The Guardian view on UK national priorities: flood defence and overseas aid are not alternatives | Editorial
This being the season of quizzes and party games, here is a topical teaser. The weekend flooding in the north of England triggered what this week? A reasonable answer might be (a) misery for thousands of flooded residents, or perhaps (b) an upsurge of community spirit as people rallied round, or even (c) calls for stronger flood defences to be given higher priority. In one part of Britain, however, the answer has been "none of the above". In some rightwing national newspaper offices, the flooding has triggered simply another opportunity to have a pop at Britain's overseas aid budget. While Britons suffer, this argument runs, scarce taxpayers' money is being squandered on undeserving foreigners.
If you are miserably mopping up the mess in what was once your living room or your business, and a journalist stops and asks if you think 12bn would be better spent on flood defences to stop this happening again or on overseas aid to some of the world's most corrupt countries, the chances are that you will choose the former not the latter. For why would a flood-ravaged community not put its own needs first? But the truth is that you would be being offered a bogus choice.
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