Well – in my speech on international development to party conference in September, I briefly touched on the question of using solar power from Africa’s deserts:

Let’s us be both ambitious and optimistic, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. An area of great poverty and so often little progress. It is an area of huge potential for solar power. We have seen what wealth the oil era has brought many formerly poor areas of the world. Let’s aim for the era of green energy to spread those benefits more widely – and support the development of green energy.

At the moment, the sun beats down on these areas, and nearly all of the sun’s rays go to waste electricity-generation wise. Yet they hold a huge potential as a source of electricity to those countries and neighbours. It could be a case of win-win-win.

First, really large scale solar electricity production is not just renewable – no fears about the sun running out any time soon! – but brings benefits in the battle against global warming and the climate chaos that follows.

Second, just as the oil boom brought prosperity to millions in newly oil producing countries, a similar boom in green electricity production could bring prosperity to large parts of Africa, a continent so often blighted by poverty.

Third, bringing greater prosperity to parts of Africa and the Middle East will help undercut some of the forces driving armed conflict there. Reducing armed conflict, cutting the number of deaths and injuries, having fewer people flee their homes, cutting the number of refuges seeking refuge in grimy refugee camps or unwelcoming other countries: it’s all very much to be welcomed.

The possibility of securing this triple win is in the news at the moment thanks to the Desertec proposal recently presented to the European Parliament. It would see solar power stations being built in or near the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Power cables could then transport the electricity under the sea into electricity hungry Europe.

Current estimates are that this power would cost double electricity from other sources. At that price differential – there’s a problem, but given how technology can march on and drive down prices over time, I’m quite cheered by it ‘only’ being double at the moment.

You can find more details on the particular Desertec proposal on their website. Lots of food for thought – and optimism! – there.

Also in sobering local news this week was the estimate that up to 50 people will die of fuel poverty this winter in Hornsey and Wood Green – another good reminder, if one were needed, of the need to publicise the Warm Front Scheme to people who could benefit from it. In the scheme’s own words:

If you need help paying for heating and insulation improvements in your privately owned or rented home, you, your partner or civil partner may be able to get money from the government’s Warm Front grants scheme if, for example, you’re receiving income or disability-related benefits.

On a happier note, this week I visited Royal Mail staff in Hornsey to thank them for their efforts with the Christmas post, whilst in international news – the news about new funding for the World Bank reinforces the point that changes in policy are needed too.

Let me say that I would like to be the first to buck that trend. I cannot wait for the day when we give absolutely nothing to developing countries in aid; after all, that will be the day when we finally achieve the development goals we have set ourselves over the last fifty years.

The British government has, for decades now, been pumping resources into international development, with little tangible effect. So what has gone wrong?

For the answer, read my latest article – for Public Service Review – over on my website!

So here’s the story in black and white. Two pieces of jargon first: “Official development assistance” is what people normally think of as the UK’s overseas aid budget, whilst Gross National Income is a measure of the country’s total wealth.

And on to the evidence.

Exhibit A, from the Treasury’s own website: the 2004 Spending Review which stated: “Total UK official development assistance (ODA) … will have risen from 0.26 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) in 1997 to 0.47 per cent in 2007-08.”

Exhibit B, also from the Treasury’s own website: the 2007 Pre-Budget Report which boasted of: “an increase in overseas aid as a share of national income from 0.37 per cent in 2007-08 to 0.56 per cent in 2010-11.”

So, having promised in 2004 that aid levels would be at 0.47% in 2007-8, they’ve now cut that figure to 0.37% – which is equal to around £1 billion.

As it was an international development debate in Parliament today, I raised the issue of this missing £1 billion which would have gone to help the poorest in the world.

And what did Douglas Alexander have to say? Well, nothing much. He just dodged the issue of spending levels here in 2007-8.

Not impressed! If you’re going to cut a billion like that Mr Alexander – at least have the guts to admit it and defend it in public rather than dodging around and talking about other spending levels in other years.

Brian Brink of Anglo American, who is a doctor whose energy and commitment to tackling AIDS seemed limitless and who had pioneered their program over years, had been with us throughout the tour. Today was to see the actual work going on – on site.

