Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Re my previous post. Had a very good discussion with Graham Stuart, our Conservative MP yesterday, who is well known in the area for speaking his mind, even when it goes against the party line.
When I asked him if he agreed with the increase in Foreign aid whilst at the same time we are cutting in other areas, he replied that although he is not against foreign aid per se, he has always been a big skeptic as to where the money goes and that some of the aid budget is wasted.
He said that his favorite saying regarding foreign aid was from an American politician many years ago who said, 'Foreign aid is a case of taking money away from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries'.
Whoever said that was spot on.
He (the MP) then went onto say that about half of the people who had approached him over the morning had been angry about the foreign aid increase and the UK's aid policy in general.
I told him that we should have drastically cut overseas aid instead of cutting our defense budget so drastically. Remember much of this aid goes to countries who have a nuclear bomb capability. They put their defense above the care of their people. We put the care of their people above our defense.
How can that make sense.
He wrote down the bit in italics and stated he would quote that bit to Liam Fox the secretary of defense, or if he could not see him, his parliamentary secretary.
(I wonder if I will end up in Hansard)
When I asked him if peoples views ever got back to the house, he stated that one of his purposes of meeting people was to get a general feel of things and when certain feelings ran high, like parts of the spending review he tried his hardest to make other MPs listen and bring it to the notice of the house.
Whilst I am a person who feels that the majority of MPs are ranked lower than a Banker, yes I did say banker, but thinking about it yes they could be lower than one of those, I have no doubt that our MP is one of the very few hard working MP there is. He came out squeaky clean in the expenses scandal follow up, in fact he has said to me and others, quite openly that he and a few other feel that many claims that others have got away with should never have been allowed in the first place.
He also holds open street surgeries many times a year in all weathers
It goes to show that there are still a few hard working MPs out there who try their best to represent the people.

Interesting.

"I told him that we should have drastically cut overseas aid instead of cutting our defense budget so drastically.

Remember much of this aid goes to countries who have a nuclear bomb capability.

They put their defense above the care of their people. We put the care of their people above our defense.

How can that make sense."


It appears the "poorer" countries are copying this country.


Fascinating to to listen to politicians this weekend .

It is amazing that policies emphatically stated by Porky in the "budget" are being revised 4 days later.

Signs of an immature and potential "dangerous" administration.

Why don't the try and think out the consequences of their proposed changes?

Shows signs of a poor background education. I hope in future we can have more grown up thinking.

Tally ho.

Fred

I didn't say foreign aid going TO China which would not make sense as you well know.

I was taking about the Chinese investing in Africa and getting contracts Regardless of how much aid the UK gives them because the Chinese turn a blind eye to human rights abuse and corruption.

Most people are not aware, but up until the spending review this country was still giving aid to China and Russia, 2 countries who at regular intervals try to screw us, either by trade barriers or ring fencing certain commodities.
A few figures.....In 2007 China received more than 38m in British aid, with 170 mill in 2010. Since 2004/2005 aid to China has averaged 34.5 mill per year.
Of course they spent all this on their poor. You know those thousands of people they forced out of their homes to build the Beijing Olympics, on which they spent 20 Billion.
I have not had time to dig out the figures for Russia, but I would think they are similar.
We also gave millions to India, one of the fastest growing countries in the world. All 3 countries spend millions on their nuclear deterrent and space programmes.
There was no justification for giving our cash to these countries.

I have no idea which party started the aid programme, but it vastly increased under Labour.
Whilst the Conservatives have now cut, China, Russia out of the equation, they could still cut the aid amount down to the bone, IE stop it altogether, as very little gets to those who need it, The aid programme also does little to encourage these countries to help their own people.

I would like to volunteer to travel round the world as an 'Independent Political Representative for Aid' to assess who we should or should not be giving our aid to.

Proving that my wife is allowed to accompany me, I would gladly provide my services for free. Obviously, I would expect it as only natural, that my travel costs are met in full.

Of course you would have to visit countries like Mauritius, the Bahamas, and other exotic places on a fact finding mission, staying at all the best hotels and dinning in the best restaurants. All of course in the line of research.
Travel cost to be met in full. You are too honest, what you should do, is inflate your expenses, by at least 50%.
Call me a cynical b*****d if you like. I don't mind honest, because I AM.

Perhaps, if you could drop in on the following areas and meet some old friends:

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
The Bahamas
Belize
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands:
Campione d'Italia
Cayman Islands
In the Channel Islands,
The Isle of Man
Kuwait
Macau
Mauritius
Panama



Also, I think, it would be reasonable on your journey to see what the appropriate restitution to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of course also other countries that Britain etc. have pillaged over the years.
I wondered who made money on the economic collapse.

Fred

What have we pillaged from Afghanistan ?

Metro Aug 26.

Coalition forces in Helmund Province took (pillaged?)
712 million.
Heroin.5.7tonnes.
11.3 tonnes of opium.141 mil
841kg hashish. 3.3 mil

Phillia Brown said the amount of the drugs seized
represented about 25-30 per cent of Britain's annual
consumption of heroin.

Edit This was more than they had seized in the prior three months.

Nothing other than lives!

And then did what ? burn it. I take it ( pillage ) was not the word used by Metro.

Next you will be saying that airport custom's are pillageing drug's from passengers.

Fred

You were right the first time ....... the answer is nothing.

Aldwickk,
I inserted "pillaged" in reference to an earlier poster.
They were burnt.

ok Tyketto sorry, you must have been replying to Fred

ALD,


Do I understand you correctly?

Life = Nothing.

Is that your own life, members of your own family or just in general.

Aldwickk,
Yes. Inferred from greeks post.

Fred

We were talking about foreign aid , and you said these were the country's that the British had pillaged and I said what have we pillaged from Afghanistan , the answer was nothing. but now you have twisted this because you knew that you had no answer to my question.

Greekman was right about you twisting the answer when you have been found to be wrong.

Aldwickk,

You just beat me to it, re his twisting everything.
I still read at least the start of Fred's post but no longer reply as no one can win against him when a totally unconnected argument is used against whatever you say.

Aldwickk, a waste of time trying to get a straight answer from fred. He twists & turns everything and when he can twist no more he broadens the debate massively. At which point everyone gives up. May I recommend Hilarys advice:

hilary - 21 Oct 2010 15:52 - 9709 of 9765
You should know better than to argue with an idiot. They invariably drag you down to their own level and end up beating you with their years of experience.

Ald,

Re-read what you posted.

Tends to what you value.

Many describe lives being stolen and the consequences of that equates to the possible future support to their families.

That is part of the total cost of war.


-------------------------------------------

"Then the Chinese come along and say we are not interested about your human right's abuse we just want to invest in your country, ok then you can have the contract's "


It will be interesting how countries which have made contracts of this bases with China, deal with those contracts in the long term.

Ie. when their present administrations are dealt with.

But I believe many of the Oil Corporations of the West are less than honourable in the behaviour.

I don't think because one member of a family is a criminal you should punish the whole family.

(Although, there is something to be said for family responsibility and
punishment, in some "deviant" families, at sometime in a society's development.)