Ab FAB to hear truth from MPs

EEVER since I was a child F.A.B. were the initials I associated with help and rescue, in this case International Rescue in the form of the kids’ television series Thunderbirds. F.A.B. were the code letters given when Thunderbirds were go! Ready to respond to the latest disaster or emergency around the world with their amazing aircraft, equipment, expertise and resources.

In real life those letters now stand for foreign aid budget.

If you’re like me, you will probably think, simplistically, that it’s there to offer help and expertise to countries around the world which need the UK’s support when they don’t have the resources or expertise to help themselves... wrong!

It appears the foreign aid budget of £15 billion, which the UK is committed to annually, is simply one ginormous slush fund of influence which buys us trade deals and political goodwill with countries we want to suck up to.

It’s something I have pressed various politicians of all parties on for many years yet never got a straight answer or the truth.

Why can’t they just come out and tell it as it is... even if we might not agree with the truth, we could at least try to understand.

Otherwise, we’re left scratching our heads as to why when our own country is broke, to the degree we cannot afford to fund TV licences for the over 75s, that we still dole out tens of millions to China and India, countries that have their own space programmes.

Then there are those countries which spy on us, harbour terrorists who want to attack us and those which are known to be rife with corruption.

If we had provision or a fighting force ready to spring into action to help in times of famine, earthquakes and natural disasters, funded by that same budget, the majority would not only be behind it, we’d applaud it.

We would be proud of such good work being done in our name.

So, what is that foreign aid budget really all about?

Can successive Governments really be as wasteful and stupid as they are being painted?

Politicians should just tell us the truth. Now that really would be F.A.B.