International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell admitted the Coalition was facing ‘bracing’ criticism over its decision to increase aid spending by 34 per cent to £12billion at a time of austerity at home.This is from the ministry which had no grip of its spending under Douglas Alexander, and thought it was fine to give taxpayers' money to Dr Pachauri's Teri Europe and to foreign dance troupes. Did anyone mention the Afghan fairgound or Indian and Pakistani armament programmes?
How proud we should be.
Even if Mr Mitchell's ministry suddenly started doing its job properly - pretty unlikely - there are two main reasons why it would still be wrong to spend taxpayers' money on overseas aid.
- Overseas aid is good for despots but bad for their subjects. Trade, not aid.
- Even if the charity was beneficial, it shouldn't be a compulsory levy on taxpayers. Donations should be voluntary and attract tax relief. Wouldn't that be the Big Society on an international scale? Oh, and it would empower the citizens.
6 comments:
I find it very strange that a government should be determined to go ahead with something which is deeply unpopular for obvious reasons. It's as if they are being deliberately provocative.
As we have a nominally Conservative PM and Major, a nominally Conservative ex-PM has appeared out of nowhere to justify it and tell us we should be happy, it's all the more odd. Conservatism is supposed to be about self-reliance, caution with the public purse, low taxes and individual choice, so urging people to decide to give their money to aid charities would be legitimate. Expropriating money from the unwilling to squander on a massive government vanity project is quite another. It's very much a socialist mentality, of the worst kind.
I assume that the reason for this is that Cameron is looking ahead to his next job.
Where on Earth does the Mail get the idea that "Andrew Mitchell is a right-winger".
Where is the evidence for this ludicrous statement?
Mitchell is one of the leading culprits behind the "man-made climate change" scam.
He is every bit the out-of-touch trendy-lefty 1970s student union leader that he looks.
Eton to88er and his band of merry bandits care more of, helping immigrants to the British taxpayer funded largess and spreading it around the world like a muck spreader, it helps ease their collective consciences and shows the world that they truly, do care so much.
Caring for the taxpayer?? ... not on the list old boy!
If there is a bad winter this year and, the signs are that it will be just that.
Watch the mortality rate incease swiftly - there are millions of people in this generous nation - who can't afford to heat their homes.
Insult to injury, are subsidising the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants already here and remitting vast sums to these immigrants relations who have not yet caught the 'banana boat'.
More fairness, more equality, more diversity, oh yes we are 'living it so much that, we're eating it' literally and metaphorically.
When will we pause, realise and then halt - being milch cows for the liberal left and for every bleeding heart West of Berlin?
Less foreign aid means less foreign jollies for the Westminster crowd.
And that £11.5billion is an average of over £500 of 'charitable' 'giving' for every household in the UK. What a generous lot we are.
Best regards
Helen has more about Andrew Mitchell
http://yourfreedomandours.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-can-one-be-so-heartless.html
I'm sure Cameron did it to detoxify the Conservative brand.
And see now
http://order-order.com/2011/06/09/indian-astronaut-thanks-mitchell-for-his-cash/
Except it's not his cash, it was our cash - or maybe the bankers' cash.
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