No one objects in principle to emergency and disaster relief etc. But the database of government's generosity, reveals things like the taxpayer giving £Millions to the WWF and WRI, which are already well-funded by billionaires, to leverage that funding in lobbying governments.
For example... How many children's lives did these extremely expensive "forest governance" projects save?
They might have helped Zac Goldsmith's family and friends raise a few quid. But they didn't need it.
These are just funds for the green agenda.
No babies saved.
"Supporting Structural Reform in the Indian Power Sector" is not saving "tens of thousands of children".
It's foisting western green preoccupations on other countries -- at the expense of their own development.
This simply is not 'aid' in any commonly-understood way. It is politics.
The dead children are just props for the moral argument.
And notice that where there is a claim to offer material help to people, it is wrapped up in the green agenda.
That's not 'aid', that's quid-pro-quo. And it paints a picture of a basket case, which may not be accurate.
For e.g. here are some old slides that show Bangladesh's development. (The comparison with Ethopia is of no significance here, they were just useful at the time.)
And some more...
And more...
Lastly. You wouldn't get any of this data from that pitch for £7 million of taxpayer's money, would you. You'd think that Bangladesh was all but a lost cause.
And look at this... Using "aid" budgets to persuade poor countries to meet the Paris agreement.
Zero dead children saved.
Plenty of children locked into poverty as a consequence.
The aid budget is a political fund.
Look, I am really not making this up...
It's NOT 'aid'.
The budgets are vast, unending, unmonitored.
Is *this* what most people -- the people who pay for this
-- understand when they hear debates about the aid budget?
It's just bonkers.
There is PLENTY more.
You can search the database of our government's generosity at devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk .
No doubt there are some good projects.
But the claim that all that money goes on helping people in need is sheer bullshit and David Davis should know better.
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