Shame on Britain?!?!?

1. 64

   jenblacksheepposted 14 years ago

   One of my friends posted this on her facebook status:
   
   "Shame on you BRITAIN !!!!!! the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, mentally ill without treatment, troops without proper equipment, - yet we donate £50 million to the people of Haiti .."
   
   When I first read it I thought 'ye!! she has a point!' but on reflection ....

   replyreport
   1. 89

      Will Apseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Its just a nasty piece of stuff your friend either read in the Daily Mail or would have liked to read in the Daily Mail.

      replyreport
   2. 63

      prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think that HAITI is a different case, it is immediate and the magnitude is just beyond our comprehension,

      replyreport
   3. 57

      Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      "The only country?" I think you could say the same about every country, unfortunately.

      replyreport
   4. 54

      de'Arabposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      What are you complaining about? That is almost the same case with where I come from; it's a "developing country" with much worst internal problems than you people. Be grateful for what you have.

      replyreport
2. 61

   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   50 million is small change in relation to what is needed in Britain to address the problems set out.....make love not war

   replyreport
   1. 77

      Sa Toyaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      yep love making not war making....
      
      I totally agree there is a greater, immediate need. To make such changes in Britain more money than that is need not to mention the time it would take..it's a gradual process.

      replyreport
   2. 0

      sneakorocksolidposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      No! Make war and take what you need!

      replyreport
3. 71

   Happyontheinsideposted 14 years ago

   Well we're not really the ONLY country are we? What I object to in Britain is that we have this whole 'lets fix the worlds problems' attitude when we can't even fix our own. I've said it before and I'll say it again - we have the technology and the ability to make sure that everyone in the world has the medicine, food, water and shelter that they need to live - but we don't so it because it costs money. Get rid of the monetary aspect and watch it all fall into place. We're too greedy - just like humans to be greedy for something man made like pound coins instead of looking at our own humanity...

   replyreport
   1. 64

      jenblacksheepposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ye, it was the 'only country' bit that got me too. I'm pretty sure that there are many many people in Haiti without shelter/meds/food etc. Certainly more than there are here, and I'm sure that was the case before the earthquake anyway!!
      
      We raise money for Children in Need, and that just gets spent in Britain doesn't it? I'm sure we normally raise was at least £50 million.
      
      It's not the responsibility of the British public to fix what is wrong with this country. It's due to the distribution of government funds etc. So our donations to Haiti, or wherever, has nothing to do with the problems we face in our own country.

      replyreport
4. 67

   Michael Willisposted 14 years ago

   Problem is, it is not just Britain.

   replyreport
5. 52

   wrenfrost56posted 14 years ago

   Britain has a lot of problems, but then so does everywhere else. I think we were right to give to Haiti, since when is giving a bad thing. I love living in britain and I think we should all give to others if we can.

   replyreport
6. 71

   Happyontheinsideposted 14 years ago

   It's not the giving part that annoys me, it's the arrogant attitude of showing the world that we are civilized, and good - I watched an interview last night with Gordon Brown and he actually used the phrase that 'Britain will not be safe until the whole world is democratically equal.' - so in essence Gordon Brown believes that in order to live peacefully with his fellow man we have to change other countries way of life - something that is non of his business...Sometimes I can see exactly why other countries hate the west...
   
   The Haiti matter is different entirely; yes we should give to them, we should help them...I saw one of the MP's on tv just after it happened. John Snow asked what the public should do to help and the mp said that all they needed was money. So lets get this straight - Haiti is an island, the aeroplanes are grounded and we could (at the time) get nobody in or out...In exactly what way does money help this situation? How does it make the planes fly and the boats sail? Why should it be the case that we need money to help - why can't we send them food, water, clothing - things that they actually need and that will reach them in a way that sending money can't? I know that the money will be used to buy these things; but it still didn't open the airport sooner - and if it did then why did it? It's easy to just write a cheque and hope their problems disintegrate before our eyes...It's harder to pick up a shovel and go move rubble aside so that these people can find the bodies of their relatives.
   
   Sorry I'm ranting, I know. I'm not angry at anyone except the british government. I'm annoyed that I am being mis-represented by the people who are running our 'democracy'. I am sorry - I hate being so passionate in my posts but Gordon Brown really, really gets my goat.

   replyreport
   1. 57

      Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It seems to me the impulse to show the world that one's country is "civilized and good" is generally a positive thing, as is the desire to see democracy and equality for all peoples.

      replyreport
   2. 90

      Sue Adamsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      OK, if we don't need money then all the soldiers, pilots, doctors, nurses etc. all give their time without getting paid right? Who's gonna pay their rent?
      Unless you want to give up your job and go dig people up from under the rubble?
      Your wishes are great, but be realistic.

      replyreport
7. 64

   jenblacksheepposted 14 years ago

   I know what you mean. But I can see the logic to sending money. It's not like we're sending money in an envelope and addressing it to 'Haiti.' It all goes to that DEC body who decides what to do with it. And then they distribute the money for food/clothing etc, which has got to be better I think. As long as we're not sending money directly to other governments then I don't have a problem with it.
   
