Go Fund Yourself

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From top: crowdfunding sites like GoFundme and IDonate: Hazel Katherine Larkin

All functional, loving parents strive to provide for their children. We accept – indeed, embrace – our responsibility to them. We know that it is our duty to ensure our offspring have the housing, clothing, education, and medical care that is suitable to, and appropriate for, their needs.

In a country like Ireland, when parents are unable – for whatever reasons – to provide for their children, it is expected that the collective social conscience will step in and help.

The administrative arm of this collective social conscience is largely expected to be the government. People pay up to 52% income tax (including PRSI and USC) on the understanding that it will be used to provide for the less well off; that the children of the nation will be minded; that the parents of children who have additional needs will be assisted.

Sadly, this is not the case. Increasingly, parents are having to put their pride in their pockets, and turn to fundraising sites in order to raise what they need to provide for their children.

It is humiliating for anyone to have to turn to the public to ask for help – especially because not everyone is compassionate, and people who do work up the courage to ask are often lambasted by people who feel that asking for help reeks of a sense of entitlement.

I would counter that everyone is ‘entitled’ to a home, an education, and medical care that is appropriate to their needs.

Instead of being annoyed with parents for asking for help so they can provide for their children, perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that is not honouring its social contract with the people of Ireland.

Perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that reduces citizens and tax-payers to beggars.

Perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that consistently ignores the pleas of the electorate.

Perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that consistently ignores the carefully researched, informed opinions of experts.

Perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that continues to undervalue the work that carers do in our society.

Perhaps we should be annoyed with a government that doesn’t seem to understand that, while individuals make up a society, Society is a collective, where the greater good of all members is considered.

Perhaps we should think, long and hard, about what we can possibly do to create a society where we are committed to providing the basics for all our children, and start to move towards a nation that fulfills the promise of the Proclamation of 1916 and ‘cherish all the children of the nation equally’.

Hazel Katherine Larkin is a ‘caffeine-fuelled social justice campaigner’. Follow Haxel on Twitter @HazelKLarkin.

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79 thoughts on “Go Fund Yourself

  1. Glenda Geraghty

    same logic can be applied to a lot of the charity sector. instead of having a functioning health/social service, we have chuggers and celebrity awareness raising campaigns

    1. curmudgeon

      And then we have this chancer, posting duplicitous “concern” to raise cash for her own gofundme. Yep the second and third link in the article is a link to her own gofundme for her own daughter. Broadsheet need to issue an apology to their readers.

  2. postmanpat

    “People pay up to 52% income tax (including PRSI and USC) on the understanding that it will be used to provide for the less well off;” Wow, I didn’t know paying tax was voluntary. Can I stop?

    1. curmudgeon

      Yes but if you become self employed and only accept cash in hand; but of course that would be illegal. Now if you set yourself up as a registered charity on the other hand…

  3. b

    “Increasingly, parents are having to put their pride in their pockets, and turn to fundraising sites in order to raise what they need to provide for their children.”

    I’ve never seen this, any examples of it?

      1. b

        most of those are to fund lifesaving treatments, it’s a different discussion to “parents are having to put their pride in their pockets, and turn to fundraising sites in order to raise what they need to provide for their children”

      2. curmudgeon

        The second and third link in the duplicitous article is for the authors own gofundme

  4. Rob_G

    While I think that no-one would disagree with their tax money going to pay for children’s education, I would draw the line at paying for a child to attend a university for €7k per year, as per one of your links. People need to cut their cloth according to their measure; there are less expensive alternatives available.

    1. curmudgeon

      That one is crazy demand, I have no idea how gifted her 13 year old is but the state is absolutely providing an education for her, the mother just wants her to do a fancy university course instead. Also mentions that she’s a single mother but not where the father is and if he provides financial support.

  5. Jake38

    I totally agree.

    Can Ms Larkin now tell us what the new rate of tax will be, or which services/costs she plans to cut to generate the necessary revenue?

