Cuts to the foreign aid budget.

That’s a great post Foxie and bravo to your niece for her work.
Such a contrast to some of the knee jerk stuff about migrants having designer trainers

young male economic migrants who see the UK as a soft touch

Funny how these chaps who are allegedly fleeing a war zone all have the latest designer trainers and i-phones.

I emailed Andrew Mitchell to thank him and received a lovely reply today.

Most of the general population have no idea where the aid goes and what it is spent on, so some will naturally assume the money should be used here, surely the BBC should have programmes showing people where it goes and Foxie's niece and others should be going round giving talks to U3A's etc. This is what happened with B...x..t some of the population had no understanding of the how the EU worked. If only the BBC could get back to educating and informing.

Correct me if I’m wrong but the 0.7% is 0.7% of GDP (?) which has gone down anyway because of the pandemic. So there was no reason to reduce it as it’s self regulating. I’m also wondering if the announcement regarding foreign aid is to cover up something else that’s happening that I’ve overlooked. Or to do with the upcoming bi election? Theresa May was very good today. I knew she was angry!

Maybe if the economies of these countries was stronger there wouldn’t be economic migrants, keeping them in poverty doesn’t really help stem the flow of migrants does it?

It has not been often, over the years, that I have found myself in agreement with John Major and Theresa May, but on this issue I am.

What sort of people are to the right of these two former Tory PM's?

I find it alarming just how far to the right this government and their cheerleaders in the gutter press have moved.

Lemongrove I wish you could have a cup of tea and a chat with my niece. she's worked for several charities over the past 25 years or so and been based all over the world. eg She's worked in Darfur and Liberia, places ravaged by civil war where it's the ordinary people who are struggling to survive. She'd tell you about the lengths they go to to ensure that money goes where it's supposed to go, when it's necessary to pay a bribe to get something important done even though she'd prefer not to and I think she'd also tell you about the difference some help from foreign governments can make to the lives of the ordinary people. She's lived in some pretty dreadful conditions but they are never as bad as the locals. I sometimes think it's impossible for those of us with lives in the UK to imagine the poverty and deprivation that so many live in. Refusing help on the basis that some of the money goes into the wrong pockets is like beating a person who has been robbed instead of trying to catch the thief!

Didn’t it point out in the debate that some of the money does go to projects in this country and if it is cut local authorities will have to make cuts elsewhere to fund it? I had a disaster in the kitchen and ended up missing some of the speeches.

lemongrove

Kent Council could do with a big slice of foreign aid money to look after all the migrants, they are overwhelmed at the moment.

They could do with the rest of the country doing their share.

lemongrove

theworriedwell

lemongrove

It’s a very important question worried ( even if you don’t seem to like it.)
Foreign aid has kept things afloat in many countries and there are loads of worth while projects ‘on the ground’ but there is a big question mark hanging over misuse of funds where the top brass build themselves another mansion and order more Rolls Royces. Nothing seems to improve for most of the people.

You don't seem to like my questions as you have ignored them, so would you look a victim in the eye and say what you have said?

One of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard was from a young nurse who worked for MSF, she talked about real people she had helped in various disasters.

That’s just silly worried ( which is why I didn’t bother answering.)
Look a victim in the eye? I am asking the question of all the leaders and governments of the countries involved not the people.
If a country has not improved the lives of the people in 60 years or more then it’s a waste giving them money.Only those On the ground projects should be funded generously.
Countries who give massive amounts of aid should be able to see improvements.As it is, it seems to be a black hole that cash vanishes into.

As I thought.

Foreign Aid takes 0.7 of the national budget, any cut will have an insignificant effect on the national Debt, so why bother? It should be left as it is.

Very little of the money goes direct to freign government, it is usually tied to specific projects and monitored.

Of course someof it goes astray. Money goes astray in the UK as well; wasteful projects corruption in local and national governement.

On birth control, in the majority of countries in the world the birthrate is around replacement level already. It is those at the other end of life that are the cause of increasing world population.

Us oldies are living far longer than we used to do and with a standard number of births coming on, population will continue to grow until growth in life expectancy stabilises.

Kent Council could do with a big slice of foreign aid money to look after all the migrants, they are overwhelmed at the moment.

theworriedwell

lemongrove

It’s a very important question worried ( even if you don’t seem to like it.)
Foreign aid has kept things afloat in many countries and there are loads of worth while projects ‘on the ground’ but there is a big question mark hanging over misuse of funds where the top brass build themselves another mansion and order more Rolls Royces. Nothing seems to improve for most of the people.

You don't seem to like my questions as you have ignored them, so would you look a victim in the eye and say what you have said?

One of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard was from a young nurse who worked for MSF, she talked about real people she had helped in various disasters.

