The Deficit of £160 billion.

[ivanhoe]

The Tory lead coalition are cutting jobs, services, and Welfare, they say to help reduce the Deficit.

And this the breakdown of our ring fenced aid.

Africa (Eastern & Southern) £778.8m of that £165.5m went to Ethiopia - it is 20 years since Band Aid has anything been learned?
Africa (West & Central) £458.5m of that £99.5 went to Ghana and £93.9m to the Congo
Middle East & N Africa £180.9m of that £32.8m went to Iraq -£106.8m went to the Sudan

Asia South £796.5m of that £297m went to India
Asia Central £14m
Asia East & Pacific £151.7m of that £40.2m went to China -

Caribbean £6.1m

Europe £43.3m of that Kosovo gets £17.7m

Latin America £8.66m with Brazil getting £860.000

Overseas territories £52m with Montserrat getting £16.3m and St Helena £35.7m

Kenya gets £102.7m in aid.

Ethiopia got £165.5m last year

China got £40.2m

I put it to you all that Cameron's cut backs are being driven by ideoligy, and not to save money.

china??? really?

I was surprised at China.

Certainly so far as Ethiopia is concerned, nothing has been learned. The population has doubled since the Band Aid days, but they're still starving.

My own feeling is that family planning should be a priority in those countries unable to feed themselves.

I was surprised that overseas aid is being increased by 30-odd % when our home budgets are being slashed by 19% on average. But I don't know what percentage of our overall budget goes to overseas aid - for all I know, it may be v small.

I've always thought the aid to countries able to afford nuclear weapons should be scrapped.

But we are buying influence.

Agree with FPT.

In short, you are all too "im all right jack" to give a stuff.

If not, that's how it comes across.

Are you certain China got anything?

we arent all 'alright jack' tho are we??

some people here faced with homelessness and poverty,and all that money going to these places.....is there any proof to show where it actually goes,and improves peoples lives?? or is the money just received by these countries,with no further feedback as to how it has been spent??

My DP is an economist and I'd have to ask him for the specifics but basically the foreign aid works out at something like 26p per person per year in the countries we help. Hardly a fortune and whilst yes, things may get tough here, people are not actually dying of starvation or easily preventable diseases or lack of clean water. There is relative poverty here, but not absolute and the decision to continue to send money abroad is an ethical one. Apparently there are also economic arguments as to why it is actually of benefit to us to keep up these aid grants but I'd have to check on the details for that!

OP and Labour would have done different, really?

Here's a whole Website Labour Campaign for International Development is a group for all those committed to a world without poverty & injustice. Set up by Labour supporters, we aim to push international development policies within the Labour Party & the Government, and encourage people passionate about ending poverty to be involved in the Labour Party.

and a critique that Conservatives were going cut that budget run counter to 13 years of progressive aid policy, but jeopardise the UK?s reputation as a leader in international development
Bloody Brown really did love giving taxpayers money away!

In 2008 he announced aid for India, worth £825m over the next three years.

Seems to a lot of Mn'ers will take any excuse to trash anything the Conservatives do, damned whatever they do, despite the fact it was the Labour party who totally fucked the country during their last 13 years.

Disclaimer: Nope I have never voted Conservative or bought the D.Mail, thank you.

/////Seems to a lot of Mn'ers will take any excuse to trash anything the Conservatives do, damned whatever they do, despite the fact it was the Labour party who totally fucked the country during their last 13 years.//////

I see another little misguided dew drop parroting the media.

It so happens that we havent had a Labour Government since the 70's.

It so happens that New Labour took on Thatcher's free market deregulation, including the banks, and this is where the Deficit building remained.

Note: If some among the British had a brain they would be dangerous.

you think we have debt problems as a country - you 'aint seen nothing compared to the 3rd world countries - no wonder they can't improve when they're paying more in debt repayment than they are on health and education.

The fact is that once you have committed a country to aid, you have effectively buggered the economy of that country, making them reliant on aid. To then, say times are hard, we're buggering off' doesn't send the right message!

Perhaps a bit of aid is cheap in comparison to dealing with the fall out!

If they just paid their taxes as they should !!

So we are giving countries financial aid to help them pay back their debts?.

Um....yeah, like just drop them debt, man!

Brains is seeing the shitstorm coming, making plans to ride it out and in good time, battening down the hatches....
Stupidity is wailing, "its all Maggies fault!!!!!" as the shitstorm hits.

It never fails to make me laugh when people say "It's all Thatcher's fault". Have they not noticed the fact that she's been out of power for almost 20 years

But if you mention the fact that (Nu)Labour had 13 years to change all of the "evil Tory" policies... Silence!

//////Ivanhoe////////

You only ever appear on the politics threads bringing your ///////// with you.

Be honest what's your agenda?