General Chat

"Make cuts to foreign aid that are real and rigorous."

Policy not at all clear, except they are the only party who intend to cut it. Just done a quick bit of homework.

In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their GNI (Gross National Income) as official international development aid, annually. Few have yet achieved that.

Last year, top 14 countries gave:

1. Luxembourg – 1.00%
2. Sweden – 0.99%
3. Norway – 0.93%
4. Denmark – 0.84%
5. Netherlands – 0.71%
6. United Kingdom – 0.56%
7. Finland – 0.53%
8. Ireland – 0.48%
9. Belgium – 0.47%
10. France- 0.45%
11. Switzerland – 0.45%
12. Germany – 0.38%
13. Australia – 0.36%
14. Canada – 0.32%

United States – 0.19%
Japan – 0.17%

So that's why Venice was full of Americans and Japanese last week. They could afford to eat and drink in St Marks Square and travel by gondola. Few Europeans could.

Their contributions (USA and Japan) are a disgrace. If you have poor areas in your country, it seems right to pay 0.7% into the pot if you are a wealthy country and then claim back for those areas that need temporary aid to develop.

If more money was invested in the eastern block, wouldn't less people feel the need to move to the UK? Or I am I over simplifying things? :-S

No, don't think too simple at all Graham. But this foreign aid fund (targeted at .7% of GNP) was for all countries to put into and draw from as they could afford or needed. A sort of worldwide insurance policy to make us all wealthier and happier.

The eastern bloc is really more a problem that a rich west of Europe needs to solve through the expanded EU - unless we think it has nothing to do with the UK and we have our own problems.

What we spend on Foreign aid is actually very tiny in the overall scheme of things.

Even is it were reduced to absolute zero there would be no noticeable effect on this countries finances.

Agreed, IGP. But it is a political hot potato. A respected newspaper (Daily Mail or Star, not sure of difference these days) keeps bringing up something to do with India and their space programme. Mr Nigel Farage will develop policies that will attract a certain voter. In fact, I watched him on Marr this morning and saw clear echoes of some very nasty leaders of the past. Just hope his modus operandi is well exposed before next May.

It werrits me to death that UKIP and the Beano (edit Daily Mail) can attack this essential recovery fund for nations where population is in dire distress. But think it is very important that money donated by the wealthy nations is spent wisely - and that countries drawing money from the fund are not spending a lot of their resources on unnecessary projects

I am in agreement with giving to poorer countries, but how do you ensure it goes to the proper causes?

I was a boy in the thirties and the starving millions were the rage then., as they are now.
Questioning the giving seems a legitimate exercise.
The payments should perhaps be supervised by an independent body - the UN perhaps.

Happy days

I see UKIP are re-thinking their tax policies..........among other things.............

Our biggest bill is the money paid out to us Pensioners. We are by far the biggest drain on the UK economy.

But although I am now a pensioner (well I would have been a few years ago: am 60)
have to wait another 3 or 4 years for the state pension, if they do not move the goalposts again!!!!!

People now live a lot longer than they did when pensions were first introduced. So there is a good argument for raising the retirement age. (Unless you want to try telling people to stop living so long.)

Have just realised why Mr N Farage smokes so much. So he has some fag packets to write down UKIP policy.

Provides a diversion from "we hate the Tories", "we hate Labour", "we hate fracking" and "we hate University fees" which the other four main parties have as their slogans for May 2015.

"We hate absolutely everybody and everything except smiling falsely and drinking beer" resonates and could win UKIP quite a lot of votes.