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was watching Q&A last night

  • 17-02-2009 1:45pm
    #1
    silverharp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,854 ✭✭✭✭


    I only caught the Q about third world aid, and I was on the verge of thorwing my shoe at the TV having to listen to people justify how they want to spend other peoples money when there is a good chance we are going to have a hot and heavy date with the financial markets in the coming years.
    Given that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, is the dead hand of the state and the various vested interests determined to bring everyone down with them

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



Comments

  • #2
    Dannyboy83
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,236 ✭✭✭Dannyboy83


    These philantro-pissheads don't live in the real world, don't need to worry about paying bills.


  • #3
    turgon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭turgon


    silverharp wrote: »
    there is a good chance we are going to have a hot and heavy date with the financial markets in the coming years.

    Id prefer that to a hot and heavy date with starvation, civil war and disease.

    And id prefer that to knowing that I didnt help those who need money more than I do. So what if you cant replace your three year old microwave, get a grip on your priorities.


  • #4
    silverharp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,854 ✭✭✭✭silverharp


    turgon wrote: »
    Id prefer that to a hot and heavy date with starvation, civil war and disease.

    And id prefer that to knowing that I didnt help those who need money more than I do. So what if you cant replace your three year old microwave, get a grip on your priorities.

    Firstly I'm not convinced it does much good in the big picture sense, 50 years of aid hasnt helped the continent , but thats an argument for another day.

    Whats micowaves got to do with anything?, I'm talking about the country being taken seriously by the international financial community , yet we have people like David Begg talking about ring fencing foreign aid. What else has to be ring fenced, ye'll will be waiting for the IMF to come with a set of wire cutters:pac:

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



  • #5
    K4t
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,362 ✭✭✭K4t


    Fianna Fáil don't think there's any poor people in Ireland.


  • #6
    DublinWriter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,560 ✭✭✭DublinWriter


    silverharp wrote: »
    yet we have people like David Begg talking about ring fencing foreign aid. What else has to be ring fenced
    His six-figure salary perhaps?

    Although I don't agree with Joe Higgins, I really do admire that while he was a TD, he would only accept the average industrial wage for the job and not the standard TD salary. That's principal for ye.


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  • #7
    Soldie
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 1,713 ✭✭✭Soldie


    turgon wrote: »
    Id prefer that to a hot and heavy date with starvation, civil war and disease.

    And id prefer that to knowing that I didnt help those who need money more than I do. So what if you cant replace your three year old microwave, get a grip on your priorities.

    So where do you suppose the line should be drawn? Why don't we contribute more foreign aid?


  • #8
    *Honey*
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 320 ✭✭*Honey*


    As bad as we think things are, we're not starving to death or watching our babies die in front of our very eyes... I'm happy to continue giving my money to charity and I believe the Government, as our representatives, also have a role to play in this.


  • #9
    Mr.Micro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,336 ✭✭✭Mr.Micro


    If the Government can throw away billions of Euro to the banks so that the fat cats and the developer cronies will be looked after, what is the problem with foreign aid when it goes to a worthy cause and may save lives and give some unfortunate peoples a future. Money well spent IMO.


  • #10
    SeanW
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,167 ✭✭✭SeanW


    +1 besides our foreign aid is tied to GDP. That means GDP falls (which it will) we spend less on foreign aid. There are far bigger wastes of money going on closer to home.


  • #11
    irish_bob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,271 ✭✭✭irish_bob


    Mr.Micro wrote: »
    If the Government can throw away billions of Euro to the banks so that the fat cats and the developer cronies will be looked after, what is the problem with foreign aid when it goes to a worthy cause and may save lives and give some unfortunate peoples a future. Money well spent IMO.

    i dont trust the goverment to spend my money efficently beit on the public sector ( they pay them too much in return for votes ) or on overseas aid , i much perfer the option of making private donations to the likes of goal


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  • #12
    yoshytoshy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,305 ✭✭✭yoshytoshy


    Is there anywhere I can get this program online ?,rte website doesn't seem to have much.


