that needs government participation. Like building national infrastructure or hosting a Commonwealth Games.

The joke is that India grows at night, when the government sleeps. We’re probably the only people in the world who find that remotely funny.

ET, 7 March 2011

Haresh · Post by **Haresh** » 07 Mar 2011 19:29

Our betrayal of the Lockerbie victims returns to haunt us
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/colu ... nt-us.html

Pakistan’s hardliners
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... iners.html

The days of doing deals with Muslim extremists are over
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religio ... -over.html

And the best one is last!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ching.html

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 07 Mar 2011 20:15

^^^ serves them right. the politicians (both labour and tory) cut university funding for the last two decades and wanted 'market forces' to channel private funding towards 'worthy institutions'... naturally that creates the urge to sell your brand and make free dollars. all the universities are doing it, so its a bit rich for the politicians to feign outrage now (whilst happily voting for budgets where massive handouts and benefits go to terminally unemployable (voting) underclasses - including the ever vigilant for a scam paqui ex pat population

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Mar 2011 20:32

First Secretary of British High Commission in India, Victoria L Whitford, with JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik in Srinagar on Wednesday — PTI

A few meetings between the Indian First Secretary in UK and Real IRA leaders will put an end to this nonsense for good...

arun · Post by **arun** » 07 Mar 2011 21:08

X Posted.

The BBC World Service along with Globe Scan and PIPA has released a poll on views about the influence of countries, namely if it is positive or negative.

India has done not too badly:

The ranking of India by the different countries polled, including the UK, is here:

Read it all:

Positive Views of Brazil on the Rise in 2011 BBC Country Rating Poll

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 09 Mar 2011 01:57

British aid is working wonders in India – don't listen to the sceptics

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 10 Mar 2011 11:50

BBC team blinfolded and beaten by Gaddafi forces

A BBC news team was detained and beaten up by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces after being accused of spying, the British broadcaster reported Thursday.

The three men, who were trying to reach the violence-torn western city of Az Zawiya, were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, and subjected to mock executions by members of Libya's army and secret police.

The men were detained Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now left Libya, the report said.

....

The BBC said it "strongly condemns this abusive treatment".

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 11 Mar 2011 06:23

Honoured at last, the Indian heroine of Churchill's spy squad

That is about to change with the launch of a campaign to raise £100,000 to install a bronze bust of her in central London close to her former home. It would be the first memorial in Britain to either a Muslim or an Asian woman.

sum · Post by **sum** » 11 Mar 2011 13:08

Good stuff:

sum · Post by **sum** » 11 Mar 2011 13:09

^^ How do i resize the above image?

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 11 Mar 2011 13:11

Gerard wrote:Honoured at last, the Indian heroine of Churchill's spy squad
That is about to change with the launch of a campaign to raise £100,000 to install a bronze bust of her in central London close to her former home. It would be the first memorial in Britain to either a Muslim or an Asian woman.

there is a plaque next to the incenerators in Dachau internment camp near Munich where she was shot and cremated, commemorating her

recently there have been a number of newspaper articles and tv documentaries about her too

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 13 Mar 2011 09:50

Swapanda says piskological things about UKstan that've already been laid threadbare out on here only (ahead of curve and all that, anybody?)

Post-colonial British angst at Indian disdain for aid

Still, for those late to the parade, a good refresher are there.... some smiley excerpts...

However, if the British media was the definitive guide to India, the most controversial feature of the budget was the allocation of nearly Rs 178 crore to the Human Space Flight and Chandrayan missions — a provision that, at best, secured a footnote in India. Space travel is a “luxury” that India “cannot afford” lamented Stephen Glover in “The Daily Mail” : It “should be spending less on defence and nothing on its space programme, and diverting more funds to the alleviation of poverty” . Poverty will persist, declaimed Gerald Warner in a “Daily Telegraph” blog, “as long as the Indian government indulges in a space programme while millions of its underclass sleep in the streets.” To him, “more reprehensible than the financial cost …is ISRO’s monopolizing of 1,000 scientists who could be engaged on work of more service to humanity.”

Yawn.

