Overseas aid
 

I know this topic has been discussed before but it’s worth reminding ourselves just how well off we are, or more pertinently, how the lives of others are so hard.

This woman worked for a pittance to feed her family and sold her hair to put food on the table and to pay her debts.

How can we not help those like her when it is within the power of our hand to do so?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-51207983

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So we should finance having an unsustainable number of children and failed pipe dreams and debts?

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Have a heart nomadking. It would be morally wrong not to help when we can.

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Still doesn't change the little things called facts, which are they had more kids than they could support even before getting into debt, and they got into debt chasing a pipe dream.


What is the current Indian spending on their space programme?


How many more Indian(and all the others in the world) kids should the UK expected to support by borrowing?

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Our biggest debt appears to be in compassion.

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You still haven't answered the question of how many hundreds of millions should we be expected to support, especially when they themselves don't care.

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Generally aid is meant to provided infrastructure to help communities build up rather than just supporting every single person. I.E Water pumps, schools, hospitals and whatever. That's when it's not being used as a tool of foreign policy in which case it's more a case of providing them 'aid' rather any actual aid.

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How would any of that help your quoted example?:rolleyes: No connection whatsoever. Did she have 3 kids, get into debt, and have to sell her hair because of a lack of a water pump?



They usually have all the money they need.

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It doesn't have any connection to the article, which itself isn't about foreign aid either. I don't really think that article is a good example of what and who foreign aid is meant to target anyway.

I was just stating what foreign aid is used for though.

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:tu:

---------- Post added at 08:41 ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 ----------

:tu:

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The Indian state spends it's money on guns planes tanks and bombs,they also have an active space program,i don't think it unreasonable to expect them to look after the well-being of their own citizens without handouts from other nations.
Yes i feel for these people but India is more than capable of sorting out it's priorities.

we see adverts on tv showing people all over the world with no access to clean water,yet they have access to millions of AK 47s and belts / magazines full of bullets.

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India is increasingly falling down the recipients of British foreign aid and the little that remains is given to NGOs operating within India. Again the attached story really isn't a good case study for what foreign aid aims to do.

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Foreign aid is often a 'soft power' tool to remind the recipients who their friends are. Youcan guarantee that every item delivered is festooned with UK flags...

In the case of India, there was a huge vested interest in having a nation that was growing hugely and is armed with nuclear weapons to be on 'our' side and aid is just one tool to do this. The big worry is India looking to the north east to China. An India/China alliance would be something to behold..

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Our tax money, and that of other rich countries, is being used to grease the wheels on commerce and industry around the globe. Some gain income through employment due to this, but the majority of the profit goes to the bosses.

Some areas are seeing a collapse in their farming industries, and free donations of food undercut local farmers who either give up, or fall in line with, for example, EU demands for production of out-of-season crops for EU consumption.

And in many countries there is no Social Security, so families are large so that income for hard times and support of the sick and aged is possible but not guaranteed. Very hard times are predicted for many areas of the globe due to famine and drought, so mass migration or death will occur. The migration scenario has already started, with many homing-in on the richer areas of the world for support and shelter. But we can't feed and house them all, no matter how dire their circumstances are.

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Please feel free to cite a good example :).

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There isn't one. You are however free to send as much as you want to wherever you want.

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And you prefer that as a Country we should stop helping those in need?

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Please cite where I said that.

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Have you considered volunteering to work at a local food bank or charity shop if you want to help people.

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It was a question.

I’m helping you papa :D.

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Then in answer I would say what more do you expect us to do as a Country that you consider we are not doing?

Can you please list all the countries and causes that this Country does not currently support and which ones we do should have funding withdrawn to support your choices?

Do you think we should increase the billions already spent in support?

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Good questions for us all to think about.

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Well back when the Ebola crisis was happening in Africa we spent money helping to combat it with medicine and medical workers as well as better screening. As I said other than emergency spending the typical examples are setting up schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure to support self-sustaining communities rather than addressing any specific person's needs as the example you posted world be. You can't help every single person at an individual level but you can help larger groups of people help themselves.

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The cited example was illustrative: a tangible, human story to remind of the hardship we seldom experience. The thread title is prompted by the current opinion to review our aid.

Sorry, imperfect but meant as a conversation starter.

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Where does the current opinion to review our aid come from? So far you have not linked to anything which advocates it.

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I thought Boris ordered a review sometime last month? I don’t think it was intended to reduce the amount but to re-evaluate its distribution but who knows where a review might lead?

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You thought, you think. Forgive me if I just ignore it.

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...id-budget.html https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/n...-too-7zdph0t6n Hope this helps...

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Goodness me, there is no need for such posturing, this isn’t the brexit thread. I tried to politely inform you of the info mentioned in Hugh’s links.

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Not posturing at all Hugh has posted solid links not his thoughts. I'm sorry if pointing out that thoughts are not facts upsets you.

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So now we all know a review is being undertaken, who objects to our providing aid to people in need of our help?

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I believe in looking after our own people first.

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We sponsor children through Compassion. This is a Christian organisation and overtly so. We have had 2 children pulled from the programme by their parents, one (a Ugandan boy) I had developed a bit of a relationship with.

You can give to other charities and groups and these are often better at focusing money to where it's needed. Governments and official giving works at a different level and like all government work has lots of red tape and wastage but can still do vital work often at a bigger level. Both are needed, the big projects over a large area and focussed, even individual, level.

We are so wealthy in this country. At one time if you owned a microwave you would be in the top 10% of world's wealthiest.

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If you can’t help them all, don’t help any of them?

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And that’s what a lot of the aid does - as if you couldn’t work that out...

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It’s true that economics, logistics and politics are not top of the list in my wayward thinking Seph. But my feelings are.

It feels right to help doesn’t it?

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Perhaps so..