"Worldwide" Disasters

[Dan]

Just a bit of a rant here. Just watching James Cann from Dragon's Den on Skynews speaking about the latest natural disaster in Pakistan.

Clearly it's an issue for them. Though he's saying 10million from the UK, 10m from the USA, 5 from Oz, just wouldn't scratch the surface of the issue. And that a pound per kid could save their life. Etc etc.

Now this might be a bit of a controversial topic, but why do we have to keep giving money abroad when we have our own issues to fix right here in the UK? I'm sure 10million could go a long way in supporting our own UK charities.

There's always a natural disaster lurking around the corner, and where does it stop?

Loads of the cash with give via Comic Relief was reported to have been channelled into crime organisations, and often, the reports of schools being built, and the amount of class numbers etc, are said to have been falsified to gain more cash.

Can't we just stick to our own for a few years and sort ourselves out once and for all, and then see what's left over once we have improved some of our own issues here such homeless, underachieving schools, lack of money in councils which causes all sorts of local problems (around here poor roads are costing the average house hold a couple of hundred every few years in extra costs on servicing bills - apparently).

Am I just being a bit selfish here or what? I'm not really saying don't give money to anybody you want to, it's your money, but think about our own before looking after others - wouldn't that be wiser?

 

[Colour Republic]

I agree

 

[Dan]

I'm glad you do mate. Sensitive topic I'm sure. But I'm sure many have the same views.

 

[silverbullit]

I am sure that he is just saying what most of us are thinking , charity begins at the home i say, well done mate and well said.

silverbullit

 

[macten]

Totally agree mate

 

[DHTiling]

I agree.. we always seem an easy target to get aid from..

If the the goverment intend to tighten their purse strings then surely this counts as well..

 

[Dan]

I think we can all talk about any topic, in the right manor that is. And this is something that's starting to annoy me. In the same news broadcasts, shows, whatever, on a regular basis, are some quite contradictory bulletins. "Britain gives 10million to pakistan to help aid workers save more lives" then "britain's housing market is still yet to stabilise and first time buyers still cannot get mortgages granted with less than a 25% deposit". Probably not the best example but I'm sure you know what I mean.

I hope that Cameron's tough principles (and things he's promised) do actually come to light as I think we'll get to grips with some of the things that before have just been a shambles (expenses, banks, MoD unlimited funding for nuclear weapons - when we attack other countries with them - that's another story).

But that said, it needs to be realised by the folk within Britain, too.

I always buy local when I can, off specialists, and from people I know spend their money back in the UK. It just makes sense. I give to more than three charities on a regular basis. My last donation was for £200, sponsoring a guy to run a half marathon (only half the size due to the amount of hills on the course and people not finishing when it was a full one), and I'm all for sharing and helping generally (in fact, it's my business model too!).

But I just don't understand why Pakistan can't fund their own aid, with a little help from the international funds, but nothing UK-specific? I don't know who's door we'd knock on if we had issues. I know the EU would be there in some sense, but I think we'd find we'd be pretty much on our own unless it was something that directly affected something to do with another country.

Anyway, hope I haven't upset anybody with my views. I'm sure most understand at least where I'm coming from though.

 

[neil terry]

well said Dan my local hospital has stopped taking 999 in after 6 as they cant pay the staff to stay on so now we have to go a extra 6 miles it don't seem far but if you just had hart attack or so it could be the difference between life and death the government is cutting everything saying they have no money then we send loads to everyone else i no they need it but when we going to start looking after us b4 everyone else:mad2:

 

[White Room]

Well said Dan, I've given to charity but for how long can we help the world.....

There president or whatever he is is in the UK, he don't seem all that interested

 

[SandyFloor]

I don't think you'll have upset anyone. You've expressed yourself in an intelligent manner and I thoroughly understand you views.

I think if you look deeper into many of these things you'll usually find ulterior political motives behind them. For instance regarding Pakistan there's always been a delicate relationship over security and any aid will partially be seen as a diplomatic investment.

There are many disasters, famines, civil wars etc. round the world we don't get involved in.