    1. curmudgeon

      I doubt she cares after all the gofundme (2nd link in article) page is FOR HER OWN DAUGHTER

      1. curmudgeon

        The gofund me is to raise cash for herself/her daughter. No I’m not making that up.

  6. Abc@def.com

    So, why send to the OU and pay mad fees for years? Why not ‘normal’ Irish Universitit’s, which are free:

    https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/international/europe/ireland/tuition-fees-in-ireland/
    This covers the fee issue. Regarding the spurious m’medical arguement, to stimulate the child’s brain cells,
    Or, to help Harvard, one of the top universities in the entire world, provide free online courses:
    https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/frequently-asked-questions/faq-free-courses

    Now, that’s both problems solved, best of luck and no need to whinge about money!

  7. SOQ

    I am a busy queen right now so scanned post is that processional journalist with a high fertility cannot afford the SUV school run in a 18-2 reg these days.

    Did – I – miss – anything?

    1. curmudgeon

      You and everyone else missed the fact that the article is nothing more than a dishonest attempt to get money from broadsheet readers/suckers. ITS FOR HER OWN GOFUNDME

      1. SOQ

        Is this the same one doing a PhD in social science? Why would you even be in Dublin doing a forth level thing which is never going to get you a job.

        Unless you had enough money to scratch your ar$e h0le then write 40 page essay about the smell omitting your finger of course.

        1. curmudgeon

          Sure why get a job when you can just lie your ass off on broadsheet.ie and swindle free money from their readers?

        2. Picard

          Vanity.
          Same with the 13 year old doing a degree.
          This is such a bag idea on so many levels.

  8. Picard

    I am really disappointed that Broadsheet would run this, and not make it clear that the links where to the authors GoFundMe.

    I appreciate that the author has had a tough upbringing. But if you really want your daughter to do this OU course. Perhaps give up your vanity PhD and find a job that pays enough for you to fund your daughters course.

    I see that the author had a privious GoFundMe campain, for her LLM. And stated that she needed it as the final element to find a job.

    I’m sorry, please put the begging bowel away. There are people who do need money from fundraisng and I am sorry. But you are not one of them.

    And for a self proclaimed writer. Your prose is awful.

    1. Curmudgeon

      Hell of a difference between not making something clear and outright deceit for financial gain;which this clearly is. Broadsheet owe us an apology and not just remove the article and pretend like it never happened as they’ve done in the past.

      1. Picard

        I’m amazed Hazel has tried to defend herself and counter some of the claims being made here. It’s very telling.

      1. Curmudgeon

        Yes and the other two are. Which is exactly the problem she’s being dishonest and deliberately obfuscated her true intention /reason for submitting this article. That’s amoral on her part and utterly unacceptable for broadsheet

        1. JustMe

          In the interest of transparency, I should add that I am Brendan’s mother (of the first gofundme link in the article). Meant to say that in my above reply to you. Phone rang and I hit send too soon :-)

          1. curmudgeon

            Not a problem at all, and I wish you (and all carers – parents or not) all the very best.

          2. Picard

            I don’t think anyone is critizing you, and it’s disgraceful that you are in a position where you are forced to resort to fundraising. While other people think they are perfectly entitled to pop out a few kids. Faff about with college courses and not work for 13 years, all while the state supports them.

  9. Pat O’Toole

    So, why send the child to the OU and pay mad fees for years? Why not ‘normal’ Irish Universities, which are free:

    https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/international/europe/ireland/tuition-fees-in-ireland/

    This covers the fee issue. Regarding the spurious medical arguement, to stimulate the child’s brain cells, Harvard, one of the top universities in the entire world, provide free online courses:

    https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/frequently-asked-questions/faq-free-courses

    Now, that’s both medical and money problems solved, best of luck and no need to whinge about money!

  10. Mickey O’Se

    Really shocking to read that this person has been begging for money to finish a masters law degree, now wants to leech from decent people to send kid to what is essentially a private school. And then roll out the old chestnut ‘my child needs this medically so everyone should pay’. Some people are so flippin’ lazy it is disgusting.

