The Beeb has a piece on the big society today.
It is a “coral reef” and we are the fishes.
It is the hidden hand behind all government action.
It is everywhere and nowhere at once.
It is, in case you hadn’t guessed by now, the “big society”.
What a pile of arse, frankly. I am not a fish in a coral reef, I do not want the (not very well) hidden hand of government poking about in my life, I would prefer that it is nowhere rather than everywhere. David Cameron may well bang on about this bollocks and it may well be his vision, but I will take no part in it. I am an individual, I am a man, not a number.
And there is still confusion among civil servants about what the big society actually means – despite an on-going series of seminars across Whitehall to explain it.
Oh, that’s simple – it’s the latest piece of consultancy buzzword wank that is of appeal to facile self-important charlatans.
Now Labour leader Ed Miliband says he is determined to claim the concept for his party.
He is putting together a team of advisers to explore how to breathe new life into local communities by strengthening local institutions such as post offices and libraries, rather than handing them over to volunteers.
My point, I think…
Another indication of what they mean is this:
Lord Wei, the government’s Mr Big Society – who described it as a “coral reef” in his maiden House of Lords speech – counters such criticism by pointing to the creation of the Big Society Bank, which will raid dormant bank accounts to provide up to £100m for community projects, from April.
Thievery by any other name. This was one of Gordon Brown’s wheezes. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. I have a few quid in an account that I’ve not used for about fifteen years. It’s only about £70, but I’ll be taking it out pronto. These theiving bastards are not taking it.
Cameron does talk a load of “bollocks” which is quite clever as most of what he says comes out of his arse.
“Big Society” = Bull Sh*t
As for this ‘nudging’ business, why can’t big government leave well enough alone? They only screw things up, and should have more pressing tasks than interfering in the private lives of the public.
What a pile of arse, frankly. I am not a fish in a coral reef, I do not want the (not very well) hidden hand of government poking about in my life, I would prefer that it is nowhere rather than everywhere.
Precisely.
John, nice to see you back.
What Cameron and Miliband – and the BBC, of course – fail to appreciate is that if politicians wish to “strengthen local institutions” they should step back and do (and particularly spend) nothing. Miliband goes further by damning volunteers who, manifestly, don’t require his services or advice. Where would he be if the sheeple could do things for themselves? Unfortunately, since these are, after all, politicians they will do anything (except do nothing and just leave us alone) to big themselves up by being generous with our money.
Big Society is the Big Con, the Big Joke. And Cameron is Big Brother.
The reason civil servants are busy trying to work out what the Big Society means is simple – if you can label your particular piece of expenditure as ‘Big Society’, it’s less likely to get cut. Result: the empty phrase is getting applied wherever Whitehall thinks it can get away with it.