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Letter: Cash for others despite UK woes
Friday 18th December 2009, 7:00AM GMT.
Letter: Despite Britain’s national debt ballooning to about £785 billion, Gordon Brown and his climate change fanatics have decided to allocate a further £1.5 billion to the Third World, via a climate change fund.
This is in addition to the £8 billion which the government already dishes out every year in foreign aid to countries like India, who incidentally have nuclear weapons and a space programme.
The British economy is in tatters, jobs are being lost and many people are struggling with debt and soaring energy bills.
It is also worth noting that David Cameron, a one world socialist in rusting conservative disguise, has pledged to sustain our foreign aid commitments regardless of the state of Britain’s economy should he get into power.
It would be a refreshing change if the liberal elite who govern us actually put their own people first for a change
James Whittall
Ludlow
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People that make such small minded comments need to stop being so selfish and insular and look at the bigger picture!
In the long run if we do not give money to help combat climate change we will have much bigger problems than we are facing at present! We will loose land and homes from the rising water, crops will be lost, subsequently even more jobs will be lost, there will be shortages of food and most importantly lives will be lost, possibly not from our generation but the future generations will suffer! People have to sit up and realise that it is scientifically proven that this is going to happen to the world not just Britain!
And I cant even begin to comprehend the fact that James would quite happily remove the funding from third world countries! Yes times are hard here, jobs are being lost and prices are going up but we are coming out of a recession! People in Africa are dying daily of diseases that thank goodnesss we would never have to worry about, they don’t even have clean water or food? How can you even compare Britain’s troubles with theirs?
You request for the government to ‘put their own people first’? How selfish can you be?
By supporting our fellow human beings who are truely in dire straits and in need of help and aid we are looking after ‘people’ as a whole! People in third world countries who are just like us! They feel and they hope and they dream just like us and deserve to have at least the bare necessities!
Please James, although sadly you are not the only person in Britain who is only concerned about themselves, look at the bigger picture, put things in perspective and when the day comes (although i hope not) that you cant even find clean water that wont kill you if you drink it, then James I will listen and accept your point.
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Totally Shocked:
people like you are a joke with your liberal attitudes. A bigger concern than climate change is the very real FACT that the planet is becoming overpopulated, (probably already is).
Doesnt matter how much we cut back on carbon emissions the fact of the matter is if the population of the planet doubles again in the next twenty years like it has over the last we will be running out of water.
I believe this is a direct result of liberal meddling in developing countries: supplying medicine without education so the average couple still have 10 kids but all of them survive obviously causes shortages in food and water. This is pure and simple maths, the planet cant support us all. Perhaps by cutting back on foreign aid then nature will address this survival imbalance in time to stop us being forced into destructive wars over ever dwindling resources which may well be the end of us as a species.
Stop the bleeding hearts and lets look at this dispassionately… humans, for all of our cognitive capacity and regardless of how religions will tech you otherwise, are nothing more than another species on the planet and any other species that was breeding to the levels we are we would have culled long ago…
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Please don’t try to tell us about scientifically proven facts! When we have just discovered that the so called experts in this field have been manipulating data, omitting data, cherry picking data, colluding together so that they all produce the same predictions, refusing to comply with the Freedom of information act, and ganging up on anyone be he scientist, or scientific journal editor that has the temerity not to fall into line with their scary computer predicted scenarios.
On the issue of supporting those worse off than us, we do not know at this point if the money announced by Brown is new money or just repackaged aid money that was going to be paid anyway, how much of the pledged money will actually be paid or what it is going to spent on. If it is repackaged aid money it is likely that instead of helping those you point out as in desperate need, they might well in fact be some of the biggest losers as the money will be redirected to other schemes.
This whole Global warming industry has got totally out of hand, it would now seem that in order to save the planet we are being asked to enrich some of the biggest polluters. I believe even Exon Oil the bogy man of the green crusader is set to gain a massive windfall profit from carbon credits, as are other Oil companies and even the banks are doing very nicely out of the trade thank you!. We have already seen at the cost of 1700 jobs by the closure of Redcar steel plant the company owned by none other than the chairman of the IPCC is in line to make vast sums of money through the carbon credit scheme. But as the company concerned will be developing their plant in India to take up the lost production from Redcar there will not be any actual saving in C02.
