Orwell's newspeak is alive and well...

1966_and_all_that

1966_and_all_that

Well-known member
...in the heart of Government. Rishi Sunak explained in the Commons today how the best way of protecting the UK's commitment to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on international aid is to cut it. Mind you, who cares about the UK's international reputation when the point of Government is to splash the cash on your rich mates.
 
Worst recession recession in history with the Chancellor having to find £410billion and our national debt heading towards 100% of GDP and we're still going to give at least £10,000,000,000 in foreign aid this year, more as a percentage of GDP than USA, Canada, Japan or Italy. Last year, the UK was one of only seven countries that met the OECD's 0.7% target and in real terms, the UK was the world's third highest contributor behind the USA and Germany. Go and have a word with the wealthy countries that are not as generous as us.
 
Tangojoe said:
Worst recession recession in history with the Chancellor having to find £410billion and our national debt heading towards 100% of GDP and we're still going to give at least £10,000,000,000 in foreign aid this year, more as a percentage of GDP than USA, Canada, Japan or Italy. Last year, the UK was one of only seven countries that met the OECD's 0.7% target and in real terms, the UK was the world's third highest contributor behind the USA and Germany. Go and have a word with the wealthy countries that are not as generous as us.
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But we are out of the EU now so we need to buy some new friends and look like decent sorts, maybe we could use some of the money that we used to give to the Europeans, apparently we got nothing in return for that so giving it to the worlds poorest should make us all feel like we have done some good in the world.
 
1 It was manifesto commitment to maintain it

2 They have been quite happy to splash £37 000 000 000 on a useless track and trace system

3 I thought we were supposed to be world leaders, many are quite happy to bang on about how big our economy is.

4 Rishi Sunak could afford this on his own after he made such a killing from the Banking Crisis. We had 10 + years of austerity whilst he counted his ill gotten gains
 
It's a goodwill investment that we've deliberately removed to spend on what, exactly?

More non executive posts on public sector bodies for their mates? It pays well and you don't have to bother with recruiting the best candidates. As long as they have your number and can offer you a nice holiday break you're in.
 
Fantastic news, they'll be giving that money to the needy in this country. Who doesn't want it to be spent on a few backhanders, tax breaks and lucrative contracts to party friends and billionaires. Maybe some of the money can pay for further downing Street refurbs undertaken by de peffel interior design Ltd or pay for foreign holidays for the PM with the travel agent de peffel Travel agency Ltd. Perhaps Carrie can be his special advisor and charged out to de peffel special advisor Ltd? People in Hartlepool will be delighted, marvellous stuff.
 
catinstalbans said:
You call it right. When you have morphed into UKIP/BNP extremism, your core voters are not going to be concerned about thousands of starving foreigners. They don't even care when it's British Schoolchildren going hungry.
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Don't let facts get in the way of a good accusation. The reality is that the UK is the world's third most generous foreign aid donor and for the current year only, in the middle of the worst recession in history, it plans to reduce payments allocated primarily for non-humanitarian purposes. In addition to it's contributions the UK is paying record amounts towards peacekeeping, diplomacy, food aid, Covax, tariff reductions for poor countries and World Health Organisation payments.
 
Tangojoe said:
Don't let facts get in the way of a good accusation. The reality is that the UK is the world's third most generous foreign aid donor and for the current year only, in the middle of the worst recession in history, it plans to reduce payments allocated primarily for non-humanitarian purposes. In addition to it's contributions the UK is paying record amounts towards peacekeeping, diplomacy, food aid, Covax, tariff reductions for poor countries and World Health Organisation payments.
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I must have dreamt it was in their manifesto. Its not like them to lie.
 
Wizaard said:
It's a goodwill investment that we've deliberately removed to spend on what, exactly?

More non executive posts on public sector bodies for their mates? It pays well and you don't have to bother with recruiting the best candidates. As long as they have your number and can offer you a nice holiday break you're in.
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I can only offer 15 days a year Wizz? Is it even worth my while?
 
Shandypants said:
I must have dreamt it was in their manifesto. Its not like them to lie.
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The International Development Act, which was passed before the present government was voted in, expressly provides that 'fiscal circumstances' allow a departure from the 0.7% target. In the most extreme fiscal circumstances in living memory, this is what the government has chosen to do.

If people were given the choice of paying more tax to hit the 0.7% target do you think they would vote for it? It's one option.
 
Tangojoe said:
The International Development Act, which was passed before the present government was voted in, expressly provides that 'fiscal circumstances' allow a departure from the 0.7% target. In the most extreme fiscal circumstances in living memory, this is what the government has chosen to do.

If people were given the choice of paying more tax to hit the 0.7% target do you think they would vote for it? It's one option.
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How many people dying from starvation is acceptable in your eyes?
I know that most Tory MPs think 150,000 to protect offshore tax havens is a small price to pay.
 
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gjr69 said:
But we are out of the EU now so we need to buy some new friends and look like decent sorts, maybe we could use some of the money that we used to give to the Europeans, apparently we got nothing in return for that so giving it to the worlds poorest should make us all feel like we have done some good in the world.
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Except the Eu want over £40 billion off us.
 
