Madam, – For the past year I have listened to heart-rending stories on Liveline and other radio and TV programmes about how people are unable to pay their mortgages or pay fines, resulting in many losing their houses or ending up in jail as a result of the present recession. I propose to set up a fund to help these people.
I am calling upon everyone in the country to pay €5 per week into this fund. To ensure there is no abuse of such funds, people to be helped will previously have been to Mabs seeking financial advice and advice on how they might be able to manage their financial affairs.
I have approached a bank to get involved in this fundraising effort. From a PR point of view it would be extremely beneficial as banks in general must accept a great deal of responsibility for the situation the people above are in today.
Initially an office will be set up in Dublin for people in financial difficulty to call on for help and it is hoped other offices will be set up around the country in due course.
This exercise is not unlike the way people organised to collect a penny a week to raise funds almost two centuries ago and where the elite again ignored the people’s plight. – Yours, etc,