Use of the Lobbying Act to control electoral media agenda / silence NGOs

[Bernie Gunther]

This is interesting. The suggestion is that the Lobbying Act is being used to shut up NGOs who are critical of neo-liberal policies by means of legal threats.

By restricting the ability to say anything which may be interpreted as favouring or disadvantage any major party, it's preventing charities and NGOs from raising vital questions. It's stopping them from broadening the focus of the vote from that chosen by the Tories and their pet journalists to the daily worries of the most vulnerable in our society.<snip>

I've spoken to a number of people across the voluntary sector, discussing the effect of the legislation. Every conversation started the same way: neither individuals nor organisations wanted to be identified for fear of reprisal - including from an increasingly politicised Charity Commission. But they all told me the same thing.

Again and again, senior staff at major charities and NGOs said that the Lobbying Act is stopping them from doing what they see as their jobs.

http://www.theecologist.org/campaig...have_stifled_their_most_powerful_critics.html

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I didn't know about this. It seems to be an undemocratic nightmare.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Yep.

"It's galling to see the heads of the biggest, richest organisations in the UK speaking out, but those who represent the poorest and most vulnerable are not able to speak out."

source above

 

[jakethesnake]

I didn't know about this. It seems to be an undemocratic nightmare.

I've just listened to a (piss poor) discussion on radio 4's 10:00 news about how the public get their voices heard by politicians and not one mention was made of this.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

I'd suggest getting out there and making a fuss about it.

I'd been wondering why we were hearing so little from charities about the damage caused by austerity during the election campaign.

The fact that the Tories are gagging them with legal threats really ought to be an issue discussed in public no?

 

[Libertad]

It's as if the law had been created for exactly this scenario, surprised much?

 

[fucthest8]

38 degrees and a host of other organisations rather pointed this out last year and before, so, no, no surprise

Example http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/01/20/the-lobbying-bill-what-should-mps-do-this-wednesday/

 

[Libertad]

38 degrees and a host of other organisations rather pointed this out last year and before, so, no, no surprise

Example http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/01/20/the-lobbying-bill-what-should-mps-do-this-wednesday/

Hence the sarcasm.

 

[fucthest8]

Hence the sarcasm.

Indeed, I meant it more for Bernie tbh, I rather figured you'd already got it.

 

[jakethesnake]

Luckily we've got a strongly independent media who are unafraid to hold those in power to account and speak up for those organisations that have been cowed by this legal threat... oh, hang on...

 

[teqniq]

Interesting that I thought, certainly naively it would seem that the act would curtail the activities of such unsavoury characters as representatives of private healthcare, fossil fuels and the arms industry and similar bottom-feeders. Lo and behold, it is being used to silence perfectly legitimate dissent. I thought it was too easy, cunts.

 

[teqniq]

Here is some lobbying that seems to be perfectly ok:

Shell and BP alone eclipse renewable energy sector on access to ministers

 

[Sasaferrato]

I read the article in full.

The answer is simple. The law regarding restriction of political activity by registered charities has been in place for a long time. If bodies like the NUS feel so strongly about this legislation, and feel that they are being gagged, then de-register as a charity. You can have your cake, or you can eat your cake, you can't do both.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Here is some lobbying that seems to be perfectly ok:

Shell and BP alone eclipse renewable energy sector on access to ministers

I wonder why that is? Could it be that renewable energy is not in itself capable of keeping the lights on? Could it be that oil produces a hell of a lot more than petrol and heavy oil for shipping and electricity generation.

We could be self sufficient in energy generation without the use of oil, by the use of tidal energy in the form of barrages across suitable sea lochs, however, the hugely hypocritical environmental lobby, would do their best to block this, on the grounds of habitat disruption.

 

[jakethesnake]

I read the article in full.

The answer is simple. The law regarding restriction of political activity by registered charities has been in place for a long time. If bodies like the NUS feel so strongly about this legislation, and feel that they are being gagged, then de-register as a charity. You can have your cake, or you can eat your cake, you can't do both.

Or have the balls to fight it in court. Unfortunately, as it says in the article, the charity sector has been bought off to a large extent (under the last Labour government) to provide services that the state once provided, eg, housing, drug and alcohol addictions treatment and so on; the heads of these charities have got used to a certain level of funding and the inflated wages that go along with them and are loath to rock the boat.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Or have the balls to fight it in court. Unfortunately, as it says in the article, the charity sector has been bought off to a large extent (under the last Labour government) to provide services that the state once provided, eg, housing, drug and alcohol addictions treatment and so on; the heads of these charities have got used to a certain level of funding and the inflated wages that go along with them and are loath to rock the boat.

Glad to know that my cynicism regarding the charity sector is shared, at least in some part.

 

[jakethesnake]

Glad to know that my cynicism regarding the charity sector is shared, at least in some part.

Mate, I've been working in the so-called 3rd sector for the last 15 years: my cynicism regarding charities, their bosses and how they treat their work force and their clients knows no bounds.

 

[Casually Red]

I was reading something recently about Save the Children fund pretty much being a front for some of the worlds most notorious child killers, such as Tony Blair . A real rogues gallery of scum behind it .