At a time when Britain is teetering precariously between recovery and bankruptcy, the Department for International Development has sanctioned £300 million (around Rs 2,190 crore) of its £2.9 billion budget for aid to India. Some 90 countries are to receive British government aid but India is the biggest beneficiary.
{WHAT!?! more than brit progeny-prodigy papistan gets?? Jeehaaaard!}

The outrage is understandable. Why, it is being asked, should the UK underwrite a country whose rulers love playing “space cadets” , a country that boasts 69 dollar billionaires (compared to Britain’s paltry 29), a country with predicted 9% GDP growth and a country that has its own overseas aid programme? Rather than Britannia playing Lady Bountiful, couldn’t the money be better utilized in ‘poverty alleviation’ and employment generation schemes at home? After all, the UK needs the £300 million more than India.

Is aid the euphemism for a gravy train of ‘development consultants’ and sanctimonious NGOs? Or, is British aid making a difference and “saving lives” in the four states where DFID programmes are operational? Will the withdrawal of £300 million of aid prompt the BBC to proclaim in a suitably quaking tone that India is faced with an impending “humanitarian disaster” ?

What could make the task of the visiting delegation either easier or more difficult are two awkward facts. First, the £300 million constitutes less than 1% the state and Union governments’ spend on health and welfare schemes. This makes the emotional claims of aspecial British role in preventing a Darfur in Darbhanga seem contrived, if not self-serving . Second, and this is something Britons burdened with post-colonial angst find unpalatable , India has clearly indicated it will be unmoved if the £300 million of British taxpayers’ money is spent elsewhere. This doesn’t indicate India’s “ingratitude” , as one Times columnist angrily suggested, but it does suggest realism and a rejection of a selfdegrading entitlement culture. There is something else the MPs must consider: the palliative role of aid. Both the proponents and opponents of British aid to India have used the debate to flay an imaginary opponent — the uncaring Indian elite obsessed with glitzy symbols of ‘national pride’ . The disgust may well be aesthetic but it is also laced with profound envy. The gloom and doom of Britain is being juxtaposed with the brashness of Indian resurgence. There is an emerging caricature of Indian fat cats overwhelming Oxford Street and buying up British companies. Aid gives some Britons a handle to look virtuous and feel superior.

Last but not least:

India needn’t react with prickliness but with the indulgence due to outbursts of gapyear insolence. We too must learn to be grown up.

400% agreed. Growing up doesn't mean forgetting the past, though. Truth and reconciliation are called for. In that order. Truth before reconciliation.

Atri · Post by **Atri** » 14 Mar 2011 07:51

Gerard wrote:British aid is working wonders in India – don't listen to the sceptics

From the link.. Who names children as Desire? Is this translated from "Kaamaa"? Is the aid influenced by religion?

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 14 Mar 2011 15:37

I doubt it's a translation. On the other hand, Lucky is not an uncommon name, so who knows maybe "Desire" has caught on as well.

As for aid being influenced by religion, I wouldn't doubt it much - although we can be equally certain that it will not be in any way overt, especially if the NGOs are not officially "Christian charities". This is a very vague area... Much greater light needs to be shed on it.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 14 Mar 2011 17:38

desire (or day-see-ray in french) is a common girls name in france
its normal meaning is one who is loved (typically by god)
however, it loses something in translation

Atri · Post by **Atri** » 14 Mar 2011 17:53

This link talks about a child desire from a lower income family in tonk, rajasthan who was vaccinated due to UQ aid package.. I was wondering whether are getting common in (relatively remote) places like Tonk amongst yindus OR whether this is a poor family which converted to Christianity for material benefits.. The theological context of this name (I did not know about its meaning, was thinking more in terms of SDRE kaama) makes it more suspicious..

The British government had promised non interference in Indian religions in 1857.. Just remembered that promise..

