The language of the Big Society
by Max Wind-Cowie
On it rolls, the debate about what the Big Society is, without any end in sight. For many on the Left it is a smokescreen, behind which Thatcherite Neoliberalism lurks. For some on the Right it is an idealistic utopia. Many of the fiercest criticisms are founded in opposition to, or cynicism about, the growth in volunteerism that the Big Society is perceived to rely upon. Either we are told that people will not, or can not, volunteer more than they already do or we are warned about the inequalities and the divisions that may arise when people are left to do things for themselves.
Both of these fears are reasonable. The truth – that Britain already volunteers a great deal – is both reassuring and worrying. British people clearly want to work in their communities and to do so for free but are we already utilising their capacity? And what of those who have not the time, nor the skills, to contribute? Will they be shut out of the Big Society, making it small in terms of the human resource it engages?
Much of this fear, though, springs from misperception and misapplication. If the Big Society were only about volunteering it would indeed be a farcical agenda for Government – little more than a grand recruitment drive dressed up as policy. But, of course, that is not the be all and end all of the Big Society. It is about a broader refashioning of the relationship between the state and its citizens, volunteering is merely an attractive and visible example of the way in which that new relationship should work.
The truth about the Big Society can be found in two words – trust and service. It is freeing up public agencies and it is re-empowering local democracy – that is why the Government has abolished the Audit Commission and why it is pressing ahead with elected, accountable Police Chiefs.
It is doing this because progressive conservatives believe in trusting public servants to serve. Additionally, the Big Society expects its citizens, like its agencies and local bodies, to respond to the trust they are given responsibly and to remember the value and necessity of service themselves. Yes, much of that service will be structured and come through volunteering. But much of it will be far more ad-hoc: participating in a town-hall meeting, helping out on your child’s school-trip without being made to feel like a criminal. Trust breeds service: allowing it the space to grow and treating people like responsible, social adults.
It is through these two words – trust and service – that we should view the social and political reforms of the Big Society and measure their success. Not merely the numbers, or diversity, of volunteers signing up to lend their labour.
Malcolm Rasala
In the 80's Conservatives brought us privatisation. Its purpose? To pass as much as possible of the states assets to Tories (mainly). It was a land grab. Today the new land grab wheeze is the Big Society. It is interesting it started with woodlands and forests. The clear aim was to pass these assets to the Tory middle class.
Ditto the Big Society Agenda.The Tory mindset sees the £600 billion tax take and wants to grab as much of it as they can no matter how much it damages 'society'. Who will - if anyone will - seek local authority procurement contracts? Working class families on council estates. Or the middle classes? Get real. Strip away the cant. This is
the standard Tory land grab. They have been doing it for centuries. It is the only world they know. Money, money, money is the be all and end all of their existence. Its like watching 82 year Mubarak accrete to himself supposedly $70 billion. You wonder why a guy
closing in on death needs $70 billion. What can he do with it? The same greed lies behind the Big Society.
No thought from Tory think tanks on how we face the 500 billion graduates of China. Not a word on how we keep more money from
the inventions British brains create. No great ideas on wealth creation on creating the Facebooks and Googles of the future from the British invention of the internet. Not a word about creating new industries Just a grab for the spoils of the state. The same old Tories.
Greed personified. Greed ooozing through their blood.
Malcolm Rasala
PS
Ooooppps sorry. That should read 500 million not billion, well not billion yet!!!!!
James J paton
A very interesting, but too short, piece to do justice to the complexities of Big Society and its important twin 'Localism'.
The assertion that we can just free up many in public service to serve well is laughable, given that many, particularly in governance and senior management roles in local government are the (corrupt) people that need to be got rid of to allow local democracy to flourish and re gain a sense of duty - rather than trust (long since gone) and service. Most in public service would not recognise, understand or be able to define the term service. for most its a wage ( and for some doing front-line delivery - and not hiding in back and managerial offices- still a poor one) not a vocation.
The structural changes needed in local government to make it democratic open and accountable, to enable and support Big Society (assuming the private business sector will have nothing to do with it) are not addressed in the the new proposed Localism Bill, will if enacted retrench us back to an even more feudal type of local governance (but without the 19th century philanthropy of some decent local business people), where tails will increasingly wag dogs as they do currently - bad managerialist and empire building senior officers hoodwinking or just ignoring local politicians, increasingly incapable of thinking and making good local decisions- see planning for example - where officers and councillors so often get it wrong rather than right
Trust and service need structures, rules and behaviours in public and private sector life , where they are all too sadly lacking and in the 'professional' voluntary sector where they have been seriously eroded by years of government bribery, making much of the voluntary and charitable sector, civic and civil society weakend by state funded ( see gift aid) dependency.
How do like them apples?
Yours sincerely
James J Paton
Local government worker, former councillor (the 80's) and community volunteer, local charity board member and activist