To pay for the floods, we should raid military spending, not foreign aid | Mary Dejevsky
It is a neat calculation: the first estimates of the end-of-year flood damage in the north of England suggested a bill of a little over 1bn. Or, as sections of the rightwing press maintained, pretty much the same as the UK spends on help for the world's "20 most corrupt countries". Cue indignation from the diehard opponents of the 0.7% of GDP that is currently earmarked for overseas aid.
And if you are among those whose homes have been inundated over Christmas, and you've learned that requests for improved flood defences were turned down by Westminster, you might well agree. The money is there, you would say; it is just a question of redirecting it from maladministered projects and ministerial Mercedes abroad to nice, clean, value-for-money schemes here. Charity begins - does it not? - at home?
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