Charity isn’t enough to beat poverty

Adam Solomons | Issue 3 | Magazine

From the Archive

While Marcus Rashford's anti-poverty campaign is commendable, only the state can put an end to child poverty, says Adam Solomons

In the 100 years since Max Weber defined the state by its “monopoly on the legitimated use of physical force”, the spheres of influence over which democratic governments now have substantive or complete control has multiplied many times over. Recent and valiant efforts by anti-poverty campaigners and the Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford to provide lunches to schoolchildren during this austere half-term break make that clearer. If the primacy of compulsory mask-wearing and a state-sanctioned national lockdown wasn’t evidence enough, this latest reality check on the modern importance of the state in untold areas of our lives should suffice. But first, said reality check. After a gargantuan effort by charities and the private sector the UK over, some 10,000 extra lunches were given to British schoolchildren on Monday alone according to the Huffington Post. An admirable initiative indeed, and hats off to all involved. Even senior members of the government said as much, with Matt...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.