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March 28 2024 8.11pm

Overseas Aid budget question

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View HKOwen's Profile HKOwen Flag Hong Kong 26 Nov 20 1.11am Send a Private Message to HKOwen Add HKOwen as a friend

This is an emotive subject and rightly so. The Ethiopian Spice Girls scandal or what ever etc etc.

Does anybody here know and where the actual use of the aid money is shown/listed.

I would like to have a look, my instinct ( and happy to be proved wrong ) is that a lot goes to what would be considered vanity projects for those responsible for giving it away, a significant amount on " admin costs " and corruption.

If the use of the funds is not in the public domain in some detail that is a scandal in itself.

Simply to say the money is used to help the less fortunate overseas is not good enough.

Anyway, I have tried to search and not found anything that casts any light.

Edited by HKOwen (26 Nov 2020 1.12am)

Edited by HKOwen (26 Nov 2020 1.14am)

 


Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

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View Teddy Eagle's Profile Teddy Eagle Flag 26 Nov 20 1.26am Send a Private Message to Teddy Eagle Add Teddy Eagle as a friend

Originally posted by HKOwen

This is an emotive subject and rightly so. The Ethiopian Spice Girls scandal or what ever etc etc.

Does anybody here know and where the actual use of the aid money is shown/listed.

I would like to have a look, my instinct ( and happy to be proved wrong ) is that a lot goes to what would be considered vanity projects for those responsible for giving it away, a significant amount on " admin costs " and corruption.

If the use of the funds is not in the public domain in some detail that is a scandal in itself.

Simply to say the money is used to help the less fortunate overseas is not good enough.

Anyway, I have tried to search and not found anything that casts any light.

Edited by HKOwen (26 Nov 2020 1.12am)

Edited by HKOwen (26 Nov 2020 1.14am)


Quite a bit of information here

[Link]

 

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View HKOwen's Profile HKOwen Flag Hong Kong 26 Nov 20 4.09am Send a Private Message to HKOwen Add HKOwen as a friend

Thanks, had a speed read and can't see anything that specifically refers to individual projects and what they do.

Do not see anything that would lead me to continue with this " cashpoint in the sky " in it's current forms.

I would have no objection to giving aid in the form of for example Covid vaccines but cannot support pouring cash into these projects with tangible means of monitoring results and value for money.

The high level scandals of money wasted do nothing to give any integrity to the expenditure.

Edited by HKOwen (26 Nov 2020 4.15am)

 


Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

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View dannyboy1978's Profile dannyboy1978 Flag 26 Nov 20 6.17am Send a Private Message to dannyboy1978 Add dannyboy1978 as a friend

In a nut shell it's influencing money.
"We will pay you this but expect this now or later"

 

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View Matov's Profile Matov Flag 26 Nov 20 6.37am Send a Private Message to Matov Add Matov as a friend

Originally posted by dannyboy1978

In a nut shell it's influencing money.
"We will pay you this but expect this now or later"


Yes. It is how we pay a lot of bribes. A smoke screen in effect.

Bongo-Bongo land are in the market for say 50 tanks they do not need. Us Brits step in to sell them but the Minister who signs it off wants a nice little sweetner. Of course we would never stoop so low as to just bung him an envelope but if he has a family friend with a worthy cause to support and no questions asked about how the funds are spent?

Of course it is a little more nuanced than that but essentially that is the nuts and bolts of it all.

 


"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

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View Spiderman's Profile Spiderman Flag Horsham 26 Nov 20 6.46am Send a Private Message to Spiderman Add Spiderman as a friend

Originally posted by Matov


Yes. It is how we pay a lot of bribes. A smoke screen in effect.

Bongo-Bongo land are in the market for say 50 tanks they do not need. Us Brits step in to sell them but the Minister who signs it off wants a nice little sweetner. Of course we would never stoop so low as to just bung him an envelope but if he has a family friend with a worthy cause to support and no questions asked about how the funds are spent?

Of course it is a little more nuanced than that but essentially that is the nuts and bolts of it all.

