Oh Dear Oh Dear Oh Dear...........

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57826111
.....chiridee begins at home.

[Bobbisox1]

I’m at a loss why we have no overseas aid right now anyway when our own economy is on Skid Row ???

[ToraToraTora]

well hardly skid row bobbs but we shouldn't be dolling out dosh to Johnny Forin.

[Bobbisox1]

Wait till the chit hits the fan when furlough finishes ,FA should be suspended till at least when we are through this pandemic and particularly India who now has a growing economy anc a ongoing nuclear programme

[The Builder]

Bobbi, I do agree about India on the whole.
The trouble is, as always, it's the fault of their ruling politicians. While a lot of India does have a pretty good Western type lifestyle, there are massive areas of extreme poverty and deprivation.

I've been doing a Direct Debit to Actionaid for over forty years. Their projects in India are concentrated on some of the most deprived people on earth. That's a huge imbalance I know. But there's nothing I can do about that.
I guess it'll always be so around the world.

[Bobbisox1]

Builder, the caste system there stinks, it’s so corrupt and throwing money at it only serves for the government to cream off the top of it

[The Builder]

That is so true, Bobbi. Although, there have been rumblings for some time about at least reforming the caste system. No one's holding their breath though.

Official foreign aid does tend to get nibbled away at by their politicians and chancers.
Perhaps we should concentrate on more directed efforts from such as Actionaid.
(Perhaps not Oxfam though.)

[wolf63]

Oxfam is not all bad.

I have volunteered in an Oxfam shop and also do work for them at home for their online shop. Our shop is excellent but I don't pay much attention to the political stuff.

[anneasquith]

For anyone who ( like builder) is aware of the dreadful poverty in some countries and is sad to see aid to them diminished., rather than be disgruntled , use your money to pay direct to your chosen charity .

[webbo3]

I've always said there should be no foreign aid budget but a foreign aid fund which can be used to help countries after natural disaster, i.e, floods, famine, earthquakes, we could send food, medicines, workers.

[The Builder]

That's a cracking good idea, Webbers.
It shouldn't be in the hands of politicians.
And I really don't know what the likes of UN/Unicef etc are there for.
I guess their bureaucracies tend to preclude any progress being made.

[wolf63]

I only donate money to one charity - Cats Protection. They attempt to clear up the mess that humans create by not neutering their cats.

[Peter Pedant]

// Perhaps we should concentrate on more directed efforts from such as Actionaid.
(Perhaps not Oxfam though.)//

and dont forget GiftAid - at a marginal tax rate £100 becomes £165 (grossing up blah dee blah)

[Ellipsis]

> I've always said there should be no foreign aid budget but a foreign aid fund which can be used to help countries after natural disaster, i.e, floods, famine, earthquakes, we could send food, medicines, workers.

Sounds like DEC (which is very good):

https://www.dec.org.uk/

[Ellipsis]

As for today's actions in the Commons, I'm more with Tim Montgomerie (founder and former editor of the ConservativeHome website) than Boris Johnson ...

https://twitter.com/montie/status/1414970939838771204
"I’ve never been more ashamed of the Conservative Party."

[zebo]

//Bobbi, I do agree about India on the whole.
The trouble is, as always, it's the fault of their ruling politicians. While a lot of India does have a pretty good Western type lifestyle, there are massive areas of extreme poverty and deprivation//

No-one abuses the poor Indian more than the rich Indian. In Africa there are despots who have accumulated billions through aid, the amount of aid that reaches the needy is not great.

[jourdain2]

I also, like Webbo, have always thought that we should have a fund to aid with disasters and it should be a generous one when people need help. Otherwise, much Foreign Aid goes into brown envelopes and to countries which don't need it.

I don't give to big charities, I give to charities which directly achieve something on the ground. Too much is wasted otherwise. Currently, there is so much need here in UK and locally that I have none to spare. There is real poverty and want in UK. I'd rather that the little I pay in tax did not have part of it sent to, say, India for example.

[DTCwordfan]

It's all about better focus. For once the Foreign Office and The Department for International Development are going to have to earn their money and justification for existence.

[Ellipsis]

We've cut from 0.7% to 0.5%.

If GDP was £10 before the pandemic, we'd be giving 7p.

GDP has dropped about 8%, so the £10 is now £9.20

If we'd stuck at 0.7% we'd be giving 6.44p - already 8% down.

At 0.5% we're giving 4.6p, a huge 34.3% down.

So we're saying we're so broke we can't afford to give 6.44p in £10, we have to make it 4.6p, and leave the poor to cover the 34.3% drop for themselves.

[ichkeria]

Wasn’t there some sort of compromise written into this bill to try and stave off defeat?
Involving a promise to … (don’t all laugh)