Out of literally thin air, they have been able to conjure up a brand new product on which to increase their riches, the fabulous “carbon” which in less than a decade will – they hope – underpin an “industry” worth more than $2 trillion a year.
And what of the reduction of C02 levels in order to save the planet, well even Professor Hansen is hoping for a failure at Copenhagen.
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This country is in debt and undoubtedly has problems, but our problems are nowhere near the scale of those who are facing starvation and death in truly impoverished countries. Thankfully most of us aren’t so selfish and through either religious conviction or just plain human decency we will alaways help those less fortunate.
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In response to Totally Shocked -
It is not Britain’s job to feed the world, we should look after our own people first, charity begins at home.
We should certainly not be funding a country like India that chooses to spend it’s own money on nuclear weapons and a space programme.
India has more millionares than Great Britain and if it can’t responsibly manage it’s finances it cannot reasonably expect us to do so.
I am interested first and foremost in Britain and the British people, in my view they should always come first.
You call me “selfish, small minded and insular” but in my experience the liberals who are so quick to speak of our responsibilities to the third world are not usually the ones suffering from this wasteful distribution of resources.
Thousands of our pensioners will die this winter because they cannot afford to heat their homes.
I know who I would rather the money was spent on.
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Charity begins at home – so let’s sort Britain out first.
If fluffy liberals want to throw their own money at the Third World then that’s their choice – But the rest of us should have a say on how our hard-earned tax money is spent.
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Its very sad that people can be so singular and small minded! Simon at least you have a heart and understand that there are people sadly worse than Britain at the moment. I think some people need to read into the facts and get a decent education on the subject before they spout their racist selfish nonsense!
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Your call for help for those worse of than us in Britain might have more resonance if it were not dressed up with and confused with what many believe to be nothing more than a scam to raise more tax that is based on debatable science and promoted by those who stand to gain financially.
Whatever the truth of the science the political decisions that will affect all of us, will not reduced C02 levels on a world wide scale and will divert monies away from those in need to big business interests. So the net affect of such inventions as the carbon trading schemes will neither reduce carbon nor feed the third world poor.
So please do not use Global Warming as a method of wealth distribution and then complain about people being unfeeling about the poor, you are confusing two separate issues and attempting to build on the concept of false guilt.
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It is ture that there are many countries much more worse off than us in the U.K.
But when we face loosing 20,000 pensioners this year alone because they cant afford to heat their own homes leaves me in total disbelief.
These are the same people who have paid in to our system all there lives and should rightfully expecet the state to look after them before anyone from overseas.
This is not racist or selfish it’s basic common sence.
In an ideal world no one would go hungry or suffer,but it’s far from it.
So let’s make a start and put right the wrongs in our own country first!
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TotallyShocked:
Google “YAD061″.
Assuming that the Star moderators will post this comment……..
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The fact of the matter is that as a wealthy country we ought to be able to afford both heating for pensioners and to help starving people in the third world.
Can I suggest that if we cannot afford to, the real reason is that 95% of the wealth in the UK is owned by just 5% of the population?
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Peter,
We are no longer a wealthy country.
Years of frivolous spending and borrowing, not to mention money wasted on illegal wars, has seen to that.
It is time to put our own people first, foreign aid should be abolished or at least cut until our own mess is sorted out.
Whilst we are governed by a liberal elite completely out of touch with normal people and sheltered from the effects of their decisions we can expect no better.
But people get what they vote for.
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Totally Shocked
You have demonstrated your inability to discuss the issues without resorting to insults.
First, I was “small minded, selfish and insular” because I dared to suggest that our people should be put before foreign aid.
Now it would appear anyone who disagrees with you must be lacking a decent education and is spouting racist and selfish nonsense.
Are you really that arrogant that you cannot accept others do no share your view without throwing puerile insults around?
To put ones own people first is not in any way racist, it is common sense in my view, it would appear quite a few others think the same.
