Big society is it a good idea?

mellman01
mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
edited 16. Feb 2011, 14:08 in Community Chit-chat archive
The way I see it I’m going to get hung at some point on here so it might as well be a sheep instead of a lamb, so this may well be my last post but to hell with it it's Sunday morning and the pain has kept me up most the night so I've had a long time to think on this.
Right my worry/gripe view etc is the latest constant unremitting warning by said leader geezer Dave, the friend of the capitalist elite who even now are busy stuffing their pockets with our money even after we have borrowed billions and handed it to them with no strings attached to graciously save their sorry hides is all getting a bit to much for me, note I didn’t say souls as true cold hard capitalists don’t have them as a conscience is a seriously bad thing when your metaphorically knifing the guy next to you for an extra few % profit.
Right Dave says look out it’s coming to a street near you, yep it’s the new buzz word “big society”!, I mean what the hell is it anyway??, all I know is if I engaged the political babble speak converter into uncensored mode this post would spontaneously self destruct in a flash of political correctness. And I would be instantly banished to cyber Hades to burn in a vat of my own white middle class male logic and honesty, sadly this kind of "say what you see" ethic is again a curse these days or so it seems.
So big society?, hmmm I wonder if he really means your on your own and if you think the roads are full of holes and your local amenities are crumbling now just you wait until I’ve got me claws into things, you’ll all be really lucky if you can afford to eat let alone heat your pathetic little hovel next winter that’s if your lucky to still have it by then.
Big society ironically means the total opposite, a good decent society has always been judged on a scale of how it provides for the genuinely needy and less fortunate i.e. it’s old and truly sick, these day’s however it’s just an excuse to asset stripe the life out of what has managed to survive the last capitalist onslaught otherwise known as Thatcherism which was a code word for selling off the family silver for short term gain, kind of like a star consuming it’s final last store of mass in a desperate attempt to keep shining but an action that only brings about it’s catastrophic death sooner rather than later.
We, I feel are at a Rubicon moment here, we have burnt the last chair and opened the last tin of spam and the cold wind that will unleashed on the most frail and needy will truly be awful I fear, those who will suffer the most I ironically will be the very people who fought for this land in WW2 and were told they would have their sacrifice honoured by the formation of the welfare state just so long as they were willing to pay a little extra all their working lives, but now it’s time to honour that covenant they are going to be forced to sell/spend the little they have saved to support them in their twilight years, to me this is the ultimate insult, I’m not going to pontificate on the social problems that have effectively drained the pond but it’s just an observation and is not pointing any fingers at anyone in particular, not even Dave the geezer, all politicians are at fault here and so are we in a way for allowing it to creep up on us over many years, mostly done by the clever application of the little green monster called greed and Delusional aspiration, we lost our way trying to attain the unattainable that was sold to us by slick advertising executives employed by politicians who told us they had the answer when all they really had was an insatiable greed for OUR hard earned state assets, and really it was only for their benefit and that of their close friends it was never about us, basically we’ve been had big time and over many many years.
I don’t know what if anything can be done to turn the good ship UK around I feel it’s way to late as the fuel tanks are dry and fighting over the ships tiller will do nothing other than make it look like something is being done. while the sharp rocks of reality draw ever closers. Whatever happens it’s going to be a unpleasant ride I fear but as long as we stay true to each other we will get through this as we are stronger together, they love to keep us divided and at each others throats it makes us easier to control, if we deny them that then we may just have a chance to rebuild the political landscape to be one that is more humane and caring, we may not be here to see it happen but it is the best thing we can do for our offspring, if we don’t the present inhabitants will have our kids shackled to the yoke we are presently in.

Comments

  • alanthemanc
    alanthemanc Bots Posts: 512
    edited 13. Feb 2011, 06:23
    Mel
    NO........ NO NONONONONONOONONONONONONOONONONONONONONOONNONONONOONONO..................................NO

    just a Tory Spin Doctors dream
  • joanlawson
    joanlawson Member Posts: 8,681
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    The concept of the Big Society is a worthy one in principle, but at a time of government cut-backs and difficult economic times, most people have to put their own families first. People are having to work even harder than ever to keep a roof over their heads, so have limited time and energy to devote to volunteering. With so many care homes, children's centres, libraries etc. closing down, there won't be so many places left to volunteer in anyway.

