scrubbedexpat141

Best thing said in this thread.

alfrombarking

Eddie Mair putting Francis Maude on the spot: "what volunteering do you do?''

http://audioboo.fm/boos/155599-eddie...ring-do-you-do

alfrombarking

Ok,Here is a brief history of events which contributed to the development of this thing they call the Big Society:

In the 1970s and 1980s, radical lefties set up a wide range of communuity groups to empower people and deliver a wide range of innovative services. Of course The Tories and their Right Wing allies denounced them in the most vicious terms.

Then between 1997 and 2010, Labour created space and put in place policies to enable literally thousands of voluntary groups to flourish, with huge new opportunities to deliver services and to improve local neighbourhoods. Once again The Tories ignored this, because they were more interested in banging on about immigrants and tax cuts.

In 2009, a small group of PR professionals at the top of the Tory Party – none of whom had any experience of voluntary action – announced something called the ‘Big Society’, a vague, top down initiative which attempted to claim credit for the insight that voluntary groups had a role to play in delivering services and improving communities.

In 2011, thousands of voluntary and community groups will be wiped out by the savage cuts which the Tory government is inflicting on us.

Now a shorter history of the Tories and the Big Society goes like this:

-First they denounced it.

-Then they ignored it.

-Then they claimed credit for it.

-Then they cut it.

Hope this helped. Then again Cameron is arguably the most hilarious PM we have ever had - he should go on Britain's Got Talent.


About Volunteering? well, just listen to this:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/155599-eddie...ring-do-you-do

alfrombarking

Funny, you never commented on us giving India 1billion in Aid.

I cant see anything to be positive about when they are closing down my local library.

Volunteering? There are thousands of Volunteers up and down the Country who have been doing great work for years, but these Clowns are now responsible for cutting off their funding, so I wonder where those you mentioned above will go to volunteer to. He really ought to look to the Lib dems for some ideas, "Big Society" doesn't stand a hope, but localism could deliver...but this requires devolved powers, reform of the tax system..a prolonged political engagement which I doubt he has the capacity or intellectual depth for.

BTW



This cartoon by Adams from The Sunday Telegraph shows UK Prime Minister David Cameron in the role of Harold Macmillan, who was PM from 1957 to 1963.

co durham boy

Cameron is a prick just like Milliband , Clegg and all the other Chinless wonders. He hasn't got a majority and will be out of office within 18 months.

He'll Back to having Eton Mess with his old sparring partners from the Bullingdon Club.

There's not a politician out there worth voting for.....I'm so glad i don't pay Tax...!

Meow

No. Ethos was specifically asking what YOU are going to do to help. Your biased psuedo-political rhetoric is soap-box bombast of the worst kind.

I am no Tory and do not approve of much of what the party stands for but I do understand the principle of 'Big Society' no matter who invented it or is claiming credit now. That really doesn't matter. The point is that people should be involved in their communities and in society.

And as for suggesting that Cameron should work for free? That is utterly ridiculous. I'd suggest quite the opposite. Salaries for leading elected political roles should double. Then perhaps people with talent might be interested in standing, and the positions would attract interest from those who are successful in business. I have known some very successful city and business types who would really understand the issues but who will not go down the political route as the pay is too small for all the hassle. UK plc needs a decent MD and we don't get that by paying £145k or thereabouts a year.

alfrombarking

The voluntary sector is being strangled by cuts at the moment and there are social enterprises closing down all over the place.

Pretending that the loss of statutory provision can be replaced by a load of volunteers is basically a con.

Not a word about 1 Billion that we shouldn't be given to Indians

btw
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/work/ar..._page_id=53928

Bahtatboy

Spot on, LH. Receipt of benefits should be conditional upon hard evidence of such participation.

Elmer Fudd

Time for me to leave the UK I think! As the old D-reem song goes "Things can only get better" (in Dubai)

Elmer Fudd

We have had 2 recently and are still in one, too many lads coming back in pine overcoats, so that's enough war for now thanks

Elmer Fudd

Teachers spend most of the summer recovering from the stresses of the previous term and preparing lessons and resources for the new term. We do enough community service by facing badly behaved pupils who don't give a damn about education, but aspire to become a footballer, sleep with a footballer or win the X-Factor

Elmer Fudd

Ha, some great comments here

Elmer Fudd

My son gets benefits because he is severely autistic. He cannot talk, read, write or go out of his care home alone. What volunteering would you suggest that he does to earn his benefits?

co durham boy

Its the ' fakeness' of the whole thing that's nauseating for me . Its about decency and about peoples pride in themselves and their own community.

Not so many years ago people would care about their community and care about their neighbors, whether that was a council estate in Hartlepool or a stand alone 12 bedroom property in the Cotswolds.

Running a local football team , looking after a community center , Scouts , Army Cadets , local playgroups and Societies , all these were up and running years ago without the Big Society Bullshit.

I honestly think people have forgotten what being people is all about . It's the me me me me generation fueled by house prices , X Factor , Big Brother and keeping up with the Jones's.

People like Cameron and his ilk have no idea whatsoever how to deal with the situation , they have no experience are devoid of ideas and are mentored by spin and jargon.

Camerons Big Society starts at the Fulham Road and ends in Kensington High Street.

Millhouse

This would destroy all future investment in to the country.

We should be making deeper cuts than we currently are, reduce corporate taxation, reduce income taxation and increase consumption taxes. No one will have the balls to do that though.

As for PM working for free that could be possible. No PM works for the income they receive during office. They make their money when they leave.