"Helping Hiati Is a Test of Our Humanity" - PM

Gordon Brown, at a charity poetry reading for Haiti in London on Saturday, said: "Helping Haiti was the test of our humanity."

I completely agree but I'm somewhat concerned about the proportion of monetary aid to be given to help the battered Hiati compared with aid given to certain other countries.

The UK is sending 5,700 corrugated iron sheets to provide shelters for victims of the earthquake. The £35,000 cost will be taken from the £20m the UK government has allocated to the relief effort.

The UK Disasters Emergency Committee's appeal has raised £60m from the public.

Gerald Warner asks: 'Why are we giving India £1 billion in aid if it can afford Moon missions?' He continues: 'What on earth are we doing pouring UK taxpayers' money into the maw of a nation that can afford to send rockets to the Moon?'

'India is engaging in a space race with China that could turn into something nastier, its eventual objective being to corner supplies of helium 3 by claiming tracts of the Moon’s surface, like terrestrial colonisers centuries ago. It goes without saying there will also be a military dimension to the project. Probably more reprehensible than the financial cost to date is the ISRO’s monopolising of 1,000 scientists who could be engaged on work of more service to humanity'.

The UK government can only give £20m to a country ravaged by earthquakes and where thousands of lives are at risk, yet it gifts our money to wealthy countries under the label of 'development aid.'

To quote Mr Warner again : 'The international aid scam is becoming an indefensible caricature. Britain gives £38 million a year to China, which has just spent £20 billion on the Olympics. As in Europe, so everywhere else: the rosbifs are relished as a dripping roast.

Why is donating a relatively small amount to Hiati a 'test of our humanity' when the government is handing massive sums of money to rich countries?

Mark has an interesting post concerning Hiati and Cato has a first hand account of what's going on.

Tweet

Let's Insist the DFID Spend our Money Wisely

The above flask can save millions of lives. The Department for International Development gives billions of our money to other countries yet millions of people continue to die.

Guido has highlighted the need for the Westminster government to ensure part of the money given to 'developing' countries is centred on providing clean water for their people. I entirely agree with him about wasting money on propaganda videos showing Douglas Alexander wishing folk in Bangladesh a Happy Ramadan. That is an insult to those dying of dehydration in countries where they can't even break their fast with a drink of water.

We do need to start protesting about where our hard-earned tax goes. Remember, our MPs are there to represent us and to question those in government as to where our money goes. Will the conservatives make a difference to the distribution of DFID monies? I won't hold my breath.

Tweet