to wonder what cuts YOU would make?

[jade80]

I keep reading threads about how a, b or c should not, under any circumstances have their funding cut. So, given that cuts have to be made because of ongoing overspending in recent decades, what would you, personally, choose to take the money away from?

"This is about pushing through the Conservative agenda of minimising the state, expanding the private sector."

What is wrong with that? Surely that is a good thing?

Niceguy Just a thought, but what cuts would have to be made to enable us to pay our deficit and the debt off within the next 15 years?

I have heard many people IRL complain about the amount of money the UK sends overseas.
Why do we send this money? (Apart from humanitarian reasons)
How much do we send overseas on an annual basis?

I have no idea, hence the question, am not trying to be provocative.

This all suits the conservatives ideology and we all know that they'll shrink the state back to its skeleton under the cover of shrinking the deficit.
Let's have a close look at tax evaders instead of those at the poorer end of our society.
Pixel also makes a good point.

TSC
Not any more - Claire Short changed it all.

Clare Short more or less established DFID - before then it had just been part of the foreign office. Thatcher was no fan of overseas aid, as you can imagine, unless it directly served, in the most narrow sense of the word, British interests.

Under Clare Short, DFID became about poverty reduction rather than procuring contracts for projects. Guess it depends on WHY you give the aid - do you want to get the best deal for your money to help poverty reduction or do you want to use the money for other purposes? Not sure which is better.

I was wondering the same thing portaloo. Those of you who have said we need bigger cuts, what would you propose then? Dare ya!

portaloo

It's about £7 billion in overseas aid and going to rise to 0.7% of GDP.

Statalover, I had seen a figure of £12.7bn

That might be the 0.7% target?

I just had a quick check. Overseas development aid in 2009/10 was 7.7bn with 6.7bn through DFID.

What is DFID? Is it different to overseas aid?

I think I saw a newspaper article where it said that our foreign aid was bigger than what we spend on the disabled here, and that they were increasing the foreign aid budget.

DFID is the Department for International Development. But not all ODA goes through DFID - some goes through the FCO, MoD and other govt departments

Don't know about the disabled budget but the overseas aid budget is increasing to reach the target of 0.7% of GNI.

Found it in the Daily Mail. It's £12.6 bn

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322745/Foreign-aid-budget-cost-family-500-Fat-cats-earning-90k.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Stata, I think you're right, it is about £8.4bn now, and will rise to £12.6 bn in 2014. I didn't notice that om first reading.