Foreign Aid petition

Re 13

Yes, the Aussies have got somethings right. They do not as yet have an uncontrolled mass invasion.

And if they put that money into helping those people in their own countries rather than paying criminals to screw those people over again…do you think that might help?

Joined up thinking, Johnny boy, is not your forte…

Rii As some one who has an ex Australian immigration friend it is not whitefellas that get an easy ride any more than the Asians who turn up with no skills and a pack of lies about coming for a holiday.This is in response to a discussion prompted by an Australian Programme called “Nothing to Declare”
It would also be nice if you knock off derogatory remarks. I assume you are not white and would not like to be called a brown fella or Abbo
As for John Green I agree with him and just wish the UK did the same!

So you don’t agree that if these people were white then they wouldn’t be turned away? As with Trump’s proposal for a southern border wall, it is all about being the wrong sort of refugee. Like nearly every other country in the first world there is a need for an increase in the working population (or a big decrease in the retired, pensioner classes) and you aren’t going to get that increase in the immediate sort term the traditional way.

And can you see John employing British chavs to wait hand and foot on him, day in, day out, rather than ex Hungarian brain surgeons or former Somali commodities brokers?

Yes, of course you would, most of us wouldn’t expect anything else.

I was brought up in the belief that charity begins at home. You obviously don’t subscribe to that notion. It might be that people who believe as you do are in charge of our international aid payments which is perhaps why parents of young children over 12 months of age have to demonstrate on the streets and petition the Govt. to make available the medicine that successfully deals with the meningitus bacterium and which is denied them on cost grounds.

Almost daily, your newspaper and mine, brings drug shortages to the public notice. What do NICE comment ? It’s too expensive; it means just a short extension to the patients lifespan. In the meantime we generously shovel much baksheesh into the back pockets of sundry despots around the world who then trot off to the nearest Mercedes dealership.

Yes, of course you’d sign a counter petition we’d expect nothing less from you. You’ve got your priorities in the right order.

Permit me to re-arrange your quote: “The UK’s aid commitment means we can be proud to be a country that meets its responsibilities to first its own citizens, prioritises their needs and then ensures that overseas aid goes to those most in need”.

John I agree entirely with what you say, Charity begins at home, not in places like India which has t’s own Space Program..
Jim.
Lincoln .7.

It would also be nice if you knock off derogatory remarks. I assume you are not white and would not like to be called a brown fella or Abbo

(a) I am white (or “Anglo-Germanic Australian” to be precise).
(b) “Blackfella” and “whitefella” are not generally considered to be derogatory terms, although intent matters. Given the context, i.e. the “uncontrolled mass invasion” of the Australian continent by people of mostly English descent, I think my use of the term was singularly appropriate in referring to the perspective of the continent’s then sole inhabitants.

Rii As some one who has an ex Australian immigration friend it is not whitefellas that get an easy ride any more than the Asians who turn up with no skills and a pack of lies about coming for a holiday.This is in response to a discussion prompted by an Australian Programme called “Nothing to Declare”
It would also be nice if you knock off derogatory remarks. I assume you are not white and would not like to be called a brown fella or Abbo
As for John Green I agree with him and just wish the UK did the same!

Yes, the Aussies have got somethings right. They do not as yet have an uncontrolled mass invasion.

Besides the whitefellas, you mean?

So, for example, John you’d support the current funding priorities that see cosmetic breast augmentation or well-being seminars for ‘mal-adjusted’ teenagers being provided on the NHS over the expensive drugs for these children?. You think that we should just keep pouring more and more funds into the never-ending welfare black hole?.

As for the madrassa’s lads end up in them when there is no alternative for them or when families are pressured to sending their lads for indoctrination. The alternates are schools, proper educational institutions, that teach a curriculum that doesnt help to create another generation of jihadi’s. Try and come up with some generalisation about Islam all you like, all it does is show your lack of experience and education. Without those key things how can you have an opinion thats worth anything?. Bottom line is that its money well spent.

Re 13

Yes, the Aussies have got somethings right. They do not as yet have an uncontrolled mass invasion.

Re 12

!How much is enough”

When we properly take care of our needy and deprived – like providing expensive drugs for a minority of, at danger children.

Re 10

It is apparent, from many reports, that we appear to be unable to service many of the social needs of our people. I gave a current example – there are many more.

Let me ask you and Trekkie; do you believe and accept that charity should begin at home ?

“radical madrassa’s”. What kind of naive thinking is responsible for thinking that any kind of Western sponsored propaganda can possibly influence an ideology with the grip of Islam ? Providing alternatives ? What do you mean ? More effective weaponry for starters !