 

[Colour Republic]

It should be noted however that sometimes what appears to be charity is anything but, it's purely oiling the wheels.

We shouldn't forget how much foreign investment is pumped in to the UK just to do business here, the danger is though that they can pull the plug at anytime and withdraw, leaving us high and dry. Which nearly happened with the financial crisis. The country needs to find it's backbone again and quickly!

 

[Colour Republic]

Sandy beat me to it:lol:

 

[Colour Republic]

I know not strictly related to this thread but still

a la banksy

 

[united]

well said Dan, I couldn't agree more

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

I know not strictly related to this thread but still

a la banksy

i love his work's unk:

 

[Andy Allen]

i remember reading somewhere that the coverment has a slush fund but by for such events. when you think about it they cant just make 10 mill apear from nowhere.

still agree with you, its still our money and should be spent sorting out our own country.

 

[Dan]

I'd be the first person to give to other countries if ours was sound, not perfect, just sound. But we were the talk of the world only a year or so ago. Such a massive issue really. Yet we had to sort ourselves out.

I'm all for relationships with other countries, and helping where we can.

But putting it into perspective at down-to-earth level, it's like living in a house with a broken roof, and watching adverts and news asking for us to give money to others as a roof tile or two needs replacing. Or is that a rubbish example? :lol:

 

[Dan]

Please, no jokes in this thread.

 

[Dan]

i love his work's unk:

That is pretty cool. Where can I find more stuff by this person then?

 

[SandyFloor]

Please, no jokes in this thread.

Apologies

 

[silverbullit]

Wow guys.... you are really well on the ball here , i would like to add to a comment about us getting a backbone and soon.... there was a time when we had one hell of a strong backbone and we were quite well known for making some of the worlds finest products , our engineering was the best as we were the masters of coal and steel , sadly we have hardly any of our industries left and the best brains work abroad as thats where the money is , we also have to buy in from overseas as its way cheaper to go that route even if the product is inferior.... but at what cost i wonder, i know this much , our government leaders from the past have made some very difficult choices that have made sense on paper as the numbers game looks good that way but the paper faild to give the crippled industries left in the wake an alternative way to stay open and keep people working... not sure how that could have been done but it just seems that we are always last on the list for investments , look at our car factories , we have lost tons of it and whats left aint owned by uk investors , look at our prestige end of the scale (Rolls Royce motor Division)... its basically a V.W.

I know i have wandered off the track a little here but the industry that i work in has seen much more than its fair share of poor support from our government , i am an aircraft engineer and its a crying shame what happened to the T.S.R.2 back in the sixties and also our beloved concorde , if the people from the U.K. feel that we should look after our heritage and not send perfectly good things to the scap heap and buy cheaper from abroad , then the government should follow their wishes... but of course they never do follow our wishes and we end up in the mess we are in today , its the same in so many walks of our lives and it comes right back to what i said ealier (charity begins at the home ) lets proporly look after our aged and sick as we will all be there ourselves one day!.

Its been a very intersting read chaps, well done.

silverbullit

 

[Colour Republic]

That is pretty cool. Where can I find more stuff by this person then?

please tell me you've heard of banksy before:yikes:

give me a minute i'll set up a thread in general chat with some of my fav's

 

[Dan]

Apologies

Not a problem.

I didn't want this to turn into that sort of thread, if you're with me.

 

[SandyFloor]

Going back to the Pakistan aid, isn't it possible that if Britain don't have the co-operation of both the Pakistan government and the 'hearts and minds' of the people, efforts to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan will be considerably hindered? The cost of that will make £10 million seem like pocket money.

 

[mikethetile]

sandy is all over this and has it sussed

we rely heavily on inteligence from pakistan and the special relationship we have with them, most of the terrorist plots that have been stopped have been thanks to info passed on from pakistan, they are in a unique position to hear whats going on in their part of the world and pass it on

we really owe pakistan a lot and I dont begrudge them recieving 10 million aid to help rebuild their shattered country

that oaf cameron nearly blew that relationship out of the water by being ill informed, world politics are complicated, pakistans president had to meet him and put him straight on a few things