Huge turd sighted in Thames!

Apparently a bloke called David Walliams, who claims to be a comedian of some sort, has just spent 8 days of his life swimming the 140 mile length of the Thames.

Well maybe it's just me, because I just don't get it. It seems one hell of a waste of 8 days of a life to me.

Alright, I know it was done for 'cherritee, mate' (please use best Smashie and Nicey accent at this juncture), but I just don't see the point. Personally, I'm all 'cherriteed' out and even if I wasn't then Sport Aid and Red Nose Day would be right down the bottom of the list. A load of so called celebs with too much money acting the arse in order to take money from poorer people who most likely can't afford it but are too thick to say no...

And of course at the end of this epic feat of human endurance there were the usual crew of b-list comedy celebs waiting to welcome him - people like Jimmy Carr, Rob Bryden, Lennie Henry, Barbara Windsor and other seriously unfunny people.

Apparently, this completely pointless piece of lunacy has raised over £1 million for 'cherritee, mate, cherritee'. Money that we can now piss down the toilet to administrators, committees and corrupt overseas governments. How much of it actually gets to the so-called 'needy people', I wonder? About as much as the £52 million of our taxes that got thrown to Somalia so that they can afford to fund kidnapping and murder of innocent tourists, I should imagine.

There are a couple of famous sayings that come to mind: "The good Lord helps those who help themselves" and "Charity begins at home".

As far as I can see this was just another turd floating in the Thames...

Huge turd sighted in Thames!

Apparently a bloke called David Walliams, who claims to be a comedian of some sort, has just spent 8 days of his life swimming the 140 mile length of the Thames.

Well maybe it's just me, because I just don't get it. It seems one hell of a waste of 8 days of a life to me.

Alright, I know it was done for 'cherritee, mate' (please use best Smashie and Nicey accent at this juncture), but I just don't see the point. Personally, I'm all 'cherriteed' out and even if I wasn't then Sport Aid and Red Nose Day would be right down the bottom of the list. A load of so called celebs with too much money acting the arse in order to take money from poorer people who most likely can't afford it but are too thick to say no...

And of course at the end of this epic feat of human endurance there were the usual crew of b-list comedy celebs waiting to welcome him - people like Jimmy Carr, Rob Bryden, Lennie Henry, Barbara Windsor and other seriously unfunny people.

Apparently, this completely pointless piece of lunacy has raised over £1 million for 'cherritee, mate, cherritee'. Money that we can now piss down the toilet to administrators, committees and corrupt overseas governments. How much of it actually gets to the so-called 'needy people', I wonder? About as much as the £52 million of our taxes that got thrown to Somalia so that they can afford to fund kidnapping and murder of innocent tourists, I should imagine.

There are a couple of famous sayings that come to mind: "The good Lord helps those who help themselves" and "Charity begins at home".

As far as I can see this was just another turd floating in the Thames...

Charity begins at home

Here we go again!...

Whilst I am duly sympathetic to the plight of those starving in refugee camps in East Africa and am duly impressed by the generosity of the British people in donating £15 million of the money they are not supposed to have, I continue to draw a line at enforced charity giving.

On top of the £15 million, the government has announced that it will contribute a further £52 million to the appeal. This is all very well, but that £52 million of taxpayers money on top of the £15 million that the taxpayers have already given voluntarily. In my view, that's not on.

It's one thing to be asked to donate. It's quite another thing to have it taken off you via the tax system and donated on your behalf without asking for or attaining your consent.

Maybe the people in the horn of Africa should at least try and sort out their own differences and problems. Perhaps their governments should take some responsibility. Or maybe people just shouldn't choose to live where there is no viable life support?

Whatever, it's a good excuse for yet another concert...

Charity begins at home

Here we go again!...

Whilst I am duly sympathetic to the plight of those starving in refugee camps in East Africa and am duly impressed by the generosity of the British people in donating £15 million of the money they are not supposed to have, I continue to draw a line at enforced charity giving.

On top of the £15 million, the government has announced that it will contribute a further £52 million to the appeal. This is all very well, but that £52 million of taxpayers money on top of the £15 million that the taxpayers have already given voluntarily. In my view, that's not on.

It's one thing to be asked to donate. It's quite another thing to have it taken off you via the tax system and donated on your behalf without asking for or attaining your consent.

Maybe the people in the horn of Africa should at least try and sort out their own differences and problems. Perhaps their governments should take some responsibility. Or maybe people just shouldn't choose to live where there is no viable life support?

