Tories’ mentality exposed by Johnson’s telling comment
Boris Johnson has decided to abolish DFID, the UK government’s department responsible for international aid – a decision that cabinet members insist he did not discuss with them.
But a comment by Johnson about the abolition makes it clear that he is taking his decision because he wants to tie support for desperately poor countries to their political subservience and compliance with his interests – a comment that horrified Oxford University lecturer and former diplomat Dr Jennifer Cassidy:
Johnson’s linking of ‘diplomacy’ and overseas aid – a completely false connection – is political speak for an intention to make poor countries follow UK wishes (diplomacy) before they receive aid (development), a form of extortion long practised by the US, the country Johnson so obviously wishes to emulate.
In other words, coercion of vulnerable poor nations by rich elites: do what we want, or receive no help.
Dr Cassidy is entirely correct. Johnson – like the figures advising him – is an absolute madman.
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He wants to throw his weight around the poorest countries blackmailing, threatening and bribing them to give support to whatever cuckoo plan he has conjured up. Once again he wants to be Trump although it’s not so easy without the Gangster’s clout. The advantages to the UK will be personal to Johnson and his Party that used to be called the Conservative Party.
Mini-ME .. Trump !!
I think aid, certainly from the UK and US, always has been linked to recipient nations at least promising to do what they’re told, whether it’s been overt or covert.
Obviously that doesn’t justify the practice – it’s just in the nature of capitalists to give grudgingly.
Young woman on BBC News earlier talking about John Bolton’s book on Trunt’s shenanigans happened to mention in passing that he’d been in office three and a half years.
I mean I know it’s still his first term, but jeezus – doesn’t it seem to everyone that he’s been there in Washington poisoning politics for ever?
This is the same philosophy espoused by France, China and Russia where aid has always had that motivation. We are now formally emulating that mechanism of doing good for others tied to our own commercial advantage. The problem with aid is it is so difficult to get assistance to those who deserve it instead of the the corrupt millionaire rulers of impoverished states.
Why am I not suprised at your comments backing right wing populism,.Just more Strings attached to the deserving and undeserving starving people of the world.You are typical of the poison that has now brought the country to its knees,meanwhile Johnson’s regime fritter nine hundred thousand on a getaway plane for the PM and of course the Royalsj to have a majestic union jack painted on the aeroplane….You couldn’t make it up.I suppose Tory boy thinks that its a good day to fly the flag?I know a place in charlwood near Gatwick that woll do a cheapy for a mere 100’000 pounds and a respray thrown in ?
Jealous Joseph at it again! I don’t think the Chinese Communist Party which runs China has ever been described as a ‘right wing populist’ on these pages before, a ‘first’ for you there Joseph! Of course they always have strings attached to their ‘aid’ recently repossessing an entire port in Sri Lanka for late payment, the sort of neo colonialist actions you would no doubt commend Joseph with your topsy turvy philosophy. You are right about Bojo’s paint job though. The paint shop at Manchester Airport has indicated less than £100k would do it but Boris obviously needs to launder some money on Air Farce 1. Great to hear from you again, glad the virus hasn’t got you yet. We need your your sort of entertaining contribution to remind us comedy survives in these tricky times.
Not sure why you’re getting so exercised, Joseph – PC is just stating the obvious that ”twas ever thus’. He isn’t commending it, just stating what is the norm across the globe It’s not ‘right wing populism’ – it’s the exercise of power by the more powerful. Take your pick of the country – as said, be it the UK, the US, Russia, China (who are notable exponents in Africa these days), France……. It’s continuity imperialism.
However – in relation to the situation in the UK, there’s another agenda that relates to this – that of more central governmental control of functions. See ‘Cummings’ and the reshaping of the state.
“Chinese Communist Party which runs China has ever been described as a ‘right wing populist’ on these pages before..”
Maybe. But it is an autocratic promoter of state capitalism and cannot therefore be true to its name, i e a People’s Communist party.
In case you are in any doubt, neither were the various parties which formerly ran self-described socialist soviets.