Race does not come into it, but then again when a liberal is coming off worse in a debate why not resort to the old fail safe – the race card.
For the record it is not only the third world that I resent paying for, I am also aghast at our net payments to the EU.
An EU which swallows a similar amount of money every year, to be distributed to mainly white countries.
But I am sure that must be racist in some way too!
To most of us the word racist has become a meaningless and irrelevant term used to suppress debate.
It has been twisted and overused for many years, usually to try and stop people discussing issues that make the chattering classes feel uncomfortable.
The original definition of a racist was one who believes their race to be superior to another, Adolf Hitler or Louis Farrakhan for example.
Nowhere on this page has anybody suggested anything akin to that.
Putting ones own people first is about love not hate.
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We will be a third world country if we pour all of our assetts and cash away and allow tens of thousands of climate change refugees into Britain.
Then Britain will have exactly the same problems as a Mugabe state… minus the warm weather.
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As in the recent G20 meetings where Brown was professing to be the economic saviour of the world, he again attempted – with the lap dog Milliband, to hijack the Copenhagan conference and become the saviour of the world from climate change etc. What this clown does not understand is that the British people have had more than enough of him and his shallow politicking. He does nothing unless there is a political advantage in it for him. We should note that out of all the countries that attended this conference in Copenhagan, yes, literally hundreds of them, we, little “Great” Britain were the first to announce firm figures of what we would contribute to third world countries for their efforts to decrease emissions etc. Why did we have to be first, the Conference decides that the leading countries would donate £100 Billion over X number of years. No country volunteered what they would individually and specifically contribute out of that overall amount – and still have not as far as I can see, then up pops idiot Brown, just to draw attention to himself and just to reinforce his false “green credentials” and offers £1.5 billion of our money when we are almost bankrupt.
Did we get any thanks, no, just like the G20, France and Germany remain mute, other EU countries have little to say and stop short of volunteering any cash whilst the would be recipients, mainly corrupt African and South American states openly treat the amount with disdain.
Brown is borrowing and spending our money right up to election day under the pretence that to not spend money now is to risk another extension of what we have had over the past 12 months (or should I say years). You watch, suddenly, the day after the election, if this Labour cabal get in again, there will be no more spending, they will have got what they wanted and the “pay back” will begin. Suddenly the tune will change, don’t spend, now “cut” and tax.
Until the election we can rest assured that our money – all printed or borrowed, will be thrown at every mad cap idea that crosses Clown’s tiny mind. There is nothing good or genuine about it, he is not doing it to lessen the evils of climate change, he is not doing it to be magnanimous to third world and developing nations, he is doing it for one reason only and that reason is “POLITICS” and to boost the IMAGE of Gordon Clown.
Whatever the outcome of Clown’s economic scorched earth policy BEFORE the General Election, the damage he and his party have done to our country will take at least 30 years to remedy AFTER it.
If there was any justice in this country, the fate of Mr Clown and Briar would indeed be dire for what they have reduced our country to and I mean “dire”, in the extreme.
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I agree,But i think James Whittall hit the nail on the head with this one by saying “you get what you vote for”
And it’s as simple as that!
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Totally Shocked: Ha ha! If you are really as shocked as you appear to be, then please tell us why you have dismissed Mr Whittall’s comments regarding the fact that countries like India have far more millionaires than we do, have nuclear weapons and even have money for a space programme!!
Is it because you know it is the truth!
In my mind I think they are the selfish beings. It’s clear to see that they have enough money to support and look after their own people and country without bleeding us dry too!
So, what do you have to say about that?
Or are you going to insult me too?
I am totally shocked at your lack of ability to be able to have a civilised and sensible debate without insulting people who have a different opinion to yours and stop dragging up that hideous and meaningless word ‘racism’, it’s pathetic!
Mr Whittall, I would just like to thank you for writing such a well thought out, and very factual letter, as I know you have done so in the past.
Have you ever considered having your own column in our local paper on a weekly basis?
I must say it makes excellent reading whilst sipping my hot cocoa on a very cold wintery evening.
