The rubber tyres screech in from the Indian Formula 1 track and Lewis Hamilton leaves the glamour, girls and champagne behind to jump on to a small jet waiting to show him tiny premature babies in incubators that proved to him that India still needs British aid.
In recent weeks the British government announced that it would be cutting back aid to India. India is touted as a fast developing nation, Indian MPs sniff at British aid donations saying it is unnecessary and the British public is less concerned about a country that has a growing number of millionaires with an insatiable appetite for Range Rovers.
Hamilton’s call for aid was in partnership with Unicef and he posted a blog article on the Huffington Post recounting his experience and for his request. The entire article sat uncomfortably with me, especially as Unicef is already funded by international governments including the British one. Wealthy celebrities often call on the public to donate cash, however, Lewis Hamilton is a tax evader with Swiss bank accounts and is part of Formula 1, a sport that cares nothing of the state of the country it organises races in. Instead of taking a train or car to see the premature baby hospital he flew on a small jet, paid for by Unicef or Lewis Hamilton?
Whilst I’ve no doubt that women need nutrition and babies need help, despite Lewis Hamilton’s best intentions somehow I don’t agree with the call for aid. Charities like Unicef need to understand they need to work more efficiently with the cash they are lucky enough to still receive when there are charities in Britain struggling to stay open.
Bubbly
The Chatterjis Blog 