unpopular opinion for me this morning, I think foreign aid is a good thing.
a lot of of organised crime usually starts in developing countries as a result of poverty, lack of policing etc. And results in problems in the U.K. later on down the line - organised crime, trafficking etc. It makes sense to spend the money at the root of the problem. It’s cheaper short term. (Criminal courts and policing is hugely expensive and tackling organised crime is a laborious process)
It’s usually pretty beneficial to the U.K. long term. It builds favourable relationships and dare I say, dependencies. For example the U.K. has established training for policing in certain areas of the world. This means the government are pretty reliant on advice, in simple terms, for how to continue to implement these processes. (the U.K. had the first professional police force in the world - the Met - so if anyone is qualified to help others on the policing front, it’s the U.K. believe it or not). It also means they have a good relationship with the U.K. which paves the way for future trade agreements. It stabilises a country which means the become richer. And they become our wealthy friend, no longer a poor relative relying on handouts.
In a purely moral sense, it saves lives. Global poverty has been reduced by half in the past 20 years. That’s a huge/wonderful achievement.
a lot of people against aid say “but charity starts at home. We have homeless vets” and yeh, we do. But it’s an entirely separate issue. Homelessness is SO hard to tackle because it’s complex AF. And the U.K. has enough money to invest in foreign aid while also helping people at home. If you’re ever in doubt at how much money the U.K. has, look at the money that was found at the back of the sofa for the failed test and trace stuff …