Not going detail by detail – but to capture the picture – the landscape as we approached the mining area was stark beyond belief – punctuated by the machinery of mining, sticking up and dominating the horizon with little oases where head offices, hospital facilities or clinics occasionally were to be found.

I confess I thought it a god-forsaken place to live – and the truth is that it is a pretty harsh life out there for the miners in a hard industry. But what struck me most throughout the day was that the workforce and their well-being was at the heart of this business – not in a touchy feely sort of way – but because decent treatment meant a healthy work force and a healthy work force meant productivity.

As we arrived at the first Head Office – we were greeted by John Standish White – and what a character he was. He put me in mind of a commanding officer – fair but firm, loved by his men and unafraid of tackling whatever issues came forth. In the room were all representatives from the three unions, the medical staff and the key managers. Briefed as to the prevalence of AIDS and the programs Anglo-American (AA) had put in place – we set off to see it all for ourselves.

The first group we met were ‘peer educators’ – a group of women (all volunteers) whose role it was to go amongst the workforce explaining what AIDS was and HIV – and that coming for voluntary testing and counselling was good because now (as opposed to only a few years ago) there was treatment – the anti-retrovirals – that meant you could live with AIDS.

We went onto to see the skills training area where women were being taught how to sew, embroider etc and were making gorgeous tableware. Next door there was restaurant / cook training. Those learning were generally the family of the miners. With relatively little possible employment in the area – skills training is vital. Likewise we met trainee metal workers and visited a youth centre.

All the while we are on Anglo American territory and all of these schemes are Anglo American programs. And we visited a clinic where the workers go for voluntary testing and counselling. We meet Peter – one of the very, very few miners who have ‘disclosed’ their HIV positive status and who are invaluable in trying to encourage and educate others to come forward. The stigma is still severe and fidelity not a local strong point.

At Kleinkopje colliery they are (now) having remarkably high numbers come forward in most of the departments – with the hardcore miners remaining the most difficult nut to crack in terms of persuading them to get testing. But the new incidence rate is still too high – albeit the trend is downwards. And ultimately to beat the disease they want to see no new infections.

We were then put into protective clothing to visit one of the open cast mines. We heard the blasting loud and clear before we leave the office block – and we bumped along a road constructed solely to reach the mines. What is particularly interesting in this stark, empty terrain of deep pits where coal has been mined is that there now is in place a program of refilling the mines and putting the earth back to how it was before it was mined. The scars of extraction removed and the landscape reinstated.

At the pit itself, we posed for photos with the excavating digger behind us. Massive piece of machinery with a cradle which could hold a London bus. I asked John about Anglo American’s views on moving into renewables etc – and it would seem that they are already planning in that direction. As I would hope.

Anyway – I want to get onto the last stop of the day – which was to Anglo American’s piece de resistance. Their hospital – brand spanking new and for all their employees. We had a presentation from Dr Pienar who runs the hospital – but the main event was to meet the local community.

We were told that it is possible that some members of the community may ‘disclose’ their status during this meeting. We entered the room where around I guess eighty or so people were seated – some are miners, their families, health workers from the hospital and so on. We sat – and there was another presentation about the work Anglo American are doing with AIDS and HIV – and then they ask a young guy, one of the health team, to come to the front and they announced that this brave young guy is willing to stand there, publicly and say he is HIV positive. And he did – and then asked if anyone else in the room who is HIV positive wants to come down and join him and disclose their status.

There was no movement at first. And then a guy in the front row stood up and moved towards the front – and then another and another and another. A whole torrent of people come down and faced the room. All HIV positive. All ‘disclosing’ for the very first time. This had never happened before.

Dr Brink said that this was the day they had waited for for many years. And then each of those who had come forward told their story. I was weeping. It was the most extraordinary occasion. And I would like to think that whilst there were many reasons and good things that came out of us three MPs visiting South Africa – this ‘event’ had partly happened because just by us being there we provided a catalyst for the occasion.

It was so moving. They were so brave. And I guess that from this will grow a support group for people living with AIDS and HIV for the first time.

It was quite something!

We need to recognise that one of the big problems with effective foreign aid is that the most effective development projects are the small scale and local – like solar cookers.

But these small scale projects don’t scale up well to making a difference to a whole population, to a whole country or to a whole region.

So what is to be done?

Answers in the full speech on my website.