Britain’s charity racket is taking over policy
One of the most obvious causes of our country’s economic distress is rarely commented on. Yet if we just step back from the turmoil of ever-higher taxes, over-breeding regulations and now tariff turmoil, we will discover the blindingly obvious. Unelected, well-funded, self-appointed lobby groups wield enormous political power in our daily lives and exert outsized influence over government policy and decision making – yet they are accountable to no one but themselves.
Familiar to anyone paying attention, but the whole piece is well worth reading, because we in the UK don't have a Donald Trump exposing the problem.
The reputation of NGOs for impartiality is constantly validated by the media, which treats them as independent organisations which, by definition, are objective and therefore authoritative because they are not tainted by political interest.
Except NGOs have become profoundly intertwined with governments and politicians and are now vested interests themselves. Perversely, without the need to continue their fight for change their purpose would disappear. When did you hear of an NGO talking itself out of the funding and jobs that go with it? That’s why pilot studies or modest reforms are never enough for NGOs, they always demand more action.
- Today’s most influential lobbyists come in the form of not-for-profit entities
- NGOs aren't actually interested in solutions to the issues they campaign on
- Activist NGOs denude consumers of choice and businesses of their ability to make a profit
One of the most obvious causes of our country’s economic distress is rarely commented on. Yet if we just step back from the turmoil of ever-higher taxes, over-breeding regulations and now tariff turmoil, we will discover the blindingly obvious. Unelected, well-funded, self-appointed lobby groups wield enormous political power in our daily lives and exert outsized influence over government policy and decision making – yet they are accountable to no one but themselves.
Familiar to anyone paying attention, but the whole piece is well worth reading, because we in the UK don't have a Donald Trump exposing the problem.
The reputation of NGOs for impartiality is constantly validated by the media, which treats them as independent organisations which, by definition, are objective and therefore authoritative because they are not tainted by political interest.
Except NGOs have become profoundly intertwined with governments and politicians and are now vested interests themselves. Perversely, without the need to continue their fight for change their purpose would disappear. When did you hear of an NGO talking itself out of the funding and jobs that go with it? That’s why pilot studies or modest reforms are never enough for NGOs, they always demand more action.
4 comments:
I have read (can't remember where) that the modern clerisy comprises of the Media, Academia and the NGOs working collaboratively. Not in a structured way but through networking and partnerships and common aims. This class of educated and intellectual elite are named as MANGOs.
DJ - it sounds right to me - we do see networking, partnerships and common aims. I have a post ready to go which not unconnected with this viewpoint in that there seems to be a superior social interchange of superior ideas. Not necessarily well grounded ideas though, just fashionable.
The really alarming aspect to this is the fact of the charities and NGOs receiving taxpayer funding via government grants. Given that they then go on to lobby for change, it is in effect a form of Government propaganda at a distance. It would be interesting to know how it is decided which charities receive the largesse. Is it areas where the government is useless at providing, so they offload the pain onto NGOs? Or is it, more cynically, areas where the government don't want to be seen to be interfering, so they can hide their intentions from the electorate? Or is is straight incompetence again, with weak leadership and poor judgement allowing the sharp operators to muscle in on government activity?
I don't suppose we'll ever know. Even though we are paying for it, and have no control over it.
Sam - yes it is alarming and part of that does seem to be incompetence with weak leadership. The NGO network seems to have grown as a natural response to numerous profitable niches within the complexity of weak and excessively large government. It supports both the complexity and the weakness, fostering both to support its survival. Byzantine government is back.
Post a Comment