tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post942066063998879931..comments2024-01-30T09:22:08.167+00:00Comments on Newmania In Lewes: International AidNewmaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-12594359524027161882010-09-20T09:03:48.856+01:002010-09-20T09:03:48.856+01:00Why thankyou I must say I chiefly use this blog j...Why thankyou I must say I chiefly use this blog just for my own purposes and I was planning to do something on Lewes Forum . You comments shall go into the mixNewmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-90318431390416024462010-09-19T19:36:29.137+01:002010-09-19T19:36:29.137+01:00Good spot.
Overseas aid should have been first fo...Good spot.<br /><br />Overseas aid should have been first for the chop, not ringfenced. It's £9bn a year we do not have – it is obscene to put thousands of UK workers on the dole and make life hell for the rest of us, whilst at the same time actually borrowing £9bn to fritter away on 102 countries – often of very dubious provenance.<br /><br />We even give £50m to China – one of our biggest industrial competitors with an appalling human rights record. And far more to India – not just most of our IT jobs...<br /><br />In a time of plenty the government, like the public, can afford to be generous, and give more in charity and aid.<br /><br />But in desperate times, when the country is broke, you have to stop trying to save the world – save your own country first. Remember the Labour ‘jobs tax’ of £6bn NI increases? Before the election the parties spent weeks arguing over where else that £6bn could come from. Now we know.Page With A Viewhttp://pagewithaview.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-3340200017245066792010-09-19T18:01:23.322+01:002010-09-19T18:01:23.322+01:00I don't think aid or health should have been r...I don't think aid or health should have been ringfenced as I think it's plain silly to say or imply that the money is all wisely spent.<br /><br />I have no objection to the idea of aid but I do think it should be closely looked at to see whether it works because often it doesn't. I will donate my own money, what little of it I had. In Pakistan with the floods I gave to Medicins Sans Frontieres because I know it will thereby be rationally spent rather than falling into the hands of Islamists, NGO empire builders, corrupt governments, random power players that I'd rather not enrich.<br /><br />If you ask me, the very worst use of public money is giving it to "private sector" companies. I oppose half the outsourcing cases, I think if something is going to be done it's often less statist to have the government do it outright than pick favoured companies to subsidise. A lot of my friends don't have jobs, yet their dole costs a lot less than paying a salary to some bellend who wouldn't be able to earn it.<br /><br />What I am concerned by now is that the spending I most dislike isn't going to be cut. There certainly will be pain, worthwhile causes & decent people losing out, yet I think we could do more to minimise that.david cameron's foreheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10506127135509442625noreply@blogger.com