Does Cameron's "Big Society"....

I didn't know Hitchens was terminally ill. Sad to hear that. Has he got cancer?

Volunteers serve Teas and Coffees in hospital waiting rooms yes, they don't as yet actually work on wards. Isn't part of the problem with hospitals the divisision between medical and social care. A generation ago nurses provided much of the latter and a bit of the former. Today they all have degrees, are much more medically savvy and expect (quite rightly) to use their qualifications while no one is doing the personal care stuff. Sorry, I digress

SWC - I work in hospitals. There are NO volunteers on the wards. The discussion further up the thread was about clinical work. Not about a volunteer wheeling a shelf of books around the wards. Keep up with the discussion or don't be so plain nasty.

hitchens still professes to be a marxist but that could be coz he's terminally ill and has seen the error of his iraq war supporting ways.

rightwing IS about freedom. freedom of an egocentric, myopic type tho that tends to shaft the majority while keeping an elite way too rich. this is illogical in the end as can't be sustained in the long term.

Agree smallwhitecat. They had a consensus. Thatcher broke the consensus. But they now have a consensus again, despite Labour's theatrics.

The Coalition has rolled back the civil liberty infringements of the control freaks.

Rightwing is about freedom for the oppressed rich. They wish to be able to spend their money freely.

Rightwing is NOT about freedom.

but georgeorwell, the necons were all from leftwing backgrounds, all ex-Trotskyists. Even Christopher Hitchens is an ex-Trot.

Rightwing is about freedom. Scoial engineering is Orwellian State control.

I wouldn't support any greens, because they are the most Orwellian of the lot.

complimentary - why do you send your children to private school if you genuinely feel they will be discriminated against? Surely you actually feel it is advantageous in some way for your children to be educated privately??? Otherwise, why are you doing it? And don't you believe that, actually, they will have a better chance of getting higher exam grades if they have been educated privately?

Naughty, George. :o

"with FEWER A levels" that should be complimentary. tee hee. so you object to dave et al because they're not right wing enough? i object to him because he's a rabid neocon dressed up as a moderate. if that's not contorted don't know what is.

if you lived in italia claig you'd be a supporter of Beppe Grillo prob in his vaguely apocalyptic assertions that ALL politicians are self serving bastards who has himself now formed a political party. but he's actually v green so u prob wouldn't be.

i think we are all a tad confused.

only future for me is back to real socialism.

Still better than Labour? Give them time, give them time.

You're right. They are both social engineers, just that Labour are more so. Remember, Blunkett's databases for nursery children to spot future criminals. I have heard a Tory MP in the past supporting it.

Bit they are still better than Labour.

Claig. I'm surprised and very disappointed that the Tories are into social engineering. I always naively saw that as a Labour domain.
I worked hard coming from a poor working class background, and went to University etc; to send my children to private schools now Cameron want's my children discriminated against at school. State school children will get into top universities with lesser A levels. I think Cameron's treading a very dangerous path.

The private school parents save the country 3 billion. Why should we be discriminated against?

I have lost faith in Cameron (never had much anyway) and would certainly not vote for him. Your posts are right, there is barely a fag paper between Labour and Tory.

Actually I find it all very interesting.

The social enterprises and charities (the third sector) who the Coalition expect to deliver much of the Big Society tend to be 'left of centre' types - so lots of adjustments being made there.

If it does work (and I admit it's a big if) where does that leave Labour?

they'll probably

You know yourself what the Tories will do to make it more difficult for private school children to get top university places. We know they are just as green as the other side, there'll probably give us more green taxes than the last lot did. They all sing from the same hymn sheet.

I sell timeshare in Tenerife. They're queuing up for it.

There are differences, but not as great as they make out. But, you are right, it is less Orwellian, the Labour lot are even worse. But you know all that, that is why you aren't Labour or Conservative.

Claig your posts are now making me want to emigrate.........If this lot are no different to the shower of shite called the Labour Party god help us! Must say it does not feel so 'Orwellian' now they have gone. Or are they up to social engineering and Big Brother also? Me thinks so!

Claig have you ever thought of a job in relocation? perhaps helping those leave these lovely shores for a better life. You could give all of your above political arguments for leaving, to clients who want to bugger off!

I agree with you ChristinaTheAstonishing. It is a scandal. We need trained people working in hospitals, not good minded volunteers. We need top services provided by trained staff, not a bunch of Sunday volunteers.

But we know it is not going to happen, we know they are all in it together. Putting your faith in Labour won't change things, our elderly were getting that treatment under Labour, as all the scandals showed.

Claig - you still won't have volunteers working inside hospitals, though. And the situation is only going to get worse with all the cuts.

But then when we read about how the elderly are treated in some of our hospitals, as is all over the papers today, where they die of dehydration, then thank God there are some people who are active.

It was happening under Labour, so I don't really know how it will ever change.

The Big Society reminds me of that in The Ragged trousered Philantropist. Nothing big about it, just people left to the charity of laydeez with time and money on their hands.