Stockport Council cuts

[Duke Fame]

I agree, Duke. However, my point is that this can only work if councils acknowledge the presence of community organisations, rather than ignoring them as SMBC did on this occasion.

This will be the real problem with big society working. In this case the council will not really want a community doing what council sees as it's job for them. Council want to be bigger with big budgets, they've had a taste of spending lots of our money and now they see power being lost to society and they will not want that.

[Dave]

I agree, Duke. However, my point is that this can only work if councils acknowledge the presence of community organisations, rather than ignoring them as SMBC did on this occasion.

[Harry]

I don't think the sharing of council equipment could happen. It would be an 'elf and safety minefield.

[Duke Fame]

Indeed.  FOMMP would seem to be a good example of the Big Society in action.  But if local authorities ignore such organisations, as SMBC appeared to in this case, then it ain't going to work.     

The council should be doing the basics like the mowing of grass etc and the friends of park should be allowed to supplement the work with their voluntary services with which the council should be sharing their equipment

[Dave]

Indeed.  FOMMP would seem to be a good example of the Big Society in action.  But if local authorities ignore such organisations, as SMBC appeared to in this case, then it ain't going to work.     

[Duke Fame]

Disconcerting indeed - well done for stopping it! (What price the Big Society... :-(

It's exactly what the big society is for. The friends of the parrk group are a big society solution, if they can organise the upkeep of the park with minimal interference from the council, that is very good.

[Duke Fame]

But its not just Oxbridge that are proposing to charge the maximum of £9000.

Manchester and Liverpool John Moores have said they will charge £9000, and Leeds Met have proposed £8500. Expect many others to follow their example.

I noticed John Moores charging £9k, I think it will be a pretty empty place at that price.

[Dave]

Sorry, I seem to have set hares running! I wasn't seeking to make a point about university fees, or about Iraq. I was simply using the demos related to those issues, to show that the number of people attending a demo doesn't tell you anything very much about the views of the rest of the population, which is what you seemed to be suggesting.

[Harry]

But its not just Oxbridge that are proposing to charge the maximum of £9000.

Manchester and Liverpool John Moores have said they will charge £9000, and Leeds Met have proposed £8500. Expect many others to follow their example.

[Duke Fame]

Oh I see.  So if you don't go out and demonstrate against something, you must be in favour of it?  So as there were about 50,000 people demonstrating against university fees in London last November, that means that 62,950,000 of us are in favour of our kids paying £9,000 a year to go to uni?  Or as about 750,000 people demonstrated in London against the Iraq invasion in 2003, that means 62,250,000 of us were in favour of invading Iraq?   Come on, Duke, get a grip!   

Well, if your kids are paying £9k they are going to oxbridge and therefore, they'll be earning very will indeed in no time. Overall, i think most people who can do sums can work out that higher educatuion needs funding in such a way.

As for Iraq, well as a major factor at the time, the govt of the time got re-elected OK on the back of it (admittedly, that govt hadn't released thier ticking time bomb at the time)

[Dave]

Oh I see.  So if you don't go out and demonstrate against something, you must be in favour of it?  So as there were about 50,000 people demonstrating against university fees in London last November, that means that 62,950,000 of us are in favour of our kids paying £9,000 a year to go to uni?  Or as about 750,000 people demonstrated in London against the Iraq invasion in 2003, that means 62,250,000 of us were in favour of invading Iraq?   Come on, Duke, get a grip!   

[Duke Fame]

As we saw last weekend....

Did we? where?

Well we saw a nationally organised demo against cuts and about 1/2 a million turned up (mostly having a monetary interest in the cuts not going ahead), that leaves 62 1/2 m who support the cuts.

[Dave]

As we saw last weekend....

Did we? where?

[Duke Fame]

As we saw last weekend, the vast majority of the population support the cuts, some will impact us but they are in minor areas.

Thank googness we don't have a council like Manchester's

[Miss Marple]

cuts have not had an impact  on community services.

....yet! The spending cuts don't take effect untill next next week!

You know me Dave I have inside information