December 23rd 2015

It’s almost Christmas, there is a feel-good factor abroad and people are in moods where generosity and sentimentality are vying for top-spot. Bring on the begging maestros. Greedy, self-serving hands outstretched. Please give to the poor and underprivileged. Blood sucking shysters!

Samuel Johnson made his famous pronouncement that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” in April 1775. If he were alive today he might revise his statement to read, “Charity is the refuge of all scoundrels”. It is true to say that poverty is big business but what we have witnessed in Ireland in the last decade in terms of skimming and scamming in so-called charitable organisations beggars belief as well as the mentioned beneficiaries and the general public.

Charity is defined as “love of one’s fellow made manifest by liberality to the poor, acts of kindness and alms-giving”. How has this been transformed into monumental scandals of theft, exploitation and naked greed astounds. It’s a constant abuse of the opportunistic vultures over the gullible.

The tragedy is that this daylight and night-time robbery is set to continue unchallenged indefinitely. Many members of the public believe that the consideration of the activities of organisations such as ‘Goal’, the Central Remedial Clinic, Rehab, St. John of God and Console represent the worst excesses of the charitable Ali Baba’s. Not so. These are merely the ones that got arrogant, excessively greedy and were caught out in some measure. The time frame in each case was incredible.

These ‘charities’ are either national or international or both. What about the multitude of local, county and regional outfits that masquerade as charities and exist in the main to profit the CEO’s, administrators and senior staff? In one localised reputable charity the total expenditure, less depreciation, on wages, pensions, social welfare costs, training allowances, travelling and subsistence represents over 90% of the entire budget. In other words less than 10% of all income generated ends up fulfilling the function for which it was established. Predictably, there is no breakdown of who receives what by way of remuneration. There is no suggestion that this modus operandi is unusual or in any way suspect. But there is certainly a question mark of the use of the concept of the notion of charity when an organisation seems to exist to benefit the directors and staff rather than the patient or the afflicted.

Another manifestation of the angel of charity is the smiling Samaritan who calls to your door espousing the plight of one section of society and is not alone content to receive a donation but wants a direct debit signed to achieve the ongoing haemorrhage of the benevolent one. The Church Gate collection employs yet another device to separate the Mass goer from his cash. The subtle blackmail trick. Your friend, local councillor (who got your sister a house) the sporting official who trains your young son or simply your neighbour are standing in confrontation mode as you pass and you are simply left with no choice but to cough up.

The most recent device by way of alms-raising is the tough hike across the Himalayas to raise cash for some deserving cause or other. If you apply yourself you can have an ‘unforgettable’ holiday and ample spending money provided by the ever-generous public.

Irish people pay sufficient taxes to ensure that there should be no such thing as a registered charity. All charities provide camouflage for shysters and mountebanks. Close them all down over five years and in the meantime make them accountable. In this way those who need medical or other services that ought to be provided by the HSE or Dept. of Health might receive proper and adequate treatment as they deserve.