The Uk Spends Three Times More On Foreign Aid Than The Rest Of The World.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/790740/UK-spends-more-than-three-times-foreign-aid-than-rest-of-world

While our Social care system is close on collapsing, and our NHS and schools need more money being targeted their way, should the UK spend so much on overseas aid?

[Togo]

Further more according to the facts as supplied by Buen, the Slovac Republic, Hungary, Greece, Korea, Czech Republic and Portugal are all doing more than The USA. Haha ever likely the US is saying beggar this let em get on with it. I bet if you added it up that the UK and USA between us are contributing more than the rest of the world combined.

[Togo]

//It's based on % GDP not the actual amount of cash!//
No it is not, The graph produced was based on GNI. Totally different.

[Togo]

Plus of course most of the Countries held up to be models of propriety are mainly re-distributing money received from EU hand outs of which the UK was a major contributor. I wonder how flush they will feel without our cash to buy themselves undue influence and undeserved largesse. :))

[Zacs-Master]

I see AOG has learnt the trick of calling anyone who has a counter argument a 'leftie'. Nice one. And they say you can't teach anotheolddog new tricks!

[New Judge]

The money given (if any must be) should be determined by the amount of surplus a country runs, not its GDP or GNI. Nobody would expect a company to pay a dividend if it was running a huge and growing overdraft. It would be the economics of the madhouse. Which is precisely what this is.

When the UK provides all it should for its inhabitants (without continually saying "economies must be made to balance the books") and when the borrowing stops then the question of overseas aid might be considered. Until then it should be nil. So until then, no, I don't bleeding care for the less fortunate in this world.

[New Judge]

It depends on who you mean by the "poor and less fortunate".

[NoMercy]

We should start helping ourselves before helping others. Our NHS is on its knees, our streets are strewn with litter that no longer gets picked up and there is an abominable lack of police on the streets.

[Old_Geezer]

For reasons of morality I think the better off should feel they must help their struggling fellow human beings. And that can only be fairly done via government arrangement.

But the appropriate portion of GDP is difficult to agree on, the differential between the least and most generous ought not be massive as then either someone is not "pulling their weight" or someone else if playing "Lady Bountiful". We are all in this human race together.

For sure one ought not put oneself in debt in order to give to others, but since it is all a question on management, who is to say when a charitable donation is causing overspend, or spending elsewhere in the budget where someone is "not cutting their coat according to their cloth".

We are part of the richer West and an economic power too. If we can't help then how can we expect others to ? What are folks (who agree there is a moral obligation to help) opinions on an appropriate percentage countries should give ? Are we too generous or are others avoiding responsibility ?

Then there is the problem of targeting aid properly, so many stories of foreign elites grabbing it for themselves.

Such a complex issue with many parts to be decided, if one takes the issue seriously.

[naomi24]

Allen has a very cynical opinion of his fellow Brits.

[fiction-factory]

our streets are strewn with litter that.....ignorant people throw there.

I think we could spend more on the police, NHS and litter picking but the amount we spend on foreign aid, even if we stopped it tomorrow (which we can't as we would need to change the law first if we want to reduce our foreign aid spending) I think it would only go a small way to helping the NHS (on which we already spend well over £100 billion a year so a few more billion is unlikely to get it 'off its knees'), filling our streets with police and clearing up the litter. It might make a small dent I suppose but is suspect there would lots of other good causes at home that would want a share .

[Togo]

//Allen has a very cynical opinion of his fellow Brits. //

The worst you can think of another is to assume that they harbour your very own secret faults.

[naomi24]

allen, you're not as perceptive as you think you are. ;o)