Should charity begin at home?

What a crazy world we live in. Cadburys, a successful well run British company that's one of a very few that's turning a decent buck in recession (thanks to our dooyoo girls munching away); is to be bought out by Kraft, an American firm that has borrowed $7 billion dollars to buy it. Can you guess which bank they borrowed the money from? Why the Royal Bank of Scotland, of course, bailed out by a similar sum from British taxpayers last year, our money used for a good old fashioned asset strip of a British company and putting thousands on the dole. They had done the same thing with Terry's not ... more

Having seen this debate has so few entries, I thought someone might boost it up a small notch, and as I had time, and an empty inbox, I downed tools and set to writing my thoughts. The idea I have for you today came to me way back in my 6th form days, when a media studies exercise meant me having to consider making up an advertising campaign. Whether I was allowed a choice of a charity or business I forget, but something along the lines of Greenpeace came to mind, and a simple advert with just the slogan "Charity begins at home" was made quite easily. I must have got reasonable grades for that ... more

I for one certainly believe we should live in a society that protects the genuinely needy, while at the same time encouraging each individual to maximise the contribution they make to that society. Nut I feel that the state has become a charity that helps far too many people, making them dependent. Firstly, I will let you know from what position I am writing. I live in a nice cosy middle class suburban semi with my wife and three children. I earn very slightly above national average wage and the only state benefits we collect as a family are the child tax credit and child benefit. I work in an ... more

I have been sat down watching tv most of the night as I am shattered and I popped on Ciao to sort the emails out and was thinking about my christmas trees which are now currently standing in the kitchen both of them, (I always let them stand for two weeks so I can play with the branches lol) then they will be decorated and all done and on display by Dec 1st. In my excitement for some reason, I started to think about charity and especially does charity begin at home or Christmas Charity. Where is home, is it this country, my family, my area, Nothing is defined so I decided to do this op and see ... more

I would say yes. Unless we can get it right at home, how can we ever expect to get it right anywhere else? Having lived and worked in West Africa, I have seen charity at work there on local and international levels. My conclusion is that the only international charities worth giving to are Medicins Sans Frontiere, Mercy Ships and Amnesty International. I have many reasons for my disbelief in International organisations, but I wish to relate only two. I would also explain that I was in these countries just before the current, ongoing unrest originally broke out in each case. I used to work for ... more