What Parts Of Foreign Aid Should We Cut?

[anotheoldgit]

There was a good response to an earlier thread "Which Benefits Would You Cut"?

Perhaps before we make any cuts at home we should first consider making cuts to our foreign aid?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3138436/The-bizarre-foreign-aid-schemes-given-British-taxpayers-cash-include-Ethiopian-game-anti-litter-drive-Jordan-finding-mates-tropical-fish.html

[Svejk]

The £500+million paid to western 'consultants' ?

[Broseph]

But if we cut off foreign aid then how will we stake our claim to their various oil/precious metal/arms and wouldn't we be then also cutting off our rights to have military bases in these countries whenever we fancy a war?

[Svejk]

http://www.just1world.org/development-aid.htm

[ToraToraTora]

all of it, charity begins at home we should not be giving money to foriegn interests, end of.

[Broseph]

I apologise oldbobasusual as you obviously have a loose understanding of sarcasm.

[Booldawg]

I think foreign aid money should be set aside in a pot and dished out to support countries in time of natural disaster (eg when Nepal had the earthquake) rather than dishing it out to countries that can well afford to sort their own problems out (eg India)

[Broseph]

But Nepal has nothing to offer us whereas India has a perfectly based from a military point of view country which we can use for military bases plus they can pay it back.

[anotheoldgit]

Broseph

/// and wouldn't we be then also cutting off our rights to have military bases in these countries whenever we fancy a war? ///

Excuse me but don't these foreign countries almost demand that our country intervenes in their own domestic wars?

[Broseph]

/Excuse me but don't these foreign countries almost demand that our country intervenes in their own domestic wars?/

Clever psychological warfare. How easy would it be for me to start a scrap between two guys then offer the smallest one who's being beaten up a baseball bat that I have for sale?

[Broseph]

Or tell him I need to use his garden to check out the "Enemy?"

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2947400/Lunar-cy-India-gets-cash-British-aid-send-250million-rocket-moon.html

[hc4361]

The amount of foreign aid we give is part of the G7 agreement and the target is 0.7% of GDP which I think we have just reached.
As I said on the other thread, it is not entirely altruistic. A lot of the money we give comes back in contracts for supplies and specialist work; it gives the UK certain diplomatic rights and negotiations; it encourages trade with emerging nations.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/greenpolitics/developingworld/11463658/Spending-more-on-foreign-aid-makes-Britain-richer-safer-and-morally-better.html

http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/365022/foreign-aid-is-vital-to-ukand39s-spending.thtml

[anotheoldgit]

hc4361

/// The amount of foreign aid we give is part of the G7 agreement and the target is 0.7% of GDP which I think we have just reached. ///

2014 figures;

The UK 0.71%

Germany 0.41%

France 0.36%

[Broseph]

Have you organised or been part of a protest regarding the aid and their building of rocket "In our faces?" They say a mans voice is louder on the street then from their armchair.

[hc4361]

Five countries met the UN target in 2013:

Norway 1.07%
Sweden 1.02%
Luxembourg 1.0%
Denmark 0.85%
UK 0.72%

As I said, 0.7% is the TARGET and UN and G7 have pledged to achieve this.

[beso]

I have worked in a foreign aid project.

The basic idea is that you pay people from your own country to better the lives of people in the aided country.

It actually stimulates your own economy more then it does the aided country although the effect on the foreign economy is usually more visible.

[Vicasso]

From the DM article..

'Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond today pledged to review his department's spending after controversial new examples of how his department spent its £343million aid budget emerged.'

Am I seeing this too simplistically or incorrectly? We have a substantial budget deficit which we close by borrowing at an agreed interest rate. We then give £343 million away for free !