... to think the gov can eff off if they think I'm going to do voluntary work?

[woollyideas]

I'm really fed up with reading about this hypothetical army of volunteers who will run our libraries, patrol school crossings etc., etc. as part of the old Big Society thingmy. AIBU to think that if I was to be made redundant due to government cuts, I would prefer to lie in bed a bit later than usual, write, paint, read, bake cakes, stick two fingers up to the Condems, etc., after 30-odd years of working? Or do you think I should just pop along and be an unpaid slave happily work for nothing in a local school or something worthy?

What would you do?

I take your point, Sethstarkaddersmackerel but still can't see why they can't be paid the minimum wage while they're doing it. Or at least expenses.

And, although the anecdotes about Sainsbury's might have me jumping to conclusions, I'd rather avoid the shop until I know what the situation is - and for that reason, I'm writing to my local branch to ask them.

If you put in a search for the 50 big cash Donors to the Tory Party you will find a PDF that list them.

Iv'e copied and pasted, if you look down the list you will see that Lord sainsbury is one of them!

Big cash donors to the Conservative party, by ?donor group? January 2001 to June 2010
Donor (or Donor Group)
Constituent Members and
Organisations
Total Amount
Donated
1 Irvine Laidlaw
Lord Irvine Laidlaw
IIR Ltd
Abbey Business Centres 6,085,000
2 Sir Paul Getty Sir Paul Getty 5,000,000
3 John Stuart Wheeler John Stuart Wheeler 3,933,300.
4 The Bamford Family
JCB Research
JCB World Brands
J.C. Bamford Excavators
Mark Bamford
Anthony Bamford
George Bamford 3,898,900
5 Michael Spencer
Michael Spencer
IPGL Ltd
Intercapital Private Group 3,832,400
6 Robert Edmiston
Robert Edmiston
IM Properties
International Motors Ltd 3,274,700
7 David and Jonathan Rowland
David Rowland
Jonathan Rowland 3,018,700
8 Michael Farmer Michael Farmer 2,931,550
9 National Conservative DrawNs aStoiocnieatly Conservative Draws S2o,c4i4e5ty,700
10
The Midlands Industrial
Council
(including separate
donations made by the
constituent members of
the Midlands Industrial
Council, except those of
Anthony Bamford and
Robert Edmiston, which
are already listed under 4
and 6, above)
Midlands Industrial Council
Gallagher UK Ltd
Keith Bradshaw
Richard Smith
Christopher Kelly
John and James Leavesley
Lowe and Fletcher Ltd
Midland Chilled Food
Midland Food Group
David J Wall
Kambiz Jaberi
Harris & Sheldon Group
Graham H Silk
Folkes Holdings Ltd 2,135,300
11 Stanley Fink Stanley Fink 1,997,600
12 Michael Ashcroft
Bearwood Corporate
Services
Lord Ashcroft
Susan Anstey 1,964,900
13 Scottish Business Groups: Focus on Scotland
Scottish Business Groups:
Focus on Scotland
Focus on Scotland
Sir Jack Harvie 1,781,000
14
Donations Originally Made
By RF Trustee Co. (The
EC refused to
allow donations made by
RF Trustee Co, with the
result that the donations
were subsequently
declared as originating
from the eight individuals
behind the company. Five
of these donors were
members of the Fleming
banking family).
Robert Fleming
Adam Fleming
Roderick Fleming
Rory David Fleming
Philip Fleming
Hugo Robin Rittson Thomas
Rupert Oliver Rittson
Thomas
Walter L Hannay 1,689,500
15 Leonard Steinberg Lord Leonard Steinberg 1,520,300
16 George Magan George Magan 1,490,300
17 Philip Harris
Lord Philip Harris
Harris Ventures 1,453,800
18 Michael Hintze
Michael Hintze
CQS Management 1,418,400
19 Henry Angest
Henry Angest
Flowidea Ltd
Arbuthnot Banking Group Plc 1,347,600
20 Malcolm Scott
Malcolm Scott
Prestonpans
Philip Wilson Grain
Dunalastair Estates 1,289,700
21 Dave Whelan David Whelan 1,250,000
22 Edward Haughey Norbrook Laboratories 1,134,300
23 John Sainsbury Lord Sainsbury 1,105,000
24 Maurice Bennett Maurice Bennett 1,037,500
25 The Rausing Family
Hans Rausing
Marit Rausing
Lisbet Rausing
Anna Rausing 841,500

but still can't see why they can't be paid the minimum wage while they're doing it. Or at least expenses.

I know! because that is less profit for share holders.

My sister lives in a small affluent Berkshire commuter belt village where there is a huge amount of local community spirit and ventures. These people are relatively homogenous (English, white, middle-class) and well-resourced, (money, time, education, aspirations, motivation). They are largely self-reliant with little need or use of state services and the volunteering they do is jolly and makes life a bit more fun/comfortable. There's parish council, the tiny library in a post box, a monthly 'pub' set up in the village hall, summerfairs etc.

In the urban area I live in there's heavy service reliance and a population of elderly locals, immigrants, young transient families renting on the cheap and students. There's barriers to community spirit from the population scale and the lack of resources and shared language, culture, experience and expectations.

Shiny Dave probably is just another evil Tory bastard screwing the country, but I do sometimes wonder if he's so out of touch he thinks the tiny village example is a practical model to transform society. To someone with his money the Berkshire villagers probably are charming peasants getting by on the little they have and the rest of us are just wilfully resisting Cath Kidstonisation .

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/tax-city-heist-of-century?commentpage=last#end-of-comments

My mistake, apparently he is a Tory bastard...(thanks to the MN'r who posted this on another thread).

woollyideads - I think you volunteering would be a very bad idea and support you in your preference for looking after Number One.

You clearly don't have the capacity to take on more than you already have, nor do you have the public-spiritied attitude to help others.

Best off out of it, in my view.

I hope that was tongue in cheek pascoe, otherwise I'd quite like to give you a slap! As well as looking after number one, I look after my DC and have a full time job. I also happen to do a bit of volunteering on the side already, for a charity which I like and support (which is NOT the Shiny Dave Robin Hood Trust).

Obviously if I was made redundant I'd only be wanting to lie in bed beyond 6 a.m. (my usual getting up time) and read/bake/etc., while I was looking for alternative PAID employment. I wasn't thinking of adopting it as a long term lifestyle, although after 30 years of full time work it looks like quite an attractive proposition.

But if the Condems were to offer me my old job back as a 'volunteer' then yes, I'm not that public spirited.