But then, this is a country so bereft of anything resembling a moral sensibility that it pays people smugglers to turn their ships around and go back to Indonesia, so you have to calibrate your expectations accordingly.

And in the process potentially save hundreds if not thousands of lives.

How many thousands of Syrian refugees are now dead or in slavery after Germanys unilateral invite to Syrian migrants to come to Europe?

It is important to consider the bigger picture. And while I abhor some of the things our Tory Government has done, funding the camps in the region was exactly the right thing to do.

The UK does allocate an unusually high proportion of its GNI to foreign aid, being amongst a mere handful of nations (the others are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) to meet the target for advanced nations of 0.7% of GNI allocated to Official Development Assistance (a UN classification).

By way of contrast, Australia’s ODA as percentage of GNI recently hit an all-time low of around 0.2%. But then, this is a country so bereft of anything resembling a moral sensibility that it pays people smugglers to turn their ships around and go back to Indonesia, so you have to calibrate your expectations accordingly.

Paul

“If you can’t afford to breed. don’t.”

Not being funny mate but you do know some of the aid we send would be to educate out exactly that message and to provide help with birth control to areas that wouldn’t have either. Traditional wisdom in many areas, as it once was here, was that if you have lots of kids then some will survive to look after you in your dotage. That has to be trained out and involves a bit more than a quick leaflet campaign.

As to looking after our own….not sure you can say that we arent when 35-40% of all govt spending is on social welfare. How much is enough??

When and if we have enough money to look after our own give some to the underdeveloped world not before. Let Bono and his scruffy mate pull on our heart strings! If you can’t afford to breed. don’t. No I am not a supporter of UKIP but believe in the UK first.

So, at the risk of beginning another marathon, you agree with Trekkie that we should disregard our own deprived in favour of corrupt elites in third world countries. The ONS just a week ago, confirmed that no one knows where our foreign aid money goes except that it doesn’t end up where intended.

Do let us have the benefit of your wisdom in reply to my last para. at 3#

Is that aimed at me John?.

Do you not get the term ‘sweetner’ as in £200mn out and £2bn back?. You were the one that brought up space programs etc. I take it you are not referring to somewhere like Bangladesh with comments about capital intensive schemes??. I take it you have enough sense to see the value in providing alternatives to radical madrassa’s in Pakistan for young lads over there?.

I take it you know what we spend on the Social Security budget and that the UNCLAIMED benefits pot in this country is approaching £15bn in benefits and tax credits annually and that we fund the NHS to a tune in excess of £110bn. Are you seriously, honestly, saying that the, by comparison, tiny sum that goes out is significant?.

….”Don’t let your own prejudices..”

Excellent advice – act on it !

So, at the risk of beginning another marathon, you agree with Trekkie that we should disregard our own deprived in favour of corrupt elites in third world countries.

There you go again,putting your own words into my mouth.

That’s not what I think at all. As I am sure you realise.

Don’t let your own prejudices overcome your common sense.

So, at the risk of beginning another marathon, you agree with Trekkie that we should disregard our own deprived in favour of corrupt elites in third world countries. The ONS just a week ago, confirmed that no one knows where our foreign aid money goes except that it doesn’t end up where intended.

Do let us have the benefit of your wisdom in reply to my last para. at 3#

And John wouldn’t differentiate with a petition raised by the Daily Mirror, or even the Morning Star, oh no.

For those who care enough, there is a parliamentary petition available which seeks to specify that only those in genuine need should receive some of Britain’s 14 billion GBP foreign aid largesse. It should not go to countries that appear to have a surplus of disposable income as to maintain their own space programs and other capital intensive schemes.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125692

Wow is this old hobby horse still going?. Those ukippers really dont let go of a good scare story do they?.

The money here is generally well spent….money to Pakistan to help move young lads out of the more reactionary madrassa’s…clearly a good investment for the future being one good example. As for India, and this to you John especially, the BBC link shows what our aid there is about:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34787765

….the state aid (note not the private NGO assistance) is a sweetner to try to ensure more of that Indian money comes into the UK…nigh on £2bn a year of investment is worth chucking in a bit of money to help out with the odd humanitarian aid project here and there. Philanthropic?. Not for a second…and at India’s request its being wound up you’ll be happy to hear.

Bleating that its money leaving the country when the investment coming back in dwarves it is just crass ignorance and stupidity though.

India let Tata pay for what it gets out of the sale (or destruction) of British Steel.