200m aid to other countries for Corona

[bmbonanza]

Assuming this is true, is this where we should be spending our money when our own NHS and people need it in this crisis?

ODFOD
We are so lucky to live in a very wealthy country. £2m works out about £2.50 per person. Think we can cope with giving that to those in need.

No one in the UK knows the meaning of the word crisis compared to other countries.

I’m completely in support of most foreign aid so yes I agree with this.

Compared to *some other countries

Not only is it important that we do help other countries, we will never keep it out of our own country if we let it rip through pooere countries, it will just keep coming back

Yes we should be helping countries (= people) who will suffer extremely badly without our help. Increasing the gap between third and first world health and poverty should not be on our agenda.

We are one of the richest nations on earth. If we can’t help people who are starving to death or dying from dirty water and disease then who can?
Where’s your humanity?

We should support countries that will be far more devestated by this, due to poor infrastructure and poor health care.

Wow. Are you for real? Go do some research. Find out how many critical care beds some developing countries have. Look at how much food prices have rocketed since kick down in African nations.

Even better, just have a little empathy.

You do realise we are ALL interconnected in this global society.

Help other countries and we are helping ourselves. Do you want this virus sweeping through countries where we trade with - where we sell our services to and get them from?

Or do you think we should just be an island trading with ourself, not letting anyone in and out at all?

Its partly kindness and its partly policy. We're all interconnected and dependent and the more we can help each other, the better. Sadly although its unimaginable numbers to me, 200m is still a drop in the ocean.

*lock down. Though kick down isn’t actually that inaccurate.

It's a global pandemic. Absolutely no point us beating it here if we don't help the rest of the world to do the same thing. We have no idea how good we have it. Of course we should be helping.

Assuming this is true

Yeah you lost me right there

You sound like that people who voted for Brexit so Asians stop coming in

Stupid

The nhs is not stretched because they dont have the money to buy the required ppe, ventilators etc

They cant get them because of supply problems.

This is a global issue that requires global solutions

The spread of CV has proved that it is impossible to restrict a virus like this to just one part of the world. From a selfish point of view, if we want to protect ourselves we need to support developing countries to eliminate it too. Otherwise it will keep coming back.

From a less selfish point of view, the UK has a proud tradition of providing aid to developing countries. So many countries are struggling immensely with this (far more than we are, and we're on our knees)

They simply do not have the infrastructure that we do to halt the spread. The lives of the people who live in those countries matter just as much as ours do, we're all human and none of us asked for this.

If it is true aid then great.

If it's an exorbitant loan labelled as aid like it is far too often, then not so great.

Overseas aid makes the recipient countries poorer in the long run as they have to pay it back and the interest can be awful. It's akin to Brighthouse and pay day lenders.

Lots of countries are currently calling for a suspension to their aid and debt repayments as they are due to repay billions back just to the end of 2020 and would like to divert these repayments into fighting the current outbreak. IMF are looking into what they may do but being that they asked weeks ago and nothing has been done yet, I won't hold my breath.

£200m is small change. It's a tiny tiny tiny fraction of the government's budget. It's actually a laughably low amount considering we're the sixth richest nation, this is a global pandemic, and we've been exporting cases elsewhere.

I do not understand this mentality of mine mine mine and fuck everyone else.

We have a duty; as a wealthy country to help those who are going be in serious, serious peril because of this virus - or because of anything.

This mentality is the exact same as those going to Tesco, buying 100 packs of pasta to keep for themselves, whilst the basket for the food bank at the front of the store sits empty.

It needs to be a world effort to get this virus under control or it will keep coming back, or do you suggest the UK closes its borders permanently and lives in a bubble? No travel, no imports/exports?

The company I work for supports a children's charity which it set up.It supports children living in slums in a certain country.I was in tears hearing the update from the charity workers about how scared they are because when the virus hits the slums there is little they can do to protect the children they work with.Over crowding,poor quality housing if you can call even call them houses and lack of hygiene means it will spread like wildfire and thousands will be infected.

So when people are complaining about foreign aid from their comfortable homes where they can isolate safely and keep their children safe;children who also can still access food,educational resources and medical care should they need it too;well maybe they should stop and be grateful they and their family are safe and not begrudge money going to people in the most desperate of need.

Seen this OP?

We are fucking lucky.

I suppose it depends on how you see the idea of 'those with the broadest shoulders bear the biggest burden'

UK is one of the very richest countries in the world.

Of course we should be helping poorer nations, COVID or not

Considering we’ve found / borrowed £330 BILLION to help our own citizens then £200 million is small change OP.

Don’t be a mealy mouthed DM follower, OP. Not pretty.

Surely that's just what we should all be doing?

We give money because that's all we've got

Turkey are giving us PPE and Germany have donated us ventilators