This is for anyone, including journalist Michael Deacon, who may still be struggling with understanding the fundamental concept of the Big Society.
There are disadvantaged people in society, whose responsibility is it to look out for them?
If your answer is “The government”, then you probably don’t get Big Society, you are thinking of Big or “Nanny” State.
If your answer is “Everybody’s” then you probably do get it.
This doesn’t mean that the government is absolved from responsibility. The government is part of society. But it does mean that other people can’t abdicate responsibility by saying “The government should do something” and leaving it at that. Yes, the government should do something, but so should the rest of us.
Now, what’s wrong with that?