  • #13
    djpbarry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,104 ✭✭✭✭djpbarry


    Dannyboy83 wrote: »
    These philantro-pissheads don't live in the real world, don't need to worry about paying bills…
    …says the guy who has time to post on an internet discussion forum.
    silverharp wrote: »
    Firstly I'm not convinced it does much good in the big picture sense, 50 years of aid hasnt helped the continent , but thats an argument for another day.
    That’s a pretty big brush you’re sweeping with there. While there are undoubtedly areas of the world which do not seem to have benefited much (if at all) from foreign aid, there are others that have been roaring successes. But as you say, that’s another debate.
    K4t wrote: »
    Fianna Fáil don't think there's any poor people in Ireland.
    You’re comparing apples and oranges there. The old “we shouldn’t be donating foreign aid while we have poor people in our own country” argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. There are ALWAYS going to be poor people in Ireland, for a variety of reasons. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t do our utmost to alleviate the problem, but cutting foreign aid is not the solution.
    Soldie wrote: »
    So where do you suppose the line should be drawn? Why don't we contribute more foreign aid?
    As far as I am aware, we have made a commitment to donate 0.7% of GDP.


  • #14
    O'Morris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 619 ✭✭✭O'Morris


    I think we spend too much money on foreign aid and it's time for us to cut back. With the state of the nation's finances we can't afford to be spending hundreds of millions each year on people on the other side of the world who should be able to support themselves.

    djpbarry wrote:
    That’s a pretty big brush you’re sweeping with there. While there are undoubtedly areas of the world which do not seem to have benefited much (if at all) from foreign aid, there are others that have been roaring successes.

    Can you give any examples of those roaring successes?

    djpbarry wrote:
    You’re comparing apples and oranges there. The old “we shouldn’t be donating foreign aid while we have poor people in our own country” argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. There are ALWAYS going to be poor people in Ireland, for a variety of reasons. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t do our utmost to alleviate the problem, but cutting foreign aid is not the solution.

    100 million taken out of foreign aid could go a long way towards improving education, health and job-training support in some of the most deprived parts of this country. Not only that but money invested in this country will be spent in this country and will benefit the economy. Foreign Aid on the other hand is money taken out of our economy.

    djpbarry wrote:
    As far as I am aware, we have made a commitment to donate 0.7% of GDP.

    Did we? When?


  • #15
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Just watched it all there. I was shocked, Conor Lenihan didn't do half as badly as I expected him to do.


  • #16
    Soldie
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 1,713 ✭✭✭Soldie


    nesf wrote: »
    Just watched it all there. I was shocked, Conor Lenihan didn't do half as badly as I expected him to do.

    Where are you viewing these things after they've aired? I say these things because I noticed you had seen Prime Time after it had aired too!


  • #17
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Soldie wrote: »
    Where are you viewing these things after they've aired? I say these things because I noticed you had seen Prime Time after it had aired too!

    You can watch a lot of the RTE shows on their website. Some are restricted to Ireland only though.

    The Q&A site: http://www.rte.ie/news/qanda/


    I rarely watch the news, Prime Time or Questions and Answers live these days. You'll need Realplayer to view them btw.


  • #18
    djpbarry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,104 ✭✭✭✭djpbarry


    O'Morris wrote: »
    With the state of the nation's finances we can't afford to be spending hundreds of millions each year on people on the other side of the world who should be able to support themselves.
    That’s a touch naive, don’t you think?
    O'Morris wrote: »
    Can you give any examples of those roaring successes?
    There’s a pretty good summary of the situation in the developing world (both positives and negatives) as a whole here.
    O'Morris wrote: »
    100 million taken out of foreign aid could go a long way towards improving education, health and job-training support in some of the most deprived parts of this country.
    The argument that more money could be spent on x, y and z is a given. There’s always room for improvement in these services. But if we take this to it’s logical conclusion, then we wouldn’t be spending anything at all on foreign aid.
    O'Morris wrote: »
    Did we? When?
    We certainly did:
    Ireland administers a significant overseas aid programme through a variety of forums and has pledged itself to meet the UN target of 0.7% of GDP spent on aid by 2012.
    http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-profiles/europe/ireland?profile=intRelations&pg=4


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