Please Give!

[jambutty]

Amongst this morning’s selection of credit card offers, broadband offers, stair lifts and other junk was a letter from the RNLI Swanage, addressed to me by name and showing my correct address.

The begging letter (for £20) went on to explain that the RNLI is purely voluntary 24/7 and totally funded by public donations. Apparently it costs nearly ONE THIRD OF A MILLION POUNDS to run the whole of the RNLI for JUST ONE DAY. Compared to what the government WASTES on illegal wars, underwrites the Olympics that few outside the South East wanted anyway, spends billions on IT equipment that doesn’t do its job, ID cards to name just four, the cost of the RNLI is chicken feed.

The envelope contained the letter signed by a Martin Steeden (Coxswain, Swanage Lifeboat), a post card depicting a rescue, a small card revealing the cost of equipment vital to the crew and a return envelope.

To my mind the RNLI is THE REAL FOURTH EMERGENCY SERVICE (in spite of the AA claiming that honour) and to have it funded by public donation is an absolute scandal.

The police, fire department and ambulance service are funded by the government using our taxes. To compound the problem the various air ambulances up and down the country are only in the air because of public subscription. Would someone explain to me what is the difference between an air ambulance and a normal Paramedic ambulance that is glued firmly to the roads? To forestall facetious replies – I know the obvious difference. They both transport seriously ill or injured members of the public to hospital for emergency treatment.

There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the thousands of charities do a vital job but I question the need for such charities. The answer is obvious. The government of any colour has and still is failing in its duty to the public. One way or another we all pay taxes so that the government of the day can cater for public need. The NSPCC is a public need, the RNLI is a public need, the air ambulance is a public need all publicly funded.

Joe and Josephine Public saw a need for something and as the government prevaricated and dragged its collective heels Joe and Josephine Public took direct action and formed a charity to cater for that need. Thus alleviating the need for the government to fund it. But then the government of the day knew that they would which is why it was slow in taking action.

Oh! Yes! The Lottery! Charities can apply for a grant. But it is still public money.

Charities are here to stay and this rant will not force the government to think again but the major high profile charities have become a means of earning a living by professionals. They have office staff who earn a living working for the charity and part of the public donations go to pay their wages, some very good wages to boot. Some even have professional fund-raisers who earn a good living getting the rest of us to donate a few quid. And to add insult to injury the charity figurehead is the one who gets an ‘honour’.

For me a charity manned and womanned by volunteers and funded by public subscription should not use the raised capital to pay wages. Anyone working for a charity should do so by giving their time for FREE and I mean EVERYONE. All money raised should be used to supply the charitable service that the government has neglected to do.

No doubt the printer who supplied the RNLI letter etc SOLD the goods to the RNLI and thus made money out of doing so. Not very charitable!!! It would be a positive gesture if all suppliers of stationary and equipment to charitable institutions did so at cost. No one should make money out of a publicly funded charity.

OK! Rant over. I know that it won’t have an effect on the reality of life but it makes me feel better for having said my piece.

[SPUGGIE J]

Several valid points there Jambutty and many people and there families are thankful and owe their lives to these brave people. Its about time it was funded from central govenment!

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J

. Its about time it was funded from central govenment!

Absoloute nonsense - another crackpot idea from Jambutty, backed up as usual with no thought whatsoever by Spuggie.

Here we have an organisation which works very well at no cost to the taxpayer. Should the government take over the role of the RNLI, then several things will happen. Firstly, we all pick up the cost, irrespective of usage (currently, a significant amount of funding is raised in the port and coastal towns; secondly, the voluntary ethic will erode and you will find that within a few years, lifeboatmen will be full time and on the payroll, thus increasing the cost further; thirdly, government in it's usual cackhanded way will want control from the centre, with a politician at the top; imagine the chaos that will cause - especially when spending cuts are called for and lifeboat stations have to shut. Finally, the health and safety mob will soon take over - it won't be long before rulings deem when it is too dangerous to go launch lifeboats.

This is the daftest idea of 2007 so far.

[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Absoloute nonsense - another crackpot idea from Jambutty, backed up as usual with no thought whatsoever by Spuggie.

Here we have an organisation which works very well at no cost to the taxpayer. Should the government take over the role of the RNLI, then several things will happen. Firstly, we all pick up the cost, irrespective of usage (currently, a significant amount of funding is raised in the port and coastal towns; secondly, the voluntary ethic will erode and you will find that within a few years, lifeboatmen will be full time and on the payroll, thus increasing the cost further; thirdly, government in it's usual cackhanded way will want control from the centre, with a politician at the top; imagine the chaos that will cause - especially when spending cuts are called for and lifeboat stations have to shut. Finally, the health and safety mob will soon take over - it won't be long before rulings deem when it is too dangerous to go launch lifeboats.

This is the daftest idea of 2007 so far.

It takes a crackpot to recognise a crackpot idea.

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Finally, the health and safety mob will soon take over - it won't be long before rulings deem when it is too dangerous to go launch lifeboats.

This is the daftest idea of 2007 so far.

deserves karma

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Absoloute nonsense - another crackpot idea from Jambutty, backed up as usual with no thought whatsoever by Spuggie.

Some good points there Mr T, basically you are saying, why mess something up that works, I can agree with that.

[MikeSz]

if it aint broke, dont fix it. That I suppose is a valid point. I support the lifeboats and always buy from their shops, as to a lot of other people.

However, there are also other things to consider. If they were to be funded by government, then that government would want a say in how it was run - they would want targets and funding objectives - lifeboats would have to reach people in certain times and a number of them would have to be launched every day etc....you can see how it would soon become absurd and lose the public support - imagine then also if, like firemen, they wanted better pay, and went on strike etc. Chaos.
Also consider the many other charities that would then be saying - hang on a minute, we save lives as well...

Then again, they are rescuing people, at their own risk and perhaps deserve a better deal of it. If there was a way of better supporting these brave individuals by better funding then I would willingly support it, but I doubt any government would simply let it be, and at the end of the day, who knows how to run it best - those dedicated volunteers, or politicians looking at statistics in Whitehall?