Southport journalist Martin Hovden writes: Southport Conservative MP Damien Moore (pictured) refused to oppose his government's devastating cut in international aid.


Instead, he happily supported his party's line of reducing international aid yesterday from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5% - a move which his own party members - including former Tory Prime Minister Theresa May - claimed would result in more children being sold into slavery and less girls being given a proper education.


The government argues the cut is necessary because of the increased costs of dealing with Covid in the UK – despite the fact we are the sixth richest country in the world.


All Merseyside's Labour MPs voted against the cut.


Mr Moore, who so far has failed to make an impact in the House of Commons, prefers to do as he is told by his party whips. Sadly he can't think for himself – apart perhaps from planning his own future political career.


Southport deserves better.


The government rushed through the cuts with a majority of just 35 – it has an overall majority of 80.


The brave 24 Tory MPs that rebelled against the Government were:

David Amess - Southend West

Harriett Baldwin - West Worcestershire

Peter Bottomley - Worthing West

Karen Bradley - Staffordshire Moorlands

Steve Brine - Winchester

Rehman Chishti - Gillingham and Rainham

Stephen Crabb - Preseli Pembrokeshire

David Davis - Haltemprice and Howden

Tobias Ellwood - Bournemouth East

Roger Gale - North Thanet

Damian Green – Ashford

Simon Hoare - North Dorset

Neil Hudson - Penrith and The Border

Jeremy Hunt - South West Surrey

Paulie Latham - Mid Derbyshire

Tim Loughton - East Worthing and Shoreham

Theresa May – Maidenhead

Johnny Mercer - Plymouth, Moor View

Andrew Mitchell - Sutton Coldfield

Caroline Nokes - Romsey and Southampton North

Neil Parish - Tiverton and Honiton

Mark Pawsey - Rugby

Bob Seely - Isle of Wight

Tom Tugendhat - Tonbridge and Malling

Now there's a surprise....

he has obediently voted for every diminution of democracy, enrichment of cronies, desecration of the environment, committed by this government.

From my observation he perhaps doesn't understand, let alone care, about most things except his position and trying to take credit for any passing positive development in the town.

he is one of the drones Johnson packed his party with to bludgeon Brexit through and wouldn't be welcome to have an opinion even if he had any.

"he happily supported his party's line"

He would have been told to, now how do you know he did this happily????


"The government argues the cut is necessary because of the increased costs of dealing with Covid in the UK – despite the fact we are the sixth richest country in the world."

India are the 5th richest and yet receive more aid from the DAC members than any other country.....



"All Merseyside's Labour MPs voted against the cut."

Of course they did, because they would have been told to as well, did they do it "happily".....

Perhaps if the people knew how much of it ends up in the bank accounts of despots instead of benefitting the people it is intended to help there might not be as much objection.

We send young men out fighting wars and when they come back physically or mentally ruined they are left on the streets. We send money to Countries who would kill us rather than thank us.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

Perhaps if the people knew how much of it ends up in the bank accounts of despots instead of benefitting the people it is intended to help there might not be as much objection.

We send young men out fighting wars and when they come back physically or mentally ruined they are left on the streets. We send money to Countries who would kill us rather than thank us.

So how much of it does end up in the bank accounts of despots? I’m assuming you have some reliable sources to share?

We send young men out to fight in wars who have volunteered themselves to do so.
If they come back ‘ruined and left on the streets’, this is a failing of our armed services/government and has nothing to do with overseas aid.

He is the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Cabinet Office, which is about half a rung up the government ladder.

Try asking him to support any cause that the government opposes and you will get a standard letter from his p a to the effect that he must abide by the dictum of collective responsibility. To ask him to break ranks and vote otherwise would be asking him to resign first.

As we know, turkeys don’t vote for Christmas.

Originally Posted by donkey22

So how much of it does end up in the bank accounts of despots? I’m assuming you have some reliable sources to share?

We send young men out to fight in wars who have volunteered themselves to do so.
If they come back ‘ruined and left on the streets’, this is a failing of our armed services/government and has nothing to do with overseas aid.

According to the World Bank


"Our results document cleanly and robustly that aid disbursements are associated with wealth accumulation in offshore accounts".

However, this increases with the ratio of aid to GDP, the study found, with as much as 15% "leakage" for the most aid dependent countries. The average of total foreign deposits was $199 million.


European courts have recently been alive with stories of just such corruption. Last year, Swiss authorities seized and sold a collection of sports cars belonging to the son of Equatorial Guinea's dictator Teodorin Obiang.

On February 10th, an appeal court in France fined Obiang €30 million ($33 million) for using public money to fund his lavish lifestyle, including properties in Paris valued at over €25 million ($26.9 million).

Then, on Tuesday February 11th, Portugal ordered bank accounts belonging to Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos to be frozen following requests from a criminal investigation in Angola.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverw...h=29ec18861565

Originally Posted by donkey22

So how much of it does end up in the bank accounts of despots? I’m assuming you have some reliable sources to share?

We send young men out to fight in wars who have volunteered themselves to do so.
If they come back ‘ruined and left on the streets’, this is a failing of our armed services/government and has nothing to do with overseas aid.

Over my working life which involved working in many of the countries that get this Aid
When speaking with the man in the street so to say, is they all reply with “we never see this aid, it goes on government cars and houses”
That says it all.

Originally Posted by Sproggy the Cat

Over my working life which involved working in many of the countries that get this Aid
When speaking with the man in the street so to say, is they all reply with “we never see this aid, it goes on government cars and houses”
That says it all.

Like the post above yours. Hardly a reliable source.

£100 million per annum goes to a consortium headed by Rotary International. It is used to fund immunisation programmes to eradicate polio. Thanks to this programme polio cases have dropped from 300,000 worldwide in 1985 to only two cases this year.

Not all foreign aid goes to despot dictators. Some is well spent.

A sad little man following an agenda to aid himself up the greasy pole. No surprise

Originally Posted by donkey22

Like the post above yours. Hardly a reliable source.

OK Donkey says NO money makes it to the pockets of Leaders of Countries receiving Aid from G.B. That's settled it he knows everything like his little friend on his bike.

Come on then tell us where EVERY penny goes smart AR5E.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

OK Donkey says NO money makes it to the pockets of Leaders of Countries receiving Aid from G.B. That's settled it he knows everything like his little friend on his bike.

Come on then tell us where EVERY penny goes smart AR5E.

Where did I say ‘ NO money makes it to the pockets of Leaders of Countries receiving Aid from G.B.’? Read my post again once you’ve put your glasses back on.
I asked you to supply a reliable source for your claim regarding despots.
Still waiting…….

Originally Posted by donkey22

Like the post above yours. Hardly a reliable source.

I quoted the World Bank by most people's standards a fairly reliable source.

Or how about the Times ?

Foreign aid fund is lining the pockets of the corrupt elite


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f...lite-pj87rpx9d


aid was a mechanism by which “poor people in rich countries are taxed to support the lifestyles of rich people in poor countries”.

Yet naive western politicians love to pose as saviours of the poor, while developing nations happily accept the handouts. So the international community has ignored Bauer’s wise words. Global aid spending has soared almost tenfold since he made that remark — to the benefit of cheerleading charities and fat-cat consultants, if not to people in poorer parts


Does all of it get squandered on corruption, certainly not.

But no one can deny the same countries keep needing the handouts whilst a select few prosper.

India's billionaires sat pretty whilst our poor had their pockets picked.