Obscene??

walshb

Does anyone else find the story below absolutely obscene. The US and the UK have spent millions, possibly Billions invading and occupying Afghanistan and we're being asked to contribute to the clean up!!!!, absolute ludicrous. Surely this money would be better spent here in Ireland on our health, the roads, education, homelessness etc etc

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1552585&issue_id=13616

flogen

What has the US and UK expenditure on war got to do with our economy? If anything (and this is an unpopular POV, the use of Shannon has seen money come in rather than go out)

walshb

I'm not with you Flogen??, all I'm saying is why are we giving 5 million in aid for Afghanistan when it is the US and UK who have destroyed the bloody country. I'm actually not vehemently against the use of Shannon, I do see it as dangerous in a sense that we are aiding the war in Iraq and the terrorists know this, so we may be a target, maybe not a prime target, but a target nonetheless. But the fact of the matter is that the US and Irish people have always had a very friendly relationship. I don't believe we should allow 'anything goes' but I'd rather be with the US as opposed to being against them.

Goodshape

I'd say Afghanistan could have used the aid before the invasion also. They just weren't in a poisition to accept it.

flogen

Apologies, I mis-read your post.
It's an interesting one; you could say this; why should we aid the clean up of a mess that the US and UK made?
At the same time should we allow people to suffer just because of a dispute with another country?
Neither is a perfect argument and I suppose it all depends on who is asking and why they're asking.
I would say that it is the duty of the US and UK over anyone else to reconstruct Afghanistan but requesting aid for people who need it is not something that should be ignored. In other words; they can rebuild the country they invaded but as far as medical aid etc. goes, I have no issue with us contributing.

walshb

Yes I agree, so they have made a bad situation forever worse!!!!

walshb

Flogen I suspected just after I posted that you had misread me, no problem

whiskeyman

Might be worthwhile checking out more about the conference in London.

Hosted by the UN, as well as the Afghan and UK governments, the three-day conference that began on Tuesday, also marks the launch of the Afghanistan Compact - a framework for engaging the international community in the country over the next five years.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/06a4f2ac3f8049e1a9bd2197ed22db90.htm

A lot of these figures of donations make it to the media for "political points" tbh.
Just remember that these countries have "pledged".... in many cases the money simply never makes it.
The best example of this is the earthquake in Bam, Turkey, a few years ago where not even half the money pledged by the interntional comunity came in.
Even then, the money can be spent internally in the country of origin, before aid/services are actually deployed.

EDIT - just re-read the Indo article.... looks like in just ripped from a Government press release.
Shame no decent analysis given.