Well Darlings,
If you scan through the recent news headlines, you could easily become depressed. Wars and civil disturbances are raging in many parts of the world, with other huge areas battling unrelenting freak weather conditions, while at home in the UK massive pay rises and bonuses for many of our big bosses are seeing the rich-poor divide continue to widen, and despite its screening efforts, our health service reports cases of breast cancer are increasing alarmingly. And as if that wasn't enough bad news, we now hear that in the bastion of all things cultural, Liverpool, any hopes of David Cameron's 'Big Society' have hit the dirt with a resounding bang.
From those that volunteered, four local authorities were chosen to take part in Big Society pilot schemes, with the aim of giving community groups and volunteers more control over the local budgets and services. Picked were: Liverpool, the Eden Valley in Cumbria, Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, and Sutton and Cheam in south-west London. A Big Society Bank, with assets of �400 million drawn on dormant bank and building society accounts, was set up to help them achieve David's dream society - however all does not appear to be going well.
The way I see it, one man's dream is many other men's nightmare! For decades now councils have striven to take over and control everything they could possibly get their hands on, in an ever-expanding authoritarian society. It is what has seen our councils grow at an alarming rate, and cost us an absolute fortune. The vast 'army' of controllers we now possess will not give up their powers (and jobs) easily. They will fight tooth and nail to defend their powerful positions, telling us they are vital, and we can expect a lot of muck-spreading.
In an age when headlines seem to mean everything, I have a fear that David Cameron may not achieve his Big Society. People are already shrinking away from the idea in huge numbers. Bombarded daily in the press by job-loss fearing councils' screams, the public see and hear of only the cuts being made, and do not realise the lack of local initiative being shown, where in many cases, for a fraction of the costs involved, the affected services might be maintained and sometimes improved.
David's idea of a Big Society has created a stand-off where, like so often with the unions when they have a grievance, it is the public that gets hurt. He may need to think again, and while what he might come up with could prove costly in the short-term, I believe it would still be worthwhile. If something like crack teams with red tape-cutting powers could be employed to tour the country, becoming involved with local communities and helping them in setting up workable schemes, the freedoms the people would regain and enjoy would overshadow any cost imaginable, and pay off in the longer term.
For decades ordinary people, and small businesses, have been choked by an ever-tightening noose of red tape and unnecessary regulation, as local authorities have taken control over just about everything. Cut that away and we really could have the community centres we need and deserve. For a fraction of the price we pay today, we could cater for the old and young, house the libraries, post offices, tea rooms, social, OAP, and youth clubs, and everything else the people might want, in many cases all under one cost-saving roof, and all run by local people, community people who really understand the local needs.
It would take time to rebuild our communities, but Homo sapiens is a sociable beast (it is the one asset we had over Neanderthal man, and it saved us from extinction!), so eventually it would happen. Do we really need whole government departments overseeing everyone, with untold paid staff ticking boxes on forms in offices with expensive lighting and heating bills, just to ensure old Bert gets to his day centre when he, or his carer, only has to ask Fred to pick him up? People look after each other in a community, in the overwhelming majority they care about each other (unlike today!), so old Bill's needs would never be forgotten. I grew up in such a society, and believe me: I know it was far better than the box-ticking, regulatory, unlistening and uncaring, at arm's length one we suffer now.
Admitting society has taken a wrong turn is hard for some people, especially those in unnecessary but self-important jobs. They will tell you we shouldn't go back, it could never be the same, and that is probably true. Things are rarely the same the second time around, particularly for the people who remember the first time, but they could still be a whole lot better than what we have now, and I can't think of a better starting point from which to strive for improvement.
Only as individuals with responsibilities can we ever truly hope to improve society, and our lot. It cannot be done by authority imposing its will on what it considers its minions - that is simply the cart leading the horse; it is the will of the people that should matter the most. It may be hard to accept, but when harnessed like that (with apologies to Acts 9:5) the people will always kick against the pricks!
