It's give money to Africa day in the election.
Discussion
Why should the Government waste my hard earned income in this way?
Don't they know when to stop?
Since the end of colonisation countless billions have been thrown at Africa and as a result they are now worse off.
It is a bottomless pit of corrupt and incompetent government. Give them money and they are more likely to buy a Maybach than provide drinking water.
A few decades ago Asia was in the same position as Africa, now they are catching the first world fast. Was this achieved by throwing money at them? No, it was done by hard graft, enterprise and stamping on corruption.
The most corrupt major economy in Asia is Indonesia so they have made the least progress. How few pennies in the pound of the tsunami money will actually reach the victims?
The only answer for Africa is Education. Give them the means to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Throwing money into that hole achieves nothing. In this, as so many other things, Gordon is a moron.
Don't they know when to stop?
Since the end of colonisation countless billions have been thrown at Africa and as a result they are now worse off.
It is a bottomless pit of corrupt and incompetent government. Give them money and they are more likely to buy a Maybach than provide drinking water.
A few decades ago Asia was in the same position as Africa, now they are catching the first world fast. Was this achieved by throwing money at them? No, it was done by hard graft, enterprise and stamping on corruption.
The most corrupt major economy in Asia is Indonesia so they have made the least progress. How few pennies in the pound of the tsunami money will actually reach the victims?
The only answer for Africa is Education. Give them the means to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Throwing money into that hole achieves nothing. In this, as so many other things, Gordon is a moron.
Nail on the head there Brucie
'we have an opportunity to make poverty history' yeah right.
We have an opportunity to transfer billions to the Swiss bank accounts of African despots.
Aid is a process of transferring money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
'we have an opportunity to make poverty history' yeah right.
We have an opportunity to transfer billions to the Swiss bank accounts of African despots.
Aid is a process of transferring money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
bruciebabie said:
Why should the Government waste my hard earned income in this way?
Don't they know when to stop?
Since the end of colonisation countless billions have been thrown at Africa and as a result they are now worse off.
It is a bottomless pit of corrupt and incompetent government. Give them money and they are more likely to buy a Maybach than provide drinking water.
A few decades ago Asia was in the same position as Africa, now they are catching the first world fast. Was this achieved by throwing money at them? No, it was done by hard graft, enterprise and stamping on corruption.
The most corrupt major economy in Asia is Indonesia so they have made the least progress. How few pennies in the pound of the tsunami money will actually reach the victims?
The only answer for Africa is Education. Give them the means to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Throwing money into that hole achieves nothing. In this, as so many other things, Gordon is a moron.
What - did you think that when the thief in chief Brown spouts re-formed socialist b0ll0x about wealth redistribution that it would be a minor readjustment restricted to the UK?
Borwn and Blair have some big things in common - the arrogance, complacency and our wherewithal to try and actually change the world, even if whole generations of politicians before them have failed. They really think that given our wealth, they can reverse the earth's direction of rotation. They both ought to take a leaf out of King Canute's book - go to the saeaside, sit on the seashore and tell the sea to go back a mile. Meanwhile the engineers of their grand plans are just another bunch of overpaid bureaucrats and croneys with equally big ideas and big mortgages and pension pots paid for by you and me.
Trouble is a vast swathe of the electorate are actually influenced by this thinking and will be quite happy to vote our prosperity down the drain, as long as they themselves don't have to go to the poorer parts of Africa. So, combined with a few well-doctored postal ballots, we can look forward to another 4-5 years of Labour waste, stealth taxes and Bliar's "knowledge economy" - he knows, we pay.
Balmoral Green said:
Yeah, 'em
And that Geldof should be stripped of his Knighthood too.
>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Saturday 23 April 17:32
The saddest thing about this piccy for me is that while this child is starving some corrupt f*** will be driving around in a Benz with the money that was meant for their aid.
We need to get rid of the greed and corruption before we can help this little fella. Or rather, that getting rid of the greed first, we would be able to help more.
>> Edited by _VTEC_ on Saturday 23 April 17:54
Balmoral Green said:
And that Geldof should be stripped of his Knighthood too.
Despite the good he's tried to do, I'd say that Band Aid and other charities have caused extra suffering... If the people they were trying to help back then had been left to die, they wouldn't have gone on to have more children who are suffering now. The more aid that's given, the more people will suffer in future decades.
Also, don't they say that a child dies of poverty every 3 seconds? So that's 10.5m children per year. That's a lot but how many species of plants and animals are lost each year? I've seen it quoted at around 27,000 - don't know how accurate that is though. These species are lost forever whereas even with 10.5m children in poverty going each year, there's still plenty of them around.
There are better things to target aid at than Africa.
As harsh as it sounds it's spot on. I won't be giving any of my money just because a bunch of celebs want to try and make me feel guilty by clicking their fingers. Neither do I want all my hard earned tax money (8 billion?) being shipped abroad to be wasted and pilferred by the corrupt. Until war is stopped and they start looking after themselves rather than killing each other it's never going to be sorted out.
