Does Charity Begin At Home?

The government announced yesterday that £2 billion will be put towards “Climate Aid” in developing countries to help countries such as Columbia and Uganda go green.

How do you feel about this news?

Ambassador Hamilton of Formula 1

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.

Aid For Trade

There was something quite disturbing about listening to the news on British aid to India last night. The message that came across loud an clear was “you buy our fighter jets and we will give you aid”? Is Britain trying to buy Indian contracts with promises of aid? Andrew Mitchell, Development Secretary describes it as being part of the round. Surely aid and commercial business should be separate entities with clearly defined boundaries…

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

The UK government announced last week that it would be giving £60 million to India for health programmes and a total of £1.6 billion over the next five years for development and wealth creation concentrating on three of India’s most poverty-stricken states.

India is rightly proud of it’s admirable growth figures and I wonder