[Finance] Foreign Aid

[Thunder Bolt]

just racking my brains. I'm sure something happened to our economy since the 2019 Manifesto that might cause the Govt to review its spending promises.

Now what was it?

No, they didn't there has always been an understanding the target could change under exceptional circumstances ..



Duty to lay statement before Parliament if 0.7% target not met

(1)If an annual report laid before Parliament in the year 2016 or any subsequent calendar year shows that the 0.7% target has not been met in the report year, the Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable after laying the report, lay before Parliament a statement complying with subsections (3) and (4).

(2)If an annual report laid before Parliament in the year 2015 or any subsequent calendar year shows that the 0.7% target has been met in the report year but—
(a)the report is revised under section 1(4) of the 2006 Act by a subsequent annual report, and
(b)the effect of the revision is to show that the 0.7% target was not met in the report year,the Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable after laying the subsequent report, lay before Parliament a statement complying with subsection (3).

(3)A statement under subsection (1) or (2) must explain why the 0.7% target has not been met in the report year and, if relevant, refer to the effect of one or more of the following—
(a)economic circumstances and, in particular, any substantial change in gross national income;
(b)fiscal circumstances and, in particular, the likely impact of meeting the target on taxation, public spending and public borrowing;
(c)circumstances arising outside the United Kingdom.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/12/section/2/enacted

Ah yes, £21M to an agent in Spain, £12B for a Track & Trace system which doesn’t work, and Matt Hancock’s neighbour the latest one to jump on the gravy train.

 

[timbha]

Ah yes, £21M to an agent in Spain, £12B for a Track & Trace system which doesn’t work, and Matt Hancock’s neighbour the latest one to jump on the gravy train.

That’s a completely different debate.

 

[GT49er]

Bizarrely we also suddenly started receiving these parcels in March and the drivers refused to take them away. However a kindly young neighbor took them to the night shelter until we were able to contact the council to stop them being delivered!

I think it was how I completed my vulnerable persons registration that started the ball rolling.

I got those too.

Actually, there was some very impressive organisation at the start of lockdown. Those of us needing to shield were quickly identified (I guess through GP surgeries) and details were passed up so that a). we got a letter telling us to shield (and a text) and b). food parcels were set up. I tried to give mine back, but the driver wouldn't take it. I asked where it had come from and all he would say was 'The Government'; I phoned the City and County Councils to try and cancel them, but both denied any knowledge - it seems it was organised directly by government. I managed to get people to take them away to local food banks.

This service only lasted 6 weeks, but the other smart thing that was done was to pass details on to the major supermarkets, who responded by offering people shielding free weekly recurring delivery slots - which I've greatly appreciated, and still do (though Asda have recently started charging me two quid, which seems reasonable enough).

 

[bha100]

How much of our money went to Sudan?

I'm all for stashing your savings under the bed, but this was taking it too far imho

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47997729

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

The idea that the Nation is always skint and never any money is classic media brainwashing

From the same people who sell you Brexit saying we're the 6th richest country in the world

Depends how you measure it really.

I think the current picture looks bleak myself.


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[maltaseagull]

The cutting of overseas aid is Right-wing virtue-signalling and faux-patriotism - it panders to the Gammonazis and Daily Mail readers.

What is so nauseating is the sheer hypocrisy of those who claim "We should cut overseas aid and look after our own instead", because many of them equally resent 'looking after our own'. We saw this in the vitriol directed at Marcus Rashford's free-school dinners campaign a few weeks ago, when so many Right-wingers said "People shouldn't have kids if they can't afford them. Why should my taxes pay to feed poor children." (the predictable online comments 'in' the Mail and the Telegraph were disgusting and depressing in the hatred, bigotry and ignorance they revealed among their readers).

The same "charity begins at home'" types also seem to assume that absolutely anyone in receipt of Benefits or assistance from Food Banks is a feckless 'scrounger' getting something-for-nothing and 'milking the system', so again, absolutely no desire to 'help our own', only condemnation and derision - even though the largest category of welfare claimants are those in work but receiving poverty wages (while many corporate CEOs and shareholders pocket £ millions).

