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Originally Posted by Damien
Well when we stop continuing to exploit other countries for their oil or cheap labour might be a start. My reason for bringing those up is not that they should be the reasons for our aid but that we cannot pretend that to cut Foreign aid is a moral obligation. The moral obligation would be to stop benefiting from exploiting workforces around the world, from oppressive regimes whose oil helps our economy, and to recognise that we're in a very privileged position to be born where we were. We should also note that part of our wealth and heritage has come from our past conquests of other nations. So when we try to pretend that cutting all help to other countries is moral, well, it's kind of hard to say it with a straight face.
People keeping say we have problems at home and we do, and most of our tax income is indeed spent on these problems. A previous poster mentioned of the horror of seeing news stories of vulnerable people dying of cold or hunger in this country. The reason that is a news story is because it's shocking to us, it isn't a common event, and it means the systems to do actually have to place to help failed. When a child dies in Africa because of easily treatable illnesses, hunger, a lack of water and so on it isn't news. It happens every single day and it happens hundreds of times each day.
We should help them because 1) we can 2) it's a small amount of money that would save thousands of lives 3) because the only difference between us and them is where we were born.
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I still think that charity begins at home. I am also disinclined to pay more tax to support the worlds 'poor' since a lot of it goes to countries that either don't actually need it or countries that are poor because of corruption in their government systems.
Whilst one deserving person in the UK suffers because there isn't enough government money for their needs then I am against most (probably not all) foreign aid.