So Now We Must Legally Give Aid To Foriegn Contries??

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31809075
What is going on in this country? Natiol debt off te scale nd we giving dosh to foriegners! YCMIU!

[ToraToraTora]

Bleedin keyboard!

[Hopkirk]

Believe it or not there are people worse off than you.

[anotheoldgit]

No surprise there then, especially from a government who are prepared to spend more on a high speed train than on the defence of this country.

Something else to take into consideration TTT, some of today's foreigners are tomorrow's fellow countrymen, so we have to look after them until we can look after them here.

[anotheoldgit]

Hopkirk

/// Believe it or not there are people worse off than you. ///

Especially in this country, so shouldn't that be our leaders priority?

[andy-hughes]

TTT - the amount of money spent on foreign aid is 0.07% of GDP, and it usually comes back in terms of imports and expertise from the countries we help, and if not, as Hopkirk says, the clue is in the word ' 'aid' - it's not a bad thing to help out people on the world who have nothing.

[sandyRoe]

I agree 100% with that ^

[retrocop]

Does that mean that this country has to beggar itself to bring it down to the level of those countries worse off. It is highly suspected by the US that this country will fall below the 2% defence budget by 2015 and will be handing out 7% of the overseas budget. At this rate the Indian Army,Navy and Airforce will be better equipped than our own and that is just defence. What about all the NHS requirements which are lacking in this country??

[Retrochic]

When this country is brought to its knees by the E.U then perhaps these upwardly mobile countries such as Botswana (+12 .1%) or the Congo
( +12.3%) will come to our aid -maybe they can have a red nose day for us

[ToraToraTora]

Andy it's 10 times that 0.7%. Anyway why does it exist at all? India has nukes and space program F/F/S why are we giving them money?

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

/// TTT - the amount of money spent on foreign aid is 0.07% of GDP, and it usually comes back in terms of imports and expertise from the countries we help, and if not, as Hopkirk says, the clue is in the word ' 'aid' - it's not a bad thing to help out people on the world who have nothing. ///

Yes all very caring, but the problem is how much of that money actually ends up making a better life for those who need it?

Here are a couple of interesting articles on the subject.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9121361/why-aid-fails/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002319/UK-aid-cash-helped-African-dictator-buy-30m-jet.html

[anotheoldgit]

Retrochic

I don't know about red nose day, it is little wonder wee don't have red noses all the year round, since we are always having our 'noses rubbed in it'.

[Peter Pedant]

O god you are so outraged that your fingers are hitting the wrong keys

( so if you were a pianist, the Moonlight sonata would sound a bit like John Cage - is there a recording ?)

I imagine your screen is covered in spittle

[Peter Pedant]

Retrochic _ I think he means um brown noses

Not a metaphor I would use talking to a laydee !

[Svejk]

This 0.7% makes it sound nothing. It's 1billion pounds a month that we borrow(from our grandchildren? We have no prospect of paying back) to give away. It's also more than any other country in the world gives.
Foreign Aid; A scheme for transferring money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

[ToraToraTora]

well it's good to see the anti British are enjoying this eh PP.

[Peter Pedant]

Nothing anti-British about giving aid, 3T

it is a Christian duty - o mi god - it is a duty under islam as well ( horrors! )

[Retrochic]

with reference to the EU I think brown nose day would be extremely appropriate

[New Judge]

“Believe it or not there are people worse off than you.”

That’s perfectly true, Hopkirk. There are plenty of people less well off than me and plenty more considerably better off. But’s that’s no justification to shift money in either direction – especially when that money has to be borrowed. Further, as AOG has quickly pointed out, there are many less well off (through no fault of their own) in this country and they should take priority if there’s spare cash sloshing about.

Essentially the UK government is borrowing money to give to foreigners (very often with little or no examination of where it ends up). We are constantly being told that our children and grandchildren are being burdened with debt to sustain the comforts of wealthy older people. Well here’s a way that borrowed sum can be reduced without older people here (wealthy or otherwise) being affected.

All governments feel good about giving away other people’s money. This one has enshrined it in law that 0.7% goes to foreigners. And politicians wonder why UKIP gains such strong support.

[ludwig]

Look it's only fair that people on benefits in this country tighten their belts a bit in order to help fund India's space program. We shouldn't be so selfish.

[youngmafbog]

It is a ridiculous state of affairs.

Vote them out come May.