I can't help suspecting that many of the 'scrap overseas aid' brigade hate the British poor and working-class just as much as they hate foreigners, and don't want a single penny of their taxes spent on either - only hand-outs for big business and Tory donors!

I resent that you seem to think you know what I think when I believe that it is wrong that we give money to countries when so many of our own people are having to use food banks and assume I resent taxes paid towards helping people in the UK.
I think we should help countries where people are starving but in far too many cases the money doesn't reach the people who need it due to corrupt national leaders and ends up in a Swiss bank account.

Also please justify the UK giving money to China, India who have a space programme and Pakistan who have a nuclear programme.

Edit:

PS I don't read the Telegraph or the Mail.

 

[Razzoo]

China should be paying us (and the rest of the world, while they are at it).

 

[Seasider78]

Ah yes, £21M to an agent in Spain, £12B for a Track & Trace system which doesn’t work, and Matt Hancock’s neighbour the latest one to jump on the gravy train.

Oh and the £16.5bn extra for the military whilst the rest of the country is going to be financially on its knees

 

[Wrong-Direction]

How much has been spent fighting covid adding to the national debt which the likes of most on here will be paying for in taxes up until we depart and probably are children and their children as well. If all countries are in the same boat who's the rich barsteward with all the money

Now we'll get ****ed in the arse for decades with the excuse of covid.

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[rogersix]

Foreign aid has very little in the way benevolence to it. There will definitely be something in it for this country somewhere.

mainly, quinetiq shareholders

 

[Randy McNob]

I resent that you seem to think you know what I think when I believe that it is wrong that we give money to countries when so many of our own people are having to use food banks and assume I resent taxes paid towards helping people in the UK.
I think we should help countries where people are starving but in far too many cases the money doesn't reach the people who need it due to corrupt national leaders and ends up in a Swiss bank account.

Also please justify the UK giving money to China, India who have a space programme and Pakistan who have a nuclear programme.

Edit:

PS I don't read the Telegraph or the Mail.

divide and rule

 

[vegster]

China should be paying us (and the rest of the world, while they are at it).

I think they are already. A massive amount of goods sold on our High Streets originate in China and are sold to our traders at such low prices on the back of Chinese hard work, that our companies maximise their profits.... "Buy low, sell high " and, that isn't going to happen without cheap Chinese goods.

 

[vegster]

The cutting of overseas aid is Right-wing virtue-signalling and faux-patriotism - it panders to the Gammonazis and Daily Mail readers.

What is so nauseating is the sheer hypocrisy of those who claim "We should cut overseas aid and look after our own instead", because many of them equally resent 'looking after our own'. We saw this in the vitriol directed at Marcus Rashford's free-school dinners campaign a few weeks ago, when so many Right-wingers said "People shouldn't have kids if they can't afford them. Why should my taxes pay to feed poor children." (the predictable online comments 'in' the Mail and the Telegraph were disgusting and depressing in the hatred, bigotry and ignorance they revealed among their readers).

The same "charity begins at home'" types also seem to assume that absolutely anyone in receipt of Benefits or assistance from Food Banks is a feckless 'scrounger' getting something-for-nothing and 'milking the system', so again, absolutely no desire to 'help our own', only condemnation and derision - even though the largest category of welfare claimants are those in work but receiving poverty wages (while many corporate CEOs and shareholders pocket £ millions).

I can't help suspecting that many of the 'scrap overseas aid' brigade hate the British poor and working-class just as much as they hate foreigners, and don't want a single penny of their taxes spent on either - only hand-outs for big business and Tory donors!

I agree completely. The problem isthat so many here have bought the prejudices peddled by the Mail, Express and Sun, they genuinely believe that there is a huge proportion of our population lying on their backsides all day looking at Bargain Hunt on 80" plasma, screen tellies.

