All articles written by Lord McConnell on PoliticsHome.com

27 Sep Education

We need greater focus on quality as well as quantity of children’s care home places

As a schoolteacher in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, back at the start of my career, I was determined to set high standards in my classroom.

20 Nov 2023 Foreign affairs

Lords Diary: Lord McConnell

Lord McConnell is surprised to find positive inspiration in the face of impossible conditions in Turkana County following a devastating three-year drought

21 Feb 2022 Foreign affairs

Lords Diary: Lord McConnell

Long distance travel could have created some fear and apprehension after all the restrictions of the past two years. My visit to Uganda, involving two long flights in either direction, instead generates adrenaline.

29 Jan 2020 Defence

After Brexit, the UK can lead the world by example

The climate emergency, global poverty, terrorism and people trafficking cannot be tackled unless we invest in defence, diplomacy and development. All three must work together in the 21st Century, writes Lord McConnell

11 Jun 2019 Foreign affairs

Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) deserve our help and support

On a fact finding trip to Iraq, Jack McConnell encounters both destruction and hope as people slowly rebuild their lives after fleeing the horrors of Daesh

12 Mar 2018 Foreign affairs

Lords Diary: Jack McConnell

From inspirational workshops to projects clearly making a difference, Jack McConnell imbibes the spirit of change in The Gambia’s new political climate

Lord McConnell: Keeping children safe in emergencies

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03 Nov 2015 Foreign affairs

Lord McConnell: Keeping children safe in emergencies

Labour peer Lord McConnell says while the world debates over the best response to humanitarian emergencies, someone needs to have responsibility for child protection and that response has to be immediate.

16 Jul 2015 Foreign affairs

We must improve our application of the Responsibility to Protect

Labour peer, Lord McConnell examines the UK's application of the Responsibility to Protect,noting that while interventions have saved lives, those interventions have seen mixed outcomes in the years that follow.

10 Mar 2015 Foreign affairs

Ending extreme poverty is within our grasp

Labour peer and former Scottish First Minister writes about the 0.7% international aid commitment and his recent trip to the Philippines with VSO