Tasc Report - Civil Society Under Duress
This report looked at the duress in its various forms experienced by civil society organisations (CSOs) in Ireland, which are in many ways reflective of experiences in many other countries. These were listed as:
Recommendations:
- Multi-year contracts – SSNO a good model
- Streamline the compliance process
- Encourage consortia and shared knowledge
- Funding for local groups providing adult education, youthwork, civic education
- Creation of a Combat Poverty type organisation – children’s rights unit is good precedent in Taoiseach’s dept
- Promote CSOs as intermediaries between residents and politicians
- A national debate about healthy democracy
- Safe spaces for online and offline dialogue
Some of the recommendations need further debate and some may be difficult to advance within the Irish political culture and administrative structure. The full report is available on the Tasc website.
- Overregulation – an increasingly demanding and intrusive charities regulation - weakening the central focus and functioning of civil society organisations
- Obstructive behaviour by states, particularly in terms of diminishing human rights such as the legality of protest. UK is a good example, but not the only one.
- The decline of pluralism, whereby different views/cultures etc., are tolerated
- The emergence of the far-right in finding a ready-made following because some disadvantaged communities have neither been heard nor responded to. Clever application of playbook practices, including calls to withdraw funding from NGOs who take contrary positions on immigration, LGBT rights groups etc
- Daily harassment on the ground – libraries with information on LGBTI matters targeted, deliberately weakening political canvassing in some areas, organised protest outside refugee centres
- Increase in self-censorship – people feeling they needing to be careful with statements, withdrawal from social media, resulting in poor staff morale
- Lack of funding, not index linked, yet increasing administrative demands and more complex needs. Lack of local activity funding – adult education, youthwork etc.
- Unattractiveness of the sector for employment, drift to state sector for better pay, resulting in declining skills/knowledge base in NGOs.
Recommendations:
- Multi-year contracts – SSNO a good model
- Streamline the compliance process
- Encourage consortia and shared knowledge
- Funding for local groups providing adult education, youthwork, civic education
- Creation of a Combat Poverty type organisation – children’s rights unit is good precedent in Taoiseach’s dept
- Promote CSOs as intermediaries between residents and politicians
- A national debate about healthy democracy
- Safe spaces for online and offline dialogue
Some of the recommendations need further debate and some may be difficult to advance within the Irish political culture and administrative structure. The full report is available on the Tasc website.