A bloke at work was critical of Rashford's campaign and said " Why are, we giving these people more money, they will only spend it on mobile phones or a bigger telly?"... He really did not know or understand that it was a voucher scheme for those already on School Meals due to poverty and was not transferable to electrical goods!

 

[middletoenail]

I think they are already. A massive amount of goods sold on our High Streets originate in China and are sold to our traders at such low prices on the back of Chinese hard work, that our companies maximise their profits.... "Buy low, sell high " and, that isn't going to happen without cheap Chinese goods.

The Chinese are propping up our universities, our rail network, nuclear power, steel industry and telecoms.. We could also ignore how we pilfered them and supplied them with untolds of opium in years gone by.

We need China, more than China needs us, especially with Brexit - times are a changing.

 

[RossyG]

There's probably more to it than meets the eye - disguised bribes, for example - but the government shouldn't be giving a penny of taxpayers' money to any kind of charitable cause. That should be up to the individual.

 

[Saltydog]

I got those too.

Actually, there was some very impressive organisation at the start of lockdown. Those of us needing to shield were quickly identified (I guess through GP surgeries) and details were passed up so that a). we got a letter telling us to shield (and a text) and b). food parcels were set up. I tried to give mine back, but the driver wouldn't take it. I asked where it had come from and all he would say was 'The Government'; I phoned the City and County Councils to try and cancel them, but both denied any knowledge - it seems it was organised directly by government. I managed to get people to take them away to local food banks.

This service only lasted 6 weeks, but the other smart thing that was done was to pass details on to the major supermarkets, who responded by offering people shielding free weekly recurring delivery slots - which I've greatly appreciated, and still do (though Asda have recently started charging me two quid, which seems reasonable enough).

Similar tale this end till our local council called on a community follow up call and they were able to stop the deliveries.

However of all of the supermarkets ASDA stuck the highest del fee on us at £5:50 for our regular 8-9am Friday slot. They also introduced it to coincide with the current second lockdown. I have not used them since! Tesco’s “only” stuffed us for £4:50 for an 8am-4pm slot till we found we could get a standard 1hr or 8-12 slot cheaper!

Sainsbury’s are more flexible on delivery costs but their product prices tend to be a little higher.

 

[middletoenail]

Similar tale this end till our local council called on a community follow up call and they were able to stop the deliveries.

However of all of the supermarkets ASDA stuck the highest del fee on us at £5:50 for our regular 8-9am Friday slot. They also introduced it to coincide with the current second lockdown. I have not used them since! Tesco’s “only” stuffed us for £4:50 for an 8am-4pm slot till we found we could get a standard 1hr or 8-12 slot cheaper!

Sainsbury’s are more flexible on delivery costs but their product prices tend to be a little higher.

Just out of interest, do neither of these supermarkets offer free delivery if your order value is over a certain amount?

 

[Saltydog]

Just out of interest, do neither of these supermarkets offer free delivery if your order value is over a certain amount?

They used to during lockdown one up here for us inflicted ones but stopped this now regardless of order value. Waitrose still does I think but not sure if that is due to the need to shield and being on the government register - but only use them if I am feeling flash and want to treat us

 

[BadFish]

Would be great to see your government cutting the amount they and their mates send to tax havens.

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[Hastings gull]

I agree completely. The problem isthat so many here have bought the prejudices peddled by the Mail, Express and Sun, they genuinely believe that there is a huge proportion of our population lying on their backsides all day looking at Bargain Hunt on 80" plasma, screen tellies.

A bloke at work was critical of Rashford's campaign and said " Why are, we giving these people more money, they will only spend it on mobile phones or a bigger telly?"... He really did not know or understand that it was a voucher scheme for those already on School Meals due to poverty and was not transferable to electrical goods!

While "your bloke at work " -if that is not made up to give credence to your own prejudices -may or may not have said that, it is absurd of you in your first paragraph to claim that so many millions think as simply as you describe. Ironically, you take "the bloke at work "to task for a massive generalisation, but fail to see the irony of your own.