Sir, – Prof Kathleen Lynch’s article (Opinion, November 24th) was both excellent and thought-provoking. I would agree that local and voluntary charity can be no adequate substitute for universal public welfare provision.
However, her answer to the question “why is charity the governing ideology within the Irish welfare state?” neglects an essential historical factor. Surely, Ireland’s woeful record in failing to develop “a State whose primary concern is the welfare of all the people” represents the triumph of the social policy of the institution that for the past 150 years has “framed the way in which ethical and moral issues are framed in Irish political and cultural life”. Repeatedly, when attempts were made to provide universal services they were opposed by the Catholic Church and by those, including most of our politicians and civil servants, who had been educated by the church.
Indeed, linking this debate with the current debate about the patronage of schools, will it ever be possible to develop a welfare-led caring State when the great majority of the country’s children are being educated by an institution which maintains that its role is to act in lieu of the State in the provision of the most basic services? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I wish to thank Kathleen Lynch for her opinion piece (November 24th).
She is correct in everything she says. As long as the majority of citizens refuse to pay more taxes, those of us who can have no alternative: we must give to charities. But this situation is morally wrong, and getting ever worse as economic inequality keeps growing.
As Prof Lynch concludes: “Solidarity is the political form of love”, and solidarity, not charity, is what we need. – Yours, etc,