Suffering for the excess of others

I was sitting at home one evening watching TV when an advertisement appeared for a charity. These appeals are regular on television but for some reason on this occasion I was moved to make contact with the number on the screen. It seemed very worthy and was helping poor, unfortunate children.

I loathe the idea of children in hardship, particularly those born into sheer poverty and cruelty in third world countries. Within a few days, a letter arrived in the post and my financial mandate was confirmed. It’s a small monthly donation but the letter reassured me that my hard-earned cash will go far.

Admittedly, I have no idea if my few bob is going directly to support the helpless young boys and girls who featured in the TV ad. But all I can do is hope, because in light of all the recent revelations regarding the use of funds in the charity sector, it is easy to be cynical about it.

Abuse of position

I am sure some will titter at me signing up to give money to a far-off charity advertised on TV. Well, I was also one of the many thousands who gave to the Central Remedial Clinic. That happened when a nice elderly gentleman knocked on our door one cold winter night on behalf of the CRC. He recognised the voice and we got chatting. He was retired but was putting in his spare time going door to door, seeking money for the clinic. Within a few months of signing up with a monthly contribution, the revelations of extravagance emerged. My mandate finished soon after anyway.

I could have said “never again” but, no, I don’t think it is fair that we brand everyone with the same brush. That is a cop-out. The man who signed me up that night was a genuine volunteer. It wasn’t his fault that his ultimate boss was abusing his position.

It is those people – the box shakers and phone operators – we need to think about, as well as the less well off they are supporting – not the likes of Paul Kelly, the founder of Console. If we all took the lazy cynical attitude, think about how worse off so many people in society would be.

I interviewed Paul Kelly three years ago. It was at the height of the fodder crisis and I sought his advice on air for farmers who were struggling to cope. My memories were of a well-spoken, well-dressed and well-groomed man. He seemed sincere in his words. Little did I know. Little did anyone in authority know either.

I won’t be cancelling my monthly mandate to the charity I recently signed up to support. Others understandably will. Unless there is proper scrutiny to hold the literally thousands of charities in Ireland to account, once again it will be the sick and vulnerable who will suffer due to a political malfunction.

A joke was doing the rounds in the wake of England’s humiliation at the hands of minnows Iceland in the Euros last week. In it, one eager young sports reporter seeks the opinion of the last great English soccer hero, Sir Bobby Charlton.

Asked how he thought the 1966 World Cup winners would fare against Iceland, Charlton replies that it would be close, “maybe one-nil to us”.

“You reckon that great team would only squeeze by one-nil?” the surprised reporter asks.

“Yes,” says Sir Bobby, “most of us are in our late 70s now.”