Thalidomide victims arrived in the Commons public gallery today and heard the Government ‘sincerely apologise’ for what had happened to them. Some of the victims said this was all they’d ever wanted. That’s very noble of them – and insane.
Why should somebody who has spent half a century struggling with horrible fallout (from criminal negligence and pharmco mendacity beyond imagining) want an apology?
I’m pleased they don’t want a pound of ice-cold flesh: there are too many grabbing claimants helping build the lawyer mountain as it is. But an apology? From this shower? I’d be insulted if they had the insensitive nerve to offer one.

According to Peter Watt, Gordon Brown feels very easily (and regularly) insulted. It’s also very easy to make the Monocular One gravely sympathetic. Gordo gives grave better than a JCB in a cemetery. No gravity possibility is allowed to meander past without being clutched by the eagerly wringing hands of the only man who has ever bothered to say he found Mugabe’s police-thug murderers ‘completely unacceptable’. I myself find budgie-murdering paedophile gay-bashers completely unacceptable, but lack the time to mention it very much.
Not so Brown. The Haitian tragedy has given him an unmatched opportunity to bleed all over the place….while not missing the chance to boast that little old Blighty has given as much as the whole UN in humanitarian aid.
How generous Gordon the Grave is with our money. I do not doubt that we’d all like to help in these situations, but few of us see why his Government should take the credit. And as of earlier today, many folks must be asking why we’ve given so much.
I’m going to lose friends about this, but bear with me.
On BBCNews when I switched it on this morning was a clearly (and understandably) upset Haitian man yelling at a cameraman. Less understandable was his allegation that the world wasn’t doing enough to help Haiti.
Later in the day – as a further protest about the parsimony of the world – angry Haitians threw a barricade of corpses across the road leading to the rescue scene. This was neither the way to make friends and influence people, nor was it likely to ease the passage of rescue vehicles. To be blunt,it was an act of uncivilised and brutal stupidity.

Such attitudes and behaviour throw a garish spotlight on the beliefs of poor countries: that everything is the West’s fault, and there are infinite depths to the well of sympathy and assistance to which they should feel entitled. I have worked with professional Third World aid agencies and charities several times: and I can tell you that aggressively demanding money on prime-time television will adversely affect donations. All over London tonight, Charity directors will be tearing their hair out about today’s events. One can hardly blame them.

The western media themselves collude in this potty idea that the responsibility for aid lies with us. Of course we must not ignore the humanitarian task we face. Of course we cannot walk by on the opposite side. But we have no moral responsibility to Haiti at all. The country is dirt-poor because of a series of iniquitous and murderous regimes over many decades – the lack of facilities there now is the direct result of Papa Doc, his son, and corruption at every level of government since the 1950s.
This is probably not the time to be saying this, but if not now, when? Ultimately, independent Third World countries must accept that their destiny lies with them, not us: the statute of limitations on Bwana-bashing ended at least a decade ago. From here on – with economic conditions turning very nasty indeed – they will be called upon more and more to put their own houses in order.

Thursday 10.00 am update…UN aid agencies say problem NOT lying with helpers but with aid ‘disappearing’ at the airport. Also UN aid warehouse has been looted.