Monday 16 November 2009

Big Government or Big Society? You decide

Are we going to decide our lives or is it government's job?
The answer is that government should take as small a role in our lives as is possible - but this means we need to do more - whether it is to battle climate change, rekindle communities and help narrow the gap between rich and poor.
Government should be a stimulus and a safety net, not a panacea; it is a sad indictment of this government that despite many of its best intentions child poverty, literacy, social mobility and a host of other yardsticks have got worse in the last 12 years.

Better education, more focus on early years, [and early intervention in particular], and aggressive welfare reform are vital

But most of all government must become a trusting enabler - allowing the police chief, teacher, doctor and community to take control of their lives and helping those who need a helping hand a way upwards not a way out