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 14 Mar 2011 20:43

Atri - the desire story was not linked to any specific NGO (unlike Lucky) - also, no mention is made of her religion. If it is Save the Children - they are a well recognised international aid organisation, and AFAIK are not religious, like say - Christian Aid. That said, it is possible that many practising Christians would be members and/or volunteers, and some of that may overtly or covertly enter the picture. (Yes I know, intel agencies regularly infiltrate aid organisations, but I am afraid I dont see as many Conspiracy Theories as other forumites). Atleast on the surface, GoB does not direct major aid agencies to further foreign policy - unlike say US Aid or Peacecorps. it may surprise many here, but a lot of westerners genuinely want to give aid and help people in other countries, without necessarily having a political motivation. (I'm not saying it doesnt happen - just that its not the first thing on the list)

whether India needs aid or not, the fact is that there is still a lot of poverty and distress amongst India's poor. And that is a large percentage of the population. There are plenty of Indian NGO's who can provide aid, but it takes a few Premjis and Tatas to fund them. I want the Ambanis and others to step up to the crease and give. In fact, I want Mukeshbhai to personally give a cheque for the same amount as British aid to GOI and say, no need thank you. Its pocket change for him.

i would prefer that GOI and State Governments actually get their act together and provide basic healthcare, education and government services to the population instead of scam-bazi and rajniti. this is where countries like Taiwan and S. Korea overtook us in the late 50's and early 60's - and are now reaping the benefits.

i want India to develop so that aid no longer become necesary

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 14 Mar 2011 20:57

To repeat something mentioned a year ago, we see these repeated references to the space programme, as if it is a huge consumer of funds, without putting something back into the Indian economy. At least, this is the implication( which we know to be false).

Are there any British articles moaning about India's luxury imports from the UK or other countries? Couldn't that money that the very well-to-do in India spend on fancy cars, wines, clothes, jewelry, watches etc be used far more productively and humanely?

Of course, it's really not the business of the British what the Indian rich do either. But lamenting unnecessary luxury goods imports, while also critiquing the expenditure on the space programme, would display at least some integrity and balance.

Haresh · Post by **Haresh** » 15 Mar 2011 02:11

Pakistani Aid to the UK, Europe and the USA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/weeki ... .html?_r=1

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 15 Mar 2011 04:20

Queen Victoria and Abdul: Diaries reveal secrets

The diaries have been used by London-based author Shrabani Basu to update her book Victoria and Abdul - which tells the story of the queen's close relationship with a tall and handsome Indian Muslim called Abdul Karim.
The diaries add weight to suggestions that the queen was arguably far closer to Mr Karim than she was to John Brown - the Scottish servant who befriended her after the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861.

Ms Basu hints that it is unlikely that the pair were ever lovers - although they did set tongues wagging by spending a quiet night alone in the same highland cottage where earlier she and John Brown used to stay.

Such was the level of ill-feeling he generated that barely a few hours after the queen's funeral, her son Edward VII unceremoniously sacked Abdul Karim.
In addition, he ordered that all records of their relationship - kept at Mr Karim's homes in India and the UK - should be destroyed.

But remarkable detective work by Ms Basu in India and Pakistan unearthed Mr Karim's diaries - kept by surviving family members since his death in 1909 - which detail his 10 years in London between Queen Victoria's golden and diamond jubilees.
The diaries and other correspondence were taken back to India by Mr Karim and his nephew, Abdul Rashid, after their dismissal and were in turn sneaked out of India to Pakistan 40 years later when his family migrated during the violence at the time of partition.
A surviving family member in India read about Ms Basu's book in a local newspaper and told her that the diaries were being kept by another branch of the family in Karachi, which she duly tracked down.
"I was fortunate enough to have unearthed a truly remarkable love story," Ms Basu reflected.
Shrabani Basu's updated book, Victoria and Abdul, is published by the History Press.

SDRE revealing it all despite all odds. surely royals will be squirming in their seats.

(not too sure I seem to read this article somewhere likely BRF onlee in the past

)

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 15 Mar 2011 04:56

^^^Could it just be the child's name is Kaamna or Kamini and that in turn has been translated into desire for the article?

