State-funded organisations are vital part of society, but we must keep our independence

Sir, – Let’s not rehearse the arguments about a valued organisation’s recent short video on a social issue. It is now morphing into something much bigger: the independence of civil society to act and whether state-funded organisations should have a voice.

There is something telling, and strangely un-Irish, about the language being used in recent attacks on civil society.

The repeated use of the term “NGOs”, rather than the more familiar “community and voluntary organisations” or “charities”, is revealing. It is a label increasingly associated with the culture wars being waged elsewhere and is one that risks importing those divisions into Irish public life.

The main line of attack is about the use of “public money” or “taxpayers’ money”. To us in the sector, all our funding is “public money”, whether it’s provided by the State, from donations and fundraising, or generated (eg charity shops). We serve the public good.

We are well aware of our responsibility to ensure value for money and impact and for public scrutiny of spending. The vast majority of organisations bend over backwards to comply with onerous financial and governance requirements (that we campaigned for).

But make no mistake: we simply must retain our independence as a sector. Community and voluntary organisations give a voice to people who are marginalised and seldom heard, strengthen the bonds that hold our communities together and provide the leadership and advocacy needed to drive social progress.

We all know what happens when populist narratives take hold and democracies decline: they come after the foreigners, academics, media and our sector. Let’s not go there. – Yours, etc,

DÓNALL GEOGHEGAN,

Director of policy and advocacy,

The Wheel,

Dublin 2.