Should the UK government continue giving humanitarian aid?

[easynow]

Humanitarian aid was brought up a lot reading through some UKIP threads...so here's a poll.

 

[ditchy]

Not to countries that keep spending on Arms or space technology such as India etc

 

[easynow]

Finally got the poll up.

 

[easynow]

Not to countries that keep spending on Arms or space technology such as India etc

Yeah I'm predicting this will be the top answer. The UK is one of most generous countries in public donations. The government matched the 75 million of the British public donations to the Philippines last year.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It seems obvious to me that it is better to be using a properly structured foreign aid budget to combat ebola in West Africa than it would be to abandon foreign aid and wait until the epidemic spread unchallenged to Western Europe and our own doorstep.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Humanitarian aid should be exactly that , no skimming off the top by corrupt leaders.

 

[halbpro]

I think there are problems with the current system for sure, but that's an argument for improving how it's spent rather than stopping it. Many people have issues with the trains, that's not an argument to abolish trains though. I also think the 0.7% of GDP figure is a good amount as a base, with the obvious caveat that some should be held back until the end of the year in case of emergencies, which can then be rolled into the next year's aid budget if it's not spent.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I voted just a straight yes, so without the conditionality.

I can't help thinking there is an element her that is the same as the concept of the "deserving and the undeserving poor" in individual terms, so I would support us ceasing aid in certain cases, but only where we might be very sure of the facts - not as a knee-jerk reaction to appease certain groups of voters........ and that is not meant to be a swipe at UKIP or anyone else.

 

[beorhthelm]

absolutely we should.

but you have asked the wrong question, you mean should we earmark 10Bn for Overseas Development Aid, for many, many things beyond humanitarian aid. this budget is mostly a slush fund to curry favor and influence overseas.

 

[Worthingite]

I've said no, on the basis that many essential services in the country are poorly funded, or at risk of closure, despite being overloaded. I'm of the belief that we need to sort our own problems out before dealing with others. And anyway, with the levels of immigration we have, we seem to be dishing out the aid at both ends anyway.

 

[albion534]

India is the perfect example

It's a joke that they send a rocket into space, have all this money for the Indian Super league, paying god knows what the these footballers, the cricket league....yet we donate so much money

If a country is in dire straight and other countries donate, then yes!

 

[Czechmate]

I feel like I have been contributing to Africa for fresh water to drink for about 30 odd years and I guess the government has done too , 30 years later we still see the same adverts