Each year the country comes together in mass acts of philanthropy, raising money in all kinds of inventive, extraordinary and impressive ways to help children who are less fortunate than they are. Each year a significant amount of money is raised and invaluable services provided by charities are secured for another year. Each year I am left with a lingering feeling of discomfort at the underlying messages behind these acts of altruism. Should we pity disabled children? Is this the message that we want to give our children, disabled or otherwise? And if these services are essential, life changing, and in some cases life saving, should they not be provided by the State rather than charities? The second concern sits more comfortably, this is a political question about the type of society we want to live in and what it consists of. The first concern is more difficult to unpick……..Click here to read the full post on the Cost of Living Blogsite.
