How scandalous even to imagine that there is merit in sending money to good causes without the intermediation of any state bureaucrats or committees, writes Dominic Lawson in the UK daily newspaper, the Independent.

"Verily, it is said, no good deed goes unpunished. In this country, at least, the news that a group of the world's richest men, including Microsoft's Bill Gates, have agreed to give at least half of their £150bn total fortunes to charity, has met with a distinctly cool reaction. "What's in it for them?" seems the common response – or "Beware of geeks bearing gifts", as one headline most wittily expressed this opinion.

It may well be true that by making such an announcement, these plutocrats, co-ordinated by the folksy Nebraskan multi-billionaire Warren Buffett, hope to bathe in the warm glow of public affection; and it may also be that they are not motivated simply and exclusively by the desire to improve the lot of humanity. So what?,"

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