Moved to write after a long silence
I've not felt moved to write (or rant) in a public place for a few years, beyond the odd Facebook post or share. This quote from an article by Lesley Riddoch in The National (Scottish newspaper) was a tipping point.
A request for help to the David Kirch Charitable Trust prompted a terse reply: “I do not mind any business-like approach, but I am tired of the request for charity.”
Is this insult or irony?
The comment came from the wealthy, Jersey-based owner of said charitable trust. The Island of Jersey, off the coast of France, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom and described as a tax-haven.
The article about the community buy out of the port in Portpatrick on the west coast of Scotland is a heart warming example of what communities can achieve, to acquire and care for local assets that may be neglected by absentee owners. It reminded me of the crowd funded purchase of a beautiful piece of New Zealand's coastline in the South Island to conserve the natural environment.
I hope these two examples are signals that the concentration of wealth and natural assets in the hands of a few is coming to an end. An inquiry into how 'ownership' of these assets was claimed in the first place might not stand up to close scrutiny.
A request for help to the David Kirch Charitable Trust prompted a terse reply: “I do not mind any business-like approach, but I am tired of the request for charity.”
Is this insult or irony?
The comment came from the wealthy, Jersey-based owner of said charitable trust. The Island of Jersey, off the coast of France, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom and described as a tax-haven.
The article about the community buy out of the port in Portpatrick on the west coast of Scotland is a heart warming example of what communities can achieve, to acquire and care for local assets that may be neglected by absentee owners. It reminded me of the crowd funded purchase of a beautiful piece of New Zealand's coastline in the South Island to conserve the natural environment.
I hope these two examples are signals that the concentration of wealth and natural assets in the hands of a few is coming to an end. An inquiry into how 'ownership' of these assets was claimed in the first place might not stand up to close scrutiny.
posted by Cathy Gunn at
October 28, 2018
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