    I'm afraid that the weak will go to the wall with less and less in the way of support and services. Then the Big Society will turn into the Big Disaster, but by that time all the politicians responsible will have retired to their country estates, and will no doubt blame the rest of us for our lack of dedication to the cause.
    c1b3ebebbad638aa28ad5ab6d40cfe9c.gif
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm not sure there is much more that can be cut back round here, it's odd were under more pressure from housing being built around Wallingford and Didcot were told "we need it" who's we exactly?, probably the big building company who's tied to centeral government via the local lodge,I don't really get it the roads here are a total wreak and getting worse, we are so croude if it were wild animals they would suggest a cull I'm sure. And me being unable to run far would be a gonner by mid morning!.
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    sorry mell you lost me half way through but here goes from what i did follow. if we are in such a bad place why are we paying PMs so much surly they should be happy to cut there wages back to a normal level till we turn things around or is it a case of i am all right jack you can cut back then we will all be OK. they should each be given a room in the houses of parliaments to use while there then there would be no expenses to pay out. they can eat there and sure there bars are subsidised.
    if we keep cutting back and laying off every where there will be even less people spending and paying tax and national insurance so even less to go into the pot it an ever decreasing circle and will lead to more problems i not saying we should take on staff we can not afford but there has to be a balance. as to making people working till they are in there 70s well where the jobs coming from for the school leavers if no one leaves they will never get a job so few get full time jobs these days they are working in pubs shops etc all part time no one is training them to be useful members of society this only my veiws but i live in the real world unlike the people we have in charge who never spent a day in the real world val sorry it so long winded
    val
  • lupin15
    lupin15 Member Posts: 2,182
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    This just takes me back to when i was a child.....when there was no real benefits and people had to work to make ends meet. My father had two jobs and he looked after us when my mum went out to work cleaning other peoples houses. If you didn't have the money you went without...no one really had credit cards...Now people can go over drawn so the banks make a huge profit charging people. I went into one bank whos name i will not say but Spanish orange should give you a clue. They told me that they did not have one bank account that you could not go overdrawn on. (thats with or without permission). The banks have a lot to do with the state of the country ....why are they not putting anything back. I am all for making a profit but the countries expense???
    I have a daughter who is trying to find somewhere to live. They have been looking since novemeber. they go and look at a house and there is something like upto 6 people or more looking at the same time. The landlords are taking people with the highest earning. We have military living in the area and they earn high wages. This means local people are finding harder and harder to find places to live. She is about to fill in council houses papers so she might be able to get a property with Broadacreas.
    Like it had been said the social housing was sold off leaving young family's and people in a terrible situation trying to find somewhere suitable to live. Her baby is due in August and she and her partner are worried sick about what they can do. We feel helpless as what can we do. My daughter is not the only one in this position. I have no problem with cutting back etc but the line has to be drawn somewhere surely???
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    both my lads still at home if they do get a private rent it takes up most of there wages with out all the other bills. they should never have sold them all off val
    val
  • coco67
    coco67 Member Posts: 2,374
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    the worst thing that was done was cut back on social housing, as for the millatary being on high wages, the top knobs yer but not the normal ranks, conrary to belief nearly half of forces familys are paid such that they qualify for working tax credits etc . i know this from experience, also they dont go to the top of a housing list because they are forces, they have the same trouble getting on a list as everyone else. when we were due out after 22 yrs we wrote of to every council in england and wales to see if anyone would concider us for there list, only 2 said they would concider us none of the others would as we hadnt lived in the area for more than 6 years. we moved with the army every 2yrs so how were we ment to do that. i have since been on the housing list for several years living in private rent, no heating/hot water and damp every where. and only just got a house now which im greatful for, its hard for people to get any where these days, thatcher has a lot to answer for .

    my son is army, he cant afford a morgage, private rent etc. he pays council tax, rent, food and a sum towards tv,water elc etc etc for his room in camp no they dont get it all free. god knows what he will do when he comes out for good. i feel sorry for the young today they have a mountain to climb just to get started.
  • lupin15
    lupin15 Member Posts: 2,182
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    coco67 wrote:
    the worst thing that was done was cut back on social housing, as for the millatary being on high wages, the top knobs yer but not the normal ranks, conrary to belief nearly half of forces familys are paid such that they qualify for working tax credits etc . i know this from experience, also they dont go to the top of a housing list because they are forces, they have the same trouble getting on a list as everyone else. when we were due out after 22 yrs we wrote of to every council in england and wales to see if anyone would concider us for there list, only 2 said they would concider us none of the others would as we hadnt lived in the area for more than 6 years. we moved with the army every 2yrs so how were we ment to do that. i have since been on the housing list for several years living in private rent, no heating/hot water and damp every where. and only just got a house now which im greatful for, its hard for people to get any where these days, thatcher has a lot to answer for .

    my son is army, he cant afford a morgage, private rent etc. he pays council tax, rent, food and a sum towards tv,water elc etc etc for his room in camp no they dont get it all free. god knows what he will do when he comes out for good. i feel sorry for the young today they have a mountain to climb just to get started.



