I'm Always Stumped When It Comes To Post Titles

The idea of parenting academies (social workers are trained in parenting skills) and parenting classes (£30 a week incentive for teenage parents to attend parenting classes) proposed by Tony Blair as part of his respect agenda seems pretty crazy.

Gordon Brown wrote yesterday that efforts made last year to Make Poverty History were only "the start of something -not the end".

"A century ago people talked of "What we could do to Africa". Last century, it was "What can we do for Africa?". Now, in 2006, we must ask what the developing world, empowered, can do for itself."

David Cameron's succesful accession as Conservative top gun has brought with it some threat to Mr Brown's potential taking-over of Downing Street.

Besides his recent respect campaign, Mr Blair has also been working on a whole lot of reforms: self-governing of state schools, more privatisation in the health sector, a better pension scheme (possibly) and more nuclear generators (possibly). It's been said that he's doing all this to ensure he leaves a legacy when he steps down as PM. Mr Brown, on the other hand, has been a real crusader for the Make Poverty History campaign.

It's also been said that Mr Cameron seem's a likelier candidate for the PM's seat than his rival the Chancellor. This dude is a total publicity whore.

He openly whacks Blair in Prime Minister's Questions (In December, he told Tony Blair, "You were the future once."); he makes a highly publicised new year's resolution to quit smoking;he openly whacks Brown in a Times interview; and he gets Bob Geldof on the Tory bandwagon to help out with their poverty agenda (Mr Geldof apparently did not get along with ex-Tory leader, Margaret Thatcher due to disagreements over BandAid).

Cameron vs Blair? I don't know enough about UK politics to be able to decide.

Cameron vs Brown? ditto.

Brown vs Geldof? A bunch of entertainers gyrating on stage one summer's day is not going to help Africa much. Sure, you're creating awareness about Africa. But everyone knows that the region is poverty striken already. It's like you're singing a bunch of songs stating the obvious.

In terms of long term aid, Brown definitely wins hands down. Africa does not need more money and in terms of debt relief, I hardly think that is the priority. What is needed, or rather not needed is corruption. African governments are by far the most corrupt bunch of states in the world and dictatorships abound in that region. It's one thing to give them money, but if its going to finance more guns instead of butter, why bother?