Welcome

To the Coalition for Independent Action – where we celebrate the power of voluntary and community action to challenge and change the world around us.

The Coalition is a new alliance of organisations and individuals who have come together out of frustration and anger to object to the state of UK Voluntary and Community Sectors. We believe there is a crisis in our ability to act independently from Government and other powerful interests, and to be part of the checks we need within our democracy. This threat to independent action will, unless challenged, undermine our civil society, our political health, and the capacity of communities to get what they need for themselves.

We aim to mobilise, support and work with those who share our concerns; to combine to expose and resist the current direction of travel; to have our own agendas; and to become actively involved in dissent where this is needed. We will build a strong voice to give confidence to those wanting to speak out and take action, and to create an alternative way of doing things. We will challenge and impede, as we can, the juggernaut that is rolling over us – whether it be driven by central government, local statutory bodies or compliant voluntary organisations.

 

Hear us Cry Freedom in an article in Third Sector. Read Who's in Charge of Independence?

And here's yet more delights of what the Government has in store for us - according to the Minister in charge of the Third Sector we must work as partners with the State, not rivals. According to Phil, he's going to help us "compete for and win public service contracts" http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/19/voluntarysector.publicservices

So here's your choice - you can either take your instructions from the Government or you can join with the Coalition to do it your way, alongside fellow travellers. Read about an antidote to Government intentions www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/mar/19/voluntarysector

And here's an alternative opinion about voluntary action and public services so why not join the discussions and influence what the Coalition says and does through our google group 

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Our Quote of the Week

Just when we'd given up on power to the people, we were contacted by Antonis from Crete, who explains....."Until yesterday I was a mild radical of limited means, but now Brown attacks my meagre pension. Today I am transformed into an arthritic, but fiery revolutionary. Today, I jest not, the Treasury spokeswoman declared the government is opposed to 'unfair inequality', but is heartily committed, we presume, to the continuation of 'fair inequality'. I know, I've been drinking, but my mother [she's 89] and I have had enough. Our cry is, 'Civil society arise, you have nothing to lose, but your debts!'

Pensioners Direct Action will be meeting at scattered, secret venues across Europe this week. Contact Pigeons Express on 19171936 1984 for further misleading information.

Yours incognito

Antonis"

And, have you come across Furey's Law of Charity Growth?

 
'A charity will grow until it reaches a critical point where the amount of time, effort and money spent on running the charity exceeds that spent on its charitable aims.' (2008)

 

 

To find out more about who we are and what we're doing, go to about us

If you're affected by the Government's plans to cut funds to black groups, or others working with particular communities, read about the help you can get to challenge this Single Issue Funding Cuts

To hear about the threats to independence, go to the Bad News Stories

To find out what action others are taking, go to Good News Stories

Want to resist the move to buy your soul through commissioning? Go to Say no to commissioning 

To contact us, find out more, get newsletters or join us, go to Sign Up

 

And, we're busy working to refresh our website - dynamic it is not! So watch out for our relaunch later this year.