Whatever, it's a good excuse for yet another concert...

It's 'No Charity' Week!

It's Easter Week - so amazingly this is the one week of the year which does not have a national or international charity designated for it.

So here's a list of just a few of the rivetting events and non-events that you either missed out on already this year...

January kicked off with Food Allergy and Intolerance Week (24th - 27th),a campaign to raise awareness about the many people who suffer from food intolerance to ingredients such as wheat, dairy, eggs, and gluten. And in case you have really bas food habits that can make you ill, this coincides with Cancertalk Week.

Don't miss Farmhouse Breakfast Week (23rd - 29th)! Oh, sorry, you already did. This campaign aims to highlight the importance of breakfast and the range and quality of regional breakfast produce available in the UK

Or there's National Storytelling Week (29th - 5th Feb) which aims to 'raise awareness of this ancient form of entertainment'.

February kicks off with National Apprenticeship Week, followed by National Marriage Week. Celebrated in churches and communities across the country - the purpose of the Week is to celebrate the importance of marriage. It's also, ironically, World Orphan Week

This is followed by National Nest Box Week (15th - 21st) which aims to get as many people as possible to put up nest boxes in order to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. Fortuitously, you needn't go hungry as you do this as it's also National Chip Week - celebrating the nation's favourite food

Then there's Student Volunteering Week (21st - 27th) - an opportunity to keep the great unwashed ON the streets for a change! Perhaps they could put up some nest boxes?

28 February - 13 March is a BOGOF! It's Fair Trade Fortnight where students spend a whole two weeks contemplating where their food comes from and how they can help people in poorer countries. Yeah, right...

1st - 31st March is useful for those poor students doing all that comtemplating, because it's National Bed Month!

6th - 12th March is National Glaucoma Week - probably due to all that contemplation, we are seeking to arouse awareness of eye disease.

11th -20th March is National Science and Engineering Week. Says a lot that all these brainy scientists have found a way to make a week last a whole 10 days!

14th - 20th March is Brain Awareness Week which promotes awareness of research into the brain

21st - 27th March is Salt Awareness Week - aiming to educate the public as to the importance of salt in the diet. Shame it didn't coincide with Chip Week.

March ends with Hospital Broadcasting Week, the annnual opportunity to raise the profile of every hospital broadcasting station in the UK. Wow!

April gets a couple of whole month events - National Autism Month and National Pet Month. Plus 10th - 16th is World Homeopathy Awareness Week, and then to bring the month to a close we have RSPCA Week

Oh and did I forget to mention World Braile Day, SOS Day, World Wetlands Day, World Cancer Day, UNICEF Day for Change, Safer Internet Day, National Doodle Day, Gold Heart Day, International Mother Language Day, World Thinking Day, The Toddle Waddle, International Childrens Book Day, World Health Day, World Haemophilia Day, Earth Day, World Book and Copyright Day, World Malaria Day and Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day...

Still, if you did miss a few, there's the rest of the year to go yet.

After all, you wouldn't want to miss Be Nice to Nettles Week, would you?

It's 'No Charity' Week!

It's Easter Week - so amazingly this is the one week of the year which does not have a national or international charity designated for it.

So here's a list of just a few of the rivetting events and non-events that you either missed out on already this year...

January kicked off with Food Allergy and Intolerance Week (24th - 27th),a campaign to raise awareness about the many people who suffer from food intolerance to ingredients such as wheat, dairy, eggs, and gluten. And in case you have really bas food habits that can make you ill, this coincides with Cancertalk Week.

Don't miss Farmhouse Breakfast Week (23rd - 29th)! Oh, sorry, you already did. This campaign aims to highlight the importance of breakfast and the range and quality of regional breakfast produce available in the UK

Or there's National Storytelling Week (29th - 5th Feb) which aims to 'raise awareness of this ancient form of entertainment'.

February kicks off with National Apprenticeship Week, followed by National Marriage Week. Celebrated in churches and communities across the country - the purpose of the Week is to celebrate the importance of marriage. It's also, ironically, World Orphan Week

This is followed by National Nest Box Week (15th - 21st) which aims to get as many people as possible to put up nest boxes in order to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. Fortuitously, you needn't go hungry as you do this as it's also National Chip Week - celebrating the nation's favourite food

Then there's Student Volunteering Week (21st - 27th) - an opportunity to keep the great unwashed ON the streets for a change! Perhaps they could put up some nest boxes?

