In his inauguration speech John F Kennedy posed the by now famous question: ‘And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country’. Kennedy’s crusading message was influential in shaping the attitudes of a generation of Americans.
The Big Society idea is certainly Kennedyesque in its attempt to engage people to take part in their society. Yet the Big Society concept has been ridiculed and is likely to be one of the early casualties of the Coalition Government in Westminster. The criticism has largely been focused on the ‘free school’ policy. In this it was imagined that parents would wish to come forward and run their own school. Some did, but most had better things to do with their time.
David Cameron claims to have been talking about the Big Society concept for years, yet he has done a lamentable job in promoting the idea. Support for the idea within his own party was luke-warm, and many Tory candidates claimed it did not go down well with the voters. Therefore in the stormy seas that will face the Coalition Government in the years ahead it will not be surprising if the Big Society sinks without trace.
The Big Society concept surely deserves a better fate. The Welsh Government should seek to refloat the idea. Both Labour and Plaid can seize the Big Society plan from the Tories, remodel it and call it their own. They may even give it another name, but as long as the message of social responsibility, best articulated by Kennedy, remains at the core the label will not matter.
The voluntary sector already takes responsibility for a vast amount of what happens in our communities. In my small town in North East Wales volunteering is the norm not the exception. It will never replace the professional services, but it will continue to add an important dimension to every community in the country. I carried out a brief unscientific survey of volunteering from those living on my road. The results include: being a trustee taking responsibility for the running of the town hall, a town councillor, taking part in the spring clean-up, delivering the community paper, mowing the bowling green, and so on.
The Big Society is essentially a socialist plan. It chimes perfectly with Marxist teaching. No wonder many Tories hate the Big Society. Yet, the great failure of socialism has been to create a two way relationship with the governed. Too often the state is viewed as doing things to people, rather than for them (most especially, I think, in terms of education). Those who can contribute to society should do so; or at least they should be rewarded for doing so. Remember, as Marx himself wrote: ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need’. The Bible has similar teachings, for instance in Mathew 25:15 and the story of the Talents.
Just because David Cameron is championing the Big Society does not mean it is a bad idea. The concept should not mean the replacement of professionals with volunteers, or for that matter any public sector job with an unpaid worker. The Big Society concept is to do things that would not otherwise be done, or to do things better. Engaging more people with the work of the state is essential: or becoming stakeholders, as another recent Prime Minister might have termed it!
I am arguing here that public policy should be framed to secure the highest level of participation possible. The third sector must be harnessed and supported in Wales in order to end dependency culture and promote social mobility.
Some 40% of the Welsh population already regularly volunteer; the best employers, such as Airbus here in Flintshire, already provide support to employees who volunteer. The Welsh Assembly Government should build upon this and welcome the initiatives coming from Westminster and seek to make Wales the volunteering capital of the UK. There are countless areas of public life crying out for greater participation. Wales with its many strong communities is well placed to benefit; we should also continue to celebrate participation wherever possible.
Democracy is not just about voting in elections and referendums; it is about participating on a regular basis. The Welsh Assembly Government has a good record in engaging views of young people. The challenge now is to encourage the widespread participation of men and women across the land. David Cameron may have failed to sell the idea in England, but in Wales we should enthusiastically embrace the concept. Maybe we just need to call it something else.
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