International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is poised to tell the Conservative conference that it is our patriotic duty to continue spending huge amounts on foreign aid, and that it would be wrong for us to balance the books off the back of the worlds poorest people.
Pulling out all the usual chestnuts, we should be proud, it's our responsibility, throw in a few children suffering as a good hook to appeal to the emotions, and blame terrorism on poverty.
Of course, who'd have thought that fanatics in Somalia only turned to that because Britain failed to give them enough money!
How about Mr Mitchell agrees to take only 1/4 of his MP/Minister wages, and to fund his own expenses, with the remainder going to these countries who it is apparently patriotic to help.
It's very easy pontificating about the need to send money to nearly every nation on earth, about how it would be wrong to balance the books off the backs of the poor, when it is someone elses money.
Set an example Andrew, you believe it then set Britain an example, live by it, make some cutbacks of your own, it's unfair you receive all that money whilst vulnerable people in other countries suffer.
We've everything being cut back here, you may well scream that it's unfair to balance the books off the back of some of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable people, but you sure seem to have little compunction about balancing them off the backs of Britains poorest and most vulnerable.
Just recently a case local to Somerset showed a meeting and resource centre for OAP's being forced to close its doors due to council funding cutbacks - for want of what, in the scale of foreign aid, is a trivial amount in the region of £80,000.
We're seeing all across the country the need for foodbanks increasing in order to avert starvation, how many pensioners will freeze this winter due to high power bills and official indifference?
That's who you're balancing the books off the back of.
You've a very misguided idea of patriotism if you think that is acceptable, that patriotism consists of playing benefactor to the world whilst our own nation and people suffer.
Pontificating about foreign aid is easy - because it's not the likes of Mitchell, his relatives, or people he knows who are suffering here in Britain. He's sure not going to face a choice of whether to heat or to eat this winter.
Yes, there are problems in the world, and we've failed to fix them by showering money on other nations over the years. We've proven by our actions that foreign aid is a failure.
But, there are more problems at home. Our money should go on our people, only once we are a utopia where nobody suffers due to lack of funding should we even consider cash for abroad.
Mr Mitchell way well defend foreign aid, he and so many other have a vested interest, but what we really should be standing for is British Aid - there are far too many people in Britain shoved aside, forgotten, and seemingly of no interest to officialdom. They need our aid.
Aren't those lives what really should be most important to us, wouldn't true patriotism be to see that none of these people - our people - have to suffer?
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is poised to tell the Conservative conference that it is our patriotic duty to continue spending huge amounts on foreign aid, and that it would be wrong for us to balance the books off the back of the worlds poorest people.