28 February - 13 March is a BOGOF! It's Fair Trade Fortnight where students spend a whole two weeks contemplating where their food comes from and how they can help people in poorer countries. Yeah, right...

1st - 31st March is useful for those poor students doing all that comtemplating, because it's National Bed Month!

6th - 12th March is National Glaucoma Week - probably due to all that contemplation, we are seeking to arouse awareness of eye disease.

11th -20th March is National Science and Engineering Week. Says a lot that all these brainy scientists have found a way to make a week last a whole 10 days!

14th - 20th March is Brain Awareness Week which promotes awareness of research into the brain

21st - 27th March is Salt Awareness Week - aiming to educate the public as to the importance of salt in the diet. Shame it didn't coincide with Chip Week.

March ends with Hospital Broadcasting Week, the annnual opportunity to raise the profile of every hospital broadcasting station in the UK. Wow!

April gets a couple of whole month events - National Autism Month and National Pet Month. Plus 10th - 16th is World Homeopathy Awareness Week, and then to bring the month to a close we have RSPCA Week

Oh and did I forget to mention World Braile Day, SOS Day, World Wetlands Day, World Cancer Day, UNICEF Day for Change, Safer Internet Day, National Doodle Day, Gold Heart Day, International Mother Language Day, World Thinking Day, The Toddle Waddle, International Childrens Book Day, World Health Day, World Haemophilia Day, Earth Day, World Book and Copyright Day, World Malaria Day and Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day...

Still, if you did miss a few, there's the rest of the year to go yet.

After all, you wouldn't want to miss Be Nice to Nettles Week, would you?

International Climate Week

Did you know that this week was International Climate Week? No.? Well, until I saw it on the BBC breakfast programme yesterday morning, nor did I.

Apparently, Monday 21 March 2011, marked the start of the UK’s first ever Climate Week. It is a new national occasion, backed by the Prime Minister, has-been eco knobhead Al Gore and celebrities such as Paul McCartney, as well as "a huge number of people and organisations from every part of society".

Climate Week apparently provides an opportunity to raise awareness and highlight and inspire innovative ideas which will help protect our planet and the people who live on it. As far as I can see it has failed spectacularly!

Basically, it's a bit of touchy feely bullshit thought up by the Department for International Development. You can read about it by clicking here. I especially like the flash at the head of the site where it thanks 'British Taxpayers' which I found particularly offensive. No bugger asked me if they could give my money away at a time when I need it myself.

Apparently this amazingly inconspicuous set of events is sponsored by Tesco, Kelloggs, French energy supplier EDF (Hmmmm...is this appropriate?) and RBS which you will remember is also funded by the taxpayer. Still, it did get an award for "Best Initiative for a Government or Statutory body (see here) as did HM Revenue and Customs for "making environmental targets a departmental priority.

I am tempted to say that collecting tax from loads of people who haven't paid up might be a better priority for HMRC because, after all, they haven't contributed to this piece of pathetic self aggrandisement - it's just us mugs...

International Climate Week

Did you know that this week was International Climate Week? No.? Well, until I saw it on the BBC breakfast programme yesterday morning, nor did I.

Apparently, Monday 21 March 2011, marked the start of the UK’s first ever Climate Week. It is a new national occasion, backed by the Prime Minister, has-been eco knobhead Al Gore and celebrities such as Paul McCartney, as well as "a huge number of people and organisations from every part of society".

Climate Week apparently provides an opportunity to raise awareness and highlight and inspire innovative ideas which will help protect our planet and the people who live on it. As far as I can see it has failed spectacularly!

Basically, it's a bit of touchy feely bullshit thought up by the Department for International Development. You can read about it by clicking here. I especially like the flash at the head of the site where it thanks 'British Taxpayers' which I found particularly offensive. No bugger asked me if they could give my money away at a time when I need it myself.

Apparently this amazingly inconspicuous set of events is sponsored by Tesco, Kelloggs, French energy supplier EDF (Hmmmm...is this appropriate?) and RBS which you will remember is also funded by the taxpayer. Still, it did get an award for "Best Initiative for a Government or Statutory body (see here) as did HM Revenue and Customs for "making environmental targets a departmental priority.

I am tempted to say that collecting tax from loads of people who haven't paid up might be a better priority for HMRC because, after all, they haven't contributed to this piece of pathetic self aggrandisement - it's just us mugs...

Red Nose, my arse!

Yes, it's Red Nose Day and as you might gather from the picture above, I am not a fan.

