Accosted on the street by MENCAP

Today I was accosted on Villiers Street, close to Embankment station. No, it wasn’t those annoying people from London Lite and The London Paper trying to thrust a nasty rag in my face, but instead it was a guy trying to get me to give money to MENCAP, the UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities. What am I supposed to do in such circumstances? I’m sure the work that MENCAP does is all very well, but this is not – in my opinion – something that should be done by UK charities. This is a matter for the UK government, and hence I am not going to give money to such a charity. The guy’s argument back? That my £1.50 a week would help to lobby the UK government for more cash. I stuck to my position and moved on. But I feel so guilty! But I don’t want to give them money. I give a whole lot each month to Amnesty, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam etc. – a good couple of percent of my available monthly income. Anyway, if you do care about those with learning disabilities, I’ve at least given MENCAP some free publicity here – even if I did not sign up to give them cash each month.