Alex Deane: It's (way past) time to stop giving aid to Argentina
By Alex Deane. Follow Alex on Twitter.
I find Argentina's behaviour towards the Falklands pretty sickening. Despite the consistently expressed and deeply felt wishes of the residents of the islands, the Argentines persist in hostile rhetoric about them and us, advocating boycotts, blocking flights and ships, and asserting completely false claims about ownership which makes a mockery of any genuine understanding of sovereignty and must be disquieting (to say the least) for those who live there.
So I'm proud to support the new campaign from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, launched this morning, calling on the British Government to use its votes at the World Bank to oppose any further loans to Argentina.
One might think that our support for Argentina receiving money is laughable anyway - it is a middle income country (a member of the G20) with no pressing humanitarian need for aid; when they are one of our most belligerent opponents in the international arena, it becomes entirely unjustifiable.
The TPA's research note sets out the situation with admirable clarity, and they have an e-petition which is swiftly garnering signatures. They have also produced a video as part of the campaign - well worth a look.
With the Argentinian government continuing to dispute British sovereignty over the Falklands, and calling for a boycott on British goods, we simply shouldn’t be underwriting any more loans for them.
I've signed the petition - have you?
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