0.7% (foreign aid)

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Comments

  • KarlLB wrote: »
    But to spell it out, there is something very broken when an entire rich Western nation of some 65 million people's budget for an area of its spending is of the same order of magnitude as the personal wealth of one of those 65 million people.
    Who are you thinking of? We were talking about Akshata Murthy (Mr Sunak's wife), with a report of her owning a share portfolio worth about £430m (plus some other investments and property which I've not seen quantified, so I assume is worth a lot less than that ... let's call it a nominal £0.5b to round things up).

    The UK foreign aid budget had been about £15b per year, now falling to about £10b (combining cut from 0.7% of income to 0.5%, with a fall in income). Even that reduction in spending is an order of magnitude more than the personal wealth of Akshata Murthy (or Her Majesty).

    Though, I accept that if we were to take, say, the Dyson family their combined personal wealth is of that order (£16b according to the 2020 Times Rich List) - and, possibly more important their income is (their wealth increased by more than £3b 2019-2020).

    I see no criticism on here of those many western countries who give away less than the UK.



  • Thanks @Alan Cresswell - I think I must have got the figures muddled up somewhere!

    However, one person's wealth compared with the poverty of millions is something I find abhorrent - but that may be a subject for another thread.

    So do I but that's the way it has always been.

  • Telford wrote: »
    KarlLB wrote: »
    But to spell it out, there is something very broken when an entire rich Western nation of some 65 million people's budget for an area of its spending is of the same order of magnitude as the personal wealth of one of those 65 million people.
    Who are you thinking of? We were talking about Akshata Murthy (Mr Sunak's wife), with a report of her owning a share portfolio worth about £430m (plus some other investments and property which I've not seen quantified, so I assume is worth a lot less than that ... let's call it a nominal £0.5b to round things up).

    The UK foreign aid budget had been about £15b per year, now falling to about £10b (combining cut from 0.7% of income to 0.5%, with a fall in income). Even that reduction in spending is an order of magnitude more than the personal wealth of Akshata Murthy (or Her Majesty).

    Though, I accept that if we were to take, say, the Dyson family their combined personal wealth is of that order (£16b according to the 2020 Times Rich List) - and, possibly more important their income is (their wealth increased by more than £3b 2019-2020).

    I see no criticism on here of those many western countries who give away less than the UK.



    We don't routinely indulge in whataboutery.
  • The thread title gives the game away - it's about the foreign aid provided (or not) by this country.

    Foreign aid provided (or not) by other countries could form the subject of another thread, I suppose.
  • KarlLB wrote: »
    Telford wrote: »
    KarlLB wrote: »
    But to spell it out, there is something very broken when an entire rich Western nation of some 65 million people's budget for an area of its spending is of the same order of magnitude as the personal wealth of one of those 65 million people.
    Who are you thinking of? We were talking about Akshata Murthy (Mr Sunak's wife), with a report of her owning a share portfolio worth about £430m (plus some other investments and property which I've not seen quantified, so I assume is worth a lot less than that ... let's call it a nominal £0.5b to round things up).

    The UK foreign aid budget had been about £15b per year, now falling to about £10b (combining cut from 0.7% of income to 0.5%, with a fall in income). Even that reduction in spending is an order of magnitude more than the personal wealth of Akshata Murthy (or Her Majesty).

    Though, I accept that if we were to take, say, the Dyson family their combined personal wealth is of that order (£16b according to the 2020 Times Rich List) - and, possibly more important their income is (their wealth increased by more than £3b 2019-2020).

    I see no criticism on here of those many western countries who give away less than the UK.



    We don't routinely indulge in whataboutery.

    I totally agree.
    The thread title gives the game away - it's about the foreign aid provided (or not) by this country.

    Foreign aid provided (or not) by other countries could form the subject of another thread, I suppose.

    I can't see the name of any country in the thread title

  • Telford wrote: »
    KarlLB wrote: »
    Telford wrote: »
    KarlLB wrote: »
    But to spell it out, there is something very broken when an entire rich Western nation of some 65 million people's budget for an area of its spending is of the same order of magnitude as the personal wealth of one of those 65 million people.
    Who are you thinking of? We were talking about Akshata Murthy (Mr Sunak's wife), with a report of her owning a share portfolio worth about £430m (plus some other investments and property which I've not seen quantified, so I assume is worth a lot less than that ... let's call it a nominal £0.5b to round things up).

    The UK foreign aid budget had been about £15b per year, now falling to about £10b (combining cut from 0.7% of income to 0.5%, with a fall in income). Even that reduction in spending is an order of magnitude more than the personal wealth of Akshata Murthy (or Her Majesty).

    Though, I accept that if we were to take, say, the Dyson family their combined personal wealth is of that order (£16b according to the 2020 Times Rich List) - and, possibly more important their income is (their wealth increased by more than £3b 2019-2020).

    I see no criticism on here of those many western countries who give away less than the UK.



    We don't routinely indulge in whataboutery.

    I totally agree.
    The thread title gives the game away - it's about the foreign aid provided (or not) by this country.

    Foreign aid provided (or not) by other countries could form the subject of another thread, I suppose.

    I can't see the name of any country in the thread title

    You could possibly consider the OP itself as setting out the topic.
  • Yes, I should have made my point even clearer by referring to the OP as well as the title.

    I'm getting a little tired of Telford's obtuse comments, so will hie myself off to Hell in a while...
    :grimace:
  • Yes, my OP was specific to the UK government who (at the time) were hinting at cutting aid funding, and have since said they'll seek to change the law to enable that.

    But, if enough people want to discuss the subject more widely then they're free to do so. I control what I post, I have no control over what others want to discuss.
  • TelfordTelford Shipmate
    edited December 2020
    Yes, I should have made my point even clearer by referring to the OP as well as the title.

    I'm getting a little tired of Telford's obtuse comments, so will hie myself off to Hell in a while...
    :grimace:

    Just for once, why not admit that your comment was incorrect.
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