divert foreign aid to flood-hit British families

Hi Durhamjen happy Sunday!
My post were based on a cross section of data available for all to view including the governments own. I have no political bias.

Must be a relief
I for one find it hard to believe in a "silent majority" of GNetters who are "afraid" to support this petition because they afraid of a "backlash" ( unfortunate choice of word in the context of flooding, rescue boats etc!!)
I think the consensus is quite unequivocal.

As you like reading facts from the CPS, that well known independent thinktank that is to the right of Thatcher, Joelsnan, perhaps you ought to balance it with information from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Joelsnan good posts, I am glad someone agrees with me.

It is possibly a case of keeping the populous calm.
The figures above are freely available on the internet and from reliable sources. Understanding them puts the government cuts in welfare and the raising of pension age into perspective.

If that is the case, why did Eric Pickles state "this is a very wealthy country?"

When this government knows it will have to promise to spend a lot of money (because most people are very sympathetic to people who have been affected by flooding and expect the government to help) we are suddenly very wealthy and "money is no object".

Thanks for your interesting observations Absent
However, public debt as expressed as a percentage of Gross a Domestic Product GDP was declared at 90.3 in 2012, this, when measured against 184 countries who published the same data placed UK at position 16 of the highest levels of public debt/GDP.
Interesting to say the least.
The Centre for policy Studies stated that the actual figure was probably 103.5% GDP.
Happily the figure for 2013 is 76%, however borrowing is still rising.
The UK economy is in a fragile recovery phase, if borrowing continues at theis rate inflation will follow.
It appears that recent tax increases are purely servicing interest payments on this debt along with Quantative easing.

Much of the borrowing is destined for welfare payments and this is why the government is raising the retirement age to keep as many people in work as long as possible to minimise pension payments.

With regard to aid through trade, I recognise this as fact. What concerns me though is the Injudicious donations when we are borrowing to service our own countries welfare needs and based on the above information most have a lower debt/GDP than us. No we probably won't go bankrupt, we have been very imaginative with our finances for many years.

The UK is not and never has been the one of the world's most indebted countries not has it been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Those sorts of comments were simply hyperbole to justify slashing budgets for welfare, health etc. If you look at the figures, they tell a very different story.

Joelsnan Lots of foreign aid is already through trade – it's not a new idea.

Yes Ninny
This is something that concerns me. On the one hand we are told that we are a rich nation and on the other we are one of the worlds most indebted. It doesn't seem long since we were apparently teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Are we sleepwalking to our demise wearing the Emperors new clothes?
Much of our wealth generating industry has gone to many of the countries to whom we still support with Government overseas aid.
Surely our interactions in these instances should be through trade rather than donation.
As I mentioned earlier, disasters are a different issue and all possible help should be given. You have to look to the inspirational Filipinos who, despite disaster after disaster rise from the ashes mainly by their own effort. Yet there are others who, despite pouring millions of pounds of donations in over many years, there is little or no progress to self determination.

Wellingtons sorry, as in Duke of

The wellintons were discussed because someone reported that some man was expecting the authorities to be providing them

Hope your friend's house doesn't get flooded petallus.

Ninny - I would not describe this discussion as a "backlash" in response to your post. People are just expressing a different opinion, whilst listening to yours. That is fine.

Blimey ninny the overseas budget is going to have to stretch some to deal with that list!
Listen to "call me Dave" though - "loads of money" He also went on to say that we are a rich Nation - so we have no problem really have we?

I have a friend in Wraysbury.

Although her house was not flooded when we spoke a few days ago, her garden is under eight feet of water.

Wellingtons won't cut it.

ww.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-doners-of-foreigner-aid-map.html

www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-most-in-debt-map.html

Seems madness to me we send 12billion overseas and have to borrow to pay for it. I never voted for this but perhaps some of you did! If we didn't send so much money overseas we could afford to pay our pensioners a good state pension, not cut the welfare budget by so much, improve our hospitals, help our own young people get a better start in life. What's wrong with looking after your own people first, I am not against helping and sending aid to disaster zones, I would be heartless if that was the case. I think a lot of Gransnetter's agree but are afraid to post because of the backlash you receive on here if you go against the few outspoken posters.

Absent and gransnetters in France I am sorry if I offended you (I apologise) but that's my opinion and like you I can have an opinion also.

I have not been flooded but I know people who have.

No idea. Do you do American square dancing or anything similar?

Feels more like
Step along, step along, let us foot it out together
Step along step along, through fair or stormy weather
With the purple of the hills and the blooming of the heather
Let us sing in happy chorus
Step along step along

Where did that spring from in my brain?

Neil Sedaka singing "I feel laughter in the rain" at the moment!

Oh OK! Glad you're high up and safe and don't need wellies.

I'm 360ft above sea level, so if I'm flooded! Heaven help everyone else.
No my remark was in answer to the remark that everyone had pair or two!
If there is more than one raindrop per hour, I don't venture out unless I'm working!

Galoshes? Or those waders that go over your shoes?. Are you flooded Galen, hope you're OK

Actually I don't have any wellies. I can't find a pair that go over my misshapen ankle!
The only boots I've been able to get were an expensive pair oh hotter lace up boots!

If there was a bit more common sense, evidence and science applied to the problem of flooding, we wouldn't be having this argument anyway.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/13/flooding-public-spending-britain-europe-policies-homes

We are a wealthy country according to Eric Pickles (although i thought we were in debt) But we are wealthy compared to many countries around the world so need not debate about taking money from the poor. We should be able to look after our own disasters and someone posted above that there would be help from the EU if needed.

As for providing wellingtons! I thought everyone had a pair or two, but perhaps not. Someone will soon fill the gap in the market I'm sure, who is more enterprising than the man who was asking for them.

Good post dahlia.