Motion on begging to Dublin City Council

Motion. Beggars- The government’s intention to criminalise beggars who seek alms within 10 metres of the entrance to a business premises through the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Bill 2010 is an unnecessary banishing of the social reality of Ireland to the margins. We bail out the plutocrats and hide the poor. I propose that the majority of Dublin City Councillors oppose this philosophy and will prove this through a roll call vote.

Jesus told a story about a beggar, Lazarus, and a rich man. Lazarus had begged daily in front of this rich man’s house but the rich man never gave him anything. Both men died. The beggar found himself in comfort with Abraham, but the rich man was in agony in a burning fire. He was thirsty so he asked Abraham to send the beggar to give him a drop of water to cool his tongue. Abraham reminded the rich man that he was reaping what he had sowed in the way he had treated the beggar when they both lived. He refused his request.