How the “Big Society” fits into “One Nation” politics.
Many of us on the left worry that despite the obvious economic difficulties of many in our society, those in positions of economic power continue to act as if nothing has changed from the “glory days” before the crash in 2008. Large bonuses and payoffs are still the norm, even in some publicly-owned organisations. Statistics indicate that economic inequality is increasing yet at the same time many of the very rich seem to contribute little to society.Despite the protestations of David Cameron at the last election about the “Big Society” that more services would be run by community groups and social enterprises, a report by the National Audit Office shows that last year £4 billion was paid to four big outsourcing contractors, Serco, Capita, Atos and G4S, despite the fact that there have been some well-publicised failures by these companies.
I strongly feel that what is behind the increasing inequality in our society, and the idea that it is fair game to make as much money as possible, is the ethic introduced originally by Margaret Thatcher, adopted by Tony Blair, and enthusiastically pursued by the present government,that the only way to run something efficiently is to privatise it. This unfettered capitalism led to the crash of 2008, and may well do so again unless we think about a better way of running society.
This is not to deny that some publicly run organisations were inefficient, sometimes overstaffed, and could not operate within cash limits. Socialists should not try to deny this was true in some cases, but look instead for new and better models of public ownership which are efficient, enterprising and involve the public.
This book considers some successful social enterprises in the North East of England, and argues that it is model which could be widely extended as part of Labour’s programme.
Thus I am proposing an extension of the “social enterprise” model to many more services currently run directly by local authorities, and to some such as care homes which are run by private contractors. I am also suggesting that the Government consolidates its position in the railway sector by running East Coast as a social enterprise and considers managing the West Coast Main Line in the same way. I also wish the Government to enter the energy sector, challenging the private companies to provide a fairer and more transparent pricing structure, and developing new frontiers in nuclear power, renewables and clean coal, not just going for the cheapest, but in the long run less sustainable, option.
This is the start. Let us see how successful we are, and we may go further if we can take the public with us. They will support us if we are successful.
This programme is not just about economics. It is about a new ethical agenda, that important services are run on behalf of us, by us. We want them to be innovative and enterprising, but also to involve us, the public, too. We should learn from the successful public enterprises in Germany, France and the Netherlands, where far from being “lame ducks” these companies are leading innovators and success stories.
The term “big society” has been discredited, and we may worry that if we use it we will be laughed at. The term “Big Society” however,is something which emphasises the fact that we really are “all in it together”, and that society is run for us, by us. People still use the term “Big Society” and would welcome an approach which actually wants to realise some of its ideals.
This new approach is something which involves all of us. But in the end it is not just about a slogan. We need convincing proposals based on what works. We must take on the nay-sayers who think that all the Conservatives need to do is produce a few positive economic indicators to win the next election. The Labour Party needs to recapture the idea of hope for a better society while keeping its feet firmly on the ground. We must challenge the idea that an ethically based vision of a better society based in economic reality cannot be realised in the twentyfirst century. But first we have to believe in it ourselves.
You are invited to attend the launch of the book Reclaiming the “Big Society”on Tuesday December 3rd at The Two Chairmen Public House, 39, Dartmouth Street, WESTMINSTER SW1H 9BP
David is also talking about the ideas in his book at the Tyneside Fabians on Friday December 6th at 7:30 p.m. in the Park Hotel, Tynemouth. If you wish to attend please contact Rita Stringfellow ((ritaorbrian@aol.com). You must let Rita know if you wish to attend.
The book is available from Searching Finance Price £8.99p