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The big society ?


observer

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We laughed when Cameron first used this phrase, at the thought of an army of "volunteers" taking on community services that we thought we paid for in our Council tax.  But it seems that the austerity purge has denuded Council coffers year on year, to the extent that services we took for granted are being cut and handed to "volunteers" to provide at no cost.

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But still the waste continues and so does the overspending... The NHS building that you can see from Cromwell avenue.... three tail-lift vans sat there for days on end many times joined by umpteen Vivaro type vans.... all brand new all hardly used. 

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Wastage and inefficiency are issues for politicians to sort out and account for; what we've seen in austerity goes much further than that. What we've seen is huge cuts in expenditure on public services, making the majority of people suffer for the incompetence and avarice of international capitalist institutions and wealthy individuals, following the 2008 crash; and no attempt by Governments to penalise the villains or recoup losses from them. The money is out there, it's just being monopolised by a few; and we need Governments that will get a grip an and redistribute it.

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Wastage and inefficiency are issues for politicians to sort out and account for; what we've seen in austerity goes much further than that. What we've seen is huge cuts in expenditure on public services, making the majority of people suffer for the incompetence and avarice of international capitalist institutions and wealthy individuals, following the 2008 crash; and no attempt by Governments to penalise the villains or recoup losses from them. The money is out there, it's just being monopolised by a few; and we need Governments that will get a grip an and redistribute it.

Wow!! Would you care to elaborate a bit Obs? You know, put a bit of meat on the bones of your wild accusations against these ghastly ghostly few? Who are they? How do they manage to get away with it? Which international capitalist institutions and wealthy individuals are we talking about here? Or do you just need a bit of a lie down?

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Well we should be saving a few bob when the new NHS reforms come in. less gp's surgeries, less hospitals with fewer beds. That will see off a few more of the OAP's and give a great saving on the pension pot as well as saving in having less wages to shell out for doctors and nurses.

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Wastage and inefficiency are issues for politicians to sort out and account for; what we've seen in austerity goes much further than that. What we've seen is huge cuts in expenditure on public services, making the majority of people suffer for the incompetence and avarice of international capitalist institutions and wealthy individuals, following the 2008 crash; and no attempt by Governments to penalise the villains or recoup losses from them. The money is out there, it's just being monopolised by a few; and we need Governments that will get a grip an and redistribute it.

 

 

Wow!! Would you care to elaborate a bit Obs? You know, put a bit of meat on the bones of your wild accusations against these ghastly ghostly few? Who are they? How do they manage to get away with it? Which international capitalist institutions and wealthy individuals are we talking about here? Or do you just need a bit of a lie down?

Peel Holdings, The Barclay Brothers etc. etc. etc  - all those off shore tax evaders.

In the news this week APPLE owing millions to Ireland for tax evasion -  and the European Union getting a grip on it! 

 

The Government we've got has a strong 'grip on it' but only to ensure that the distribution of wealth goes to the elite few.

But this has been going on for years. The present  'Austerity' is just a con to further fleece the general public.

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  • 6 months later...

I wonder if Warrington should have a Bill & Melinda type foundation to help our Charities - as less money comes from central government, less goes to local councils and in turn less goes to areas that they used to provide funding for.

Charities are and always have been a key part of the Big Society (which is nothing new). It has been around for centuries in the shape and form of Charities and other similar groups. Recently they seem to increase in number every year to meet growing needs. What is new is perhaps that they need to work even harder and have to be very competitive against others to get resources from a limited amount of funds and volunteers etc.

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But charities are nothing but a rip off in modern society. The original meaning of charity has long vanished to be replaced by multi national charitable companies populated by fat cats in big offices & dedicated to massaging the public profiles of the celebrities & great & good who support them ,frequently propelling them to greater adulation as peers of the realm. Perhaps these charities could trim down their outgoings and send more money to the people they are supposed to be helping for a start.

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On ‎13‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 5:43 PM, Davy51 said:

But charities are nothing but a rip off in modern society. The original meaning of charity has long vanished to be replaced by multi national charitable companies populated by fat cats in big offices & dedicated to massaging the public profiles of the celebrities & great & good who support them ,frequently propelling them to greater adulation as peers of the realm. Perhaps these charities could trim down their outgoings and send more money to the people they are supposed to be helping for a start.

That's one reason why the smaller charities in Warrington are struggling to survive and provide a service, I imagine some will be winding up soon and then who picks up the pieces?

The trouble is the larger charities need even more money to keep going for some of the reasons you cite but also because they are competing against all other charities or trying to fill the gap or lack of service that austerity creates.

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