the brilliantly leaping gazelle

So “Children In Need’ raised £47.9 millions last night. Fuck-a doodle-do!

We live in one of the wealthiest economies in the world, so can someone please explain why there is for charities to fund and provide what the state should be. We pay our tax, well not all of us, obviously – if your wealthy enough to have a clever accountant, or a big multi-national you don’t have to – and if there’s enough tax to fritter away on escalating costs on H.S.2 , now £56 billions up from it’s original estimate of £32 billions – we can use that money to restore the funding cuts imposed on local authorities by Conservative governments and their austerity obsession.

Funnily enough, their desire to curb public spending didn’t extend to the money hoover that is Crossrail. That’s massively late – it should be running by now – but it isn’t but is massively over budget. When it comes to spending our taxes, this government wants us to believe that constantly injecting cash into such infra-structure projects is worthwhile because of some advantage to business, a nebulous benefit to us and besides, they’ve started. Ultimately, it’s about priorities, about what a government prioritizes and this therefore this election is about what sort of government we want and what it prioritizes to spend our taxes on. Our taxes.

Originally, I was only make a comparison between the amount raised by ‘CiN’ and the amount the royal fleecers fleece us for. Or the interest we pay weekly on the national debt.

Last night, on BBC1, the bi-annual fun packed fundraising entertainment extravaganza that is ‘Children In Need’ took place. One question though – who and where are these ‘children’ and what are they in ‘need’ of?

Whoever it was that said ‘to be born an Englishman is to win first prize in the lottery of life.’, was spot on! We live in a time of unbridled happiness, in one of wealthiest economies in the world, in a country that has the wherewithal to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves, a country moreover, that places greater store in the health and well-being of all it’s citizens, regardless of any perceived difference. A country that doesn’t see any weakness in compassion, nor virtue in greed, one that prioritizes people over profits, as evidenced by a generously resourced and accurately staffed benefits system. One that caters for every need, indeed one that future-proofs itself by welcoming critical analysis as a tool that helps maintain excellence and constant innovation.

Indeed, from my own experience, all my dealings with the benefits agency have been so life affirming that it puzzles me why they don’t run them as weekend retreats. Probably it’s out of a laudable desire to ensure that benefit agency staff maintain a healthy work/life balance?

So why on earth the ‘Children In Need’ telethon is needed is quite frankly beyond me. Aren’t all the needs of all children in this land being met? Quite what these charities are up to is a matter of great concern. They should all be investigated for fraud and embezzlement immediately to establish exactly where the money going?

Writing about charity I am always reminded of this rather excellent clip from ‘The Day Today’ from the demented wrongcock that is Chris Morris.