The Bitch!
read original here
If you scan through the recent news headlines, you could easily become depressed. Wars and civil disturbances are raging in many parts of the world, with other huge areas battling unrelenting freak weather conditions, while at home in the UK massive pay rises and bonuses for many of our big bosses are seeing the rich-poor divide continue to widen, and despite its screening efforts, our health service reports cases of breast cancer are increasing alarmingly. And as if that wasn't enough bad news, we now hear that in the bastion of all things cultural, Liverpool, any hopes of David Cameron's 'Big Society' have hit the dirt with a resounding bang.
From those that volunteered, four local authorities were chosen to take part in Big Society pilot schemes, with the aim of giving community groups and volunteers more control over the local budgets and services. Picked were: Liverpool, the Eden Valley in Cumbria, Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, and Sutton and Cheam in south-west London. A Big Society Bank, with assets of �400 million drawn on dormant bank and building society accounts, was set up to help them achieve David's dream society - however all does not appear to be going well.
The way I see it, one man's dream is many other men's nightmare! For decades now councils have striven to take over and control everything they could possibly get their hands on, in an ever-expanding authoritarian society. It is what has seen our councils grow at an alarming rate, and cost us an absolute fortune. The vast 'army' of controllers we now possess will not give up their powers (and jobs) easily. They will fight tooth and nail to defend their powerful positions, telling us they are vital, and we can expect a lot of muck-spreading.
In an age when headlines seem to mean everything, I have a fear that David Cameron may not achieve his Big Society. People are already shrinking away from the idea in huge numbers. Bombarded daily in the press by job-loss fearing councils' screams, the public see and hear of only the cuts being made, and do not realise the lack of local initiative being shown, where in many cases, for a fraction of the costs involved, the affected services might be maintained and sometimes improved.
David's idea of a Big Society has created a stand-off where, like so often with the unions when they have a grievance, it is the public that gets hurt. He may need to think again, and while what he might come up with could prove costly in the short-term, I believe it would still be worthwhile. If something like crack teams with red tape-cutting powers could be employed to tour the country, becoming involved with local communities and helping them in setting up workable schemes, the freedoms the people would regain and enjoy would overshadow any cost imaginable, and pay off in the longer term.
For decades ordinary people, and small businesses, have been choked by an ever-tightening noose of red tape and unnecessary regulation, as local authorities have taken control over just about everything. Cut that away and we really could have the community centres we need and deserve. For a fraction of the price we pay today, we could cater for the old and young, house the libraries, post offices, tea rooms, social, OAP, and youth clubs, and everything else the people might want, in many cases all under one cost-saving roof, and all run by local people, community people who really understand the local needs.
It would take time to rebuild our communities, but Homo sapiens is a sociable beast (it is the one asset we had over Neanderthal man, and it saved us from extinction!), so eventually it would happen. Do we really need whole government departments overseeing everyone, with untold paid staff ticking boxes on forms in offices with expensive lighting and heating bills, just to ensure old Bert gets to his day centre when he, or his carer, only has to ask Fred to pick him up? People look after each other in a community, in the overwhelming majority they care about each other (unlike today!), so old Bill's needs would never be forgotten. I grew up in such a society, and believe me: I know it was far better than the box-ticking, regulatory, unlistening and uncaring, at arm's length one we suffer now.
Admitting society has taken a wrong turn is hard for some people, especially those in unnecessary but self-important jobs. They will tell you we shouldn't go back, it could never be the same, and that is probably true. Things are rarely the same the second time around, particularly for the people who remember the first time, but they could still be a whole lot better than what we have now, and I can't think of a better starting point from which to strive for improvement.
Only as individuals with responsibilities can we ever truly hope to improve society, and our lot. It cannot be done by authority imposing its will on what it considers its minions - that is simply the cart leading the horse; it is the will of the people that should matter the most. It may be hard to accept, but when harnessed like that (with apologies to Acts 9:5) the people will always kick against the pricks!
The Bitch!
read original here
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