Issues show what those who seek to rule are like

AT a time when Brexit understandably dominates the national consciousness I was glad to read Steve Roman’s letter which rightly points out the moral failings of calls to cut the UK Aid budget which can do so much good in the world (Viewpoints, October 29).

He then points out the purely practical reasons why many who are not so charitably-minded towards people who benefit from our aid should nevertheless support it – it heads off what they see as problems coming to the UK to haunt us.

An example of this is the waves of migrants we can expect as the climate emergency wipes out agriculture and jobs in many countries to our south.

I’m glad he put the moral point first – let’s be guided by what is right, not what is expedient.

Whatever one’s feelings about morals of having a the nuclear deterrent, it must stick in the throat that annually the Trident fleet costs billions, most of the money going across the Atlantic to US corporations for something that never has been used and never can be used without kissing goodbye to life as we know it. As it sucks up money, our forces lack equipment for the real issues they face.

Mr Roman also (correctly) points to the need to monitor how the UK’s aid is spent. All too often in recent years scandalous stories have emerged of taxpayers’ money, which might have been supporting healthcare or education, being funnelled to promote projects favouring elites and the rich, or even foreign corporations.

We may be called to vote on Brexit, but we should still ask about other international issues which show the sort of people who seek to rule us. Floating voter, via email