In his unconscious quest to lead Britain to bankruptcy, Gordon Brown has just blown another £500 million a year. This morning in Brussels he committed this country to giving poor countries £500 million a year to cushion the effects of countering climate change. This amounts to 27% of the total EU contribution, a figure the French are matching. But why are we contributing more than our fair share at a time when our debt is spiralling out of control?
Yet again Gordon Brown has proved to be a soft touch in international negotiations.
His first priority now should be to get our public finances in order. Nothing else matters in the short term.
36 comments:
Maybe the two faced Bast*rd will pay for some of it with this:
Climate Change my arse - Brown to sell Corus Carbon Permits.
Presuming that you think that spending money to offset the effects of climate change is a good thing, then there are still vastly cheaper ways of achieving it.
Geo-engineering by increasing cloud cover over oceans has been estimated to cost just a few hundred million dollars per year.
It is cheaper, has the advantage of being able to be "switched off" within a few weeks if things don't work out, and gives us time to migrate to a low-carbon economy.
I am bemused by the lack of interest in such cheap and safe options to deal with the short-term effects of climate change.
Are we going to start a fund to help Martians on Mars adapt to climate change on their planet? All those SUV's and CO2 emissions are really to cause for global warming on Mars aren't they?
But it will keep the bankers happy – another huge chunk of money going to corrupt third world countries to be reinvested in Switzerland. You just don’t get this idea of Socialism, which is to destroy the hand that feeds you. Brown is doing what he has been doing since the University pamphlet he wrote – how to take the taxpayer. As Guido has posted; exactly where is Browns principle residence? But no, we are paying for them all - and the similarities between Brown and Maxwell are startling. Neither English born, both Labour MP’s, bombastic, harsh to underlings, dogmatic to the point of megalomania, never wrong, rude and difficult and both blew other peoples pension money. And Brown spent years pissing over what he eventually fell into.
For some things returns far outweigh price tags
Lock up the drinks cupboard! We have an addict on our hands! He can't stop spending our money!
Let's face it; he is in "good company"; the question is how do we manage once the current "good company" is history?
caw
I really do think that there will always be reasons not to give. Believe it or not, others really are in a (much) worse position to ourselves.
I am proud of gordon brown for making this decision.
Matthew
IanVisits said...
Geo-engineering by increasing cloud cover over oceans has been estimated to cost just a few hundred million dollars per year.
It is cheaper, has the advantage of being able to be "switched off" within a few weeks if things don't work out, and gives us time to migrate to a low-carbon economy.
I am bemused by the lack of interest in such cheap and safe options to deal with the short-term effects of climate change.
Geoengineering doesn't stop other problems with CO2 such as acidification of seawater, so it isn't a panacaea.
You end up getting into serious legal problems. If the World decides to go this route and we do start affecting the climate - will the people doing the engineering be liable for any disasters down the road - even if there's no clear cause and effect there will be plenty of lawyers (and indeed unscrupulous governments) willing to fight cases against engineering.
I'm suspicious of such a low figure on cloud seeding, it will almost certainly be a couple of orders of magnitude above that - after all we have to build the ships to do it (an unproven design), which means international agreements and governments being willing to contribute - what do we do if one of the big polluters decides not to fund the mission.
Overall it's definitely something we should consider and there should be funding for projects like Professor Salter's, which seems a lot more environmentally benign than seeding the stratosphere with sulfur or lacing the oceans with iron. Indeed we've left things so late we'll probably HAVE to consider it. But it's probably something we'll have to do alongside cleaning up our industries.
As for sending the money abroad, yes, there are bigger gains to be made by improving energy production and distribution in newly industrialising economies than our own. You do get better value for money. And if we hadn't spent the last 30 years deindustrialising and failing to train scientists and engineers, some of that money could have come back here to make jobs.
But but but Gordon's 'leading the way' AGAIN.
His vanity is quite remarkable.
It's THREE times worst than that. McIdiot has given away £1.5B of our money and this is separate from international aid.
Is this money going to be earmarked as International Development, as we have promised we would ringfence that budget?
A lot of this money will find a way into the back pockets of the 3rd World leaders pockets, then into high interest accounts of banks in Switzerland or they will fund the purchase of several hundred thousand AK47’s, RPG’s other weapons and large 4x4 for the ‘loyal’ supporters of 3rd World tinpot thug leaders, to ride about in whilst they do their best to riddle the bodies of their countrymen with AK47 bullets.
If I were not so angry I would cry.
Brown has destroyed the UK
Brown continues to feed his grandiose delusions by pledging or spending huge sums of borrowed money on headline grabbing global initiatives.
With manic regularity he generously endows causes, from tax-collecting to climate change, which offer him the opportunity of publicity and self-aggrandizement, at the expense of the poor taxpayer, who is rarely consulted.
No longer do we need another Labour economic plan, but rather an NHS programme which offers acute medical care, a supportive environment and a straight-jacket guaranteed to restrict overspending.
Even a part educated muffin like me knows the simple rules to get us out of the mire we are in.
Slash all taxes to ten percent across the board.
Exterminate ALL quango gravytrain places with extreme prejudice and hand what tiny work they do to the CS/local councils.
Cut ALL foreign aid that does not directly benefit our industries.
Welfare to work, everyone who claims works even if they are pushing a broom.
Tell the EUSSR little Napoleons to piss off and turn the cash tap off, what will they do, invade us?
Exit all foreign wars with immediate effect.
Cancel the Trident Mk2.
Stop anyone who is not a British citizen from claiming ANY social welfare whatsoever including housing welfare and medical.
Kill the H&S bureaucracy,human rites/asylum industry etc.
