So here it is in black and white; the coalition has promised to meet the UN target of 0.7% of GDP for overseas aid by 2013…
…for the United Kingdom that means £12billion per year!
It is a target that the United States, Germany and Japan fail to meet.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19709321
So should we be spending this money in aid every year?
Look at the fuss that was made over the one-off cost of £9billion for staging the London 2012 Olympics. The UK is ‘struggling’ to justify the £7billion cost of the new Aircraft-Carriers and Aircraft for the Royal Navy. And the Nimrod MRA4 project was scrapped to ‘save’ £1billion over ten years (and this after nearly £4billion had already been spent on developing the aircraft)!
These projects combined cost less than what the UK is proposing to spend in aid every two years!
By: Matt-100 - 25th September 2012 at 18:08
I have no issue with foreign aid, provided the countries we ‘donate’ to ultimately do more trade with us…
That just isn’t happening.
The UK has long been the second largest foreign aid donor to India after the US… Yet (according to a recent Top Gear episode) Belgium does more trade with India than the UK does!
Then there’s this… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9061844/India-tells-Britain-We-dont-want-your-aid.html
I wouldn’t call myself a racist, but if that’s the attitude of India – may I reply “We don’t want your immigrants” ? 😛
By: Dr Strangelove - 25th September 2012 at 13:39
I must admit that ‘General’ does seem to have turned into the Provisional Wing of the Daily Mail of late
You make that sound like a bad thing, Moggy 
Nothing like our favourite comic to boost morale 😉
By: Jonesy - 25th September 2012 at 13:26
Isnt much of the foreign aid budget a thinly veiled sweetner to encourage trade from places like India and Brazil?.
“See we help your poor out, arent we nice people, now how many shiny new frigates/fighters/tanks can we put you down for again?”
That being the case I’m fine with it. I’ll go back to beating my drum about the Social Security budget if I want savings to be made anywhere. Last figures I saw were about £10bn in unclaimed direct benefits and about half as much on top from unclaimed tax credits.
£15Bn in WASTAGE annually from the Social Security budget….money that is allocated and fenced off but not used….more than the entire foreign aid budget….just from the crumbs from the Welfare table. I know where I want the savings to happen and it wouldnt involve cutting the legs out from under some poor bast@rd, out in the back of beyond, who is getting a break from his misery and is appreciative of whatever genuine good is coming from the bit of help being pushed his way.
By: Moggy C - 25th September 2012 at 13:09
I must admit that ‘General’ does seem to have turned into the Provisional Wing of the Daily Mail of late
Moggy
By: Bob - 25th September 2012 at 11:53
NO……..
By: Derekf - 25th September 2012 at 10:09
There must be a very good reason for maintaining the overseas aid budget. I would have thought that Gideon would have slashed it as has everything else so why has he left this alone?
Whether it keeps potential enemies on our side I don’t know but I’m sure it isn’t just maintained to irritate Daily Mail readers (though personally that would be a good enough reason for me).
By: Lincoln 7 - 25th September 2012 at 09:13
C.D.
Warren,at the end of the day, it’s only money.Easy come, easy go.and it’s only
OUR MONEY:rolleyes: Guess we will be issued with Ration Books again soon;)
Jim.
Lincoln .7
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September 25, 2012 at 8:50 am