Green NGOs Spend Taxpayers’ Millions Lobbying Govt

By Paul Homewood

h/t HotScot

Green NGOs are spending millions lobbying against the interests of British taxpayers, analysis by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has found. Taxpayers’ cash received by charities including Friends of the Earth and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is being splurged on partisan political activities such as supporting parliamentary candidates and lobbying ministers. The cash has been used to block projects which experts say would bring down energy costs for consumers.

The RSPB received £27.5 million in grants from UK taxpayers in 2015 and 2016. Its sister organisation Birdlife International received the third highest amount of European Commission taxpayer funding of any green group, being granted €3.8 million. Likewise, Friends of the Earth received the second highest amount of any such group, being handed €7.6 million. In conjunction with Greenpeace (which does not receive EC funding), these charities have acted more like pressure groups by:

Orchestrating a massive media campaign to fight a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point;
Launching law suits to obstruct the construction of new power stations;
Lobbying the UK government to prevent expansion of infrastructure;
Lobbying successfully to prevent exploration for shale gas taking place in Wiltshire;
Publishing misleading advertising to influence consumer and public opinion, and spread falsehoods about shale gas exploration.