Cameron launches "Big Society"

[stethoscope]

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

But perhaps other than an initial bit of money as a 'start-up', after that they're unlikely to get any more fucking money - it'll be for unpaid volunteers to try and magic services up without any local or central government funding for offices, for IT, for specialist staff, etc.

 

[mentalchik]

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

So you think people should be allowed to run what may well be vital services without regulation and safeguards re- employment ?

 

[Blagsta]

I'm still not sure why butchers wants a Muslim to come and kill me Or who Wendy is.

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

That's not what it's about Edie. This is about privatisation. Ever wonder why the buses you mentioned are expensive and shit?

 

[stethoscope]

That's not what it's about Edie. This is about privatisation. Ever wonder why the buses you mentioned are expensive and shit?

Indeed Blagsta, as I did point out earlier...

 

[little_legs]

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

the thing is that there is absolutely nothing that stops people from organising. if you really care about something, you'd normally be prepared to contribute to it, be it with money or your time. you don't need the CGHQ to tell you how to do it or give you some handout to start it.

 

[mentalchik]

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

Yes because that worked well with the banking industry didn't it ?

 

[butchersapron]

"...and Unionised " what do you mean here wendy? Tighter labour laws? What?

 

[Refused as fuck]

Middle Class Schools for Middle Class Children Now!

 

[killer b]

Middle Class Schools for Middle Class Children Now!

that's the way it'll go - the people with the best chance of making this bollocks work will be those who can write funding applications, who can fundraise effectively in their communities, and who have a fair bit of spare time to actually work on the project. i'm sure some working class communities might be able to make it work, but the odds aren't exactly stacked in their favour.

you can already see a 'fundraising consultant' industry rising around it...

 

[treelover]

it will be very divisive as many 'faith' groups. christian and muslim, etc will want to get in on the act,

The thing is, the end result of all these reforms will be a much reduced state, weaker trade unions, mass poverty, failing services and massive privatisation as the private sector buys up/into these failing services, yet many people on blogs, etc are not taking it all seriously. it feels like a 'phoney war' the calm before the storm, Cameron and co, are truly masterful at sugar coating these cuts, etc we need as Gary Younge says in the G , a new narrative, etc to undermine them.

 

[shagnasty]

A good article by Gary Younge ,we need people to speak up against these things .But even if nu labour had the will it is involved in an election contest so is not an affective opposition,but for that their poll rating as increased

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I have this sneaking suspicion that Mark Thomas is going to have some fun with this...

 

[ViolentPanda]

Basically, rural post offices are fucked.

The rural village my parents live in already has a part-time "community post office" because of the round of closures of sub-post offices in 2002-2003. It already seems to be a widespread practice. I suspect that "the big society" programme will provide excellent cover for another round of closures, and their (forced because necessary) replacement with "community post offices".
Fuck this load of sub-JFK "ask not..." rhetoric. This is the state resiling from the social compact. Why should we feel obligated to maintain our responsibilities when they're withdrawing from theirs?

 

[ViolentPanda]

post offices, yes
libraries, not sure
transport services - possibly (bin done)
housing projects. not sure

dedicated civil servants - why?

a local buy-out of a rural pub, - sure why not - can be done now
volunteers to keep museums open, - maybe
speed up broadband supply, - eh what

dynamic" charities, - already there
social enterprises - what is one of those?
voluntary groups - already exist
the running of public services. - not at all sure about that.

What much of this boils down to, though, is the gradual and ongoing replacement of public services with a patchwork of voluntary provision, along with the generation of a discourse wherein such provision becomes the "right and proper" thing, and public provision (via the state) becomes anathematised.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Of course people on the dole should do volunteer work. Otherwise their just sat about doing fuck all.

If they're coerced to do it, it's hardly volunteer work, is it?

 

[ViolentPanda]

Middle Class Schools for Middle Class Children Now!

See, I'm all for that. It'll make it easier to monitor who to put up against the wall CTR.

 

[wtfftw]

I had to turn the tv off earlier in disgust. Does Cameron have hand movements to go with "big society" like Blair did for "big tent politics"?

 

[Callie]

I still think that if people want to do shit themselves, without it being organised/ regulated/ controlled by Government and Unionised then they should get the money.

So ar eyou going to get involved do you think? What sort of area would you like to volunteer in?

 

[Steel Icarus]

CTR? Do people still say that?

 

[The39thStep]

What much of this boils down to, though, is the gradual and ongoing replacement of public services with a patchwork of voluntary provision, along with the generation of a discourse wherein such provision becomes the "right and proper" thing, and public provision (via the state) becomes anathematised.

Interesting that Tessa Jowell had this to say: "The content of today's speech is simply a brass-necked rebranding of programmes already put in place by a Labour government. Funding for a social investment bank and for community pubs was put in place in March, and residents have been involved in setting council budgets for a number of years."

 

[Edie]

Middle Class Schools for Middle Class Children Now!

The middle class already have their own schools, there called private schools. And they're much better than the fucking government run ones, where the two high schools are special measures and the only good one is c of e. The only middle class people who send there kids to the state schools think there making a political point by moving to fucking otley.

But yeah of course working class people can't run a school or a library or a fucking bus service can they. Fucking twat.

 

[stethoscope]

That's not the point Refused was making.

 

[Santino]

The middle class already have their own schools, there called private schools. And they're much better than the fucking government run ones, where the two high schools are special measures and the only good one is c of e. The only middle class people who send there kids to the state schools think there making a political point by moving to fucking otley.

But yeah of course working class people can't run a school or a library or a fucking bus service can they. Fucking twat.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Well this is day one of me being on the forefront of The Big Society, Windsor and Maidenhead being one of the trial areas.

So I will let y'all know how the Goth Volunteer Force gets on!

 

[stethoscope]

Well this is day one of me being on the forefront of The Big Society, Windsor and Maidenhead being one of the trial areas.

So I will let y'all know how the Goth Volunteer Force gets on!

Go Goth Go!

 

[Ranbay]

from what a guy said on Radio 4 yesterday to me it sounded like a massive peadophile ring, he kept going on abou the fact there is too many CRB checks and not enought scout groups?

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Go Goth Go!

My emo drop-in centre is already in preparation!

 

[Blagsta]

The middle class already have their own schools, there called private schools. And they're much better than the fucking government run ones, where the two high schools are special measures and the only good one is c of e. The only middle class people who send there kids to the state schools think there making a political point by moving to fucking otley.

But yeah of course working class people can't run a school or a library or a fucking bus service can they. Fucking twat.

What is wrong with you?

 

[Edie]

i've done fair bits in the voluntary sector over the years, and it doesn't really strike me as a good way of 'delivering' anything - much more about the development of the volunteer than the efficiency or quality of the end product...

Yeah those volunteers eh, what the fuck do they know.

No, we all need to be told what to do, unable to make any decisions. What a fucking load of shit. Fact is you lot don't want any fucking power cos you'd rather just moan and criticise and be victims of your situation. True democracy where people make decisions and run their own affairs would scare the shit out of you, mostly cos it would swing hard to the fucking right.

 

[DotCommunist]

oi, I don't want democracy I want Party totalitarianism- full swing cradle to grave shit. A file for every citizen.


Democracy is for wankers.