Sir, – Michael McDowell raises concerns about the use of public funds to influence public opinion by non-profit organisations (“Quangos have vanished, only to be replaced by something worse, Tangos, tax-aided non-governmental organisations”, Opinion & Analysis, September 13th).
These organisations are not funded solely by the State. The Irish community and voluntary (CV) sector raises more than half of its income through fundraising. Many smaller organisations, particularly those engaged in grassroots activism described in the article, receive no public funding.
Without these organisations, many marginalised groups and issues would go unrepresented. Vulnerable children, people with disabilities, older people, the LGBTQ+ community, and people experiencing homelessness are not powerful interest groups.
Finally, these organisations do not just exist to fill gaps in existing services, but to highlight underlying causes and the need to improve policy approaches. The voice of civil society is an integral part of achieving social progress.
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Proposals to remove all public monies from socially beneficial programmes or organisations are, therefore, inappropriate. – Yours, etc,
IVAN COOPER,
CEO,
The Wheel,
The National Association
of Charities,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – I enjoyed Michael McDowell’s article. I’m glad someone is standing up to the insufferable bossiness of NGOs and Tangos.
It reminds me of that ad for a certain fizzy drink, “You know when you’ve been Tango’d.” – Yours, etc,
MARY BYRNE,
Dublin 8.
