How much aid do we give to India?

[Mich the Tester]

The loss of UK taxation as outsourcers abuse the visa rules to avoid paying.

Or perhaps Europe's high tax economies (including the UK) are actually screwed given the competition from newly developing economies, and need a new business model to compete. Why on earth would I pay someone in Britain to hand over more than half of what he costs me to subsidizing bloated governments when I can give the same reward to someone in Asia, Latin America, or increasingly, Africa, at lower costs to my business?

Fine to complain about lost revenues, but look at the other side of the equation; huge bloated governments that we're struggling to afford.

[minestrone]

Or having suffered 24 previous instances of potato crop failure before the new American strain of Blight arrived the government could have bought grain as Sir Robert Peel did, the Irish could have diversified crops or the Government could have requisitioned Irish Grain crops as it did in earlier famines but that was unpopular with Irish Landlords because they lost money.

Of course the British just wanted to starve the Irish out we are known for that sort of thing

Its easy to blame the government but it is normally more complicated than that.

Remember we had a conversation recently about how you had a habit of saying really fookin stupid things on occasion, yes? Well this is another occasion.

[Sysman]

Or having suffered 24 previous instances of potato crop failure before the new American strain of Blight arrived the government could have bought grain as Sir Robert Peel did, the Irish could have diversified crops or the Government could have requisitioned Irish Grain crops as it did in earlier famines but that was unpopular with Irish Landlords because they lost money.

Of course the British just wanted to starve the Irish out we are known for that sort of thing

Its easy to blame the government but it is normally more complicated than that.

Vague memories of a history lesson at skool tell me that some Brit official was sitting on a warehouse full of grain, all paid for and to be distributed.

But he wanted to test out some economic theory (maybe the law of supply and demand, but I honestly can't remember), with the result that the intended recipients couldn't afford the stuff.

[Sysman]

They also have nukes, Obama was once asked what kept him up at night and he answered "Pakistan".

Must have picked a bad restaurant.

[Gibbon]

Japan is the 3rd largest economy in the world.
India will get there because its people work hard and value education, unlike us.
The turnaround they've made from complete basket case to having a viable middle class has happened in 2 generations since independence.
What will happen in another 3-4 generations?

Much the same unless they sort out the rife endemic corruption. Also they don't yet have a free thinking culture that leads to true innovation.

China is spending loads on this but is laughably micro managing it and only letting ideas that are certain to work get funding!