Reagrds,
Jean ( fan and reader)
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To add to our woes we find out today that the Government wish to cut £500 million from the Higher education budget and have also cut the research budget for Science? Why is this so if we have 1.5 Billion ( and the rest) to give away to the Third world.!
The points raised about our Eu payments are valid, we would be better off out.
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Sounds like twittering ‘Totally Shocked’ has been overly influenced by the bleatings of Saint Bono and Rabbi Geldof.
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I am not surprised at Mr Whittall’s attitude to foreign aid given his candidacy at the elections in June for a party that has such a limited world perspective. Thankfully the vast majority of British people care about others and do not limit their generosity solely to the inhabitants of these islands. One merely has to see the response to Band Aid, Live Aid. Live 8, Children in Need, Comic Relief, Sports Relief and other campaigns. Or one can look in our local phone directory to find well in excess of 100 charitable organisations that assist both British citizens and those less fortunate who live abroad. Most of us genuinely care about all our fellow human beings wherever they live. Those who suggest that charity begins and ends at home display a selfish disregard for the needs of fellow people that, from either a religious or moral perspective, is quite shameful.
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Jean
Mr Whittall already has a column in the paper; so does the BNP. It’s called the letters page. Thankfully those of us who found Mr Griffin’s gurning and quite idiotic appearance on Question Time so entertaining have further amusement guaranteed by posts like his and yours. Nationalism never works in this country because we are by nature a tolerant, wordly wise and decent people. And before you claim that Mr Griffin was bullied he was not. He merely demonstrated to all how limited he and the BNP are when it comes to true and workable policies…the audience reflected the majority opinion of this country and “stuffed” him.
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Andy
Having read your truly idiotic post I have to ask if the solution to excessive breeding, medical intervention etc (that you propose would be culling for other spiecies) would also apply to the “indigenous” population of Britain?
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It is my belief that global warming is a natural cycle .We are being brainwashed in in order to raise taxes .No one has explained to me why grapes were grown as far north as Carlisle in the middle ages and the Vikings farmed greenland ,not many planes ,motor cars or industry in those days .Millions if not billions of pounds will be made by carbon trading ,just who will benefit from this .Gordon Brown and his cronies have lost the plot in this country ,he is just trying to be a big stage player using our money .Just who do you think will be lining their pockets with all this money ?do you think any of the needy will get it or do you like me believe it will end up to make some people even richer .Yes we do need to recycle ,yes we need to save energy but first of all we need to stop cutting down the rain forests we need to have some sort of birth control(it will never happen ) we need a proper assessment not people like Al. Gore conning people ,not some scientists fiddling data .Climate change is becoming a billion pound busines with as I see it very little at the end of it .Yes people need help but our own people need help as well ,charity must begin at home and if we are not careful Gt.Britain will end up in a few years with a population of 150 million plus with living standards of not even a third world country .First step is get a government that has a brain, a government and parliament without the self first ,self last any left over self again attitude .We maybe able to live in the real world again .
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Simon,
You assert that:-
“Thankfully the vast majority of British people care about others and do not limit their generosity solely to the inhabitants of these islands”
This is fairly wishful thinking on your part, most normal people would be appalled if they realised the scandalous sums of money wasted abroad while our old folk perish and British people suffer.
Give people the choice of aid to India, who have nuclear weapons and a space programme, or of helping the vulnerable in our Society and I am confident I know where most would prefer their money to go.
In my view not one penny should leave this country in aid until our sick can get the necessary cancer drugs they are currently denied, our old afford to heat their homes and our public services are brought upto scratch.
You accuse me of having a “limited world perspective”.
If this means putting my own people first then I take this as a compliment.
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Simon,
I thought we were discussing Foreign Aid?
I am not quite sure what Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time has to do with anything, but as you have brought it into the debate it is only fair I respond to your rather biased view of the programme.
Most reasonable people would agree that he ‘was’ bullied.
He actually did very well given the twisted format, which was deliberately changed to attack him, and the personal attacks that lasted nearly the whole programme.
You claim that the audience reflected the majority opinion of the country, it certainly wasn’t representative of the country in it’s demographic make-up.
It was overloaded with middle class liberals and ethnic minorities, any fair person could see that.
