Its fine to save money letting women die in child birth this year, as long as we are going to spend money preventing other women die in child birth in other years.

[Market1]

( second posting, as first one vanished...)

We have been culpable in contributing to horrendous poverty and conflict in so many areas of the globe, through political interference in the past, and climate damage now, so it is right and proper that we think long and hard about supporting pregnant women abroad in the future, and as long as we promise to continue thinking long and hard, it is fine for a few thousand to die in child birth while we think, after all, they are a long way away, and their English isn't very good.

And if they don't fancy their chances of survival in their home countries, there is always an easy road and a warm welcome waiting for them here! And a mere quarter of a million unsafe abortions? That is nothing to concern ourselves about.

YANBU - it is fine, we need to save money, and a few thousand deaths in childbirth is nothing in the grand scheme of things
YABU - we should support these women through overseas aid today, even if their English isn't very good....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66378364

We are one world!

Why don't people get that?

When you drive a car unnecessarily, when you throw away plastic unnecessarily, when you turn on the central heating or air con, when you buy throw away fashion, you are destroying lives all around the world.

When scientists scan the sky at night, when they pool their resources and observations every morning, when they cross check each others data and conclusions, they are protecting us all.

Meteorites hit the Earth. Small ones constantly, large ones occasionally.

Why does the fact that India is punching so far above it's weight in its contribution to planetary defence, mean we don't contribute to offsetting some of the damage we do to it's climate?

It’s also the difference between life and death for the 500 dying every week due to A&E delays, and the additional 2,175 dying every week due to NHS waitlists for treatment. We have the entire population of Colchester- 135,000 British residents dying every year due to an underfunded NHS, but you want to send money abroad because other governments are also letting their people die?

Any government’s first duty is to all the people living in their country before sending money to other countries. I am saying people living here because a significant % are not British that are living here. Immigrants have come here as have refugees trusting that we would fulfill our commitment to them that they work, pay an NHS surcharge, pay taxes and they’d get life saving healthcare.

We aren’t meeting our commitments here, so why should anyone expect us to also meet commitments made to people overseas in such circumstances? the U.K. is not rich, it is barely scraping by. Let others who are far wealthier take a turn helping those countries.

Why does the fact that India is punching so far above its weight in its contribution to planetary defence, mean we don't contribute to offsetting some of the damage we do to its climate?

Leaving aside what you may mean by “planetary defence”, we (the U.K.) don’t do any damage to the climate of India. They’ve pumped almost as much CO2 in the atmosphere in total emissions as the U.K. has, and they don’t have the excuse we have of having done most of it 100yrs ago when there was no such thing as green technology or renewable energy other than the odd hydro electric dam which sadly the U.K. doesn’t even have one a single river suitable for it.

Thanks for facts. Some of these posts are a bit what posters imagine is the case.

We don't even look after people here. Why and how are we expected to look after people elsewhere?

The British Empire is over and in fall..

I always wonder how much aid money/food ends up in the wrong, corrupt hands?

Most of it unfortunately, and not just in the hands of corrupt officials but also into the back pockets of the executives who run the "charities'. I think it's save the children who have 60+ employees on 6 figure plus salaries in their London offices alone.

I've also seen it argued that aid often undermines a country's ability to develop and progress as it helps prop up corrupt regimes. Why would a dictator worry about improving things for the the people when foreign governments and charities will just give them money and how do the people make their voices heard when the foreign aid that's supposed to help them had instead furnished the presidential guard with brand new automatic weapons to oppress dissenting voices?

Let's also jot forget that the aid sector as a whole is corrupt beyond belief and has a record of abject failure in dealing with exploitation and abuses committed by its own personnel. They are now more concerned about their reputation and keeping the donations flowing than they are about helping anyone.

Now it is clear the tories havent made these cuts because they're concerned about the impacts of foreign aid but, we do need to have a conversation about how we can administer it so that it actually helps those in need.

AFAIC all the talk of what better use we could have of the money is a non sequitur. It doesn't matter whether we could or couldn't put it to better use.

