Where is this country going?

Well what happy times this country is in not. After the events of the past few days in London of feckless youngsters who probably wouldn't know what manners or indeed the person who has been shot it brings into focus the idea of the supposed "Big Society"

Now as far as I understand the "Big Society" was supposed to be a government initiative to encourage others in communities to help others.

The will is there to help but where are the resources. Already a centre in North London  known as South Hampstead Life Long Learning where I presently help members of the community does not know if it will be able to carry on when it resumes in September after the summer term. due to the local borough Camden making huge cuts to services.

Before that I actually worked in a Community Centre in West Hampstead where again I helped people with computer lessons, assisting those who had never had experience of using computers, I also did general administrative duties as well.

The social cohesion that was created by running these courses cannot be measured. In fact far more was done to engage these communities then the claptrap that this present government witters on about.  services
There are other schemes from around the UK which have also done similar initiatives ranging from doing simple computer programs such as Microsoft Word or being able to use to World Wide Web to access areas such as benefits advice or looking for social housing or even being able to use e-mail to contact relatives.

But how are communities meant to be providing these schemes when libraries and voluntary groups in the third sector are facing cuts. Premises that could be used to provide services are left unused as discretionary rate relief and peppercorn rents are effectively  done away with, crippling. these communities. 

I wonder if we have gone back to the 1980's although too young to remember the events of Brixton, Toxteth or St. Pauls to mention just a few areas effected by rioting I can remember bits of what I saw as a youngster.

Whilst the events of the weekend have been caused by yobbos with no manners I feel that this has been a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. I ask what can be done to reform these  ...... well you decide what to call them. It is all very well to rightly criticize them but there must be a way of reforming them seeming as the old methods cannot be used, mind I am not sure that those methods would work.

By the way I wonder if it was worth Boris Johnson coming back or indeed Nick Clegg visiting Tottenham, still just a thought.

Welcome to the "Big Society" every one and given the way things are going this is great for the UK isn't it, God help us all.  Still what do you expect from spin doctors and some politicians chasing votes thinking that there more important than other ordinary folk.

Mind on a positive note at least the people in the communities affected are getting together to clear things up people who have far more initiative then these supposed leaders of the UK.