divert foreign aid to flood-hit British families

Or even the £1.44 million a year which subsidises the House of Lords restaurants.

What about the EU forkin g out? We pay enough in
I am sure they could find a spare billion or two to help us out inour time of need

Prime Minister says money will be no object anyway. So perhaps he will buy more of these

(other flood defence suppliers are available)

margaretm74 they do.

Extra I mean

They do. We simply have to make the case.

Nigglynellie. We were not "just pontificating."

Ninny had stated that she "can't understand the mindset of some of you on here,"
So those opposed to this petition have been explaining their "mindset" by giving a full account of their reasons, so that she can understand why we feel as we do.

Ninny is free to make a reasoned argument about why she feels differently if she chooses.

Exactly which disaster-struck group would Ninny and Nigglynellie take away help from?

I am saddened to see so many 'imperialistic' attitudes in this thread. No wonder many of the inhabitants of the countries we send 'aid' to regard the Brits with such derision.
Some Brits have an impression that many living outside Europe are living in mud huts eating worms and we have an evangelical right to put them on the right track. Sending money does little or nothing for them, if this was the case then the amount of aid sent to some countries over the years should have converted the populations to the imperialistic model and this has not happened.
I have had the pleasure to work within a very multicultural environment outside the UK and had my preconceived ideas of people from some of what I imagined were the poorest of our world blown away.
I imagine that money earmarked as Aid is actually a form of bribery. Rather than handing it out annually to the same countries with little or no audit trail in its use, it should be held as a disaster fund and used where needed and if this means at home, then so be it!

I certainly don't agree with taking money away from overseas aid but in the current circumstances I can understand why some people are signing petitions. Everyone is entitled to an opinion even if it's a misguided one and watching the terrible scenes unfolding on the television happening in our country, not some far flung land, means emotions are bound to be running high.

I don't think we should be so quick to condemn.

I always wonder why people read the daily mail articles if it gives them such conniptions . I haven't read it. I don't intend to and I think ,sitting on the fence as I am, that the small amount of foreign aid is used as a diplomatic tool. Cynic I may be but I assume most goes into private pockets, after all china and India are very wealthy nations. Their mindset is there will always be an under caste and they don't seem to care as much as we do. I remember meeting someone whose sole purpose in India was getting the funding in tact as possible from the donors to the needy. He was burnt out as it was so stressful. I also agree that if you buy a house near a river you look at the EA flood charts. As my DSL did when looking to buy in York. And I agree if the council allows new housing on flood plains they should be responsible for the shortfall in insurance cover and repairs. That is us through our council tax. And we should see who voted the housing through and hold them responsible

I do wonder what right we have to think we can right the wrongs in other countries when there is so much that needs putting right in our own.

Stansgran It's worth looking at the articles as it pays to "know your enemy."
Particularly one which puts a lot of scurrilous spin on many of their stories. It helps to evaluate much of the crap rubbish they publish, before it is related to you as fact, by readers who believe every word.

In some ways Joel is right about bribery in countries which receive aid, and I think there is some truth in the observation that it can be a political tool. Some imdependent assessment and auditing is needed. Disaster relief is, I think, already organised to move in on disasters.

Nevertheless, having done, and been involved in, much volunteer and charity work in LEDCs, I know that any aid is vital and welcome. We cannot, as I have already said, abdicate our responsibilities (not our "rights") to people whose lives are lived in absolute poverty. "From those to whom much is given, much is to be expected."

Yes, we have many in this country who live in relative, as opposed to absolute, poverty, and of course they should be cared for. There are systems in place, but they do not always work, and are in urgent need of reform.

NGOs that I have worked with tend to use their own networks to ensure that money goes direct to source, which is the bone of contention on this thread.

I agree that NGO's and charities have a place in alleviating suffering and promoting education and they can direct their aid directly as needed. However, many charities also realise that throwing money is not appropriate.
Many of our perceived issues with some of the very poor countries often relates to their culture, the internal class system and what value they place on human life which is in many instances very different to ours.

Exactly the point I was making and I believe Ninny was too. Glad that the dog has been allowed to see the rabbit.

Agree with Joelsnan.

Giving money to charities is nothing to do with the foreign aid that is given by the government. In fact the government can give so little, 0.7%, simply because the British give so much individually to charities.

If we withdrew foreign aid and charitable giving, what would that make you feel like, Nigglie, and Ninny?
I would have thought that what is happening in this country would make you feel empathy for people in places like Bangladesh and the Philippines.

I can't answer for Ninny, but as far as I am concerned this conversation has run it's course and having said what I feel I'm bowing out of any further discussion on the matter.

But it doesn't stop us pricing human life.

Oh, you're going, niggly - such a shame.

Thank you for that Ariadne, perhaps we shall meet up again on another thread - hope so.

Something to make you smile - and think.
www.practicalaction.org/innocent

ariadne, I don't understand what you mean by "pricing human life". Well, perhaps vaguely, but please could you elucidate your meaning a lttle.

It,s not a term i have come across before and it's not something i do so....

Sorry for the small i and wrong apostrophes. I get sick of correcting them. ipad keyboard has changed with last update and I'm having difficulty getting used to one or two things.

That was a result of not checking. I meant priZing, and I was referring to the fact that while some regimes / cultures might not prize human life, there is no reason why we may not do so.

Perhaps that clarifies the matter.

Yes. Thank you