Charities and Politics

Things are happening in the world of charities, to achieve political ends.

1) On the one hand, we have been aware for some some months, that private schools if they wish to continue with charitable status must serve some political ends, - the promotion of equality. In future their activities will be scrutinised to make sure that they they achieve Government ends, namely that they admit some children from poorer families who could not afford to attend otherwise. We had something like this during the years of the Conservatives, called the Assisted Places Scheme, but having abolished a good scheme New Labour must put something in its place.

It's no good pointing out to the egalitarians that with school fees now upwards of £20,000 a year for the best schools, for every child they admit the schools can claim up to £5,000 from income tax paid by the parents. Coincidentally, the amount is not far from the annual cost of educating a child, so the parents are creating a place for a state pupil valued at about the tax refund level.

No, the stupidity is that although the best/most desired schools will survive, some in the "second division" will struggle and go under as they will not be able to raise fees sufficiently to cover the costs of subsidising state education further by admitting students from poor families.

The end result could be parents struggling even more to send their children to a traditional education of which they approve, with some schools closing and having to be educated by the state? Who gains, except dogmatic smugness?

2) At the same time, the Government is about to allow charities to engage in political activity, so long as these activities are not their principal activity. So we shall have further state subsidised political activity. As we are already bombarded by such activity, subsidised by government at various levels, what is new, except the increase in volume?

Both changes are important intrusions into activity in the private sector by the Government. It will be interesting to see how politicised the Registrar for Charities and his staff become. Will some kinds of political activity be acceptable, while other sorts will not meet the dogmatic requirements? I fear that the all-intrusive state is intruding still further.