That’s just silly worried ( which is why I didn’t bother answering.)
Look a victim in the eye? I am asking the question of all the leaders and governments of the countries involved not the people.
If a country has not improved the lives of the people in 60 years or more then it’s a waste giving them money.Only those On the ground projects should be funded generously.
Countries who give massive amounts of aid should be able to see improvements.As it is, it seems to be a black hole that cash vanishes into.

Some stirring speeches in the debate, pointing out that we made a promise, that we are the only country cutting aid which was promised. Teresa May pointed out that our international standing will be damaged and spoke most movingly about the damage to the work on modern slavery, which will affect children .Perhaps the debate would make people think. I would hope so . By the way it was pointed out that the people of this country have real compassion and are not in favour of these cuts .

JenniferEccles

It is indeed puzzling isn’t it lemongrove ?
We must have all wondered what has happened to all those hundreds of billions poured into these allegedly poor countries over the decades, and that’s just from our country, let alone the help from other nations.

Hundreds of billions of pounds. Think about it. Where has it gone?

You can argue all you like but it is a fact that huge amounts have gone to corrupt leaders, and this is what gets people’s backs up.

If we were convinced that every penny was being spent wisely then there wouldn’t be as much controversy over the foreign aid budget.

By the way I don’t accept that by sending more aid to these countries would reduce the numbers crossing the Channel as those are in the main young male economic migrants who see the UK as a soft touch.

Try telling Kent Social Services they are all young male economic migrants as they seem to think that quite a few are unaccompanied children.

lemongrove

It’s a very important question worried ( even if you don’t seem to like it.)
Foreign aid has kept things afloat in many countries and there are loads of worth while projects ‘on the ground’ but there is a big question mark hanging over misuse of funds where the top brass build themselves another mansion and order more Rolls Royces. Nothing seems to improve for most of the people.

You don't seem to like my questions as you have ignored them, so would you look a victim in the eye and say what you have said?

One of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard was from a young nurse who worked for MSF, she talked about real people she had helped in various disasters.

It is indeed puzzling isn’t it lemongrove ?
We must have all wondered what has happened to all those hundreds of billions poured into these allegedly poor countries over the decades, and that’s just from our country, let alone the help from other nations.

Hundreds of billions of pounds. Think about it. Where has it gone?

You can argue all you like but it is a fact that huge amounts have gone to corrupt leaders, and this is what gets people’s backs up.

If we were convinced that every penny was being spent wisely then there wouldn’t be as much controversy over the foreign aid budget.

By the way I don’t accept that by sending more aid to these countries would reduce the numbers crossing the Channel as those are in the main young male economic migrants who see the UK as a soft touch.

Sarnia

Like you, I am undecided about it. I am not sure the money will be spent on critical issues in our country, social care for one, then neither am I convinced the money always reaches those in countries who desperately need it. I think they could radically overhaul the foreign aid budget and only help those countries where the money is being put to good use.

Am quoting Sarnia as it’s a good and reasonable comment.

It’s a very important question worried ( even if you don’t seem to like it.)
Foreign aid has kept things afloat in many countries and there are loads of worth while projects ‘on the ground’ but there is a big question mark hanging over misuse of funds where the top brass build themselves another mansion and order more Rolls Royces. Nothing seems to improve for most of the people.

Many of the NHS workers studied in these countries before coming to the UK to work for higher salaries. These countries are very low on medical personnel. Instead of robbing these countries of their medical staff maybe they could be enticed to stay if the UK subsidized their wages. Therefore it would not only be helping medically but also stimulating the local economy

lemongrove

You have to ask the question: as aid has been pouring into many countries, especially in Africa for such a long time, and charities such as Oxfam have also poured money into them for 60 years.....why are women and children still getting dirty water and carrying it in pots?Why are schools no better than they were in many areas? Why why why etc.
Discount wars and famines from the why questioning of course, and examine what the governments of countries are doing for their own people?Does all the aid they receive allow them to sit back and do nothing?

Would you ask that of a child who is dying of dehydration or malnutrition? Would you ask it of a woman dying in labour?

I think if you wouldn't look them in the eye and ask then it isn't really an appropriate question.

My niece works for a charity that has lost a lot of funding from the UK govt and is having to cut or close down successful projects in some of the poorest parts of the world. One of the strands of the work they do is to provide medicines which treat neglected tropical diseases using locally trained people it is this sort of service which would be perfect for providing covid vaccinations but it looks unlikely to survive if they are unable to find new funding. She said she thought it was a bit short sighted! I think I agree.

You have to ask the question: as aid has been pouring into many countries, especially in Africa for such a long time, and charities such as Oxfam have also poured money into them for 60 years.....why are women and children still getting dirty water and carrying it in pots?Why are schools no better than they were in many areas? Why why why etc.
Discount wars and famines from the why questioning of course, and examine what the governments of countries are doing for their own people?Does all the aid they receive allow them to sit back and do nothing?

Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) just said in parliament that it is a vote winner in red wall seats….