Outrage over RNLI overseas spending

[Jono8]

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rnli-overseas_uk_5d7e3062e4b077dcbd5fdc24?guccounter=1

People Are Cancelling Their RNLI Donations Because They Save Children In Other Countries

https://twitter.com/RNLI/status/1173153355897679874?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1173153355897679874&ref_url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rnli-overseas_uk_5d7e3062e4b077dcbd5fdc24

Since when did everyone become so thoughtless and nasty? A UK charity spends 2% of their budget on overseas work (in an effort to prevent children from drowning) and people are cancelling donations over it and making out that it is some sort of subterfuge ..?

 

[Greebo]

Thats the "new world" we are living in now as we become more insular post brexit. I expect the Tories to slash overseas aid to pay for their promised spend in the new budget.

 

[Azza]

I wonder how many of these 'people' saying they are going to "boycott" / "not donate anymore" actually donated ever.

I'm going to guess a very small number.


Amazed they're not losing their heads about the Army or Navy participating in other humanitarian efforts abroad.

 

[Jono8]

I wonder how many of these 'people' saying they are going to "boycott" / "not donate anymore" actually donated ever.

I do wonder if they would turn down their help if they find themselves in trouble at sea?

Will the operator winch down and be told to go back up into his helicopter because they are boycotting them? "No, i don't want your help, i read in the mail that you are trying to save foreign children too, i will just die thank you."

 

[VincentHanna]

It's a similar attitude as Katie Hopkins when she wrote about that drowned toddler and suggested using gunboats on migrants.

 

[Greebo]

I wonder how many of these 'people' saying they are going to "boycott" / "not donate anymore" actually donated ever.

I'm going to guess a very small number.


Amazed they're not losing their heads about the Army or Navy participating in other humanitarian efforts abroad.

God don;t tell them that! There will be a meltdown!

 

[Azza]

I do wonder if they would turn down their help if they find themselves in trouble at sea?

Will the operator winch down and be told to go back up into his helicopter because they are boycotting them? "No, i don't want your help, i read in the mail that you are trying to save foreign children too, i will just die thank you."

"**** off mate I don't want your rubber ring! I'll swim the 3 miles back to shore!"

 

[englishpremier]

I don't agree with the things like the RNLI or Air Ambulance being charities anyway, and I'm a sailor. If these services are so important (and in some cases they are) they should be a standard government service like the coast guard or NHS, Police etc..

 

[Greebo]

I don't agree with the things like the RNLI or Air Ambulance being charities anyway, and I'm a sailor. If these services are so important (and in some cases they are) they should be a standard government service like the coast guard or NHS, Police etc..

Agreed totally but sadly our Government doesnt and its never high enough on people's views for it to gain any support from MPs as there are no votes in it. Whereas there is sure to be lots of votes in demonising the RNLI for the 2% they spend overseas

 

[Jono8]

"**** off mate I don't want your rubber ring! I'll swim the 3 miles back to shore!"

One tweet i just read:

"You’re boycotting the RNLI? How do you do that? Drown?"

 

[wesimmo]

Agreed totally but sadly our Government doesnt and its never high enough on people's views for it to gain any support from MPs as there are no votes in it. Whereas there is sure to be lots of votes in demonising the RNLI for the 2% they spend overseas

Aye, there's no cash for saving lives when there's still parts of Kensington and Chelsea that haven't been excavated down to 3 stories for personal 5* hotel facilities in people's basement.

 

[Street]

I don't agree with the things like the RNLI or Air Ambulance being charities anyway, and I'm a sailor. If these services are so important (and in some cases they are) they should be a standard government service like the coast guard or NHS, Police etc..

100%! I know a few guys in mountain rescue and the amount it costs them each year personally is ridiculous. The money they get from the government is a joke. Luckily they do it because they are passionate about it.

 

[Rroff]

100%! I know a few guys in mountain rescue and the amount it costs them each year personally is ridiculous. The money they get from the government is a joke. Luckily they do it because they are passionate about it.

A moment that left an impression on me when I was young was crossing paths with a mountain rescue team going the other way, into some truly atrocious weather to rescue some people who'd ignored advice and gone off ill prepared and then the realisation that they were all volunteers when people were talking to their support team at the car park.

As a kid I was quite impressed with their land rovers hah.

 

[FoxEye]

I guess people are intentionally mis-reading this to make an unfounded point about Brexit and Brexiteers.

Let me help you all out.

The story highlighted how the charity – famed for its distinctive orange lifeboats manned by volunteers – spends £3.3m a year on projects in Tanzania and Bangladesh yet has been forced to cut around 100 jobs in the UK.

1. "Forced to cut jobs in the UK"
2. Spending £millions on overseas projects.

The outrage is perfectly justifiable when viewed that way.

e: Who of us doesn't know that £millions is wasted in corruption in Africa every year? The african governments are more than able to fund their own programmes to teach mulslim girls to swim in Burkinis.

Why should the RNLI be funding such projects, whilst at the same time cutting staff in the UK?

Because it's PC. It appeals to the kind of person who has already posted, mocking so-called "xenophobia."

It's not xenophobia. We keep funnelling money to Africa and India - places with extremely wealthy middle and upper classes. Places where the extremely wealthy middle and upper classes don't give a flying toss about their own poor.

We're being mugs by supporting the poor in other countries - countries that simply choose not to bother with their own poor.

