popular jewels of democracy, or grandstanding propagandist grit in its machinery?
Q: What is an NGO (non-governmental organisation)? A: They are many and various: almost any organisation that isn’t official gets called an NGO sometimes. So sometimes (for instance by the UN) businesses and corporations are called NGOs. But more normally, they are campaign groups. But many campaign groups (Oxfam, Doctors Without Frontiers, even Greenpeace) also run projects (aid work, medical work, businesses and so on). Q: Are campaigners valuable? A: Modern free societies are hugely vibrant, and in part that’s because of some basic freedoms, especially the right to free association and to free speech. People can come together to argue for any case they like, especially cases “the state” may not like. Campaigners, therefore, are an expression of free society, and they contribute to maintaining society’s freedoms. Arguably, however, they are inclined to a “left-leaning” view of what freedoms matter most. Q: Are there different sorts of NGO? A: As we said above, yes, sure. One of the b
