The Big Society – So is it a load of old rubbish used to detract from the governments huge cuts on public services, or is it a great idea to empower business and society? Read on and you might find out…
‘Cuts are “destroying” volunteering and undermining the government’s “big society” vision,’ say charity bosses. ‘The Big Society is just a smokescreen aimed at distracting the public from the governments disgusting program of cuts,’ says opposition MP – and so on and so forth.
That is the kind of thing that you will turn up if you do a quick little Google search of Cameron’s ‘Big Society’. Must be awful then? Well, one thing I have learnt is just to ignore 99% of everything I hear about politics, because, whatever the political party, people love to beat up on the acting government. It’s also true that people are always moaning about the government holding too much power, but when they actually try and give a bit back – they’re lazy. Oh dear, frankly it’s all very boring. There is just too much bias going on with the whole issue. Let’s just summarise and be done with it! So to summarise the Big Society, I will put it like this – is it a smokescreen to detract away from government cuts? Probably a bit, yes. Is it actually a good idea or just a waste of time? Yes, it is a good idea in parts and it does make some sense. Is it a bit of a gimmick or will it work? Yes a little bit maybe, it is a bit over marketed. It might just work better than people think if they just take it for what it is and stop jumping on bandwagons. So there you have it, issue over. Well, not quite. The Big Society could have an impact on business, but will it be an opportunity or a hindrance? Well, we have seen similar ideas before. In the 80s, Thatcher proposed a smaller state but business leaders of the time understood the idea, or at least embraced it more than Cameron’s plans. They understood that if business wanted a smaller state, it had to step up to the plate and provide a more active in society. Of course, as with the explosion in Social media, we all know how strengthening ties with the everyday person can improve business greatly – social media isn’t one of the biggest emerging phenomenons in business for no reason. Thatchers initiative led to a various public-private-community partnership such as, the Groundwork Trusts, Education-Business Partnerships, local enterprise agencies, Community Development Trusts and people development organisations like Fullemploy, Tomorrow’s People, and Common Purpose. Thinking of it like that, wasn’t it Labour that proposed businesses to help fund academy schools? Seems it isn’t just a dumb Tory idea - let’s just see past the politics of it and look at the issue at hand. The fact is, the idea does have some good ideas. Of course, in a tough economy it will be hard to get businesses to spare any extra cash for a publicly derided idea with no immediate results. So, like any idea, it has its flaws and its good points. For society, it might help cut the red tape in place when it comes to volunteering and taking an active role locally. It might also put people in to positions of power that aren’t properly prepared for it – what are the safe guards? It might create cohesion is communities, but it might push class boundaries further, as it is the rich that are more likely to be able to spare time. For business, it might help to build stronger links with local society, but it might also fall down due to a lack willing funding. Who knows? Like anything, if we don’t give it a fair chance it will definitely fail. Whatever the underlying political issues, let’s just look at it objectively and give a thought out, unbiased opinion - because it’s all getting very boring… What do you think of Cameron’s flag ship idea? Is it a waste of time or does it have some substance? Let us know your thoughts…
