I geuinely do not understand how the completely different characteristics between small local v large national are not front and centre of any discussion about the voluntary / third sector.

I suspect it is because all the power (like the revenue) to drive the narrative lies with the nationals

The article doesn't distinguish between the small, local community based organisations and the large nationals that are professionalised and commercialised to the point where they have largely lost any civic accoutability.

The banks lost billions in 2008, 'lost where?', 'who got that money?', 'why can we not get it back?'.

The fact that our state institutions do not even ask these questions never mind attempt to answer them fundamentally undermines their trutworthiness and credibility.

That is actually a very common Scottish saying meaning 'to leave yourself open for a good skelping', as in 'If ma wages arenae in theday my erse'll be hingin oot the windae'