It’s a funny old world. Hardly any nation’s self-description provides veracity
“But a comment by Johnson about the abolition makes it clear that he is taking his decision because he wants to tie support for desperately poor countries to their political subservience and compliance with his interests …”
So people are horrified Johnson spoke the truth. British aid has always been bound up with politics and big returns for ‘private interests’ such as banks, corps, shareholders etc.
Maria you may be onto somthing,but you and I know that he will ratchet up the pressure and fall in line with uncle sam and put the boot in.I make no apologys for stating the “bleeding obvious” but the criticism and pressure needs to be kept up on the conservative and unionist party and the like minded supporters on here.Shame we do not have an opposition party at the present time and Johnson’s regime get a free run at plundering.of the innocent victims global capitalism.
I only say Fart Mark 2. It is blackmail, bullying, an expression of his elitist entitlementism. Get him psychiatric ally assessed, because to me he displays irrational and sociopathic tendencies. He only proves yet again he is not fit to be a PM. He lacks humanity and moral fibre.
Transparency from Johnson , he ‘s doing exactly the same as the World Bank and IMF -manipulating countries to adopt Neo-Liberalism governments through what ever MEANS possible.
Did you not know, he is going to put a big chunk of this aid into Ukraine.
Skwawkie, your analysis is spot on: BoJo the Clown is conflating UK commercial and geo-political interests with humanitarian aid.
The pack of clowns known as HMG probably don’t even see the mercenary rottenness of their behaviour, so convinced are they of their material corruption.
Pooh is as Pooh does, an embarrassment.
It’s always interesting to read the comments from the Tories and their fellow travellers in other parties about humanitarian aid, with or without strings attached, yet, The City of London have constructed via the British Financial Empire the means for many of these recipient countries elites to transfer their countries wealth into the coffers of its accounts which would cover, in many instances, the criminal lack of primary healthcare, education, utilities, decent housing and lessen the destruction of their environment in these third world countries.The documentary The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire. explains why, how and who really benefits from this despicable practice!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=np_ylvc8Zj8
Better to call him what he is whcih is a sociopath as are many of the public schoolboys
How much of that money was going to black folk whose lives our government had destroyed? How much to end slavery in Libya which was the outcome of our invasion?? Johnson is the ultimate racist – in public – in our faces. Now how many of his adoring supporters still think this country is being run in an efficient, fair, humane people-centered way? Just askin’ !!
Johnson comes up with so many despicable ideas. But this is likely the most telling of his exploitative, opportunist attitude so far.
I don’t agree that Johnson is a mad man. His every move is calculated. With the assistance of the MSM especially the state broadcaster, the BBC and other backers including the right wing of the Labour party, he manipulates public opinion.
He was so successful at doing this that he is in an unassailable position with a majority of 80 in the House of Commons and no need to call a general election for another 4 years. He’s not mad but many of those who voted for him will live to regret their “madness” if they have not already done so.
Their ancestors are spinning in their graves
Fuck em
de piffle is a gobshite. You simply can not make as many fuck-ups or get caught out as often as he has by being ‘calculating’.
All’s he knows is self-publicity (and his public school-enhanced sense of entitlement) And he’s not much good at that because even then his hyperbole and downright lies have been discovered almost each & every time.
He knows nothing of good governance; very little of governance of any kind (He likes his time off, doesn’t he?) and any ‘calculation’ on his behalf is made by someone else.
…Unless, of course, it’s his own aforementioned self-promotion; which invariably involves the ‘game for a laugh’ cum posh twit persona which people are slowly getting wise to, unless they’re the godawful types that find ‘Mr Bean’ amusing, all hope is lost for them.
These days, it’s common knowledge that cummings is the one ‘pushing the buttons’. The most likely cause is because cummings knows all about the few skeletons de piffle has left that will prove fatal to de piffle’s premiership and perhaps even his political career – hence the reason de piffle is loath to bin him; even though the public are getting increasingly pissed off with the pair of them.