Philanthropy no substitute for political change

Brian McFadden and Kerry Katona

In the run up to Christmas, the growth in the number of charities in this state becomes increasingly evident. The streets of our cities are filled with competing organisations collecting money for their causes, including housing associations, hospitals, hospices, youth clubs, disability groups, international development organisations, groups working with the elderly and homeless organisations.

The explosion of charities is a symptom of the increasing inequality in our society. The growth of charities in many cases facilitates the State in negating its role in the provision of housing services, the elimination of poverty and the provision of facilities for the elderly, for young people and for the disabled. Housing associations, which can be seen collecting on our streets, are being given increasing responsibility for housing provision.

Dublin City Council, for example, has signalled its intention to end its role in the provision of housing within ten years, handing this function over to voluntary housing associations, in other words to housing charities that depend on fundraising initiatives such as Christmas time collections or on irregular state handouts.

Charities are undertaking ever more responsibility for services that should rightfully be provided by the State. In supporting the valuable work that many of these organisations do, we must recognise that they are no alternative to reforming the State. In fact, it can be argued that in many cases they help to maintain the inequalities in society.

It is also a fact that charities or charitable organisations, such as rotary clubs, allow the wealthy to feel better about being wealthy in an unequal society. It allows them to wallow happily in the knowledge of their own benevolence while feeling secure that their benevolent gestures should be enough to prevent the disadvantaged from challenging the establishment and demanding their rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

The state must concentrate its efforts on delivering these rights for its citizens. Politicians who pride themselves on their support for various charitable organisations should better use their time and position to ensure the delivery of these internationally recognised rights. The public should recognise the irony in any member of government or the government parties patronising charities which exist because the ideologically driven policies pursued by the Government have brought about an increasingly unequal society.

Let us reject benevolence and embrace a rights-based approach to eliminating the inequalities in society.