    Well said Pat O’Toole – will those have their donations returned? Hopefully she hasn’t paid 52% tax on this taxable income or they’ll only get 48% back! (Surely she should have asked for people to give up 2 cups of coffee a day to cover the tax bill she now owes the state?)

    1. Mo Salad-Bar

      Interesting that the Go ef yourself campaign is asking people to donate instead of buying coffee, however, the whinger/recipient is a ‘caffeine-fuelled social justice campaigner’. Maybe, in addition to getting a job, any job (McDonald’s actually offers very good conditions for working mums), rather than amassing qualifications she should follow her own advice and have fewer coffees.

      Quite a few people here legitimately giving out about the fraudulent nature of these campaigns, gofundme does have a reporting mechanism for these sort of claims.

    2. Picard

      My kids would love a first class flight to NYC and a couple of nights in the Plazas presidential suite. Do wonders for their mental health. Any chance of throwing me a few bob Hazel. Only seems fair like.

  11. Picard

    Any chance of someone from Broadsheet commenting on this, or even just putting up a disclaimer that two of the GoFundMe accounts belong to the author.

    This is really bugging me. It’s underhanded and deceitful. I really expected more of Broadsheet.

    And Hazel while I appreciate you have been through a lot. You also have written about a financial settlemt that was agreed to but never followed up on. So perhaps instead of putting out your begging bowel and asking collective social conscience to finance your lifestyle. Perhaps go see a legal professional and follow up on your settlement.

    1. Bob

      > Any chance of someone from Broadsheet commenting on this, or even just putting up a disclaimer that two of the GoFundMe accounts belong to the author.

      No chance.
      Broadsheet doesn’t work that way.

      They might delete the whole story or delete entire comments but don’t expect anything like a proper news site would do. (I’d almost say they never do updates or corrections but only to provoke a reaction and get someone to prove me wrong a show a rare case where they actually have bothered.)

      1. Curmudgeon

        Just a FYI they have already deleted a few of my comments on this thread. I have contacted them on the contacts link on the homepage about this thread and that was a few days ago.

  12. Pat O’Toole

    My little one is gifted too – a gift from an Indian adoption racket, though I only realised this after I paid money, so a gift of a different kind.

  13. Phil McCracken

    Now hold on there, are you trying to say there are trafficked Indian children living in Ireland? What sort of animals would traffick children and pretend to the world they were adopted? Or worse still, pretend they were the birth children? I guess scrupulous ‘begging bowel’ types – I wonder were the poor trafficked kids bought with a GoFundMe campaign too? The world is a sick, sick place.

  14. Phyllis Balls

    Are you guys actually for real? I mean, what sort of person would actually feed into the trafficking trade? Words fail me. What do you say, Hazel, let’s start a GFM appeal to have baby traffickers from India prosecuted? Now that *would* be a social justice cause worth worrying our begging bowels over – and quieten the critics down… do you have any contacts in Asia we could use? (Even better if we could tap them up for a few quid – I know one or two whom are very wealthy and social campaigners too!) – please get in touch.

  15. Picard

    Well, that is pretty shocking. If someone wanted to find out more about this. What should one put into Google to find find out more about who this social justice warrior might be.

  16. Picard

    After two hours of googling, I still have no idea what the Indian adoption posts are about.

    Can somebody please spell it out for me.

  17. P. Ness-Singh

    Is it possibles that some people’s in Ireland are too lazy to work? Internet website shows 1109 jobs in restaurants in Dublin right now. Wiping jobs do not hurt people so only pride stops them or being lazy. Which one is it here? Lazy or pride? No requirement for the begging bowls Mrs Hazel.

    1. Rob_G

      Isn’t it well for some – I’m currently busting my hole at evening classes as well as doing a full week at work. I should have just had a kid and gotten on the free-money party train like Hazel; I would be able to continue my academic pursuits at my leisure then.

      1. Picard

        Exactly why bother.
        All abroad the baby gravy train.
        The do what you want, if the state wont pay. Sure just spin a few sob stories.
        I genuinely didnt think there where people like this. I thought it was just right wing politicos scare mongering.

