Party political Broadcast

[English Kate]

This evening before disappearing out again I was quite mesmerized by a Conservative party political broadcast. The reason why it caught my attention was due to the content. It was a message asking for charitable donations for Africa and asking people to contribute as much as they can.

I do have my opinions on this subject, but want to hold fire and see what your feelings are on the matter. Should government get involved with specific charities? Where do they draw the line? Is it right that they should promote charity at a time they are telling people to pay back their loans in full due to the banks being in too much debt?

During a recession should we be concentrating on other Countries or try and get ourselves back on an even keel first and then do what we can?

What do you think and why?

[abcdef]

never saw it, why the hell are we helping other countries before this one helps itself

[davidseven]

never saw it, why the hell are we helping other countries before this one helps itself

Correct lolo. We already have an increased aid budget from the UK, We also get stung though our payments to the corrupt EU and our belonging to other International agencies. Financial aid is nearly always lost, stolen wasted. Helping them to help themselves with technical and scientific aid and preferential trade agreements is the only way to wean some of these countries off aid.

And why the hell anyone can justify giving aid to countries that have their own space
program or nuclear weapons research is beyond me, but Cameron like most politicians is more concerned about ego and self aggrandisement than what's best for his own country.

[A Bloke]

We've been giving money to Africa since Adam was a lad and I think it goes into someones back pocket not to those who need it. Now is a good time to stop as charity should begin at home.

[Freddo]

I really think you should put your own house in order before trying to sort out others problems
Very little of any money raised actually gets to the real needy people
We have so many problems in this country without helping everyone else and I am not talking about the ones that self inflict there own damage.
I am talking about the poor people that have no heat but cannot get help the elderly that live in crap holes because no one cares enough to help, the young that cannot afford to live all they do is work to pay there bills.The disabled that cannot get help with basics like cleaning and getting a quality of life.
Lets start at home as there are so many people that never get help why because they do not feel the criteria needed to get support

[English Kate]

The other thing that gob smacked me recently, was being told that they are changing a policy to accomodate europe whereas any European can set up home in the UK and get full benefits without question. In some cases the benefits here are so much greater than what they can get at home, it is expected that they will come and live over here, leaving their family behind and send some of the money back home to pay for their living expenses over there. Surely this can't be right can it?

Why don't they just throw money into the sea and have done with it?

[sarahxxx]

Why don't they just throw money into the sea and have done with it?

That would help the fishing industry.....

On a more serious note, I do think it wrong that we seem to be involved in sending so much money abroad to countries that, as said above, do not actually spend money on helping themselves.

We are not in good health as a country and should concentrate on getting ourselves sorted out before helping others. Part of the emergency instruction on a plane is to always put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. There is good reason for this advice.

There are so many things wrong with the way we are governed, I tend to stay out of political discussions.

Sarah

[Vulcan1]

Why are we still giving money to foreign countries when we know that money goes to war mongers, and evil do'ers, and countries that are spending our 'Charitable Donations' on either nuclear arms or a space program?

Sod the rest of them until weve got our own house straight.

Charity begins at home.

[monty69]

I dont see the problem with donating money to charitable causes, be it within this country (my preference) or to overseas aid charities. What I have an issue is when a politician tells me I should. How dare he! My hard earned money goes where I want it to go, not where some politician tells me to put it. I also get frustrated, having given it some thought, about being told to reduce my personal debts. I did think at first, a sound idea. Later, having thought some more, I ended up thinking, cheeky bugger! He isnt exactly leading by example as, although the present government is clearing up after the previous one, they arent that great themselves.

I do agree we need to get our house in order as a nation and our problems are note helped by some of the policies - eg on immigration. I wont say any more as I do not wish to anger anyone.

To Hire - one worn out soapbox!

[Hicky]

I totally agree with Monty about how irrating it is when a millionaire politician (or any politician) tells me how my taxes should be sent. I would certainly rather that my taxes (and far more than is spent in foreign aid) were not spent bombing and invading countries just co they happen to have oil reserves (Iraq and Lybia) or to attack people we armed in the first place (Afganistan). Indeed I was miffed at paying for a millenium dome and don't want to shell out for the olympics. But at the end of the day politicians decide these things and all we can do is kick them out when we don't agree.

I work in some very poor area's of this country which could badly do with extra resources but which seem very unlikely to get it in the near future. But weather you agree with the humanity of supporting very poor countries and reducing premature death and extreme poverty or not there are very good economic arguements for supporting people in their own countries. In an increasingly globalised world the consquences of not doing so is that people will migrate and end up in the west including this country. All studies would suggest it is far far cheaper to support people in their own countries than cope with them landing on our own doorstep. And before anyone says no one should be allowed to leave their own country when faced with poverty and starvation lots of people will risk everything to save their family - who on here would not do the same?