Niger & Russian coup

[happy daze john in oz]

Africa has abundant wealth of all manner, the European colonists took much and left the nations in a reasonable state.
Then the dictators and army generals took over, the people were in many cases worse off.
But now a new form of colonialism is coming to Africa, a country which still has much wealth for those willing to search for it.
The building of the raod by China is not new, they went into Cambodia and did similar to ensure that goods produced there could be easily moved for transportation.

[Keith Tindell]

Does any country do anything for nothing ?, of course not. The aid we give to other countries, and then disappears in to others bank account, do we give aid for nothing ?, its all in our interest, for trade or favours etc. Yes we took a lot from these countries, but look at India, we gave them the railways postage system, how to run a government etc, the list is endless.

[James Curry]

#12 Sorry Keith your post did make me chuckle, Look at India we gave them railways, the postal system and how to run a government. I do understand what you mean though.

[Tony Taylor]

Does any country do anything for nothing ?, of course not. The aid we give to other countries, and then disappears in to others bank account, do we give aid for nothing ?, its all in our interest, for trade or favours etc. Yes we took a lot from these countries, but look at India, we gave them the railways postage system, how to run a government etc, the list is endless.

and just look what they did with it, most of neglected and allowed to decay and rot, corruption at all levels, religious and caste discrimination. etc.
I spent 2 months on the coast in 1970 and went back in 2012 on business, travelling to Delhi and remote part of Uttar Pradesh, apart from some new buildings and newer model cars, nothing had changed.
I recall sitting in a railway waiting room for hours for a delayed train, only source of amusement was watching dozens of mice running around the place.

[Keith Tindell]

If the government of today could organise what we organised in India, we would be sitting pretty, the whole railway system we gave India, the postal system the civil service system, even the judiciary system, they still have steam railways running today with trains from here and years ago, i know this , because we took railway engines to India while i was on the Jalasilton Hall circa 1960. Was in India a few years back, and the owner of the small hotel i was staying at told me, that India has never functioned as well as when the Brits were there.as said before by John in Oz, when we handed over to them, the corruption was there in minutes. I am very proud of being a Brit, if nothing else we taught the world to talk a real language, the language that allows most of the world to communicate.

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Just wondering where my likes and thanks has disappeared

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Keith
I'm still liking and thanking, a few thousand disappeared off my lot when the site was hijacked a few years ago, but I look at it this way there has been no discharges put in my discharge book for years despite sailing on this ship .
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes England gave them the railways, but due to lack of maintenance they have more crashes and derailments than you could poke a stick at.
The PM of India recently told the people they must begin to look overseas for somewhere to live as the country is now overcrowded.
1.4 billion, more than China in a slightly smaller land mass.
But many have already moved out, doctors, nurses, Post Office owners and of course the obligatory Indian Restaurant'

[Rodney Mills]

I went to India twice,to Delhi. The first time as a tourist, just my first wife and I. We did the tourist thing, visited the Taj Mahal. It was a diamond set in a bucket of swill. The Ganges was just a slow moving sewar that I assume gets flushed in the rainy season.

There were what I thought strange black fruit on the trees...turned out on closer inspection they were vultures waiting for something to die. Our driver/guide from Delhi to Agra return when I asked what the bundles alongside the road was, told me that was the way of disposing the dead. Granny dies, bundle her up and leave her on the side of the road and the council picks the bodies up in the morning.

From the minute you get down the gangway from the plane there are a regiment of people with their hand out for baksheesh.

My second trip was on business, I just did what I had to and stayed in the hotel. India is the only country I have visited, and I have been to 52, Africa, Middle East, South America, Far East and Europe that I would never voluntarily retune too. If I had to sum it up with one word, I would choose disgusting.

Rodney

[James Curry]

Think it must be 20 years since I was in India. Never any bother. Paid a few dollars for what I will call a port pilot him and his band kept those away who looked to be a likely source being a nusiance. A good run ashore was Cochin, Cannot remember the bar /hotel but we had a good few nights ashore there great food and beer. Only two of our group ended up with the screaming tishs. Deserved all they got. Thought it was amusing to take the piss out of the bar staff.
I also liked Sri Lanka again nice people. But there again I will say a lot of poverty and beggers.
We here in the west need to be thankful that India exports it's brains the NHS here would grind to a halt if the Indians all left. I suspect other nations around the globe are thankful as well. Rather have an Indian than than someone from their close neighbours.

[happy daze john in oz]

Only once in India, at the airport.
The inter city building had burned down so we could not get off.
All engines off so no air, not that i.t mattered as all doors had to be kept open.
Theer are about ten trillion flies in India, all but two came on board.