Ross Clark

Why the British are so mean

Pity the poor charities, says Ross Clark. We are a nation of skinflints, and the rich are the least generous of all

• From magazine issue: 24 July 2004

• Text settings

  Text size

  • Small
  • Medium
  • Large

  Line Spacing

  • Compact
  • Normal
  • Spacious
• Comments
• Share

  Share

  Ross Clark

  Why the British are so mean

  Copy link

  • Linkedin
  • Messenger
  • Email

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Subscribe today to get 3 months' delivery of the magazine, as well as online and app access, for only £3.

• Weekly delivery of the magazine
• Unlimited access to our website and app
• Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
• Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Most popular

Alexander Larman

What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?

I am sure Mrs Williamson’s garden party, at which 50 guests were served tea and listened to a jazz band, was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion, and of course it is absurd that a garden party should need a public entertainments licence. But still I am left with a nagging question: isn’t a haul of £160 just a tad on the mingy side for a charity garden party attended by 50 people at a country house in one of the most well-heeled corners of the English countryside? It isn’t that the good folk of Kempsford are untypical; on the contrary, they exemplify the attitude towards charitable giving shown by well-off Britons. To external appearances, we are an extremely generous people. You can’t move far without bumping into a poster for a fun run or church f