Category Archives: Overseas Aid faux debate

Many people in this country are concerned about the vast amounts of money funneled into “Overseas Aid.”  Indeed there are even some, like myself, who would like to see this jamboree brought to a complete halt with the maxim charity begins at home in mind. HOWEVER, the BBC does not take such a line and is always keen to promulgate the idea that “Oversea Aid” is a good thing.  On Today this morning  we had an interview around 7.10am with World Bank’s new president Jim Yong Kim on the world’s richest countries’ promise to hand over 0.7% of their wealth every year to help the poorest – a target that David Cameron promises Britain will meet by 2015.  Kim Yong explained how splashing vast amounts of our cash abroad was a sure sign of “leadership” and how if it were to stop that might mean some “young men” in unspecified areas might just end up going back to violence! Really? I wonder who these young men might be, exactly? Last time I checked those leading the global Jihad could not really get any angrier without exploding, and they do that anyway! It would be nice for  the BBC to provide space to those who OPPOSE Foreign Aid. Instead it allows apologists for global extortion to come on and trot out asinine cliches without any challenge.

Sometimes the BBC sets up interviews in such a way that whatever they go, the BBC view prevails. Take this discussion on the British overseas aid budget. As you know, the Coalition has taken the decision (wrongly in my view) to ring-fence the currently £8bn a year budget. It has, however, decided not to waste our cash on rich countries like China and Brazil. Cue faux BBC outrage and a liberal brought on to allege the “securitisation” of UK overseas aid. I wonder if the BBC would care to bring on Dambisa Moyo who argues some very interesting views on the dangers of overseas aid? The BBC adopts a paternalistic approach to aid, and the idea of a well educated African born woman suggesting that Aid is counter-productive would probably blow their minds.