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 15 Mar 2011 18:38

Hari-ji
much as i hate to admit it

, i think i agree with you

scenario
translator: this is the family, this child is kamini
reporter: oh, lovely child, lovely name, what does it mean?
tr: oh... something like desire
rep: aww... cho chweet (writes desire in diary)

a few months later in londonistan
rep: what was that girls name again... hmm... ah yes... desire... that was it...

anishns · Post by **anishns** » 16 Mar 2011 16:43

Ab aayega mazaa

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12749912

London 2012 countdown clock stops in Trafalgar Square

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 16 Mar 2011 16:49

not to worry, the british newspapers are expecting massive errors to plague the olympics
its part of the british psyche of 'muddling through amidst ineptitude and failures'

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 17 Mar 2011 09:31

ET 14 March 11

Letter From London

Aamchi Mumbai to Blighted Blighty
Sudeshna Sen

It’s technically almost spring. Or that’s what we’d like to think it is, with occasional flashes of blue skies and daffodils. These days, everyone I know is engaged in our bi-annual second-guess-theweather game. The rule is, the day you decide to dryclean your winter gear, vacuum-seal them with mothballs and put them away, the thermometer will immediately plunge below zero. So yes, it’s a kind of gamble about when to take that crucial decision.

Me, I’m too lazy to do anything about it yet. But when I was chatting with a friend the other day, I suddenly realised I’m localising — participating in local urban superstitions. I even claim I can smell spring in the air. Ouch.

And then, last week, I was with a group of mixed international journalists, and found myself actually defending, of all things, the weather and even the completely dysfunctional tube — especially in front of those continental Europeans. Spring or no, I’m going to go into a severe depression. If I really start localising — what am I going to be snarky about? If I can’t laugh myself silly over the antics of the Brits, from a suitably distant vantage, all I’m left with is shades of grey skies. Even more ouch. Before I got hysterical, I did a complete self-diagnostic, and made lists. Do I obsess about the weather? Check. Have I carved my political affiliations in stone? I’m getting there. The first time I had to vote in this country, I went along for fun, and randomly ticked boxes. Now, I actually know who the candidates are, what their parties stand for, and even have a view. I can even make British food edible (yes, I know that sounds impossible, but it can be done, really). Did I go trooping off to see The King’s Speech the week it released, way before anyone except the Brits thought it was worth a dekko? Check. Do I get intensely irritated every time I’m in India and people just ditch at the last minute on everything? Check. I have to admit to heaving a sigh of relief when Cameron & Co decided to back off from their plans to sell off vast swathes of forest land to private owners.

There’s hope for me though. I still refuse to watch EastEnders — there’s just this much one can do in pursuit of cultural research — even though I can’t avoid knowing what happened on The X Factor, Dancing on Ice, Doctor Who, or to Charlie Sheen. I still go ballistic when some hapless European mistakenly classifies me with British Asians, and treat them to a lecture on the history of migration, the empire, the difference between Indians and East Africans of Indian origin, and other south Asian countries until they glaze over.

I still find the Royal family intensely entertaining, and even more so the public’s relationship with them. In the past week, there’s been reams of space devoted to intense debate about whether Prince Andrew should be stripped of his role as trade envoy. Why? Because a one-time pal of the prince has just been embroiled in a particularly salacious sex scandal, a la Silvio Berlusconi.

I find it deliciously bizarre that at a time when there’s a disaster a minute around the world, cabinet ministers, prime ministers, the media et al worry about something to utterly trivial. Why, if, as most Britons I meet insist, all this Royalty stuff is over-rated, does it matter what an ageing Prince Andrew does or doesn’t? They’re almost more worried about him than about the fact that half of the top brass at London School of Economics — including the likes of Meghnad Desai — have been discredited for taking pots of donations from Libya, and passing junior Gaddafi’s allegedly plagiarised PhD thesis.

Talking of Libya, about the funniest thing to come out of that tragedy in making is the whole SAS-Mi6 fiasco. First, the recap: the UK government decided to make ‘contact’ with the rebel faction, and sent in a crack secret service team to Libya. The Libyan rebels caught them, sternly read ’em the rule book about showing up in a helicopter with the usual supplement of spy stuff like fake passports and hidden weapons, gave them some breakfast, and escorted them back to the next ship leaving for Britain. Everyone’s laughing their heads off, but there’s also some dented national pride indignation. Me, I just rolled on the floor in glee undiluted with even a hint of chagrin.

