Shoplifters Let Off And Given Food Vouchers.

[anotheoldgit]

Is it not disgraceful that measures such as this have to be implemented here in Britain, while we still increase aid to 'Bongo, Bongo Countries'?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/421209/Shoplifters-given-food-vouchers-as-reward

/// The scheme was set up in north Staffordshire in response to shoplifters’ claims that they had no choice but to turn to crime to feed themselves or their families. After accepting a caution a crook can be given vouchers to use at nine distribution centres in the area. ///

[hc4361]

I, too, am somewhat surprised that AOG advocates raising the welfare budget.

I don't think 0.6% of the GDP would go far amongst all those on benefits though.

Then of course even more migrants would find their way here, for the fantastic benefits and the lack of opportunity and hardships in their own countries.

This country would lose all hope of developing trading relations with developing countries and their allies.

[ummmm]

Has someone shot themselves in the foot?

[sp1814]

Watching the CH4 documentary 'Skint' recently, I saw that whilst drug addicts do shoplift, it's more likely to be higher value items, rather than foodstuffs.

[anotheoldgit]

Incredible, it seems that some on here who are forever criticising this government for the various cuts in services and certain benefits, it has been forced to make, so as to try and recover from 13 years of the previous Labour government's disastrous economic mess that they made, but seem to support this governments refusal to cap or cut foreign aid, no matter how strapped we are of cash.

[hc4361]

AOG. as has been pointed out numerous times on this thread, the total sum of overseas aid is under 0.6% of GDP.

It is but a drop in the ocean in real terms and to cut it would have serious consequences long term to our trading relations not only with the countries we give aid to but other countries as well.

[anotheoldgit]

hc4361

/// I, too, am somewhat surprised that AOG advocates raising the welfare budget. ///

And where have I said that, but what I did query was why certain benefits have been cut, from person's who need them, (not benefit cheats or the couch loungers) and all the other things we are told that the government can no longer afford, yet they can still find increasing amounts of money to hand out to corrupt overseas dictators, and also countries that are not in need of financial help courtesy of the UK.

[FredPuli43]

AOG, I think we are sanguine. You didn't explain what great understanding of economics and foreign affairs you had which amounted to knowing more than the Foreign Office and economists for successive governments have or had, but some of us don't buy a dog and bark ourselves. I am inclined to the view that however 'counter-intuitive' foreign aid may be,the government on the day knows what goes on and adjusts accordingly. There is nothing new in the discovery that some foreign recipients have corrupt regimes.

[Svejk]

Maybe we should close this section of AB down. As fred says ' the government knows best'

[hc4361]

Your disparaging use of 'Bongo, Bongo Countries' does not your argument, AOG.

The scheme you refer to in your link has now been suspended.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-23654802

[FredPuli43]

In the end, we trust that the government, by which I mean not the politicians but those who do the day to day work, knows better, svejk. We all use professionals, but we are not disposed to think that we know more about the job than our doctor or our plumber does. It's easy to make a headline for the public, to appeal to their fears, but the reality is rather different and more complicated than what a tabloid would have us think.

[FredPuli43]

Ignore bongo bongo. That's how AOG speaks down the rugby club, and has been in his ordinary vocabulary for decades, hasn't it AOG ? It doesn't affect the argument.

[anotheoldgit]

hc4361

/// AOG. as has been pointed out numerous times on this thread, the total sum of overseas aid is under 0.6% of GDP. ///

Yes and so is the spending on the Royalty or our nuclear deterrent etc, etc, only a small percentage of our GDP, but that doesn't stop others from moaning about the costs, and calling for an end to them, or are the lifestyle of corrupt dictators more important than our Royalty or defence?

Incidentally

/// The UK economy grew by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2013, up from 0.3% in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ///

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10613201

May be only 0.6% but important enough to make a difference, now without overseas aid that figure would be 1.2% now that would be a step in the right direction.

[anotheoldgit]

/// I am inclined to the view that however 'counter-intuitive' foreign aid may be,the government on the day knows what goes on and adjusts accordingly. There is nothing new in the discovery that some foreign recipients have corrupt regimes. ///

If that is so Fred then how is it that the Government continues to dish out it's overseas aid money to those corrupt governments that they (according to you) have known about for years?

/// We all use professionals, but we are not disposed to think that we know more about the job than our doctor or our plumber does. ///

Sometimes we do, isn't that why we ask for a second opinion or use another Doctor or Plumber?

[LazyGun]

Your attempt to link this issue of shoplifters being given food stamps, and the international aid budget only has any rational or logical sense if you are advocating that the International Aid Budget be cut and the funds diverted into the Welfare Budget - directly or indirectly.

No amount of bluster on your point disguises that fact - that this link you were attempting to draw between starving shoplifters and the Aid Budget exists only in your mind.

And whilst it might indeed be appropriate to discuss how much we give out in International Aid, what would aid the economy much, much more would be to look at cutting the fat out of the main areas of government spending, which is on Health, Welfare and Pensions, Loan Repayments and the Armed Forces.Relatively small cuts in service provision, administration etc in these areas would yield proportionately far more back to the Exchequer, and investment in growth stimulus and unemplyment cutting measures would yield still more...

[sp1814]

AOG

It would be a mistake to think that we hand over 0.6% of our GDP as cash to corrupt foreign governments, because that's not the way that foreign aid works. It's not always cash...sometimes it can be deferred interest payments on loans, or 'project aid', which is where the funds are used to finance a particular project.

Then there's 'tied aid' where funds are used to buy imports from the donor country or for a specific project.