The Big Broken Society

Cartoon, 13 Aug 2011: 

Martin Rowson on the government's response to the riots and looting across England which saw over 1,000 people arrested

Click HERE for comments on the cartoon!

Click HERE to watch Cameron's Parliament speech on the 2011 riots!

Click HERE to read an article on the "broken" society!

Big Society

DAVID CAMERON, the prime minister, used to shout about the “Big Society”. He wanted to encourage small groups, charities and business to play a role in welfare provision. But recently we have heard less about the idea. Many people found it too abstract to be enticing. And cynics argued that the concept was devised to provide cover for swingeing government cuts.

Despite the criticism, the Big Society is not dead. In fact, the Conservative party is firmly behind the idea. But questions have been asked about the impact of fiscal austerity on Mr Cameron’s grand vision. Some argue that a philanthropy-friendly culture will emerge only if the government gets out of the way. And by some readings, the State is doing just that. When excluding money spent on “unavoidable statutory obligations” - such as waste removal - local government spending will fall by around 65% by 2020. With fewer State-run social services, the voluntary sector should fill the gap.

But history suggests that the withdrawal of the State will not result in an explosion of community organisations. Recent research by Arthur Downing, at Oxford University, looks at 19th century Britain, when politicians were trying to create something that looks remarkably similar to Mr Cameron’s Big Society. Back then, “Friendly Societies” - co-operatives that provided things like insurance and pension schemes - were in vogue. And reformers wanted more of them, to strengthen community spirit.

In 1834 the government embraced a period of cutbacks. But rather than encouraging the growth of Friendly Societies, austerity inhibited it. Mr Downing reckons that during the period of State retrenchment, people felt poorer. They had neither the money, nor the time, to devote themselves to community organisations. Eventually, Queen Victoria’s government changed tack. From 1855 the government reformed Friendly Society registrars, and they became better at management and legal support. And this had a strong positive effect on membership. By 1900 there were 10m more members than there had been 50 years earlier.

This historical research is important, since it suggests that State cuts may damage the emergence of the Big Society. But the coalition seems to know its history. Jesse Norman, a Tory MP and a big thinker in conservative circles, argues that the coalition should learn from the Friendly Society experience and actively help community organisations to grow.

Big Society Capital (BSC), which launched in 2012, offers funding to social enterprises, which include voluntary and charitable outfits. It provides loans (which must be repaid), rather than grants (which are not). And in 2012 it made £57m ($88m) of investments. Organisations that have received funding through BSC are generally enthusiastic about the scheme. Carn Brea Leisure Centre, in Cornwall, recently received a loan to fit energy-efficient light bulbs. It may sound trivial, but the bulbs will save the organisation £20,000 a year. Outfits like Carn Brea can get small but vital loans relatively easily. And these loans come with lower interest rates than those offered by high-street banks.

Nick O’Donohoe, the chief executive of BSC, is positive about his organisation’s prospects. Charities that continue to rely on grant funding are likely to suffer in the coming years, as local government expenditure is cut back. Yet Mr O’Donohoe argues that a broader range of finance options, including loans, will enable some charitable or voluntary outfits to improve their services. This year he expects his organisation to invest around £75m in social enterprise - and to encourage other lenders into the market.

But research by Paul Palmer, at Cass Business School, shows that smaller charities, in particular, struggle to adapt to loan-based forms of financing. And BSC’s potential £600m pot is overshadowed by the £1 billion drop in funding from government to the voluntary sector over the next four years.

Under fiscal austerity, the Big Society will not emerge of its own accord. British history demonstrates this. But the government seems to know its history. And Big Society Capital is a good, if incomplete, start.

To do/questions:

1. Explain the words in bold in the above text taken from The Economist.
2. Summarise the article.
3. Who benefits most from BSC loans?
4. Why are smaller charities likely to disappear?
5. How can the Big Society succeed according to the journalist?
6. Comment the cartoons (compare their message to that of the text).

How important is charity in dealing with poverty in the UK?

What is a charity shop (Wikipedia)?

An article on charity shops from BBC News

CAF 2012 report on charity in the UK

Why is giving to charities going down (The Guardian)?

Charities Aid Foundation website

Are the rich more generous than the poor?
Does being rich make you selfish?

Good reasons to give to charity?

The ethics of charity (BBC)

What is the voluntary sector (Wikipedia)?