    My lad has just left the army and his wages were way higher than all the job around here hence is it more difficult for the local people to compete with there wages. Our lad was taking home £1500 ish a month. My daughter works 52 hours a week and has two jobs which brings her home £1, 200 ish take home a month. Most wages for the job available are about £800 a month which means the army personally have a better ability to rent. This in turns pushes up the renting price of property's .Hubby was also in the forces but we struggled and managed to get a mortgage. Although we paid rent, when he was in the army it was at a much lower rate then the local people paid for their rent. The main problem is their is not enough social housing around. No easy answer to solve this problem. The country has no money to build properties for people to live in so the private sector (landlords) just keep on making the money.
  • coco67
    coco67 Member Posts: 2,374
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    and the landlords will keep raising there rents because there is such a need and they can get away with it, where i am rent for the average house starts at 700 a month if your lucky, if your on esa or such like the housing benifit allowance is a maximum of 480 per month you have to pay the difference out of your benifit. a little one bed studio flat is 500 as we had a look the other day. how do they find people to pay these sums. esspecially when they are run down.
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    The thing is val the system is bent from the middle out now, years ago the rich went into politics more as a vocation rather than anything else they had all the money they really needed, didn’t mean they weren’t bent/corrupt but it was less to do with their own back accounts but more to do with the jollies they offered each other shooting days out dinners etc, but it’s different today, it’s so bad now that they can’t even distinguish what it looks like even when it bites them as they are all on the take and the expenses scandal showed how deep it goes and how deep the mind set has been altered.
    Ironically it was Mr T who kicked it all off by introducing the claims system with the words, go out and spend as much as you like.
    Also having worked in the civil service there is the dogma that it’s not a problem of cost it’s not our money, why do you think everything goes into overspend on a grand scale the M25 upgrade cost 3 billion and at least a billion was wasted on what god knows but no one has been pulled up for it, Lord Macalpine will make mega bucks so will Lord Hansen etc but a billion lost and no reason given or no one being forced to account for any off it?, that’s what your up against.
    It’s because the cash is handed out by ministers to their contract friends a lot of them lords now there’s a thing?, who in turn oil the wheels by back hander’s to anyone with a hand in the revenue till.
    Problem is no one is held to account except the tax payer who is being bled dry to patch up the deeply dysfunctional corrupt administration, it doesn’t matter who gets in the back room boys are still there and so are the lobby brigade all feeding off an infected system and poisoning it further.
    It’s this that is the problem thing is now it’s so far from reality it’s not easy to fix, the easy option as they see it is cut and tax not as it should be account and hold accountable I don’t think they care as long as they get their snouts in the trough,.
    I don’t know where it will end, Val they should have stopped it when they had the chance but I fear it’s to big to stop unless there is a big C change, we could do with a Cromwell kind of guy, it’s strange as Egypt has used people power to kick out a corrupt Western puppet and our leaders praise their fortitude, if it happened here they would send the troops in and bloody their noses and call them anarchists and terrorists no do
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    isn't this an American idea they get extra credits towards there universities if they have been doing this kind of thing what are ours going to get for doing it they should at least pay them if people going to be working longer and no jobs for them then they should be paid for doing this it is a job of work???
    val
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh I don’t know shock collars and cattle prods would do the trick!, thing is we are now being brain washed with this stick so we will accept slightly less cutting than they are predicting it’s called shock doctrine (there I go again!).
    Thing is Ed Balls has the b*&s to now stand up and shout about how much he was going to cut if he had got back in, no one had the brains to look at the books and say, “hang on a cotton picking minute there’s more going out than what is coming in!?), he was on Radio 2 with than Muppet Vine and even then they were saying no one saw this coming, General Swartzcoff called it bovine scatology and this lie is the same.
    I saw it miles away and I’m just a peasant, others around me could also see it coming so I don’t believe one flippin word of it, it’s done on purpose to keep us compliant and milked.
    What you need to do is find out the next big thing they will be chasing and get in on it as you have around 10 years or so before were back here again.
  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,468
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    The way we conduct ourselves in this dear country is far, far from perfect, but is far far better than most other countries. We have allowed politicians to overspend our taxpayers money, we owe 2.5 trillion pounds and only us will pay it back, we're not broke, but getting that way if cuts aren't made.

    The 'Big Society' does have some credence, everything organised at a lower level by ourselves without central funding or control, but there is an awful lot of undoing of government involvement to happen first, it's not going to happen overnight. The Labour party succeeded in buying the peoples vote and staying in power with their consent as long as the money flowed. Now the coffers are empty and the system must be rethought.

    True, the bankers are making money out of the misery of others, so are many businesses, some of them based abroad.

    What we have singularly failed to do is grow a fair and equal society, something which we must look to our past for, a monarchy which still has unequal status dominates, our political system which creates Lords and Ladies and gives power to them in an upper parliament without regards to peoples votes is not without question. I find it a curiosity of our system that it was Labour who raised the pay of all the public authority bosses and their associated quangos, thats one way of building an ivory tower from where you control your fiefdom!

    Now we must move on, in a lot of cases, our country is in a slow decline, our powerbase along with our manufacturing is faltering and we cannot sustain a high level of central government involvement in peoples lives. Now is the time for people to become involved in their country before it's too late to act.

    Nice music, good graphics, I wonder what would have happened if Guy Fawkes had succeeded?