tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post1107829044180312692..comments2024-02-21T08:52:55.878+00:00Comments on Your Freedom and Ours: We have abandoned the real soft powerHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-7887038782702118642013-05-30T00:13:48.577+01:002013-05-30T00:13:48.577+01:00I echo your plea to close down DfID completely - i...I echo your plea to close down DfID completely - it is bad for us and bad for the peoples whose governments get our aid. If P T Bauer did not say that " foreign aid means poor people in rich countries are taxed to pay rich people in poor countries" he could have done.Budgienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-79133808679920527922013-05-25T15:10:52.387+01:002013-05-25T15:10:52.387+01:00Edward, you might find Jonathan Foreman's &quo...Edward, you might find Jonathan Foreman's "Aiding and Abetting", published by Civitas, interesting though thoroughly depressing. <br /><br />The trouble with abandoning short wave and other broadcast services is that one cannot go back to it. Nobody is going to start listening to short wave now (unless there is a mega-catastrophe) while the internet's reach is much more limited. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-7595865165453078422013-05-24T20:13:05.802+01:002013-05-24T20:13:05.802+01:00A very interesting article and a sad story of bung...A very interesting article and a sad story of bungling and worse.<br /><br /> I complained to my MP a while ago about the BBC's reduction or dropping of short wave and other broadcast services in favour of the internet. I was concerned about the reduced reach to the Middle East rather than Russia at the time.<br /><br />I heartily agree with the abolition of DFID, a squandermaniac department whose finest achievement was the construction of a Ferris wheel for a ladies' amusement park in Afghanistan! It was also the department which held out against flying the Union flag "because we are an international department" - but not, of course, internationally funded. Only the British taxpayer had that task.Edward Spaltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04168350315689612490noreply@blogger.com