Meanwhile, fearing an identity crisis, I made a few frantic calls to friends, inbound, outbound, bin there, done that. It seems that globetrotting Indians, the kind who move from place to place, have the same kind of problems. We spend the first six months completely bewildered. Then we start to cope — either we set up informal or formal Little India networks, and keep the alien stuff outside where it belongs, or we try and integrate. For people like me, who study the local culture with a microscope, it’s an occupational hazard that some of the stuff seeps into your blood. I asked some others too.

Europeans, for whatever reason, don’t seem to have that problem when they spend a few years in Asia — sure, they pick up local habits, but don’t feel like they’re being assimilated. Continental Europeans do, when they live for some years in London, even the French. Brits say they get that double vision feeling when they spend time in America.

Australians, you can fling anywhere in the world, they still come up smiling on a surfboard. Most of us, as a survival technique, pick up the knack of leading double or triple lives. I’m sick to death of all those immigrant-angst novels. I think it’s high time someone wrote about people like us, who have to constantly walk the tightrope between multiple and different cultures.

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 20 Mar 2011 13:52

The concept of voluntarism includes social transformation. The mediatory roles can certainly be played by the volunteers without loosing professional colloborations and cooperation. The big society can operate only when certain legal systems need to be made more pragmatic rather than protective and income oriented. For example caring the children is a good business. Many parents spend a lot of money in providing care for their children. But the grandparents can look after se the grandchildren with a small support directly or indirectly. But the rules for caring children are very strict and to qualify one has to get many certificates and qualifications, the grands do not want to complicate these things. Yet many look after their grandchildren and thus reduce the burder of the grands. But this is seen as exploitation of grandparents sometimes.

In this example the volunteerism of the grands could help the working parents to get space for themseles and for their jobs. While the working parents support the grands with their own additional income so that their lives are good. There is a mutual understanding and approach. It should not be forced by anyside nor mutuality in terms of help should not be broken.

Similary the volunteerism does not mean people do everything free of cost. We make investment in people that would provide support to the needed people within the society in a way the system is not too strict not it is too loose. All the jobless folks can be given a particular voluntary work for which they can be trained. They can be paid for to meet their minimum life expenses. Their taxes can be reduced.

David Cameron uses Big Society as a smokescreen for post office closures

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... z1H7zuSkWY

Bevendean Local Action Team Wins Prime Minister’s Big Society Award
http://www.heralddeparis.com/bevendean- ... ard/126737

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 23 Mar 2011 16:36

The petrol prices are artificially raised by the rumours in the share markets.

I think there is a need to make the competition open here for petrol prices. For example if some companies wanted to keep the prices low they should be allowed to do so.

The petrol companies are trying to maximise their profit in ten or 100 fold. This is very unfair.

I think it is essential the international oil companies should bring down the prices or they can be nationalised in order to protect the economy. IF US and UK jointly work along with oil companies and keep this threat of nationalising if they do not reduce or maintain the prices then there is a chance of keeping the prices.

Petrol companies use libya and other events for raise of price, but this is not the exact reasons.

Then tax ofcourse is huge which needs to be rethought.

As the budget today in UK is read it is essential for UK to be careful not to fall into another recession because of the rise of prices.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 23 Mar 2011 16:41

producer oil prices ex refinery are about 25-30% of retail prices. retail margins are not large. the bulk of the price per litre goes to the treasury as tax. oil companies operate an oligopoly and whilst price fixing is not allowed, a tacit agreement on it i think is there - worldwide. retail margins are more driven by the shops and other services on the forecourt. oil companies also have to do something i dont understand well called replacement value accounting for their oil reserves/assets - which perhaps gurus can explain - but i think also hurts them if the oil price is high. the real value in the oil industry is in Exploration and Production

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 23 Mar 2011 18:25

We should not advise people how to deal with other people based on our own experiences (or what we read). People are different. And we should treat them as they are, not how we think they are before we meet them.

I have had good experiences with 'east-African-Indian now settled in UK' people while I was in the UK.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Mar 2011 21:03

There was an expert on Bloomberg radio saying that in cities other than London which has tourists, the main street shops are empty with hardly any traffic. He worries about the looming disaster.

And the collapse of Portugal govt and the resultant debt will have its aftershocks on London banks.