Mandatory limits on what constitutes health entitlement, you get covered for the basics only, all the frippery comes out of your own pocket.
Strip out the parasites from the NHS and finance hospitals direct.
Make government legally responsible for telling the truth and balancing the books, ministers wouldnt be so keen on lying if they knew a jail cell was waiting for them would they?
Finite period of welfare entitlement, you get a maximum of five years worth of claims in a working life, that would concentrate the minds of the sponger community no end.
Bring back the kite mark, that would keep out 75% of the Chinese rubbish imports and give our industry a chance.
Kill the BBC, it would make our media industry thrive.
Make financial and political treason a capital crime.
This is Brown grandstanding.
I don't believe it can be playing to the domestic audience, just 2 days after telling the country that they will have to pay more taxes, suffer wage caps and spending cuts, giving away £1.5 billion will not go down well.
I am sure that his generosity on behalf of the British taxpayer, and his boast (The BBC are stating "UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the UK's promise, at £500m ($800m; 553m euros) a year was the highest."), has everything to do with thoughts he may be having of a role on the world stage if he loses the election.
Surely he doesn't believe that we are "well placed" to be able to afford such generosity. Or as Darling would put it, Donating from a "position of strength".
So in effect he has just spent £1.5 billion of taxpayer cash on his own career promotion.
Puts MP's expenses into perspective!
'Unconscious'? Absolutely not. This is entirely deliberate. 'Unremitting' is more like it.
If there were the remotest chance that this money would make a blind bit of difference and our finances were in the healthy position Brown inherited, rather than disaster he will leave, then maybe (Matthew) we could all be proud of what he did today.
However.........
The man is a delusional idiot and probably certifiable. Just what the UK needs...
Iain, your thought process is so limited...'foreign affairs' just isn't your thing. You can't do international.
:)
Wow, canvas, that was a deep comment from you. Sadly typical though. Always go for the man, never engage with the argument. You all over, isn't it?! :)
I wouldn't worry too much. Brown is a serial pledger. He signs up to anything.
Yet bailiffs throughout seek him out for his debts that he never pays.
He often promises some money, then promises that same money again a few more times before leaping onto the next 'good cause' he can give to.
Meanwhile the 'Dear Mr Brown, you promised back in July 2007 ...'
letters build up on his doormat.
Unconscious'? Absolutely not. This is entirely deliberate. 'Unremitting' is more like it.
Beat me to it. There is no way this is unconscious - Brown doesn't give a shit about the UK as long as he can remain in power and pretend to be in control.
(word veri - prolibil
thats scary!)
Iain, It's so obvioius > Rich western banks should pay for the developing world to go green.
The poor countries did not cause the crisis but they have been badly hurt by it. It's payback time. We will all benefit from the contribution in the long run.
Canvas dear, clearly foreign affairs are not your bag. This post is to do with a climate change fund, nothing to do with the economic crisis. Do read a post before you comment on it, there's a good girl.
so the first cuts in a Tory Government would be the overseas aid and climate change programs. What happend to Vote Blue go Green.
I wonder what Zac * i shouldn't have to pay my taxes" Goldsmith thinks of this.
Ian, you lovely muppet, I AM talking about climate change. We (our BANK) should bankroll the poorer countries. It's payback time. Fact.
Iain, please use your good contacts in the Tory party to get the Tories to call for a judicial inquiry into the competenmce of economic policy over the last 12 years.
Gordon Brown is a complete imbecile, he is the Viv Nicholson of the left. I hope he dies, I really do not care if you delete this message, but I really really hate him. The guy is a traitor to this country
Surely, even the BBC can see that this man is simply trying to utterly destroy what is left of the UK? Do you think it is within their journalistic capabilities that they can see through him? Can they not see that the man is completely delusional and is mad?
Blair spent billions of OUR taxpayers money trying to buy the EUSSR Presidency (fat lot of good it did him). Brown is trying the same with the EUSSR/the IMF/the World Bank/Al Gore and the climate change lobby .... anyone, frankly who might be inclined to employ him (at taxpayers expense) when he gets kicked out of Downing Street.
I hope it has the same result as Blair: ridicule and a 'over our dead body' response.
Can he can't just pledge money like this, surely Parliament have a say.
He is out of control, big time.
@ Canvas
So good of you to spend my money on your favourite overseas charities.
Charity begins at home. If our economy collapses then theirs certainly will. We're perilously close to that right now.
And which particular countries did you have in mind to be the recipients of our moneys?
Take a look at Britain's 'debt clock' at http://cluaran.free.fr/debt.html
It's totally frightening yet Gordon Brown says we are a rich nation and is pouring out billions more of our money into this scam. The money isn't going to the UN it's going to the World Bank/IMF. Brown has also told the poorer nations to divert money for schools etc into solar panels and wind farms.
Meanwhile Common Purpose have had Brian Gerrish's website taken down. The website that exposed Common Purpose. Bet Dale's Diary is on the list.
Canvass is a cretin with no right to talk about foreign affairs - she was totally wrong on Iran. She should just stick to what she's best at, like guiltmongering: "We (our BANK) should bankroll the poorer countries." is exactly the ulterior motive of the AGW con artists.
Open your wallet and get £10 out now!
Yeah, you've just been mugged. Again.
Perhaps t5here will be a nice post as saviour of the world going next year - he will need something to do. Isn't it great too that much of this will go to regimes that are hopelessly corrupt where it will be syphoned off by political elites to but more private jets and Mercedes limos. Ironic isn't it?
By the way, one for your Christmas Cracker this year.
When is a pension rise not a pension rise?
When Gordon promises it.
See
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8409023.stm
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