I am once again on my “let’s talk money” kick. Oh, no! I hear you say, not again, boring! Well maybe to you it is but I am forever fascinated by other people’s approach to money, mine included I suppose as, apart from two short periods many years ago, I have never really had any, not to speak of anyway. This time under discussion it’s not the filthy rich bankers who grow richer and filthier by the day, or the filthy rich footballers ditto, or the teenage millionaires (the latest Harry Potter film has already raked in over a billion – what can young Daniel Radcliffe be worth now do you suppose?) or the British politicians on the gravy train, and we’ll leave the Blairs out of it as well, fine socialists they are, but those in charge of the poor taxpayers money. Question – Are they in their right senses? Answers on a postcard please not to exceed five thousand words.

The UK is up to its neck in debt but is still doling out millions in aid to countries from which it will (a) receive little if any thanks (think Pakistan) but (b) much more important those populations that will see very little of this generosity because they are ruled by avaricious vicious dictators, corrupt politicians and always on the make functionaries. For example, with the aid received from the UK, at the last count £133million, the dictator of the Democratic(!) Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso owns sixteen of the most luxurious houses and flats in Paris. Guess how he paid for them. He is only one of a number of African politicians said to have built vast overseas property empires on public funds from their countries’ treasuries, including foreign aid.

Ali Bongo (sounds like a circus act though not as funny) president of Gabon owns nearly forty properties in Paris while Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea owns a six story period building on the prestigious Avenue Foch, reputedly worth £15million. Evidently it is used by members of his family when on a shopping spree in Paris. France appears to be the honeypot for these very nasty people. Gaddafi has property there, as do Hosni Mubarak, now of course on trial in Egypt, and the deposed dictator f Tunisia, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

The current £8.1billiom that Britain spends on foreign aid is set to increase £11.4billion in 2014. Why? Are those in charge of dispensing this largesse so freely stark staring mad that they will continue willy nilly and with careless abandon throw good money after bad when it is obvious where it goes and the people of these benighted countries never benefit.

But, property purchases apart, it is said that the monster Mugabe has lashed out over £12million in the last six months in foreign travel while Zimbabwe goes from worse to worse . At his age, (oh, when will he pop his clogs though I suppose someone just as evil will step into his smelly boots), maybe he’s having a final fling, spending as much as he can. After all he’s going down in history as a poisonous toad, he can’t do his reputation much more damage.

Unless it can be proved without any doubt that foreign aid is going to where it is most needed it should be stopped completely right now.