I want to see an end to foreign aid!

[crookedspire 10]

I think aid should only be given if their is a natural disaster or people caught up in a warzone. Aid does not necessarily mean money it could be medical supplies or water and food I have no problem with this has aid should be about helping people. Aid should not be given if the country is not in crisis or to buy firearms.

[Jeffrey Shaw 93]

Yes. It's absurd that, courtesy of William Hague, the UK has to give 0.7% of GDP whether the recipients need it or not. And much of it never reaches them- instead, it's creamed off by 'charity' professionals or African kleptocrats or both.

 

An idea: stop forcing taxpayers to contribute that money, leave it in our pockets, and let US decide to whom we want to give it.

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

I want to see an end to sending billions of £'s overseas. Maybe we could stop sending money to those countries who blatantly do not need it, and send equipment instead to those who really need it. Tractors, ploughs, agricultural equipment. Irrigation tackle, specialised machinery to dig wells for clean water, all the kinds of things the really needy require to live. Sending brass and bags of clothes and grub will not solve the starvation problems in the long run.

 

Angel1.

[Mossway 15]

Re Foreign Aid - especially Africa.

Reluctantly, I've come to the view that apart from sending unlimited quantities of free condoms, we should consider giving quite reasonable amounts of money to people of child bearing age who agree to be sterilised, both male and female. Agree there are a few ethical questions to be answered, but Africa, particularly, is a basket case and it appears to me that the one thing that can be achieved , without assistance, is for the the women to get pregnant, time and time again!

[ez8004 10]

Re Foreign Aid - especially Africa.

Reluctantly, I've come to the view that apart from sending unlimited quantities of free condoms, we should consider giving quite reasonable amounts of money to people of child bearing age who agree to be sterilised, both male and female. Agree there are a few ethical questions to be answered, but Africa, particularly, is a basket case and it appears to me that the one thing that can be achieved , without assistance, is for the the women to get pregnant, time and time again!

 

You and your family derserve sterilisation so we can stop your genes from infecting the rest of society.

 

The rise in population numbers in Africa is a natural progression of development for the countries involved. Do you even know what the global average birth rate is? We are NOT sitting on a huge population bomb waiting to go off. We have already reached the so called Peak Child. This is where the population of children in the world will not rise any further which is around 2bn. The rise in overall population numbers is primarily due to an aging population.

[Puggie 10]

Foreign aid is nothing more than a political instrument.

 

It's our slush fund which we pay developing countries in order to buy influence and access.

[Anna B 1,417]

Foreign aid is nothing more than a political instrument.

 

It's our slush fund which we pay developing countries in order to buy influence and access.

 

Probably true. There's a lot going on that we are not privy to.

 

However, we should be able to bring pressure to bear on the (often very rich) Leaders of these countries to do the right thing by their people and set up the necessary infrastructure and systems that can help people thrive.

 

It is ridiculous that in the 21st century people still have to walk miles just for water.

[Lockdoctor 10]

I support the amount the Government give in foreign aid, but agree there is a problem with corruption. We all should be grateful we live in a wealthy country compared to many.

 

Given the choice, I think most poor people in the United Kingdom wouldn't swap places with poor people living in India.

[sgtkate 10]

I've lost count of the times I have listened to Brexiteers state that we should look after our own instead of sending aid oversees. Well, remarkable as it may seem, I happen to to agree on both points. However, unlike the tories, who have no intentions of looking after our own (they are dedicated to looking after their own - their families and their friends), I believe absolutely that the British government should legislate in the interests of all its citizens.

 

And foreign aid? No. Poor countries lose three times as much due to tax shelters than they receive in foreign aid. Dismantle the web of secrecy jurisdictions and reduce global poverty at a stroke without a sending a single penny of foreign aid!

 

Initially I was riled by your post, but then re-reading it I understand the point you are making.

 

I would much rather we invested in programmes that we keep control of rather than simply sending money which is easy to divert away into corruption. If we opened schools for children, helped run hospitals, supported more doctors, nurses and teachers doing training abroad for example I think we'd see considerably more benefit to these countries than just sending money over. It would also have a benefit to us as well, the teachers, doctors, nurses and so on would have an huge opportunity to learn how things.

 

We do have to be careful not to push things in our own way. We have to work within the culture and framework of the countries we are trying to assist to let them develop in their own way and not as a mini-Britain. We did that with the colonies and whilst there was good done, there was a lot of harm as well.

 

I think Puggie is right, that how we do foreign aid is simply to buy influence and to keep people happy that we are doing *something* even if it's doing absolutely bugger all for the people that really need it.

[Jeffrey Shaw 93]

However, we should be able to bring pressure to bear on the (often very rich) Leaders of these countries to do the right thing by their people and set up the necessary infrastructure and systems that can help people thrive.

 

It is ridiculous that in the 21st century people still have to walk miles just for water.

Yes- but how do you envisage such pressure being brought to bear?

[NigelFargate 10]

There is an old saying that foreign aid is about poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries. This of course is an exaggeration, but it is certainly true that the elites in many poorer countries have proved to be very adept in syphoning off aid to their private bank accounts.

[Mossway 15]

[quote

It is ridiculous that in the 21st century people still have to walk miles just for water.

 

The West (mainly) has has given so much money to sub saharan Africa since 1945 to provide almost every single village to have its own fresh water supply.

Problem is, the money is trousered when it arrives and the women (almost never the blokes) end up still having to walk miles to get fresh water.

 

Until the culture changes, this, sadly, will continue.

 

As I've said earlier, Africa is a basket case.

I've been many,many times, it's a wonderful place but the corruption has to be seen to be believed !