Good thinking

Andrew Mitchell, the Shadow International Development minister, is reported to be considering the policy of giving "vouchers" for aid and education directly to the poorest people in the world, to be redeemed with any aid organisation or educational institution.

There are already suggestions of disapproval from some aid organisations at this proposal to give freedom of choice to recipients of aid. This is to be expected, as it is in some way competition with them and a possible yardstick against which they may be compared. (In the early days some of them spent a large proportion of money raised on palatial headquarters and high salaries, and even now some of their senior staff enjoy high salaries.)

I see a number of benefits of the proposal.

It may be expected to benefit poor people, rather than finishing up in a numbered bank account of one of the country's politicians. It will be focussed on deepest need, and we hope with identification to prevent the richer or stronger misappropriating the voucher.

It will give choice and self-esteem to the recipients, who are customers rather than being like a queue of supplicants like farm animals at feeding time.

A decent education will pay an enormous benefit in the long run, helping to life all countries out of poverty and dependence.