Govt denies ransom paid for Commins

[asset test]

I have no doubt that some ransom was paid. I don't know how I know this, just instinct.

As for aid workers going to dangerous places, well that is their choice, the only problem for me would be if our Government (us) has to increasingly pay ransoms for more and more of these kidnaps. Well think about it, if the Irish Government paid a ransom in this case, it would stand to reason that potential kidnappers will seek out Irish aid workers for more of the same.

I do not deny they do good work. I do wonder sometimes though why there are so many NGOs in these places from Ireland, Concern, Goal etc. Are they in competition with each other for funding from here, or do they all work together over there? Just wondered, as another chugger from one of these groups annoyed the hell out of me today...again.

And it seems no matter how many aid workers go there, no matter how much money is ploughed in, the problems remain the very same, year after year, and more and more money is needed again and again. Are there any indigenous people in these countries prepared to take on the challenge of sorting things out for themselves? Probably the aid organisations would be worried that any monies would be corruptly spent (Just a thought, no proof), and they need to remain in control.

I am waffling a bit here, but I do think all this aid stuff, while very noble and worthwhile, is a bottomless pit. Despite all the money given by our foreign aid, and Lenten boxes, I rarely see any annual reports outlining exactly what these organisations do, and itemising how they spend this money. It is not theirs it is ours after all, and I want it spent well, or at least see for myself how they are doing things.

[Lloyd-Apjohn]

Of course it was paid - corruption is the language of Fianna Fáil so why is anyone surprised and because it is corrupt the kidnappers knew it would be paid.

[Sissyfish]

I have no doubt that some ransom was paid. I don't know how I know this, just instinct.

As for aid workers going to dangerous places, well that is their choice, the only problem for me would be if our Government (us) has to increasingly pay ransoms for more and more of these kidnaps. Well think about it, if the Irish Government paid a ransom in this case, it would stand to reason that potential kidnappers will seek out Irish aid workers for more of the same.

I do not deny they do good work. I do wonder sometimes though why there are so many NGOs in these places from Ireland, Concern, Goal etc. Are they in competition with each other for funding from here, or do they all work together over there? Just wondered, as another chugger from one of these groups annoyed the hell out of me today...again.

And it seems no matter how many aid workers go there, no matter how much money is ploughed in, the problems remain the very same, year after year, and more and more money is needed again and again. Are there any indigenous people in these countries prepared to take on the challenge of sorting things out for themselves? Probably the aid organisations would be worried that any monies would be corruptly spent (Just a thought, no proof), and they need to remain in control.

I am waffling a bit here, but I do think all this aid stuff, while very noble and worthwhile, is a bottomless pit. Despite all the money given by our foreign aid, and Lenten boxes, I rarely see any annual reports outlining exactly what these organisations do, and itemising how they spend this money. It is not theirs it is ours after all, and I want it spent well, or at least see for myself how they are doing things.

To make a stab at answering some of your questions:

Most of the major international NGOs work in partnership with indigenous civil society groups to build their capacity, and more often than not it is these local groups who do the bulk of the grassroots implementation, with the internationals like Goal or Concern or Oxfam or whoever acting more as an enabler. In fact, I think Trócaire might work only through local partnerships. The whole focus of aid and development work has shifted in the last couple of decades towards empowering local people to take control of "sorting things out for themselves".

Also NGOs also do often work in partnership with each other, or else work in different countries or have different focuses and competencies from each other. They often do have to compete with each other for funding, but that has much more to do with how donors allocate funds (usually through competitive tenders or calls for proposals) than it has to do with NGOs themselves.

As to the problems remaining the same, "year after year", it's a lot more complex than just throwing money at a problem to fix it, and as far as I've seen, that's not how any of the organisations I'm familiar with operate. Many of these issues are chronic, extraordinarily complex and deeply ingrained. And one of the main reasons why the same problems arise is not because aid agencies are ineffective. It's because Western governments give aid to developing governments, and then take back twice as much and more in debt servicing. That is one of the main reasons why poverty is intractable, despite how much we give.

For reasons like this, don't expect to see the world change overnight, just because you put a few quid in a Trócaire box. It can take decades, generations even, to see real positive change. It starts small - but it does and is happening.

By the way, you say you never see any annual reports for how the money is spent, but have you looked? I know for a fact Concern's, Oxfam's and Goal's Annual Reports are freely available on their websites and the same is probably the same for others too.

And just to get to the actual topic of the thread... you're exactly right. If there was a ransom paid, by governments or anybody else, that will make a bad situation very much worse sand put more aid workers in very much more danger.