Hollow ring to speech on overseas aid

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern’s spirited argument at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg for richer countries to commit more financial help in overseas development aid would have had a greater ring of conviction but for the fact that Ireland has cut its own contribution this year.

In describing as “shameful” and “indefensible” the fact that some countries will not reach the UN target of contributing 0.7% of their GDP by 2007, Mr Ahern was being rather disingenuous.

When the Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy ordained that Government departments deliver on a series of cutbacks because of domestic economic pressures, the first to be targeted was Ireland’s overseas development aid.