The Big Society! When have three little words proved so challenging to the point of creating a welter of seminars, task forces, conferences not to mention the thousands of column inches and hours upon hours of tv airtime just to get to grips with what The Big Society really means.
The moment the idea was launched, the kickfest started. Boris Johnson made a joke out of it - "We must tackle the scourge of obesity, or the big society, as it's sometimes known." One senior Conservative even said it’s ‘b*******’.
Much the same mockery and dissent arose around other three little words. Remember Education, Education, Education and Back To Basics! Those mantras came back to haunt their authors.
There’s a big idea in The Big Society screaming to get out but the strategy and mechanisms aren’t in place yet.
Rolling back the so called ‘nanny state’ so that we all take more responsibility is fine in essence, but the common good isn’t sufficient incentive when folk on fixed incomes, working two jobs just to keep a roof over their head or facing redundancy is their primary concern.
The message so far is that if you don’t buy into the idea, you will be penalised. Just like, if you don’t recycle your waste in those green, blue and brown bins, they’ll put an electronic microchip in your bin to track your rubbish and potentially enforce a charge. It’s a bit like the stick without the carrot.
The Big Society needs incentives and rewards to capture those people who are not so far community minded - yet they reap the same benefits as those who are. That’s what we’ve addressed through Gold Service – and I’m pleased to say it’s working very well.
What’s your take on The Big Society?