We expect nothing less from the Biased Broadcasting Corporation and nor it seems did the majority of people watching, including political opponents, who realised the establishment attack completely backfired.
The result of this unfair attack on Nick Griffin is that the BBC have already been forced to have him on Question Time again before any General Election.
They have also agreed to revert to the normal format and not just to attack one man for the entire programme.
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Simon,
I am sure Andy can speak for himself but it is worth pointing out that it is not the indigenous people of this island who are breeding like bunny rabbits.
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Mr Whittall
Believe me when I say no compliment was intended. That India has a nuclear and a space programme is irrelevant. They have a huge and largely impoverished population. Many of the problems faced by the people of India and other developing nations are traceable to European imperialism and the ongoing greed of the developed world. In this country we at least have a welfare state and as such most of our citizens will be cared for. As I have previously mentioned most people in this country are decent and care about their fellow human beings wherever they live. Those who cannot envisage the provision of welfare beyond national borders are sad, selfish and beyond my comprehension.
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Mr Whittall
So kind of you to write on Andy’s behalf. The BNP claims not to be a racist organisation and yet you, as a representative (and with time to think before you type), manage to display your true colours. Racist parties throughout history use simple ploys to enhance the fear of other people. One is to dehumanise; another is to apportion blame onto others for any difficulties they may encounter. In your “breeeding like bunny rabbits” analogy you have managed to get them into one sentence. At least you have confirmed in time for the election that the non racist stance is just a front. Thank you.
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Mr Whittall
The BBC can’t win with the BNP. They were demonised for not giving your party a voice and when they offered a seat on QT the BNP were in celebratory mood – the BNP website even had a “countdown” to Question Time. The programme was flawed only in that too much attention was focused on one man but then that’s what he wanted…unfortunately he then he made a complete fool of himself. The behaviour of those outside the studio does not have my support either. I detest intolerance but would sooner you and your party were heard, that way others can vote informedly. If you watch QT regularly you’ll see that the audience was consistent with other weeks. They represent Britain as it is not as you would like it to be.
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Back to the subject of foreign aid. I watched a documentary this evening on the 2004 tsunami. On that day approximately 250,000 people lost their lives. I recall vividly the moving accounts of foreign tourists describing how locals went to their assistance first. And how tourists stayed on to help, or kept travel bookings to assist those devastated countries they originally planned to holiday in. Mr Whittall and your supporters…decent people are so much better than your ilk.
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Simon,
The insults just keep coming, now I am “sad and selfish”.
I will stick to the issue in hand.
The fact that India has nuclear weapons and a space programme is extremely relevant, why should we pick up the bill for their choice to squander their money instead of looking after their own people.
I will say it again, if most people in this country new of this scandal they would be outraged.
Given the choice between aid to India and other countries and looking after our old folk I know where people would rather the money spent.
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Simon,
Your puerile and yawn inducing attempt to infer racism, the stock weapon of the liberal when they dont like the facts in front of them, is amusing.
Nowhere on this comments page has anyone made any racist statements, the fact that you choose to label any opposition to your argument as racism is neither here nor there.
I was merely stating a fact regarding breeding demographics in Britain and the world.
It is a well documented fact that people in the third world and their descendents in Britain breed at a far higher rate than indigenous British people.
Nothing racist there, just stating a fact.
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Simon,
Regarding Question Time
The bottom line is that the audience on Question Time are not representative of our country, they may be representative of your circle of friends but certainly not of Great Britain.
Not just on the night Nick Griffin appeared but in general.
The BBC deliberately load the audience in favour of the liberal left and this was even more evident on the night in question when the audience was full of middle class liberals and ethnic minorities were clearly very well represented.
It was an organised witch hunt against a very brave man standing up for his people.
I have yet to meet anybody, even supporters of other party’s, who thought Nick Griffin was treated fairly.
You may not like it but it is certainly the perception and I look forward to his next appearance with a relatively level playing field, albeit with the same loaded audience.
Incidentally, the general public seemed to like his performance, the party recieved in excess of 25000 membership enquiries in the days following the broadcast.
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