Sir, – The Tánaiste has suggested that charities merge because there is a duplication of services provided and to ensure that only the best charities provide the best services ("Charities should consider merging, says Tánaiste," July 16th).
The main problem with this suggestion is that the Tánaiste’s position assumes that charities are purely service providers, which is not at all the case. As well as instrumental providers of critical public services, charities are also expressive entities, meaning that they are formal assemblies where people can come together to express their values and beliefs and be part of communities that share their values in a pluralist civil society. Considering only the instrumental role of charities overlooks the important role that charities play in communities towards social cohesion. Please do not damage any social cohesion that we have in Ireland. I think if anything we need more of that, not less. – Yours, etc,
SHEILA CANNON,
Centre for Social
Engagement,
Trinity School of Business,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.