      2. TeaChest

        +1

        Exactly. I’m taxed to the eyeballs, then this one tries to get me to part with my after-tax money for a shaky if not phantom campaign rooted in apparent laziness? I will in me hole sponsor this one

  18. Mike Rotch

    I must agree with P. Ness-Singh, plenty of jobs but plenty of lazy ppl too. No wonder the Polish come over here and make money – and not a begging bowl in sight. Is Hazel unable to work or just lazy? What sort of work is she looking for?

    1. Picard

      Those tweets, it reminds me about all the absurd claims the Tories used to make about single mothers in the 80s. Except this time they are all true. Are we goi g to find out she has a speedboat out the back garden aswell. This whole thing is disgusting. I don’t know how Hazel can have the gall to call out the government for not supporting families in Ireland. And see herself in the same position as Brendans mam. I’m really sick at the thought that someone who hasn’t had a job in 13 years, and in that time has undertaken three degrees, and taken a family gap year. Has the utter gall to ask people to subsidise a vanity degree for her child and herself. . The open University don’t even let people under the age of 18 enroll in courses.

    2. Rob_G

      Quote:

      “my girls and i took a gap year last year. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, UK. It was great”

      Those are some of the most expensive destinations in the world; maybe if she hadn’t have spent all her money on that, she would have the €8k for her daughters fees, not have to put the hand out for it.

      1. Rob_G

        Seriously, the government needs to revise the single family payment; either the payment is too high, or there is some fiddle going on if someone can travel around the world for a year with (as least) two kids and still get the mickey money coming in every month.

  19. Silver_shadow

    Well, I dunno… but this Hazel Larkin one seems to have a few scams going.
    I mean between the tweets I found and the course mentioned above by curmudgeon:
    “How does this strike you. 250 euro per person for a non accredited 2 day course run by her
    https://i.imgur.com/Lp6oqQR.png“.

    So she’s no time to find a job for over a decade, has loads of time to do 3 degrees (and I saw on her profile “PhD candidate”, so still at it). Goes on a world trip that we could only dream of, and is now scrounging via GFM and trying to piggy-back on a poor kid in real need of help (Brendan).

    Surely this kind of scrounging snake-oil merchant can’t just take euros from everyone like that?

    #reallypissedoffaboutthis

    1. Picard

      Yeah this is really bugging me. The sense of entitlement.
      Hmm I need my ego stroked Ill just put out the begging bowel.

      What really bugs me is that Hazel has a legitimate source of funds. In one of her articles she states that her brother made an out of court settlement with her. She goes on to say that he has not made payment yet. But thats what the courts are for. You have a settlement you are legally entitled to. But instead of getting legal advise and following up on it. You put out the begging bowel.

      No job is 13 years, with a gap year during one of those years. Its infuriating, especially when the money given to Hazel could be put to much better use.

      And some posters have made thinly vailed allegations of child trafficking.

      What is going on here?

      I am sorry if it seems like I am personally attacking you Hazel. But this is just so infuriating, on the face of it. You seem like a good person who wants to do right for socirty and her children. But when you break it down, you obfuscated the real reasoning behind your posting. Which is raise cash for you!! You clearly have no interest in getting a job to support yourself and your family. You are happy to live off state handouts, that seem to be supporting a pretty cushy life. And then have the audacity to claim the government (Who I am not even that big a fan of) are not doing enough to HELP YOU!!!

      You are the most deluded and self entitled person I have ever met.
      Its like some neo con summoned up every worst lie a Tory or Republican ever said about someone on social welfare and made you the physical embodiment of it,

      I cant believe how riled up this has made me.

  20. Dew Ceenob

    Why is this happening in Holy Ireland? It’s like a script from Dallas – mad bee-ach tells a bag of lies, swindles a load of money and has a round-the-world trip… and then swindles a load more money by pretending there’s a medical need. This is the sort of thing that happens in Southfork (or even Southpark) rather than Ireland. Makes me angry too.

  21. Picard

    Someone started a thread about this on Reddit earlier. How long before this post gets pulled.

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