Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

St John's Ambulance wrapped in (yet another)'charity' scandal.

It's about time the Charity Commission clamped down on the great charity scandal whereby too many people are living the high life off the backs of the people they profess to help.

Billions more £'s would go direct to these causes if similar aimed charities were forced to amalgamate, thereby reducing the number of fat-cats feeding off the needy.

£252,000,000, yep £252 million went to accountants in 2013/2014 just to cover the charities accounts.
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so are you saying that as they are all medically centred, St John's, Air Ambulance, Lifeboats and similar should be blended?

i don't think so!

assuming your info is accurate, surely St John's and perhaps other charities should either have to justify the costs and/or there should be a rule that a minimum of say 65% (or more?) of donations should go to the work the cause does rather than to admin and similar
consistent failure to do so would lead to the withdrawal of charitable status

Large Charities are media driven advertisement PR consultancies.

Over 40-60 % of revenues going into administration and publicity not into front line servicing.

A bit like the present neo-fascist governing?

If you meet the meet a charity "organiser" ask when the last got their hands dirty.


8-)

Cynic, of course I'm not suggesting the charities in the example you quote should amalgamate, but as you mentioned medically linked, do you not think Breakthrough Breast Cancer; Breast Cancer Care; Breast Cancer Campaign and all other breast cancer charities could join forces? The huge savings could go to actually benefit breast cancer sufferers, and to find a cure.

There are 1,939 active charities focused on children: there are 354 separate charities for birds. Do you think that's an efficient use of donations?

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Hays i keep saying we will vote OUT of the EU come voting time ,the migrant problem from the Middle East has come at the right time straight after we were invaded from Eastern Europe .
Cameron will try to negotiate with the EU and when he gets nowhere will try and convince us he got some kind of deal (which he won't have) ,then it's the public who will vote out .

jimmy b----I read recently that even if we vote to leave, it's still not a given that we will.
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Why is that George ?????

george - we all have a choice to which charities we donate ...... quite why there are so many breast cancer charities, i really don't know, but how do you force amalgamation?

I would vote out at the moment. However, I think the public will vote to stay in due to fear. There will be a massive campaign to frighten the public. The stay in campaign will be much better funded by big business and the government will be behind it as well. The immigrant problem won't count for so much by the time of the referendum. It can be held up to end December 2017. The legislation passed its final hurdle last night when votes for 16/17 year olds was rejected by the Lords. Even that will make staying in more likely. The Bill will pass to Royal Assent now.

I think that Cameron's difficulties in negotiations is a red herring and he is doing better than is being publicised. The idea is that it is being made to appear that it has been very difficult but he will get what he wants in the end. The EU are very worried that we may leave and will give in. 2018 will see us firmly in the EU.

Don't forget that if we were to leave we would need a trade agreement with the EU. Such a trade agreement would require us to accept the rules of the EU including the free movement of people.

Dream Catcher!

jimmy b--- I'm not quite sure (I'll try and dig it out) other than there is nothing written to say that the government has to leave even if we do vote to leave. I recall the EU forced a '' vote 'til you vote for the result we want'' on a couple of countries, I'm not sure but Ireland and Sweden come to mind.
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hays - 66212 - i don't disagree with your last para ...... it's a very obvious and sensible ploy and play and i would expect anyone in a similar situation to do likewise

Cynic----''we all have a choice to which charities we donate''-- not strictly correct, the government contributes huge sums of taxpayers money to a vast number of charities, without which they would fail. As for amalgamation I would think that would be easy enough via the Charity Commission.

How on earth can so many similar charities be for the benefit of their stated sufferers, when £billions are diverted away in fat-cat salaries from the very people they were set up to help.
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Post 66212

I do hope that the 16-18-year-olds, who have been cheated out of voting of on being in or out of Europe, remember 2years later who cheated them of being able to vote on their futures.

H---post 66213 If we leave would the EU not need a trade agreement with us and accept the rules of the UK.
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george - i have no idea ...... but the likes of RNLI and Air Ambulance to the best of my knowledge receive no gov't funding of any kind, which i find extraordinary

btw, it is patently unfair to link all charities, even small ones, to o'heated salaries and o'heads .... assuredly some fall into this cosy nest, which is why i won't give to Oxfam and a few others

fred - 66218 - DO stop being such a pompous and idiotic twat! ...... i don't recollect any labour gov't promoting the idea of votes for 16/18 year-olds, do you?

Cynic there are so many fantastic volunteers (I've been one myself) who do amazing work for little recognition/reward, without which many charities could not function. It may come across that I am anti charities, far from it, I just feel that the huge sums of money not getting to where it should is preventing or at least extending the time-span for the cures being found.
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I don't know what he said but Fred's incapable of any discussion . I don't know why you engage with him.