Frankly, the whole thing leaves me cold. Not only am I suffering from charity overload (Christchurch appeal, Japan, etc etc) but I just don't find it funny. Last year I wrote a piece called "Are you 'avin' a larf?" about the declines in comedy. I've not changed my views.

Tonight we will be subjected to yet another load of purile crap on the telly urging us to give our hard earned dosh away to a load of third world dictators all in the name of helping people whose own governments are too corrupt to help them in the first place.

As we have seen from the uprisings in northern Africa lately, people are at last beginning to realise what has been going on and have had enough of it. This, in my view, has got to be a good thing for the local populations. Far better, anyway, than being patronised by a bunch of so called funny people.

On a personal note, a few years ago I was doing a contract job for the Post Office. On Red Nose Day, I was accosted by a bunch of the permanent staff - who should have been working? - standing outside the entrance to the offices and refusing to let anyone in who did not put £5 in their bucket.

I told them to fuck off then, and I will be doing the same today...

Red Nose, my arse!

Yes, it's Red Nose Day and as you might gather from the picture above, I am not a fan.

Frankly, the whole thing leaves me cold. Not only am I suffering from charity overload (Christchurch appeal, Japan, etc etc) but I just don't find it funny. Last year I wrote a piece called "Are you 'avin' a larf?" about the declines in comedy. I've not changed my views.

Tonight we will be subjected to yet another load of purile crap on the telly urging us to give our hard earned dosh away to a load of third world dictators all in the name of helping people whose own governments are too corrupt to help them in the first place.

As we have seen from the uprisings in northern Africa lately, people are at last beginning to realise what has been going on and have had enough of it. This, in my view, has got to be a good thing for the local populations. Far better, anyway, than being patronised by a bunch of so called funny people.

On a personal note, a few years ago I was doing a contract job for the Post Office. On Red Nose Day, I was accosted by a bunch of the permanent staff - who should have been working? - standing outside the entrance to the offices and refusing to let anyone in who did not put £5 in their bucket.

I told them to fuck off then, and I will be doing the same today...

Wheel out the starving kiddies

"Do they know it's Christmas time at all...?"

Too fucking right they do! It's that time of year when the chuggers come out in force - bombarding your TV and newspapers with adverts, banging on your door and thrusting direct debits under your nose, driving round in a flatbed lorry with a plastic Santa on the back and a ghetto blaster, demanding that you put money in their buckets...

And have you noticed that the film crews and photographers always seem to wheel out the poor starving kiddies suffering in poverty in the third world? It's simple really. Children will tug at the heart strings and soak up money like nothing else.

So let's take a look at some of this relentless barrage :

Wateraid, Oxfam, UNICEF, Cancer Research, Care (who?), Dogs for the Disabled - to name but a few - all want your £2 monthly direct debits. Or £19 for the Salvation Army. Or a once off £15 for the NSPCC. Or why not adopt a jaguar? That's £3 a month, so they're clearly worth more than kids!

And the newspapers are never slow to jump in either. The Guardian, Telegraph, The Times - all upper class you notice, because their readers can afford it more than others, can't they? Well, fuck that because I can't afford a newspaper anyway...

And then there are the charity Christmas cards - which incidentally vary terrifically in how much they actually donate to the named charities concerned.

Here's a message for you all : Thanks to the Credit Crunch my income dipped this year by around £300 a week mainly due to dear Gordon raiding my pension fund and lowering interest rates on my savings to two thirds of fuck all. I've got no spare money, so don't bother to fucking ask. And you can bring a starving kid with you if you like so I can tell you both to fuck off!

And can you please send 'Age UK' around so I can ask them how much they are going to give me...

Wheel out the starving kiddies

"Do they know it's Christmas time at all...?"

Too fucking right they do! It's that time of year when the chuggers come out in force - bombarding your TV and newspapers with adverts, banging on your door and thrusting direct debits under your nose, driving round in a flatbed lorry with a plastic Santa on the back and a ghetto blaster, demanding that you put money in their buckets...

And have you noticed that the film crews and photographers always seem to wheel out the poor starving kiddies suffering in poverty in the third world? It's simple really. Children will tug at the heart strings and soak up money like nothing else.

So let's take a look at some of this relentless barrage :

Wateraid, Oxfam, UNICEF, Cancer Research, Care (who?), Dogs for the Disabled - to name but a few - all want your £2 monthly direct debits. Or £19 for the Salvation Army. Or a once off £15 for the NSPCC. Or why not adopt a jaguar? That's £3 a month, so they're clearly worth more than kids!

