Talking with Dinosaurs

This article, published by The Telegraph, mentions Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Stephen Meyer:

Despite the best efforts of Dr Steven Meyer, an American scientist who was the lone voice arguing for "intelligent design", the BBC trio tried to present it as no more than a cause for religious nutters, an "upgrade" of creationism. Sir David Attenborough clearly had not the slightest idea of what the "intelligent design" thesis is about.

Where Has £18M of British Aid to Ghana Gone?

On July 20, just before Parliament rose, Austin Mitchell, the MP for Grimsby, unfolded a chilling tale in Westminster Hall, heard by only three other MPs, one of whom was in the chair. It concerned his old friend Howard Horsley, who won a sterling reputation during his 14 years running the toughest comprehensive school in Grimsby. In 1999, looking for a new challenge, Mr Horsley was sent to Ghana to take charge of the biggest educational aid programme ever run by the Department for International Development (DFID).

When Mr Horsley arrived in June 1999, he was soon made aware that all was not well with this project. Both Ghanaian officials and senior staff of other international agencies, such as the World Bank, warned him of their concern at how DFID's money was being spent. Financial controls seemed so lax as to be nonexistent. As Mr Mitchell tactfully phrased it, this "could give rise to corruption in purchasing, for instance, Land Rovers and computers", although the evidence went rather further.

Mr Horsley reported to London in some detail, asking for a disciplinary investigation. He was confident that his frankness in communicating his concerns would be protected by the new Public Interest Disclosure Act, hailed as "the whistleblower's charter".

A particular problem for Ghana at this time was the financial losses the country had suffered when Gordon Brown sold off a hefty chunk of Britain's gold reserves to buy euros. This had resulted in a steep drop in the gold price, inflicting serious damage on the Ghanaian economy. In September 1999, Mr Horsley was told at a meeting with senior officials of the Ghanaian government and the British High Commission that the UK Government had handed over £18 million in compensation, and that this would be spent on education.

Before Mr Horsley saw the money, he contracted typhoid from his travels round the country and was flown back to Britain. After his recovery, in December 1999 he planned to return to Ghana, calling in first at DFID for what he assumed to be a routine briefing. Four officials greeted him with the news that he had been sacked, for reasons they refused to disclose. 

He could only assume they were connected with the allegations he had made against a senior DFID colleague. He told them he intended to appeal. He was given permission to return to Ghana to collect evidence, and was assured that his files would be "protected".

This was on a Thursday. When he arrived in Accra on Saturday, he found all the locks in his office had been changed. When he finally gained access to his office, he discovered that all the contents of his computer had been wiped, on the instructions of DFID in London, the day after his meeting.