There are plenty enough problems in this country than could be sorted with that sort of money.
This is going to sound really bad, but could it be an attempt to get to immigrant or minority vote?
There are plenty enough problems in this country than could be sorted with that sort of money.
This is going to sound really bad, but could it be an attempt to get to immigrant or minority vote?
markh508 said:
And that Geldof should be stripped of his Knighthood too.
Despite the good he's tried to do, I'd say that Band Aid and other charities have caused extra suffering... If the people they were trying to help back then had been left to die, they wouldn't have gone on to have more children who are suffering now. The more aid that's given, the more people will suffer in future decades.
Any situation where a population (be it people or rabbits) has more children than they can feed and support will result in deaths.
Simple truism.
Add the catholic church's line on contraception, you have a continent with a high birth rate, massive infant mortality, incredibly low levels of education, massive corruption, very high levels of HIV infection (upwards of 30% iirc in some countries) and its basically
ed. Completely. The only real solution?
Forget Iraq, forget Afghanistan.
Occupy africa. Educate, feed, teach, enforce the laws of the civilised western world.
Thats the biggest thing we can do for Africa. Forget the current two generations, they are pretty much written off. But the grandchildren of those around now can be saved.
But wait, how about we carry on with the policies of the past 20 years? We supply food aid when there is a famine to remove the huge guilt associated with dying children, we fund the dictators, even installing them in some cases (Rhodesia anyone?) however we do nothing to address the root causes.
I have no problem with people giving money to African nations - particularly if they oversee how the money is spent (not all do) and make sure it benefits the people to whom our people thought they were donating the cash.
But our people should be totally free to choose whether or not they give aid or they don't. Typically this means that they do. But it should be the people's say in this - NOT the government. The government is helping *enough* when it provides a 100% tax break on charitable donations...
But our people should be totally free to choose whether or not they give aid or they don't. Typically this means that they do. But it should be the people's say in this - NOT the government. The government is helping *enough* when it provides a 100% tax break on charitable donations...
markh508 said:
Despite the good he's tried to do, I'd say that Band Aid and other charities have caused extra suffering... If the people they were trying to help back then had been left to die, they wouldn't have gone on to have more children who are suffering now. The more aid that's given, the more people will suffer in future decades.
Also, don't they say that a child dies of poverty every 3 seconds? So that's 10.5m children per year. That's a lot but how many species of plants and animals are lost each year? I've seen it quoted at around 27,000 - don't know how accurate that is though. These species are lost forever whereas even with 10.5m children in poverty going each year, there's still plenty of them around.
There are better things to target aid at than Africa.
I only just spotted this and am aghast that no-one has pulled you up.
Judging by your wish to play God, and your comparison of flora with humans, you must be all of, what, ten years old?
I am truly sorry for you...
Don said:
I have no problem with people giving money to African nations - particularly if they oversee how the money is spent (not all do) and make sure it benefits the people to whom our people thought they were donating the cash.
But our people should be totally free to choose whether or not they give aid or they don't. Typically this means that they do. But it should be the people's say in this - NOT the government. The government is helping *enough* when it provides a 100% tax break on charitable donations...
On another note, Don, you are absolutely right: it is up to the individual how he chooses to donate to charity. Sadly, however, the British public has an appalling low sense of charitable duty.
Harris_I said:
On another note, Don, you are absolutely right: it is up to the individual how he chooses to donate to charity. Sadly, however, the British public has an appalling low sense of charitable duty.
I think you will find that British people were some of the most generous in donating money to the Tsunami victims.
JagLover said:
On another note, Don, you are absolutely right: it is up to the individual how he chooses to donate to charity. Sadly, however, the British public has an appalling low sense of charitable duty.
I think you will find that British people were some of the most generous in donating money to the Tsunami victims.
Which was another lost cause. The charities will chew up loads in "administration" and flying their staff out there business class. The money reaching Indonesia will mostly be siphoned off by the rich and corrupt ruling class with maybe a couple of pence in the pound reaching the victims in a few token projects that look good for the cameras.
Most of what was destroyed was built cheaply using local resources. It will be rebuilt the same way.
Harris_I said:
Judging by your wish to play God
I would say actively wiping out entire species is more playing God than doing nothing while African children die because the area they live cannot support them.
Harris_I said:
your comparison of flora with humans
Flora AND fauna actually. Anyway why are humans so special in the grand scheme of things? This planet is around 4.5 billion years old, humans have been around for what, 20-30,000 years?
Also some of these species of plants that are being wiped out may contain compounds that could be used in drugs to treat HIV or cancer, etc.
Harris_I said:
you must be all of, what, ten years old?
I am truly sorry for you...
Oh the irony...
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