My brother used to work for Overseas Development Department, you would be surprised where the money is spent in certain places, not all.
Much of it is used as influence money but you would be unable to trace it as such obviously
Visa Officers are occasionally “asked” to issue a visa to a relative of someone who may be of assistance, even if that relative dies not qualify. Happened to me. Some of our own MPs alsohave a similar habit.

 

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View Badger11's Profile Badger11 Flag Beckenham 26 Nov 20 8.17am Send a Private Message to Badger11 Add Badger11 as a friend

Originally posted by Matov


Yes. It is how we pay a lot of bribes. A smoke screen in effect.

Bongo-Bongo land are in the market for say 50 tanks they do not need. Us Brits step in to sell them but the Minister who signs it off wants a nice little sweetner. Of course we would never stoop so low as to just bung him an envelope but if he has a family friend with a worthy cause to support and no questions asked about how the funds are spent?

Of course it is a little more nuanced than that but essentially that is the nuts and bolts of it all.

Nicely put.

Emergency aid for disasters, no issue. If you really care about the poor in these countries the best way to help them is to sign free trade deals that will help these people trade their way out of poverty.

Many of these countries have agricultural produce they would love to sell us but EU rules have so far stopped. I am disappointed that the FO has not been quicker to sign these deals especially in Africa.

We have a real opportunity here to help people without a cash hand out which goes in some politicians back pocket.

Get on with it Boris.

 


One more point

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View Matov's Profile Matov Flag 26 Nov 20 8.41am Send a Private Message to Matov Add Matov as a friend

Originally posted by Badger11

Many of these countries have agricultural produce they would love to sell us but EU rules have so far stopped.

Its even worse than that. Not the most interesting of subjects but how the EU, and Germany in particular, stitch up poor countries around coffee is quite incredible.

Wont bore you with the details but you need to ask yourself how a country like Germany, with weather similar to ours, is one of the largest EXPORTERS of coffee in the world. Understand that and you wonder about why all the smug, self-righteous virtue signalling types can be so keen on the European Union.

 


"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

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View Badger11's Profile Badger11 Flag Beckenham 26 Nov 20 8.54am Send a Private Message to Badger11 Add Badger11 as a friend

Originally posted by Matov

Its even worse than that. Not the most interesting of subjects but how the EU, and Germany in particular, stitch up poor countries around coffee is quite incredible.

Wont bore you with the details but you need to ask yourself how a country like Germany, with weather similar to ours, is one of the largest EXPORTERS of coffee in the world. Understand that and you wonder about why all the smug, self-righteous virtue signalling types can be so keen on the European Union.

Agreed. The EU is the largest Protectionist block in the world. The people who love the EU also love foreign aid but don't connect the dots, if the EU was more open you wouldn't need the aid.

If throwing money at the third world worked I would happily support it but Africa has had billions thrown at it over 60 years and they are still no better off, time to try something new.

 


One more point

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View steeleye20's Profile steeleye20 Flag Croydon 26 Nov 20 9.19am Send a Private Message to steeleye20 Add steeleye20 as a friend

Previous PMs Tory and Labour, are weighing in against this, and they ought to know what they are taking about.

The UK shooting itself in the foot for no benefit is a sign of the times.

 

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View DanH's Profile DanH Flag SW2 26 Nov 20 9.19am Send a Private Message to DanH Add DanH as a friend

Originally posted by Matov

Its even worse than that. Not the most interesting of subjects but how the EU, and Germany in particular, stitch up poor countries around coffee is quite incredible.

Wont bore you with the details but you need to ask yourself how a country like Germany, with weather similar to ours, is one of the largest EXPORTERS of coffee in the world. Understand that and you wonder about why all the smug, self-righteous virtue signalling types can be so keen on the European Union.

Interesting, but how do you explain Switzerland being third, above Germany?

 

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View Willo's Profile Willo Flag South coast - west of Brighton. 26 Nov 20 9.33am Send a Private Message to Willo Add Willo as a friend

When UK Foreign Aid goes to China and India and to prop-up some corrupt regimes around the world is it any wonder that nearly 70% of Britons want the budget cut.

 

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