We all know that for the most part, foreign aid is not an exact science. Instead a good chunk of it probably ends up in the grubby hands of the usual suspects, while only a fraction goes out to those it was intended for.
But it also makes me wonder why the UK keeps on doing this when by and large the countries in receipt of our aid don’t particularly like us anyway, and show little or no gratitude for our money.
It does seem rather ironic that during the height of the British Empire, Britain was offering not only financial aid, but education, science, medicine, infrastructure, justice and above all trade & commerce.
Of course a lot of these benefits are ignored these days. Instead everything is centred on the negative aspects of our colonial past – namely slavery and exploitation.
However, even though the Empire has now been consigned to the history books, the UK still feels obliged to shell out billions to its former domains as well as existing countries within the Commonwealth. But again, one has to wonder why? If those countries want their independence or no longer need our aid they should say so and start standing on their own two feet!
And yet when the government threatens to cut the foreign aid budget there’s a furore from the Opposition, from charities, the MSM and those very same countries who wanted nothing more to do with the UK – except for the money.
And now we have this unsurprising news that hundreds of millions of pounds bound for Afghanistan has ended up in the wrong hands, thanks to a report published by the Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI).
ICAI were quite damning in their findings regarding the management and targeting of aid, more or less insisting that ministers at the Foreign Office must try harder to make sure every penny ends up in the right hands.
But we all know its bollocks. Nothing will ever change. The UK government has given billions in aid to African countries such as Uganda and Zimbabwe in the past, but again huge amounts ended up in the pockets of dictators such as Mugabe and Amin. But again nothing changed.
One of the great quotes regarding foreign aid is that you’re essentially taking money away from poor people in rich countries to give to rich people in poor countries.
Never a truer word has been said and it needs to stop. Now!
Telegraph News Link
Nominated by: Technocunt
Every insignificant event these days seems to herald the minting of a new commemorative coin.
