This is Total BS

It must be at least a year since Cameron has been bringing up the Big Society like some obsessive. And still he cannot find the few words of narrative to explain to the public what it is, let alone how it works or how does it mean for me?

Ed Milliband has slowly improved in the weekly duels with PM and it helps him that the only clear linking issue for the BS is the huge cuts in community funding. Manchester Council announced this week how it would save £109m this year - by closing 36 Sure Start nurseries, 20 youth centres, sport centres, swimming pools and also five libraries.

Cameron, on the issue of libraries, blithely ignored the 25% reduction in central funding for LAs and said such cuts were "political motivated by Labour Councils" adding "I see no reason why they should not continue a well-funded network of libraries." Milliband knows every LA, whatever their politics, will face these impossible decisions, if he keeps his calm the political momentum will just come to him.

On Newsnight on Monday night, the BS Minister, Francis Maude continually let all other members of the panel interupt him. His newly discovered good manners was simply because after his short brief ran out he had nothing left to say. His exhausted response of blaming Labour is wearing very thin, especially when new figures revealed the cost of the bank bailout to us, the taxpayer, was £131Bn. That is the reason we are losing our public services and why we will have a shrinking society.

___________________________________________________-

About five years ago, my employer was making a big push on volunteering as something of a forerunner of PM Dave's big idea. I had missed the main presentation but was compelled with another colleague to attend a second meeting. After half an hour's Powerpoint about fishing shopping trolleys out canals, we had the Q and A. The young, super keen presenter asked us both what we might contribute. I said I had three children aged between one and eight and that took all my spare time. The other chap said he was sole carer for his 90 year-old mother who suffered with dementia.

The eagerness from the presenter dried up instantly. I confess I rather enjoyed his discomfort and the silence which followed.