spooky3 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 In principle I agree but the idea that people can run a library or a post office seems to me to be a bit naive. If theres not enough money to run a library then "civilians" running it doesn't make that money magically appear. Same for a post office. If one is closing because there's not enough money to make it viable the community owning it doesn't suddenly generate the profits. I like the idea of the big society but I don't understand properly how it works. It seems to me to be encouraging people to set up co-ops and so on but its not clear how that is to happen. I keep coming across these problems in my head, and the only solution to some is for paid workers. The paid workers can only come from: Charities: Existing or new Private Enterprise: Make them into profitable businesses Taxes: Pay more taxes and use government / council managed services The only free variation is job swapping. As mentioned on The Big Question, say if your a trained carer, you do an extra couple of hours caring whilst I do your cleaning and shopping... But it's very dependant and wrought with problems, even the most basic, people like to do some things themselves, e.g. shop and clean... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky3 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Big Society is about firing a librarian and then saying "if you want the library to stay open, then you run it voluntarily." How is that possible to the working population? Are you looking at this seriously? There is no money to pay for the librarian! It's either just sack and close, or... The Big Society! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyofborg Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 What should happen first is all those people, who are on a higher wage than the prime minister should have their wages dropped in line why? why should the prime minister have the highest salary, its not like he actually does anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Sleeps Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 There is no money to pay for the librarian! I don't believe that to be true. If we have money for bombs then we have money for books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky3 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I don't believe that to be true. If we have money for bombs then we have money for books. That's an international commitment that the previous government signed us into a contract to. Withdrawal is in process, it still won't solve all of today's problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 The big society is merely the opposite of the big government/state. Labour spent 13 years building up a massive unproductive welfare system/state and it is largely thanks to this we have almost become a nation of back-seat drivers; instead, we need to roll back the state, snap people out of a life of benefits, and encourage entrepreneurialism. Quoted for truth. You can hold on to the dream as long as you like but you won't change the facts no matter how much you don't like them. We have to start doing things for each other instead of relying on state funding. It isn't rhetoric, it is hard reality. The past and current system has ended. This is why 'big Society' (call it what you will) is not an option - it is the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I've just been watching this on The Big Question. There was a woman (and I do feel for her) which kept going on about her severely disabled son who requires 24 hour support from a professional and expects the state to pay for it. How? You'd need someone else to earn enough to pay for them-self and another professional. What if this professional carer also had a child in this situation, e.g. they earn X but need to pay out X. How do these equations add up? People don't want the libraries to shut (neither do I), but if there being used proportionately less then they "deserve" proportionately less budget. The country as a whole has a budget, in simple terms, the taxes we pay, there is only so much money, it will only stretch so far, how can we expect it to pay for everything we want? The was a socialist who kept ranting (most of what he said were over grand clichés and he messed up virtually every time to make it sound worse!) about all their doing is cuts, cuts, cuts, we want this, this and that... Well pal, pay more taxes and you can have it, otherwise tell us where the money is going to to come from! Big Society is about us doing it instead of us paying more taxes. To be part of our community! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Society http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/building-big-society I was reading an article in the newspaper a few days ago about an American academic that did some research into volunteering activity in his own country and in other countries too. He found that the American states which had higher taxes had higher levels of voluntary activity & those states which had lower taxes had lower levels of community participation. He also found this was true when he analysed the data on an international level. I suppose for some that is counter intuitive, i.e. that people will step in when the state pulls back. I wished I could remember the article I was reading - but my mind has gone blank. Will post a link when it comes to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank ryan Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Go crawl in a hole. What should happen first is all those people, who are on a higher wage than the prime minister should have their wages dropped in line does that include the unearned income from tax free inheritance? if so I apply for the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 Why doesn't cameron take a pay cut and use some of that money to help this 'BIG SOCIETY' He's alright int he? driving around in his flash car and living in his big house while some hard working lads earn peanuts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky3 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Why doesn't cameron take a pay cut and use some of that money to help this 'BIG SOCIETY' He's alright int he? driving around in his flash car and living in his big house while some hard working lads earn peanuts! Would his pay cut make up the difference that Labour has forced upon us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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