Well those that know me will know it does not take a lot to get me confused, maybe a glass of wine and a thought that I cannot get out of my head, the thought is usually in the the small hours of the morning when I am trying to get back to sleep. The wine is usually a good bit earlier than that !
OK first point I do not think for one second that any one child's life is worth more or less than another based purely on lifes lottery as to where they were born.
Yesterday it was announced that we would donate £814,000,000 toward providing vaccines in 3rd world countries with the intention of reducing the current death rates, the rate quoted was 3 children dying every minute and this is in the 21st century !! No one should denie these children the chance of life on moral or humanitarian grounds, we cannot stand by and do nothing.
Then the other thoughts creep in. Every time we turn on the TV or open a news paper we learn of the next world disaster, another 3 children dying every minute due to the lack of clean drinking water, 10 million people at risk of starvation because of drought and famine.
This is coupled with major disasters that seem to be happening with ever greater regularity, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and land slips. I am not here trying to beat the drum about global warming but it does look like something is upsetting the balance of earths eco-system. Each disaster is accompanied by requests for funds to help with its relief and each is a deserving cause.
The figure of £814,000,000 was a contribution to a world wide target of 2.34 billion - by my reckoning Britain pledged 1/3 of the total. OK maybe controversial but we are no longer a world leading power and it seems out of proportion in the current economic climate. We are almost bankrupt as a country but we seem to be able to find funds for munitions to fight wars and make charitable donations to other nations while ignoring the plight of thousands living in poverty in this country
The other side of the coin, open any newspaper or listen to any local TV news program and you hear of the latest person being denied life saving or life extending drugs because of the cost.
The child who has to raise hundreds of thousands themselves to travel abroad because we do not do the procedure here, nor do we provide them with the funding
The care homes group that have to shed hundreds of jobs, we then get assurances that this will not impact on patient services, still trying to work that one out to be honest !!!
Ok Got to declare an interest on this one, hope no one minds the language but really peed off with the number of posts I read about cancer patients being denied benefit or have to prove that they deserve benefit because they are not fit to work - seems the work shy know how to manipulate the system while the genuine peopel who want nothing more than to return to work are called for examination to get the absolute basic benefits
Maybe some of you will consider me as being callous but unable to find a balancing point between cost and benefit. We have pledged to spend £814,000,000 on vaccine, if we save the lives of 3 children a minute that equates to 1,580,000 lives a year if the project lasts for 3 years that is 4,750,000 children. I am probably being naive but does this not further increase the demand for clean drinking water and further diminish the available food supplies. I know I am being simplistic with the maths.
Do we move on and try to lead the way in solving the water, the drought and the famine problems of the world, do we turn our backs and ignore the pain and suffering, A child born in a remote village on the African Continent is no less worthy of life than a child born in Britain, who is fighting for funding to fight cancer or other life shortening or crippling disease but how do we find the balance.
Lets not loose sight of maybe the most fundamental point that tends to be ignored. No elected Government have any money or funds of their own, what they have is access to our taxes and levies, raised from individuals and companies, they administer and allocate these in our names. We elect them and trust them to make the best possible decisions and commit us to certain paths of action. But there are times when their judgement is more than suspect, it is fundamentally wrong !
This will sound blunt but charity really should start at home, the donations we make abroad should be made from funds that are surplice to the basic care, health and welfare of the citizens who have contributed them. Not suggesting we should all expect to live in luxury or have unlimited access to welfare payments.
What we should not need to hear on the evening news is that some pensioners are now having to make a conscious choice to eat or to have heating, as they can't afford both. At the same time that we hear that Bankers are paying themselves multi million pound bonus's. We need to get a sense of proportion and reality in this country before we try to save the world.
OK Rant over and not suggesting I have any answers
Love and hugs To all XXX