Questions/to do on charity in the UK (use the links above):

1. What is a charity shop?
2. How many charity shops are there?
3. What types of things do they sell?
4. What are the causes for which charities raise money?
5. Which charity has the greatest number of shops (what is its cause)?
6. Why do you think people volunteer to work in charity shops?
7. How much money was raised for good causes by charity shops in 2011?
8. Why are people spending more in charity shops?
9. Why is there a shortage of donations of clothes, etc., to charity shops?
10. Why is giving money to charities going down and what are the probable consequences on beneficiaries?
11. Are men more generous than women?
12. What percentage of the population gives to charity?
13. What is the average amount a donor gives a year (and how much was raised in total for 2011-12)?
14. Are the wealthy more generous than the poor (why/not)?
15. Using the CNN report on the World Giving Index 2013, place the following countries in order of generosity (from most to least generous): UK, France, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Philippines; How do you explain these differences?
16. What determines which charities YOU give to and how much you give?
17. Are you or have you ever been a volunteer for a charity (describe your involvement)?
18. Would you like to get (more) involved in charity work?
19. How important (economically, for society) is the voluntary sector in the UK?
20. Are there any arguments AGAINST charity giving?

26th September every year is European Day of Languages!

Click HERE!

Read the information on the European Day of Languages Website and answer the following questions:

1. What is the Council of Europe?
2. What is the purpose of the European Day of Languages?
3. What is plurilingualism?
4. How do you say "Hello, talk to me!" in sign language?
5. How many languages are spoken in the world?
6. What percentage of the world’s languages is spoken in Europe?
7. How many people in the world speak two or more languages?
8. In everyday conversation, how many words do we use?
9. What is a mother tongue?
10. Name a benefit of bilingualism.
11. To which family do most European languages belong?
12. Name three languages which belong to the Germanic family.
13. Name three languages which belong to the Romance family.
14. Which non-European languages are the most spoken on the European territory?

How is poverty dealt with in the UK?

Click HERE to read the BBC News article!

107-year-old Hetty Bower a hit at Labour conference meeting

One of Britain's oldest women stole the show at a Labour Party fringe meeting, with an impassioned speech against government cuts.

Kier Hardie had just been elected leader of the fledgling Labour Party when 107-year-old Hetty Bower was born.

She has spent a lifetime campaigning for peace and improved standards of living for working people.

Although frail, and with failing eyesight and hearing, she spoke with a clarity and force undimmed by age.

"I have lived for a very long time and I have a very good memory," she told the meeting, which had been organised by the Daily Mirror to highlight the human stories behind austerity.

"I've lived through two world wars and I have spent most of my adult life working for peace on our planet…we waste time and money killing each other, when we should be sitting at a table discussing how to improve the lives of ordinary people."

Mrs Bower, who recently took part in a march against the closure of a hospital near her North London home, shared a platform with Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey among others.

[She talked about poverty and deprivation and what it was like when the word 'welfare' was totally unknown.]

"So we have progressed, but I'm now wondering what's going to happen to our welfare state and that is what I have to campaign about in the short time still left to me - peace on our planet and improvement of living conditions."

"I can remember hearing a mother discuss whether she could pay for the visit of a doctor or whether it's got to go on food for the family. I can remember women singing in the street for pennies generous people threw at their feet. Those days must never return."

A veteran of left-wing campaigns from the General Strike in the 1920s to the anti-Iraq war protests of 2003, Mrs Bower also shared her recollections of the "battle of Cable Street," in the 1930s, when fascists were prevented from marching through Jewish areas of East London.

"Hatred of other human beings will have to be totally eliminated throughout our land and that is what I, in the short time left to me, am still campaigning for - peace," she said to a standing ovation from Labour delegates.

Mrs Bower, then headed off to meet Ed Miliband, the 12th man to lead the Labour Party since she joined it at the age of 17 (Ramsay Macdonald was the first).

Questions/to do:

1. Research / explain / translate / find synonyms to or alternative expressions for the words or phrases in bold in the text above (adapted from the BBC News article).
2. Whose responsibility is it to help the poor according to Ms Bower?
3. How is poverty dealt with in YOUR country of origin?
4. Would YOU join a campaign against government cutbacks (why/not)?

Poverty in the UK: what is poverty, who is poor, why are the poor poor?

JK Rowling has said the government is out of touch with poor people and should focus on helping them into work rather than stigmatising them and hitting them with more cuts.

Writing in her role as president of the single parent support group Gingerbread, the Harry Potter author criticized the coalition's welfare reforms and the characterization of people as either strivers or skivers.

"The government mantra that work is the best route out of poverty is ringing increasingly hollow, with nearly one in three children whose single parent works part-time still growing up in poverty," she said. "Rather than focusing on ever more austerity measures, it is investment in single-parent employment that will allow single parents to work their own way out of poverty."

The attack by Rowling comes almost five years to the day since she donated £1m to Labour, criticizing the Tory message that "a childless, dual-income, married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times". It follows the announcement that the Tories will unveil plans for a tax break for married couples in this year's autumn statement.

The award-winning author was herself a single mother struggling to make ends meet when she wrote the first of her best-selling books in the 1990s. She said her self-esteem was tested at the time and single parents were still being stigmatized.

