'The Third Sector and The Fourth Estate'!

The problem with me is although I’m an ‘oldie’ now I still have an enquiring mind so when I see an item on Manx Radio referring to ‘The Third Sector’ I wonder just what it is. I always find the term somewhat dystopian:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/third-sector-plays-down-...

The first sector is private enterprise. The second sector is the public services so I suppose the Trade Union movement is the ‘Two point five sector’. So what’s the third sector?

I don’t recall the third sector being mentioned much back when I was a Trade Unionist on the Manx TUC we just called charities by their individual charity names but presumably they’ve formed a kind of ‘third sector’ equivalent of the TUC but if they have I can’t find much online about it - maybe I’m looking in the wrong place.

‘The third sector’ seem to be pretty uncontroversial when it comes to statements about government perhaps that’s why Chief Minister Howard Quayle and Chris Thomas MHK seem to get on with them. I mean they’re not like PAG or Travelwatch who are always complaining.

Enquiring from some of my friends who are a bit more worldly wise than me they said they thought the DHSC published a Directory of ‘the third sector’ so maybe there is some tie up with government and they are a sort of ‘Dads Army’ for the Public Services.

I did find out some info and that it that there are about 5/600 voluntary, community and faith groups on the Island and they contribute something like £100 million to support services. We should know more maybe there could be a ‘ThirdSectorFest’ - hang on perhaps not Chris Thomas MHK would want to speak at it! Where does ‘the third sector’ come from was it always there but just didn’t want to be presumptuous? Do they have a ‘pink book’ like the government and a ‘Third Sector AGM’ or do they all do their own thing. You would think Tim Glover and the crew up at Manx Radio would ask these questions. I mean when I used to wax a bit bolshie in my Trade Union days the News Editor would say ‘well you would say that wouldn’t you you’re just representing your own members’. I took it from that the Radio knew the ins and outs of the Trade Union movement so always used to let it pass even though it made us sound a bit selfish. Perhaps the media also have the inside story on ‘The Third Sector;’as well but they’re just not telling us. Maybe Adrian Darbyshire at IOM Newspapers could do an ‘inside the Third Sector’ expose. It would be better than some of the turgid tripe that has been in the newspapers lately.

I’m wondering if there is not an interest group in society that’s neglected - ‘the workers sector’. I don’t mean the ones in Trade Unions because they look after their members - Manx Radio told me - but the two thirds of workers not in Unions. Perhaps there is scope for another sector although it would have to be ‘the Fifth Sector’ because the media occupy the Fourth Estate! Apparently the Fourth Estate are ‘a segment of society that wields an indirect but significant influence on society even though it is not a formally recognized part of the political system’ - and there was me thinking that was the Chamber of Commerce!

Bernard Moffatt