Good for the Goose

The news that is today reported by Third Sector that the Charities Commission has fired a shot over the bows of 16 Muslim organisations for supporting Ken Livingston has eery echoes of what will be happening in the Palace of Westminster over the next few weeks.

The 16 Charities were amongst 63 Muslim organisations that signed an open letter on the Guardian's Comment is Free website on the 3rd January.

According to the Charities Commission,

“The British Muslim Initiative has assured us that the individuals who signed the letter did so as private individuals rather than representing the charities’ views. The initiative has now made this clear on its website, and we have written to the charities involved to advise them on the type of political activity a charity can be involved in.”

Of course given the change in the law governing charities and political affiliation the fact that the Government has made it very clear that its key defence of the Constitution/Lisbon Treaty is that much of the NGO world support them is of great relevance.

As North points out on EU Referendum (and here) most of these NGO's are receiving significant funding from The Government and the EU, making them rather more Para than Non Governmental organisations.

"These are all part of this vast network of influence, all buying into the "project". And having been nurtured by the EU, the EU is calling in its marker, expecting them to spring forward to help the British government defend the new treaty, pretending to be independent "third-party support".

It is difficult to believe how far the EU has infiltrated our "civil society" until you see the evidence for yourself. So deep is the rot though that, whenever an organisation stands up in support of the EU, you can bet that, somewhere – and not very deep down - EU money is talking".

Is it too cynical to suggest that these law changes, taking place as they did after the No votes in France and Holland were in part driven by the desire to recruit the support of the 'Third Sector' in the then looming and now present debate over Europe?