"I find the language of 'skivers versus strivers' particularly offensive when it comes to single parents, who are already working around the clock to care for their children," she wrote on the Gingerbread website. "Such rhetoric drains confidence and self-esteem from those who desperately want, as I did, to get back into the job market."

Office for National Statistics figures show that 59% of single parents in the UK are already in work. Gingerbread says the government could save £436m a year by getting just 5% more into employment.

Rowling wrote that to help single parents back into work, the government should focus on affordable childcare, employee training, make employers embrace flexible hours, and take "a long, hard look at low pay".

Referring to a comment by the welfare minister and former investment banker Lord Freud last year that "people who are poorer should be prepared to take the biggest risks since they've got least to lose!", Rowling wrote that it showed "a profound disconnect with people struggling to keep their heads above water".

She said more single-parent families would lose than gain under the government's flagship universal credit payment, including many in work, because of gaps in childcare provision for many of the poorest families and a loss of support for single parents under 25.

The current benefits system takes into account whether you have a child in determining your personal allowance but under the reforms a single parent under 25 will receive the same rate of allowance as an under-25 without any children.

Click HERE to read the original article on Harry Potter author's views on child poverty in The Guardian!

Click HERE to read the article on mapping poverty in England!
Click HERE to read an article on child poverty from The Guardian!
Click HERE for a map on child poverty in the UK!

To do/questions:

1. Why is Harry Potter sleeping under the stairs?!
2. Read the text on Rowling's opinions regarding the causes of child poverty in the UK and explain the words and expressions in bold.
3. Does Rowling think the poor should do like she did: rely on themselves to get out of poverty?
4. Where are there most poor families in the UK and where are there the least (cf. the map and article)?
5. Why is the percentage of poor families highest in the largest urban areas?

Why are things going wrong in the UK?

Read the article from The Independent: click HERE!

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks: Lack of faith means Britain is ‘losing the plot’

Britain is “losing the plot” because its increasingly secular society has led to a breakdown of trust affecting marriage, child poverty and the economy, the outgoing Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, said on Sunday.

Lord Sacks, who became one of the country’s highest profile religious commentators in 22 years as Chief Rabbi, said in an interview that “individualism is no way to build a society” and that religious faith helped bolster trust in society as a whole.

However, the National Secular Society dismissed the suggestion, saying secularism had led to a fairer, more tolerant society in which people thought for themselves and were “less obedient” to religions.

Lord Sacks, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, said that the idea of the “big society” was strongest in the UK’s different religions “because that’s what we do, we care for one another”.

But, asked whether Britain was more or less fractured than it had been, he said: “I think we’re losing the plot actually. I think we haven’t really noticed what’s happening in Britain.”

Lord Sacks pointed to the 2008 banking crisis as one example of the problems caused by a lack of religion. “When you begin to lose faith and society becomes very, very secularised, you first see a breakdown of institutions, whether they are financial, economic or… marriage is an institution,” he said.

“And then you ask why they have broken down and you arrive at one word: trust. Trust means having faith in somebody else to keep their faith with you, so there’s something about religious faith that undergirds trust as a whole in society and when trust breaks down you see institutions break down.

“Individualism is no way to build a society... if people work for the maximum possible benefit to themselves, then we will not have trust in industry, economics and financial institutions, we will not see marriages last.”

He said some non-religious parents wanted their children to attend faith schools because they recognised this and wanted their offspring “to grow up with a strong moral sense”.

Lord Sacks said politicians were “part of the breakdown of marriage in the West” over the past 50 years, but he did not blame them or governments for the general lack of trust. “It’s the fault of what we call culture, which is society talking to itself,” he said.

“The truth is that the breakdown of marriage has meant the creation of an entirely new phenomenon of child poverty affecting three million children in Britain today that we thought had been eliminated. So children get to be the victims.”

The Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, agreed with Lord Sacks. “Having moved from a generation that put the common good first, we have now created a culture which puts ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ first,” he said. “This inevitably has consequences for society and Lord Sacks is right to reiterate what Christian leaders have been saying for years.”

Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said Lord Sacks’ idea that secularisation had led to a decline in trust was “not surprising” but “unfortunate”.

“I think a secular society is a fairer society, where everybody is treated equally, regardless of their beliefs or non-belief,” he said. “I don’t think that the move away from religion is anything to do with trust in society at all. Society, as it has become more educated, has become less blindly obedient, particularly to religion.”

Questions/to do:

1. Describe and comment the above photos of the East End of London (how has the photographer depicted the area in his photo essay)?
2. Explain the terms in bold in the article above by Ian Johnston.
3. Summarise the article from The Independent (in three short sentences at most).
4. What do you think of Lord Sacks' analysis of the causes of the UK's present state (is loss of faith/lack of trust the only cause of the apparent decline of British society)?
5. From your point of view is a secular society better than a society in which religion plays an important role?
6. Do you think French society is also "losing the plot" (why/not)?
7. Are YOU more for individualism or more for a strong Welfare State?