   I agree with what you're saying about our government. Brown must love natural disasters because it shows the public how lucky we are to have houses and tvs and all the things we take for granted. He must reckon that it takes some of the heat off him. And he can say 'look how well my country has done, donating £50 million' blah blah, and then we'll all forget the mess he's made of the country.
   
   Aaah now I'm getting carried away too. Two seperate issues I reckon ... donating to Haiti = good. Government = bad.

   replyreport
8. 0

   Will Bensonposted 14 years ago

   Unfortunately, even if that money was NOT given to Haiti, no one is going to stuff it in envelopes and mail it back to the taxpayers. Once the gov't gets hold of it, it's gone. They might have found worse uses for it.
   
   I, for one, salute you Brits on your generosity and I'm sure there are many in Haiti who do also.
   
   My thoughts.

   replyreport
9. 60

   Mamelodyposted 14 years ago

   Obviously this person has never lived in Africa where people are dying everyday from curable diseases, live on less than a dollar a day with no food, no water, no access to basic necessities.
   
   People in Britain have no idea how lucky they are that they have all the materials to sustain life and yet they always find something to complain about.
   
   You guys can travel freely any where in the world without the need for a visas, you live in home or even the streets you call streets are gold in the eyes of a poor starving African. So stop complaining and just appreciate and be thankful you live in a country of freedom where people do as they place unlike in Africa where people are not free to do anything they want.

   replyreport
   1. 57

      Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You will be glad, I take it, to hear of the recent efforts of the Gates Foundation.

      replyreport
   2. 94

      Susana Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree we've got it really good in the UK. There really is nothing to complain about when being in poverty in the UK means only having a few hundred quid a week for rent, food, clothes, satelitte TV and all the rest. I've got no problem with us giving money overseas.

      replyreport
   3. 59

      sannyasinmanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well said, Mamelody.
      
      "I used to complain that I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet" - Unknown.

      replyreport
10. 90

    Sue Adamsposted 14 years ago

    Maybe in hindsight the "recession" will prove to have been a good thing. Maybe it is high time the rich nations tightened their belt a little around their obese bellies and began to think about the rest of the world.

    replyreport
11. 80

    ngurecoposted 14 years ago

    That’s very commendable to the people of Britain for helping Haiti with £50 million. £50 million is not a lot of money to an economy like that of Britain. In fact, £50 million is just a drop in the ocean for Britain but very significant to the situation in Haiti..
    
    What happened to Haiti was a natural disaster - a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Natural disasters can happen anywhere – from New York to London.  If you read history, you will see natural disasters have been happening throughout the world. – remember the potato blight of 1845 where ads worldwide were asking people to help, and they helped.
    
    The prime minister, Gordon Brown, his government and people of Britain have shown a very good gesture for their £50 million donation to Haiti.

    replyreport
12. 64

    jenblacksheepposted 14 years ago

    The British people are a strange bunch. We give £50 million to Haiti, at least that every year for Children in Need, Comic Relief, Sports Relief (when we have it), there are runs/marathons/half marathons going on all the time around the country for different charities, Cancer Research especially. We must give phenomenal amounts of money to these charities. And then we phone in to vote on Big Brother, Britain's Got Talent, X Factor, I'm a Celebrity ..., Dancing on Ice. Do we just give money indiscriminately to anyone that asks for it? ... and then complain that we don't have any.

    replyreport
13. 80

    thisisoliposted 14 years ago

    "One of my friends posted this on her facebook status:
    
    "Shame on you BRITAIN !!!!!! the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, mentally ill without treatment, troops without proper equipment, - yet we donate £50 million to the people of Haiti .."
    
    When I first read it I thought 'ye!! she has a point!' but on reflection ...."
    
    Erm, we have thousands of homeless shelters in Britain, there are plenty of countries which provide none at all
    Low income families get food vouchers for children and adults, if they are not eating, chances are the food vouchers are being sold.
    The elderly get free medication including prescriptions
    The mentally ill do get treated.
    Admittedly the troops did get sent to war without proper armour.
    
    Britain is going down, but strangely enough, not for any of the reasons there.

    replyreport