And the newspapers are never slow to jump in either. The Guardian, Telegraph, The Times - all upper class you notice, because their readers can afford it more than others, can't they? Well, fuck that because I can't afford a newspaper anyway...

And then there are the charity Christmas cards - which incidentally vary terrifically in how much they actually donate to the named charities concerned.

Here's a message for you all : Thanks to the Credit Crunch my income dipped this year by around £300 a week mainly due to dear Gordon raiding my pension fund and lowering interest rates on my savings to two thirds of fuck all. I've got no spare money, so don't bother to fucking ask. And you can bring a starving kid with you if you like so I can tell you both to fuck off!

And can you please send 'Age UK' around so I can ask them how much they are going to give me...

Building for floods in India

In the light of the floods in Pakistan, I am reminded of a trip I took a couple of years ago along the Brahmaputra river in Assam, India.

We visitted an unnamed island in the middle of the river and went for a wander across the crop fields and through the village. Like the Indus in Pakistan, the Brahmaputra floods every year. Every year, this island disappears under the flood waters, washing away everything in its path.

A couple of us were talking to one of the villagers, who was leaning against one of the stilts that his house - and all the others in the village - are built on as you can see above. He explained to us that every year they gather the crops, take in the animals and sit out the floods. I asked him why he didn't just move. He said that the silt depositted made the ground very fertile and the crops were good. And the flood water? "It happens every year so we are ready for it."

My somewhat dim-but-nice friend asked him how high the water comes up? He replied by placing his hand on one of the stilts about a foot below the floor level of his house. "About here", he replied.

The Chinese have the same problem with the Yangtze which is one of the reasons they built that enormous dam to help regulate it. They have problems at the moment too, but they are doing something about it not just holding out their begging bowl.

The Indus is not dissimilar to the Brahmaputra. It does this every year. Admittedly this year it has been extreme, but perhaps the Pakistanis could be a little more like the Assamese and be just a bit more prepared for it?

And perhaps their government could help by releasing just a small chunk of that $2 billion they are spending on developing nuclear power...

Building for floods in India

In the light of the floods in Pakistan, I am reminded of a trip I took a couple of years ago along the Brahmaputra river in Assam, India.

We visitted an unnamed island in the middle of the river and went for a wander across the crop fields and through the village. Like the Indus in Pakistan, the Brahmaputra floods every year. Every year, this island disappears under the flood waters, washing away everything in its path.

A couple of us were talking to one of the villagers, who was leaning against one of the stilts that his house - and all the others in the village - are built on as you can see above. He explained to us that every year they gather the crops, take in the animals and sit out the floods. I asked him why he didn't just move. He said that the silt depositted made the ground very fertile and the crops were good. And the flood water? "It happens every year so we are ready for it."

My somewhat dim-but-nice friend asked him how high the water comes up? He replied by placing his hand on one of the stilts about a foot below the floor level of his house. "About here", he replied.

The Chinese have the same problem with the Yangtze which is one of the reasons they built that enormous dam to help regulate it. They have problems at the moment too, but they are doing something about it not just holding out their begging bowl.

The Indus is not dissimilar to the Brahmaputra. It does this every year. Admittedly this year it has been extreme, but perhaps the Pakistanis could be a little more like the Assamese and be just a bit more prepared for it?

And perhaps their government could help by releasing just a small chunk of that $2 billion they are spending on developing nuclear power...

Eating biscuits in Biafra

I get slagged off a lot for my views that charity begins at home - like for example should we be giving free milk in schools rather than using the money to give water to Pakistanis?

Yes I know it's a disaster, just like the Ethiopian famine, the boxing day tsunami, Biafra, the Haiti earthquake and many others. Oh, I nearly forgot - there have been disastrous mudslides in China this week as well.

But what really gets up my nose - and I don't know if you have ever thought about this - is what do the news crews eat when they are filming famines? How do they get about when they are covering floods? Should that place on the helicopter have been filled with food and water rather than a camera crew?

A prime example of this was on BBC breakfast news on Sunday morning. Pictures of some poor sod and his family standing on the roof of his crumbling mud hut surrounded by flood waters. And what are the news crew using to get out there and take these pictures? Let me think - oh yes! A boat.

And did they stop and rescue aforementioned poor sod and his family? I doubt it...

Eating biscuits in Biafra

I get slagged off a lot for my views that charity begins at home - like for example should we be giving free milk in schools rather than using the money to give water to Pakistanis?

