Is It Any Wonder That Britain Is Short Of Cash?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2303696/We-spend-aid-Germany-population-20million-theirs.html

Why is it that we continue to increase our overseas aid while most other countries are reducing theirs?

/// Douglas Carswell, Tory MP for Clacton, said: ‘We keep being told that we need austerity and yet we can find money to pay for overseas aid. It makes no sense. ///

/// ‘I despair when I think of the way politicians hand over billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to subsidise foreign governments, but cut back on local services. ///

/// ‘This country has not had a budget surplus in 30 of the last 36 years. What makes us think we can afford this?’ ///

[sir.prize]

sp1814 - despite your many-worded explanation . . .

British aid for Pakistan will soar from £267m now to £446m in 2014/15 while 70% of the country's own politicians pay NO tax.

Is that a joke?

[emmie]

Ed, nor do i, and have no idea how this is going to work. I do worry that those who have worked, contributed and still do are the ones who are getting the kicking. and i am not just referring to myself in that, but plenty of others, those who really can't afford it.

[emmie]

what i want to know is, why don't the very wealthy Pakistani people, and there are some, give more to their country, is it just aid that has to come from outside all the time.

[anotheoldgit]

AB Editor

/// Depends if you want to continue to have good relations with those other countries? ///

I was always brought up to believe that if one has to buy friends, they are not real friends at all.

/// hey, why not hand over the reigns to Brussels and Strasborg instead? If you want us to be small, that is what happens. ///

Hey, I thought we had?

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// Shame on the Germans. The fact that we have overtaken them should be a source of pride not grumbling? ///

This is no football match we are talking about, it is no benefit to spend more money than them, so as to give to other people that's the issue here.

Now if we had overtaken them in living standards, industry and financial recovery, then yes that certainly would be a 'source of pride'.

[friedgreentomato]

Did labour not send cash or is it only conservatives that do this?

[Zeuhl]

/I was always brought up to believe that if one has to buy friends, they are not real friends at all. /


and back in the real world of international relations .....

[emmie]

but you shouldn't have to buy it at any cost, many don't need it, some countries are doing far better than we are, so why do we continue on in this way.

[pdq1]

Maybe our extreme generousity is what encourages immigrants to choose this country. What they don't realise is that some politicians use it as a way of feathering their own nests. Only last week a Labour politician quit his party and became head of a large charity paying him the measly sum of £300,000+ a year.

[emmie]

David Miliband you mean? thought that was for the good of the charity.. x