Meanwhile this country has it's own poor (eg homeless) that is an ever-growing problem.

Sorry, but I wouldn't want my donations going to help teach African kids to swim in burkinis, unless there was so much money in the kitty that all the RNLI's UK operations were fully funded. They aren't.

 

[robfosters]

Thats the "new world" we are living in now as we become more insular post brexit. I expect the Tories to slash overseas aid to pay for their promised spend in the new budget.

That would be a lot more popular than you probably think.

 

[JonnyT]

I guess people are intentionally mis-reading this to make an unfounded point about Brexit and Brexiteers.

Let me help you all out.



1. "Forced to cut jobs in the UK"
2. Spending £millions on overseas projects.

The outrage is perfectly justifiable when viewed that way.

e: Who of us doesn't know that £millions is wasted in corruption in Africa every year? The african governments are more than able to fund their own programmes to teach mulslim girls to swim in Burkinis.

Why should the RNLI be funding such projects, whilst at the same time cutting staff in the UK?

Because it's PC. It appeals to the kind of person who has already posted, mocking so-called "xenophobia."

It's not xenophobia. We keep funnelling money to Africa and India - places with extremely wealthy middle and upper classes. Places where the extremely wealthy middle and upper classes don't give a flying toss about their own poor.

We're being mugs by supporting the poor in other countries - countries that simply choose not to bother with their own poor.

Meanwhile this country has it's own poor (eg homeless) that is an ever-growing problem.

Sorry, but I wouldn't want my donations going to help teach African kids to swim in burkinis, unless there was so much money in the kitty that all the RNLI's UK operations were fully funded. They aren't.

A good explanation of the justifiable outrage behind this. The RNLI is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, not the Royal International Lifeboat Institution; leave the PC virtue signalling to other charities.

Also, if cutting jobs in the UK operation to save money means reducing service levels or response times, surely that might mean they're putting UK lives at greater risk for the sake of foreign aid?

 

[FoxEye]

That would be a lot more popular than you probably think.

It's depressing to think (but entirely predictable given that human nature is what it is), that much of that foreign overseas aid budget is used as backhanders to win government contracts for UK businesses, from (extremely) corrupt foreign governments.

Just sad.

 

[TJM]

A good explanation of the justifiable outrage behind this. The RNLI is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, not the Royal International Lifeboat Institution; leave the PC virtue signalling to other charities.

Also, if cutting jobs in the UK operation to save money means reducing service levels or response times, surely that might mean they're putting UK lives at greater risk for the sake of foreign aid?

The RNLI has operated abroad for a century (in Ireland) and the job cuts are apparently at its headquarters. The boats are manned by volunteers and lifeguards are seasonal workers. If there was an impact on frontline services, the Mail would have been screaming about it.

Anyway, the reaction from some is a non-issue. The type of person who is angry with the RNLI about this wouldn’t give them a penny under any circumstances.

 

[FoxEye]

The RNLI has operated abroad for a century (in Ireland) and the job cuts are apparently at its headquarters. The boats are manned by volunteers and lifeguards are seasonal workers. If there was an impact on frontline services, the Mail would have been screaming about it.

Anyway, the reaction from some is a non-issue. The type of person who is angry with the RNLI about this wouldn’t give them a penny under any circumstances.

Except that the RNLI themselves said they made a loss of ~7 million and needed more funding.

And also that they're proud of spending 3.3 million on foreign projects like teaching poor African kids to swim in muslim faith-specific clothing. Right on.

e: 3.3 million which the RNLI says it intends to increase year on year.

So unless donations increase year on year, they are admitting that they will spend less year on year on UK operations.

e2: Oh dear.

The RNLI, founded in 1824, has been accused of becoming obsessed with political correctness in recent years, leading to resignations among volunteers.

.... two crewmen from Whitby, North Yorkshire, were dismissed last summer after tea mugs were found decorated with 'inappropriate material of a sexual nature'.

The charity also came under fire after advertising for a £42,000-a-year 'safeguarding officer' to promote 'health, safety and wellbeing'.

The RNLI has talked about trying to 'influence policy-makers and partners' and lobbying the United Nations to reduce deaths at sea.

It has a 'national team of health, safety and environment advisers', and a 'diversity leadership group' tasked with promoting the 'International Day Against Homophobia'.

"Diversity leadership group"
"Lobbying the UN"
"Resignations among volutneers"
"Fighting homophobia"

This is what happens when the CEO is one of these new left-wing PC types.

I mean, why is the RNLI getting involved in fighting homophobia?

This is what happens when these PC types take over. The core mission takes a back seat to pushing a social agenda.

And people here will lap that up.

Apparently having a "good social justice vibe" trumps everything now.

You know what? I'm glad I have *nothing* in common with posters like @Greebo and @TJM Political correctness is veritable insanity.

 

[Mr Badger]

I mean, why is the RNLI getting involved in fighting homophobia?

There's definite scope for a seamen/semen joke here, but instead I'm just going to roll my eyes at the lack of empathy, reactionary language and proud dismissal of progressive humanitarian values on display.

This is what happens when these PC types take over. The core mission takes a back seat to pushing a social agenda.

And people here will lap that up.

Apparently having a "good social justice vibe" trumps everything now.

You know what? I'm glad I have *nothing* in common with posters like @Greebo and @TJM Political correctness is veritable insanity.