Yes I know it's a disaster, just like the Ethiopian famine, the boxing day tsunami, Biafra, the Haiti earthquake and many others. Oh, I nearly forgot - there have been disastrous mudslides in China this week as well.

But what really gets up my nose - and I don't know if you have ever thought about this - is what do the news crews eat when they are filming famines? How do they get about when they are covering floods? Should that place on the helicopter have been filled with food and water rather than a camera crew?

A prime example of this was on BBC breakfast news on Sunday morning. Pictures of some poor sod and his family standing on the roof of his crumbling mud hut surrounded by flood waters. And what are the news crew using to get out there and take these pictures? Let me think - oh yes! A boat.

And did they stop and rescue aforementioned poor sod and his family? I doubt it...

ANT and DEC - The Charity Appeal

As the President of Pakistan is visiting Chequers today, I thought it would be a good time to roll out my good friends, ANT and DEC.

No - not that Ant and Dec! - ANT (Another Natural Tragedy) and DEC (the Disasters Emergency Committee). These two are once again asking for your money to bail out the flood victims in Pakistan.

Perhaps when Asif Ali Zardari is taking to David Cameron today and, no doubt holding out the begging bowl for Britains cash, he should be reminded that Pakistan is the same nation whose people last week were out in the streets burning our national flag and effigies of the man he is talking to. Perhaps he should also be reminded that our government has already pledged millions for their aid.

That aid is, of course, not government money. It is taxpayers' money. Donated without a mandate on our behalf. Money we don't actually have.

So whilst the appeal launched last night is tugging at your heart strings, do what I do and remind yourself of this : "I already gave"

ANT and DEC - The Charity Appeal

As the President of Pakistan is visiting Chequers today, I thought it would be a good time to roll out my good friends, ANT and DEC.

No - not that Ant and Dec! - ANT (Another Natural Tragedy) and DEC (the Disasters Emergency Committee). These two are once again asking for your money to bail out the flood victims in Pakistan.

Perhaps when Asif Ali Zardari is taking to David Cameron today and, no doubt holding out the begging bowl for Britains cash, he should be reminded that Pakistan is the same nation whose people last week were out in the streets burning our national flag and effigies of the man he is talking to. Perhaps he should also be reminded that our government has already pledged millions for their aid.

That aid is, of course, not government money. It is taxpayers' money. Donated without a mandate on our behalf. Money we don't actually have.

So whilst the appeal launched last night is tugging at your heart strings, do what I do and remind yourself of this : "I already gave"

Overseas Aid - again!

Yesterday, I gave you my views on how we could expand the aid budget to include our own people. But now I hear from the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, that aid for Afghanistan is to be increased by 40%

"What!", I hear you say. "The aid budget is ring fenced."

Well, apparently in true political style we can get around that by redefining things.

It seems the total is ring fenced, but we can 'reprioritise' the order in which we give out the aid, presumably drawing a line when the money runs out?

Now don't get me wrong. If the increase in aid to Afghanistan means that we get the country in order more quickly and our troops come home sooner, then that's fair enough.

What I don't go along with is the principal that we can now apparently cut stuff off the bottom of the list to make room for this, but if we weren't doing this, then they would have stayed on the list. This makes no sense.

Why don't we just look at what we can afford - which, let's face it is sod all - and then take the things off the list that can be taken off and use the money to provide essential services for our own people and to pay off our debts?

I suggest,  Messrs. Cleggeron, that you read this and yesterday's posts....

Overseas Aid - again!

Yesterday, I gave you my views on how we could expand the aid budget to include our own people. But now I hear from the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, that aid for Afghanistan is to be increased by 40%

"What!", I hear you say. "The aid budget is ring fenced."

Well, apparently in true political style we can get around that by redefining things.

It seems the total is ring fenced, but we can 'reprioritise' the order in which we give out the aid, presumably drawing a line when the money runs out?

Now don't get me wrong. If the increase in aid to Afghanistan means that we get the country in order more quickly and our troops come home sooner, then that's fair enough.

What I don't go along with is the principal that we can now apparently cut stuff off the bottom of the list to make room for this, but if we weren't doing this, then they would have stayed on the list. This makes no sense.

Why don't we just look at what we can afford - which, let's face it is sod all - and then take the things off the list that can be taken off and use the money to provide essential services for our own people and to pay off our debts?

I suggest,  Messrs. Cleggeron, that you read this and yesterday's posts....