I don't think this money is going on backhanders. I've no doubt that some of it will be siphoned off by corrupt officials but that's straightforward theft after the cash arrives in country rather than bribes from the UK government.
Both India and China are developing rapidly. In both countries, the new, wealthy, urban middle classes have abandoned the rural poor to a life of sometimes extreme poverty. This is anathema to fans of redistributive socialism like dear old Gordon.
His response is to take money from the 'undeserving rich' (i.e. anybody with a job) in this country and redistribute it to the 'deserving poor' at home in abroad. In this country, Gordon's wealth redistribution fantasies result in unemployed, single mothers commanding six figure incomes from welfare and our own dear Sven has his Sky Sports subscription funded by the state. Meanwhile, our welfare bill, currently running at 30% of all government expenditure, is the main reason why the country's heading for bankruptcy later this year.
Abroad, we feed starving Indian peasants while their government spends 2 billion quid to drop a postage stamp sized Indian flag on the surface of the moon. In China we provide HIV drugs for people infected when rural hospitals decided to save cash by reusing blood transfusion needles. China is the fourth richest country in the world.
Should a country that's heading towards bankruptcy be getting the chequebook out for foreigners abandoned by their own, wealthy governments? I think not, even if out foreign aid budget gives Gordon wet dreams about saving the world from poverty.
