egafd.com

Well like Eric said...You do have a choice to read it or not Steve. He just came back with something I felt I should respond to.

Now if he ignores me I'll quietly leave again.

Oh yeah and I'll be around to play the tired hackneyed old race card when people keep talking about that tired old hackneyed argument about Africa receiving aid.

After reading all the posts, i must be in the minority has i have no objection to sending a supply of mosquito nets to parts of Africa.

What i do object to is that the UK appears to be funding this themselves.

We are supposed to now be part of the EU and i feel this should be a EU project with equal funding from all of the member states. Unfortunately it looks like the UK foots the bill again . No wonder we are the mugs of Europe

I look to a party that puts the British people first.

Of course, where your argument falls flat on its face is that this is not a race issue at all.

Were Africa populated exclusively by Caucasians, the objection would be the same.

Whether we like it or not Foreign aid is how you gain access to other countries economies

Simply put its a economic bribe dressed up as a humanitarian motivated gesture

I'd love to do an experiment where we stop all foreign aid and trading with the recipient countries simply to show we get more out of foreign aid via trade

If I could find the sources i would but the last ones I read said for every dollar given in aid we receive 9 in return.Thats worldwide for all countries

OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Yes, absolutely - aid should only be given if it can be ensured that the intended beneficiaries actually receive it. And with much of Africa, that hasn't been the case for decades. Otherwise the "aid" isn't "aid" at all and the whole thing is nothing more than an exercise in futility and conscience-salving.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Complete straw-man argument Jack, and not relevant to this debate at all.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

There's definitely an element of that yes, Why? Because as someone pointed out higher up in the thread, giving aid to Africa is seen as a fashionable, trendy thing to do. Whereas eliminating poverty in your own country isn't.

Giving aid to Africa grabs headlines, and allows Gordon Broon to bask smugly in the warm glow of approval from the chattering classes and the likes of Sir Bob and Bono. It almost makes him look "sexy", and is nice PR.


OEJ SAID:

If I gamve a 100 milion donation its

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ERIC REPLIES.

All very well if you've got the money to splash around with such largesse. But with a national debt of something like GBP 1.3 trillion (!!!), you'd think that any UK government's priority might be trying to get its own house in order before it starts pouring more millions down bottomless black holes abroad.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

But don't hold your breath!


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Another case of don't hold your breath. Why would we ever want / need to build missile bases in places like Guinea-Bissau, the Gabon or the Central African Republic, Jack? Or even station troops there? Most of sub-Saharan Africa is of little strategic importance to the UK, and they're certainly not needed as military staging posts (but no doubt you'd have something to say about if if they were - accusations of "enslavement", would be aired, no doubt!).


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Bit of a lame tactic that, Jack - drag the Americans into it and have a pop at them. What the fuck has it got to do with the Americans? More straw-man.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

As anally what?? Sorry - no idea what you're on about there.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Your soundest argument so far (and credit to you for finally setting out your stall as you have done, even though I have to take issue with most of it). But it also depends on two things: (a) the money actually ending up where it's supposed to and (b) African governments following this up with their own ongoing initiatives. Nets on their own won't do it. There need to be things like mosquito eradication programmes and clean-water initiatives. Vaccination programmes. Getting rid of stagnant bodies of water where mosquitoes breed, etc. etc.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Yeah you're right there, but it actually just proves my point for me - chucking money at a problem is no solution at all if the organisation and proper management to deal with said problem are lacking, and if the money isn't spent in the right way and is instead being siphoned off elsewhere. True for the NHS, and especially true for Africa, where vast sums end up lining the pockets of corrupt African politicians.


OEJ SAID:

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ERIC REPLIES.

Jack - you seem to have a bit of an America fixation, if I may be so bold as to say so (nothing like a good old rant about things that annoy you, is there !wink!).

- Eric

Jack - here's a few links that you may find interesting. Enlightening, even.







- Eric

So, if we give away all our wealth, we will be nine times richer?

Would we give it away if we weren't getting more in return?

So, if we give away all our wealth, we will be nine times richer?