Fact is, poor people dying thousands of miles away isn't our responsibility. It's tragic, but still not our responsibility.

I might be able to see an argument if we had a surplus of money, that perhaps we have a moral duty to all of mankind. But as we're in debt, all foreign aid should be cut.

Firstly, I think you’re being dramatic, but even if you weren’t yes I would be okay with that, because it is what it is. Their own country needs to support them, not us.

But everything is our fault. Everything. Didn't you get the memo?

OP your thread title is a bloody good question. I suspect the current government will say yes. Not that it'll change that much, with plans for so much more of the medical work in future to be undertaken by less qualified staff.

So much money being given back to the richest in society.

Tax cuts

Huge contracts for ministers' mates

Weapons

Oh, and shit loads of money to the numerous ex Prime Ministers we seem to be producing, plus all the cash for the trillions of extra House of Lords takers.

It's not really either/or though is it? This is like the 'we send £250m a week to the EU, let's find our nhs instead'.

People relying on food banks is wrong, they should be paid a decent wage.

I don't see how that relates to us giving aid to people n desperate situations. Doing so benefits our international reputation.

The reason poor people in this country don't get enough money is because Tories hold them in control, not because we find vaccination and food aid programs in a few countries around the world.

The main issue is that most of the money we give is syphoned off.
It doesn't actually go to the people who need it.

Keep it here. improve our economy, there is a huge amount of giving here and charitable organisations are often able to keep better track of the money than governments.

I don't read the guardian either. My opinions are based firmly on what I have heard and seen.
If I smash up your bike, give it back to you then ask why your bike is so slow. That like what we did. Gave the bike back, what's the problem?
I'm not saying we are responsible for everything, or should be trying to fix everything but I think it's despicable to bow out completely.

Doesn't go to people who need it here either though does it

I've got issues with the fact it's been reported in the telegraph that over £33 million has been sent to India, a country developing its own space program. I think this is just the tip of iceberg of problems with foreign aid. I don't think we should just keep giving blindly and not question who's using it

Because it's beyond ridiculous to try to shame people for the impact of putting on the central heating as if that is going to have the same impact as space exploration. Of course it's relevant that a country receiving aid from the U.K. chooses to spend what little money it has on space not its people.

The amount we give in aid is a pittance compared to what we make as a country from exploitation of labour and resources overseas. We take advantage of corrupt leadership and weak governance in order to do this, without recognising that our own actions are just as, if not more, corrupt.

We launder the profits, tax it inappropriately or not at all and bank it according to our rules.

Then we criticise other countries for not sorting out their economies and societies.

We also actively punish those who try to leave their desperate lives to seek better ones in countries like ours, who are rich because of them.

Bugs
Have you read much about the origins of the Rwandan genocide? Or colonialism in general?

Er..yes...and I remember it well. I read about it comprehensively in the press and BBC news reports and 'From Our Own Correspondent' with eye-witness accounts (horrific - they've never left me) and much more over the years. And you? You must be very knowledgeable from the tone of your post!

Rwanda was a German and Belgian colony. Just saying...

Lockdown was racist.

Few said anything about our destroying the economies and food chains of poorer countries.

BBC probably manipulating us to stop complaining about the cost of living crisis they caused by pointing out that others suffer more.

@Iamgoingtohell
6th richest yet we see a massive rise in food bank use by people who are in work.

Lol, U.K. hasn’t been that high up the rich list in ages. We are currently #18

You’re very welcome.

The Indian space programme! The best, most efficient, most economical in the world - we need planetary defence! We need to be monitoring and predicting near earth objects, and we need to be able to respond to them if they threaten us! The world needs the Indian space programme - we all benefit from it in added security.

Im sorry but these organisations in the USA called NASA and US Space Force, already have this covered. Its not really needed for India to do it too.

As much as that seems like a wonderful idea at least when the funding is given to schools directly the children are actually receiving a meal. That cannot be guaranteed if it’s given to the parents/guardians directly.