Shandypants said:
Fantastic news, they'll be giving that money to the needy in this country. Who doesn't want it to be spent on a few backhanders, tax breaks and lucrative contracts to party friends and billionaires. Maybe some of the money can pay for further downing Street refurbs undertaken by de peffel interior design Ltd or pay for foreign holidays for the PM with the travel agent de peffel Travel agency Ltd. Perhaps Carrie can be his special advisor and charged out to de peffel special advisor Ltd? People in Hartlepool will be delighted, marvellous stuff.
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Don’t think I like ‘de Peffel’ much either.
Pigs with snouts in the trough springs to mind.
 
catinstalbans said:
How many people dying from starvation is acceptable in your eyes?
I know that most Tory MPs think 150,000 to protect offshore tax havens is a small price to pay.
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That's a fair question. I suspect that most people asked to pay say an extra £500 a year in tax to save lives abroad would object. Many of us do donate to Children in Need, Unicef, Oxfam etc. Many more blame the government, but resent putting their own hands in their pockets. IMO if people don't personally donate then they're just hypocritical when they start complaining about the government's foreign aid programme.
 
Tangojoe said:
That's a fair question. I suspect that most people asked to pay say an extra £500 a year in tax to save lives abroad would object. Many of us do donate to Children in Need, Unicef, Oxfam etc. Many more blame the government, but resent putting their own hands in their pockets. IMO if people don't personally donate then they're just hypocritical when they start complaining about the government's foreign aid programme.
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0.2% isn't £500 a head
 
Tangojoe said:
That's a fair question. I suspect that most people asked to pay say an extra £500 a year in tax to save lives abroad would object. Many of us do donate to Children in Need, Unicef, Oxfam etc. Many more blame the government, but resent putting their own hands in their pockets. IMO if people don't personally donate then they're just hypocritical when they start complaining about the government's foreign aid programme.
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Let me understand you here. If I don't personally contribute (after tax) to programmes covered by Govt expenditure then I don't have a right to complain about how they use public money? I'm sure that's not what you intended to imply....is it?
 
I'm not implying anything. I'm sure the government will do whatever it needs to with its money. I'm giving my opinion that people who don't give to charity but tell others that they should are hypocrites.
 
Tangojoe said:
I'm not implying anything. I'm sure the government will do whatever it needs to with its money. I'm giving my opinion that people who don't give to charity but tell others that they should are hypocrites.
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That's not what you wrote. You wrote that people who don't put their hand in their own pocket, (OK, make contributions to charity, I see that), then they don't have a right to comment on the Government's international aid programme. You didn't mention, "telling others that they should." If people pay their taxes then they have a perfect right to comment on how it's spent.
 
1966_and_all_that said:
That's not what you wrote. You wrote that people who don't put their hand in their own pocket, (OK, make contributions to charity, I see that), then they don't have a right to comment on the Government's international aid programme. You didn't mention, "telling others that they should." If people pay their taxes then they have a perfect right to comment on how it's spent.
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I'm not denying them any rights to comment. I'm referring to some of those condemning the government for reducing foreign aid for a single year (much of that reduction being in military and non-humanitarian aid), probably the same people forever banging on about it needing to spend more on social care in the UK.

So I'll say it again. When the country is in a dire economic position with a negative budget because of the pandemic, people who want the government to maintain payments in foreign aid but who are not personally prepared to contribute via donations or extra taxes are hypocrites. IMO of course.
 
Tangojoe said:
I'm not denying them any rights to comment. I'm referring to some of those condemning the government for reducing foreign aid for a single year (much of that reduction being in military and non-humanitarian aid), probably the same people forever banging on about it needing to spend more on social care in the UK.

So I'll say it again. When the country is in a dire economic position with a negative budget because of the pandemic, people who want the government to maintain payments in foreign aid but who are not personally prepared to contribute via donations or extra taxes are hypocrites. IMO of course.
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Because of the pandemic....is that it? What a gift
 
Kurtan said:
Little England, not Great Britain .
According to that Marxist John Major
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It that the same John Major as the one who left office with the foreign aid budget at 0.25% of GDP, the lowest recorded by any government?

I think the word you're looking for is hypocrite.
 
Tangojoe said:
No, it's a pandemic and it's costing £317bn. Much as you like saying it, it has nowt to do with brexit.
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Calm down Joe. I think the attitude of Britons has been heavily affected by Brexit. I'm not picking a fight but I think we're all a tad less tolerant than hitherto.
 
No triple lock pension for the poor sods who don’t have a private pension. At least they’ll be able to go into a Care Home. Oh hang on a minute...
 
Tangojoe said:
No, it's a pandemic and it's costing £317bn. Much as you like saying it, it has nowt to do with brexit.
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I never said it had anything to do with brexit. Covid has provided a fantastic cover though, nothing like a pandemic to paper over the cracks. Still watching GB News?
 
1966_and_all_that said:
Calm down Joe. I think the attitude of Britons has been heavily affected by Brexit. I'm not picking a fight but I think we're all a tad less tolerant than hitherto.
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Less tolerant? Me?
Double Slap Angry Emoticons
 
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