For once, let's create our own civil culture (and not mimic the US charitable giving)

A beguiling headline from that anodyne electonic news purveyor that is 'Civil Society' caught my eye t'other day: It read 'calls for UK to mimic US charitable culture'

http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/8094/calls_for_uk_to_mimic_us

My gut response was Biblical, along the lines of go forth and multiply, and take your specious market ideology with you

My mature reflection: oh for goodness sake, if someone wanted to set the sector back not just decades but into the Victorian era they could not do better - why do we allow such banal and self defeating immiseration dressed up as a 'new' and 'big' idea?

With that in mind I posted the following below the article:

The idea that the UK should mimic US charitable culture is already well embedded. We borrow so much of their terminology that we are very much the 51st state

The deeper issue is not so much that we should 'carry on mimicing' but that we should question whether this is a 'good thing'.

I'm one of those who think it isn't.

America is one of the most unequal and divided (over)developed countries on the planet - see the spirit level for further issues that arise from strcutral long term income inequality and how it corrodes society

http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/resource/the-spirit-level?gclid=CNjX74SHyaYCFYpO4Qod10b5HQ

Also (if you have time) have a look at Polly Toynbee's book on 'unjust rewards'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/sep/14/1

Where in the final chapetrs she describes the abject way in which charities have to special plead to super rich philnathropists, that they are the deserving poor - it is extremely unwholsome, this bragging about giving money made off the back of primarily irresponsible financial trading and tax avoidance

Etherington and Hughes Hallet probably wouldn't consider this an issue as it may suit their ideological predilection for big business but for the rest of society this is not the panacea for cuts that government would have us believe. It has the potential for limited public good, but by limited I mean drop in the ocean in comaparision with the cuts in the public sector and VCS AND it also has the tendency to be incredibly insensitive and patronising

In his book 'just another emperor' micheal edwards explodes some of these myths about philanthrocapitalism and calls for a critical and honest debate.

http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/images/fbfiles/files/Just_Another_Emperor.pdf

This is what we need. Not platitudes from the great and the good in the VCS, Govt and Private Sectors whilst the community sector gets quietly wiped out due to disproportionate cuts

For the kind of community sector and new funding settlement CSC would like to see, have a look at:

http://www.communitysectorcoalition.org.uk/policy

Rock on