tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post896546034566484982..comments2024-02-21T08:52:55.878+00:00Comments on Your Freedom and Ours: Just say noHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799545178433498944noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-87137608863771722622012-10-04T13:36:09.296+01:002012-10-04T13:36:09.296+01:00Quite. Government funded aid is not charity. It is...Quite. Government funded aid is not charity. It is something else entirely, and it is often very self serving as well as being ineffectual. If governments wanted to do something for the poor world, they could spend their time lowering trade barriers (both direct and indirect) and get rid of agricultural subsidies, so that African and other poor world farmers (many of whom produce excellent produce) can compete on a level playing field. As a bonus, this would save money and lower prices for consumers rather than costing money. Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09197909058431076608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-48391652080765362092012-10-04T13:14:21.580+01:002012-10-04T13:14:21.580+01:00The DfID is not a charitable organisation, it is a...The DfID is not a charitable organisation, it is a wealth redistribution organisation. The government takes our money through coercion and then spends it to achieve some politically-desirable objective identified by themselves. Charity is voluntary not under duress, and when money is free those charged with spending it are hardly likely to do so wisely, even if they are well-intentioned.AKMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-54157342697253794452012-10-03T19:56:40.814+01:002012-10-03T19:56:40.814+01:00Helen, I confess that I am not a great fan of the ...Helen, I confess that I am not a great fan of the TPA. They are good at lobbying the media and being politically smooth, but their thinking and the quality of their research is generally sloppy. Too many lawyers and not enough analysts of any other kind, I think. Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09197909058431076608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057487038565855826.post-75306260407658247852012-10-03T15:12:31.008+01:002012-10-03T15:12:31.008+01:00Today I have come across Helen Szamuely for the fi...Today I have come across Helen Szamuely for the first time when I heard the talk with Andrew Marr et al on I player. I then googled her, and ended up here. I thought the post above about the Stalin adoring historian excellent. However this post not so. If the problem is that underdeveloped countries completely misuse the aid they are given, surely the answer is better control. The alternative seems to me to lead to the logic that there should be no charity. That is n NOT the sort of person I think you are.aronzebbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12826043358325051374noreply@blogger.com